Basic connections and initialization of the system

There are a number of very easy steps required to get the system ready. Please read the Alibava GUI manual first to have the data acquisition software properly installed and ready. Then, the daughter board should be connected to the motherboard, provide power to the later and connect it to the USB port of the computer.

Figure 1 shows the main ALIBAVA system connections.

Figure 1Alibava system sketch with all the needed connections.

These are the steps that must be followed in order to initialize the system:

  1. Connect the daughter board to the mother board (item 2 of Figure 2) by means of the flat cable (the IDC connectors have a defined position both in the daughter board and the mother board).
  2. Power on the system by means of connecting the AC/DC adapter to the motherboard power connector (item 1 of Figure 2). The red and the green LEDs of the motherboard (item 8 of Figure 2) are switched on.
  3. Connect the USB cable to a USB port on the computer where the software is installed and to the USB connector of the motherboard (item 6 of Figure 2).
  4. Push the reset button (item 9 of Figure 2) of the motherboard to initialize the system.
  5. Launch the software following the software documentation. Now the hardware has been synchronized with the software and the red LED of the motherboard will be switched off (item 8 of Figure 2).

At this point the system has been initialized correctly and it is ready for preparing the required connections for the laser or the radioactive source runs.

The detector(s) of the daughter board must be powered on by means of an independent power supply. The daughter board has a Lemo power connector (with a defined position for connecting the power plug of the cable) dedicated for this supply.

Calibrations and pedestals acquisitions can be carried out at this point once the detector(s) have been powered on.

Figure 2Connectors, switches and LEDs of the ALIBAVA motheboard.