Microcomputer control of infrared detector arrays used in direct imaging and in Fabry-Perot spectroscopy

A microcomputer-based data acquisition system has been developed for astronomical observation with two-dimensional infrared detector arrays operating at high pixel rates. The system is based on a 16-bit 8086/8087 microcomputer operating at 10 MHz. Data rates of up to 560000 pixels/s from arrays of up to 4096 elements are supported using the microcomputer system alone. A hardware co-adder under development permits data accumulation at rates of up to 1.67 million pixels/s in both staring and chopped data acquisition modes. The system has been used for direct imaging and for data acquisition in a Fabry-Perot spectrometer. The hardware is operated using interactive software which supports the several available modes of data acquisition and permits data display and reduction during observing sessions