VX4718

The VX4718 is CAEN New Bridge with enhanced data rate and extended interfacing capabilities, thanks to the on-board MPSoC (including an ARM processor running Linux). The board is a VME Master which can be controlled by an external PC via USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet connections. Optical link interface is also available (CAEN CONET protocol). The mechanics is 1-unit wide VME 6U.

The optical link connection between the VX4718 and the host PC requires the A4818 USB3-to-CONET Bridge and an optical fiber cable (AI2700 Optical Fiber Series). The VX4718 is also compatible with CAEN A3818 PCI Express CONET Controller and CAEN A2818 PCI CONET controller. Multi-crate sessions can be easily performed thanks to the optical Daisy chain capability: up to eight VX4718 units can be controlled by a single A2818/A3818/A4818 building a CONET Optical Network.

The VX4718 can perform all the cycles foreseen by the VME64 standard except those intended for 3U boards. The Bridge can operate as VME System Controller (normally when plugged in the slot 1) acting as a Bus Arbiter in Multi-Master systems. The activity on the VME bus can be monitored in detail both locally (through an 88-LED DataWay Display) and remotely.

The front panel of the VX4718 hosts 6 TTL/NIM programmable I/OS on LEMO connectors: four outputs (default assignment is: DSN, AS, DTK, BERR) and two inputs. The I/OS can be programmed via USB, Ethernet and Optical Link to implement functions like Timer, Counter, Pulse generator, I/O register, and others.

It is possible to integrate the VX4718 into the most common Windows® and Linux® computers by CAEN dedicated drivers. Middleware libraries and useful example demos are also provided. Moreover, the presence of an embedded Linux- based CPU gives the chance of running custom software directly on-board.

The user can completely set and monitor the VX4718 by Web Interface, including the firmware upgrade.