STJ Quick Start Guide v 2.01
April 1, 2021
Page 10
REVIEW PCI BUS CONNECTIONS
Open the Windows Device Manager (right-click on My Computer, select Manage, and then select Device
Manager in left panel) and scroll down to and expand the Other Devices section. There should be a “XIA
MPX-32D Digitizer and Pulse Processor” entry for each MPX-32D module in the connected PXI crate(s).
Double-click on an entry to view the PCI Bus and Slot assignments for that module. It is important to
identify the assignments for each module so that its identity in the software can be associated with its
physical location in the array.
Note that larger PXI crates will contain multiple PCI bus segments, and that the slot assignments are often
not very intuitive: The ordering is typically backwards compared to the labels on the PXI crate.
•
Note the PCI bus and slot numbers for your system
EDIT THE CONFIGURATION (INI) FILE
You should receive a sample configuration (INI) file. Open the file with a text editor and find the entries
for pci_bus and pci_slot towards the end of the file. These values MUST match the device settings for your
system. See the “Review PCI Bus Connections” section above.
•
Edit the pci_bus and pci_slot values as necessary and save the INI file.
•
Save the INI file frequently as settings are adjusted, and note that you can also save and
retrieve to/from different INI files
You can also use the Generate Configuration File dialog, accessible under the Tools menu, to generate a
new INI file and view compatible XIA modules detected on the PXI bus.
FIRMWARE (FDD) FILES AND DECIMATION
XIA provides three different firmware (FDD) files, with Decimation values 0, 1 or 2. Decimation sets the
base units of the energy filter, and thus the Peaking Time + Gap Time range. We typically recommend
using Decimation 0. To use Decimation 1 or 2, i.e. longer peaking times, change the “filename” path(s) in
the [firmware definitions] section of the INI file.
FDD File
Decimation
Base Units
Peaking Time + Gap Time Range
stj_decimated0_45T.fdd
0
20 ns
100 ns – 20.48
µ
s
stj_decimated1_45T.fdd
1
40 ns
200 ns – 40.96
µ
s
stj_decimated2_45T.fdd
2
80 ns
400 ns – 81.96
µ
s
Table 1: Decimation and Peaking Time Range
START PROSPECT
When ProSpect is started the first time, you will be prompted to select an initialization file. Please browse
to and select the edited INI file. Thereafter, on startup ProSpect will automatically select the most
recently used INI file.
Note: It is almost always necessary to re-boot the host computer whenever power is cycled on the PXI
crate. Always turn on the PXI crate before starting the host computer.
