Collector Box

Black collector box on Gammasphere, circled in white; yellow-encased power supply above collector box.

As a part of Gammasphere's upgraded DAQ system, a new "collector box" has been added. The collector box collects and maps all analog signals for up to 30 detectors, coming from the pickoff card in the SBX to the collector, and being output to the digitizers. Control and monitoring of Gammasphere's modules are maintained with the help of the collector box, using EPICS IOC. For concepts like "electric honeycomb", the collector box implements distinct hardware. It provides power to individual SBX units via a singular 48V input from the power supply (above the circled collector box in the image to the right).

The collector box was created to replace the inefficient system that preceded it, known as VXI crates. They consisted of multiple boards and racks, which took up physical space within the room and presented a heat issue as well as multiple obsolescence risks and possibilities of power supply failure. The collector box eliminates these risks, and physically and digitally optimizes the overall system.