GBTX emulator for development and special versions of GBT-based readout chains

The GBTX ASIC is a standard solution for providing fast control and data readout for radiation detectors used in HEP experiments. However, it is subject to export control restrictions due to the usage of radiation-hard technology. An FPGA-based GBTX emulator (GBTxEMU) has been developed to enable the development of GBT-based readout chains in countries where the original GBTX cannot be imported. Thanks to utilizing a slightly modified GBT-FGPA core, it maintains basic compatibility with standard GBT-based systems. The GBTxEMU also may be an interesting solution for developing GBT-based readout chains for less demanding experiments.

Design, simulation, and experiment research on fast control system of steam turbine inlet valve

In this paper, a new fast control system of steam turbine inlet valve is designed, which is composed of the fast closing system and the fast opening system. For the first time, this paper proposes that the fast closing system is designed by means of the special structure of the slide valve in an oil servo motor on the basis of the transformation of the hydraulic control system of steam turbine inlet valve. For the first time, a differential oil discharge fast opening system is designed by use of two cartridge valves. The mathematical model of electro-hydraulic fast control system is presented. With the use of simulation software Advanced Modeling Environment for Simulation of engineering systems , the curves of parameters such as piston displacement, piston velocity, oil pressure of upper and nether cavities of oil servo motor, and flow flux of upper and nether cavities of oil servo motor are obtained. The fast closing time of the piston for whole journey from the simulation results is 0.36 s. The fast opening time of the piston for whole journey from the simulation results is 1.55 s. According to the designed structure of the fast control system, the fast control experiment system is built. The fast closing time of the piston for whole journey from the experiment results is 0.22 s. The fast opening time of the piston for the whole journey from the experiment results is 1.97 s. The simulation and experimental results show that the designed fast control system can realize the fast closing and fast opening of the inlet valve. The fast closing time of the fast control system is <0.5 s, and the fast opening time of the fast control system is <3 s, which meets the fast control time requirement of the steam turbine inlet valve. Compared with the existing fast control system products, the fast control system and the inlet valve servo regulation system share a set of oil sources. And the fast control system has the advantages of low cost, simple structure, easy implementation, etc.

Fine multi-coil electronic control of transcranial magnetic stimulation: effects of stimulus orientation and intensity

Despite the evident benefit of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to probe human brain function and treat neurological diseases, current technology allows only a slow, mechanical adjustment of the electric filed orientation. Automated and fast control of the TMS orientation is critical to enable synchronizing the stimulation with the ongoing brain activity. We overcome these limitations with a two-coil electronically controlled TMS transducer to define precisely the pulse orientation (~1-degree steps) without mechanical movement. We validated the technology by determining the dependency of motor evoked responses on the stimulus orientation and intensity with high angular resolution. The motor response was found to follow a logistic function of the stimulus orientation, which helps to disentangle the TMS neuronal effects. The electronic control of the TMS electric field is a decisive step towards automated brain stimulation protocols with enhanced accuracy of stimulus targeting and timing for better diagnostics and improved clinical efficacy.