Short form description ORB (optical receiver board)

This NIM module was designed as a optical-electrical converter in the data transmission schema of the AMANDA experiment at south pole. Very sensitive light sensors (PMTs) were deployed into the Antarctic ice shield at a depth of 2000m. Using fibre optics results in a nearly loss free signal transmission with high bandwidth.

Circuit design

This module consists of a motherboard and 8 daughter boards housed in a 2/12 NIM cassette. The only function of the motherboard is to distribute the +/- 6V of the NIM power supply. Each daughter board is an independent circuit, made up of a receiver (HFBR 2316), an AC-coupled adjustable inverting amplifier and x4 high speed buffer on one hand, and an amplifier/delay line/amplifier combination on the other hand. 

Circuit Schematic of ORB

Technical data

power supply:  X1: 
pins ab1: +6V 
pins ab2 ... ab15: ground 
pins ab16: -6V
input:  ST-fibre optic connector, 
62.5/125 lm multimode fibre, 
1300 nm 
undelayed outputs :  LEMO 00 connectors, 
neg. polarity, 50 W impedance, 
bandwidth: 150 MHz 
sensitivity: min. 20 V/mW optical power 
delayed output:  LEMO 00 connectors, 
neg. polarity, 50 W impedance, 
bandwidth: 10 MHz, 
delay: 1800ns = jumper u3, 1900 ns = u2, 2000 ns = u1 
manufacturing and design  Scientific instruments Dr. Thomas Mikolajski, 
Germany, 12627 Berlin, Tangermuender Strasse 11, 
phone/fax: +49-30-9942597, e-mail: Mikolajski@t-online.de