CDS 53A-525 Waveform Digitizer/Analyzer Card

The Aeroflex / Tektronix / CDS 53A-525 Waveform Digitizer/Analyzer Card is a printed circuit board assembly for use in a Aeroflex / Tektronix / CDS 53/63 Series System. The 53A-525 is an 8 -bit, 40-MHz, A/D converter card that incorporates many features usually found in programmable oscilloscopes.

In addition to providing the capability for capturing waveforms ranging in frequency from dc to 20 MHz, the Card also incorporates an extensive suite of software to facilitate performing detailed analyses of captured waveforms. Internal sampling rates are programmable from 0.01 Hz to 40 MHz (100 s to 25 ns), or an external sample rate generator can be used. Input ranges can be set, under program control, from +/-1 V to +/-40 V in six ranges.

Up to 16,384 measurements can be stored in memory located on the 53A-525 Card. The triggering that controls waveform acquisition supports pre-triggering, center-triggering, post-triggering, or free-running (trigger independent) data collection. The trigger source may be either a programmable input voltage level, a TTL level, or a software command. A time-delayed triggering mode is also provided to delay data collection after the trigger; the delay can be programmed from 500 ns to 32.767 ms. Data can be rapidly sent from the Waveform Digitizer/Analyzer to the system controller in binary, two's complement binary, ASCII, or ASCII blocks, starting at any point in memory relative to the trigger point.

In addition to collecting and transferring raw data, the 53A-525 Card is configured with an Intel 8087 math coprocessor and embedded software routines. These routines allow the user to pre-process the stored data before returning it to the system controller. Pre-process signal analysis routines are available for such functions as maximum, minimum, average, and rms values; rise and fall times; pulse widths, peak-to-peak voltages; overshoots and undershoots; and fast Fourier transforms (FFT).