Minutes-6-3-2010

June 3, 2010 FDC meeting

Tentative Agenda

1. Production
   • 727 B.C. status
   • production planning
   • new design one-layer prototype: PCB and cathode PRs, wire stringing fixtures
2. Electronics
   • fADC125 status (Fernando)
   • PCB status (Kim, Fernando)
   • CAEN HV noise investigations (Fernando)
3. Cathode redesign Bill's changes proposed on the last meeting (Bill, Roger)
4. Full-scale prototype test results
   • cosmics tests FDC Log Book, page 468 (Beni)
   • tests with fADC125: FDC Log Book, page 467 (Lubomir)
   • Garfield simulations FDC Log Book, page 466 (Simon)
5. Other

Minutes

Participants: Eugene, Bill, Fernando, Glenn, Casey, Mark, Beni, Simon, and Lubomir

Production

- Bill informed us that Ron Bartek promised Tim the specifications for the off-site space to be delivered to Rusty Sprouse no later than Friday. There's no full lease of the property yet. Eugene explained us there's a relation between setting up the Blue Crab off-site space and the Hall B one: same people are involved.

- Bill will take care about creating the production flowchart with Fast Track, based on the above document.

- Brian will bring the fixtures for the wire stringing from UVA on Monday (06/07) and put them in 126. Mark will find space to store the equipment in F117 and as long as there's more free space there, Bill is ready to start setting up the wire stringing. We will use the first articles of the PCBs and cathode foils to produce the new design prototype. We discussed whether we can do the same with the wire and cathode frames: submit PRs for all the frames and use the first ones for the prototype. Bill is confident that the new design will work and we can submit PRs for all the frames; Eugene and Lubomir are also in favor of such decision but we will re-visit this on the next meeting.

Electronics

- Fernando informed us that the DAQ group (Bryan Moffit) is working on the drivers for the fADC125 with LINUX CPU. Beni said he would prefer to use the CPU we have now (VXWorks) because if we can have the LINUX one it will be temporary. Eugene suggested buying a LINUX CPU. Beni explained the three CPUs available now are from different companies, the DAQ people are evaluating them and we better wait before buying such a CPU. Fernando will ask Bryan when we may expect the drivers for the VXWorks CPU. By that time we will use the fADC with the Gerard's program.

- the PR for the PCBs were submitted, expect to have the first article in August.

- Fernando investigate the noise coming from the CAEN HV supply. It radiates rather than transmits through the cables. The strips and wires (mainly the long strips) are picking up that noise. Fernando reduced the noise by re-ranging the ground cable connections. Still two of the cards are showing