Master timing and TOF module

In conjunction with the development of a beam size monitor (BSM) for the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB), a general-purpose timing device with capabilities useful for many different applications has been built. The time master consists of a fast clock, a large memory loaded via a PC, and a time vernier (analog) with 8-b resolution. The time master generates an arbitrary pattern of pulses on 16 different channels (up to 256), with a resolution of 1/2 /sup 8/ times the clock period. The clock content is stored in another memory to measure the time of up to 16 channels, with a resolution of 1/2/sup 8/ times the clock period (frequency is set at 50 MHz), using a time-to-amplitude vernier. The data stored in the memory are accessed via a PC. The depth of the memory for pattern generation is 15 b (32767), equal to the depth of the time-measuring part. The device is self-calibrating, simply by prescribing a pattern on the output channels, and reading it into the time measuring section. The total clock length is 24 b, equivalent to 354 ms of time at 50-MHz frequency. Therefore, the resolution is on the order of 32-b (i.e., 24 b of clock plus 8 b of vernier).<>