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Automated Test and Evaluation Center for Waveform Digitizer Systems and Components

Green, Philip J.

In our instrumentation development efforts we find it necessary to be able to evaluate the performance of waveform digitizing systems with sampling rates from a few kilohertz to more than a gigahertz. Our goal has been to develop an integrated system which can provide quantitative results on the performance of systems and subsystems. Here we describe a system which is controlled by a Microvax II with instrumentation control through the IEEE-488 buss. The evaluation procedure is delineated in reference to a Trial Waveform Digitizer Standard generated by the Waveform Measurements and Analysis committee appointed by the Instrumentation and Measurement Society of IEEE. The standard has been recently accepted by the IEEE and will become a published standard. In this work, special focus is given to the accurate measurement of effective-bit performance and differential nonlinearity of waveform digitizers. 3 refs., 8 figs.