PM40 Pulser Receiver

Instrumentation

At the heart of every conventional ultrasonics system is our world leading pulser receiver.

Industry leading ultrasonic performance in a PC board format

High-power pulser with exceptional signal to noise ratio

Single and multi-channel capability with remote pulser pre-amplifiers and multiplexers

Linear and logarithmic amplifiers

Integrated analogue to digital converters

About our PM40 pulser receiver

The PM40 high-performance PC based ultrasonic pulser receiver achieves industry leading performance with the convenience and flexibility of a PC board package. With exceptionally low noise characteristics, high-gain and signal to noise ratio and wide dynamic range, the PM40 can be applied in the most demanding situations.

In production environments, the noise immunity and high PRF capability makes it ideally suited to industrial testing systems.

The logarithmic detector in the PM40 provides an exceptionally wide instantaneous dynamic range at a single gain setting which is ideal for inspection of aerospace composites and capture of both high-level and low-level signals in a single scan.

Incorporating sophisticated pulse control and amplifier filtering, the characteristics can be matched to suit virtually any ultrasonic transducer.

The PM40 is used in conjunction with a remote Pulser Pre-Amplifier (PPA15) or a USL Multiplexer (MUX8) providing up to 32 channels in pulse echo and through transmission modes.

Connection to the remote units – up to 300 metres – is made with a custom umbilical cable giving exceptional noise immunity.

The settings in the main pulser-receiver can be switched at full PRF rates, up to 20kHz. This is ideal for situations where multi-channel systems use different probe frequencies or different gains.

The PM40 high-performance PC based ultrasonic pulser receiver achieves industry leading performance with the convenience and flexibility of a PC board package. With exceptionally low noise characteristics, high-gain and signal to noise ratio and wide dynamic range, the PM40 can be applied in the most demanding situations.

In production environments, the noise immunity and high PRF capability makes it ideally suited to industrial testing systems.

The logarithmic detector in the PM40 provides an exceptionally wide instantaneous dynamic range at a single gain setting which is ideal for inspection of aerospace composites and capture of both high-level and low-level signals in a single scan.

Incorporating sophisticated pulse control and amplifier filtering, the characteristics can be matched to suit virtually any ultrasonic transducer.

The PM40 is used in conjunction with a remote Pulser Pre-Amplifier (PPA15) or a USL Multiplexer (MUX8) providing up to 32 channels in pulse echo and through transmission modes.

Connection to the remote units – up to 300 metres – is made with a custom umbilical cable giving exceptional noise immunity.

The settings in the main pulser-receiver can be switched at full PRF rates, up to 20kHz. This is ideal for situations where multi-channel systems use different probe frequencies or different gains.

PM40 Pulser Receiver Technical Specifications

Click on any of the titles listed below to see the full specifications

  • Format & Control

    Format:

    Single PCI/PCIe expansion board

    Control:

    Via I2C, USB or PCIe bus

  • Inputs/Outputs

    PPA/MUX Interface:

    D-type connector on end bracket for connection to PPA15 interface unit or USL MUX8 multiplexer

    Outputs:

    4 outputs selectable in pairs as RF, rectified, logarithmic, secondary amplifier or external input signal

    Trigger:

    Internal or external

    Data:

    All settings can be read back

  • Pulser

    Pulse voltage:

    0-600 volts into 50 ohms

    Rise Time:

    < 10 nanoseconds (10%-90%)

    Fall time:

    <15 nanoseconds (10%-90%)

    Pulse shape:

    Square wave (spike pulse at lowest setting of pulse width)

    Pulse width:

    10-500 nanoseconds, measured at 50% amplitude points

    Pulse control:

    Width software controlled in 256 steps
    Voltage software controlled in 5V steps

    PRF:

    20kHz maximum

  • Pre-Amplifier

    Bandwidth:

    <0.5 – 45MHz (-3dB)

    Gain/attenuation:

    0, 10 & 20dB

    Mode:

    Pulse-echo (PE), Through-transmission (TT)

    Damping:

    33, 50, 100 & 200 ohms

  • Receiver

    Gain range:

    0-100dB linear, 0, 10, 20dB (logarithmic)

    Accuracy:

    ±0.2dB

    Gain adjustment:

    Main amplifier (linear amp) – 0.1dB steps
    Log detector (logarithmic) – 0, 10 & 20dB + 0-10dB in 0.1dB steps

    Bandwidth:

    Linear 0.5 – 30MHz (-3dB), Log 0.5 – 15MHz (-3dB)

    RF filters, band-pass:

    Selectable pre-rectification/pre-detection filters having adjustable bandwidth and centre frequency

    Filter bandwidth:

    0.5-2MHz, 1-4MHz, 2-8MHz, 4-15MHz, 8-32MHz

    10 ranges:

    Wide and narrow band selectable in all ranges

    Frequency offset:

    Centre frequency of filter can be adjusted within each bandwidth range in 60 discrete steps

    Filters, low-pass:

    5 selectable pre-rectifier/detection filters 30, 15, 10, 5, 2.5MHz (-3dB)

    Filters, high-pass:

    100kHz, 500kHz, 1.2MHz

    Rectifier:

    Full wave, +ve half wave, -ve half wave

    Rectifier O/P filter:

    Selectable – 240 settings (Slope range 5 to 255)

    Log detector:

    90dB instantaneous range, accuracy ±0.5dB

    Log O/P filters:

    6 ranges – 500kHz to 15MHz

    Log O/P sensitivity:

    Log output 30mV/dB

  • DAC/TVG

    Gain step clock range:

    100kHz to 10MHz (7 options)

    No. gain steps per DAC ramp:

    Selectable, 1 to 100

    Ramp duration:

    100nS (1 point @ 10MHz) to 10mS (1000 points @ 100kHz)

    Max gain change in ramp:

    60dB in 0.1dB steps

    Ramp slope:

    Recommended minimum 20dB/mS (60dB/100nS possible)

    DAC/TVG control:

    On/Off
    Trigger from PRF or interface echo, +ve or -ve
    Trigger threshold programmable
    I/F trigger blanking 0-6.55mS in 100nS steps
    DAC/TVG delay trigger 0-150nS in 10nS steps

  • A/D Converters

    Dual ADCs:

    Each 14 bit, 250MSPS

    Sampling rate:

    1MSPS to 250 MSPS in independent mode
    2MSPS to 500MSPS in combined mode

    On-board memory:

    32k samples per ADC

  • Secondary Amplifier

    Function:

    Independent of main amplifier, typically used for backwall monitoring

    Gain range:

    0-50dB in 0.1dB steps

    Filter, low-pass:

    15, 5MHz

    Filter, high-pass:

    1.5, 0.5MHz

  • PPA Self-Check

    Function:

    Programmable frequency/amplitude sine wave input for automated performance assurance

    Frequency range:

    400kHz to 20MHz in 5kHz steps

    Input amplitude:

    30µV P-P to 1V P-P

  • Self-Test

    Function:

    The PM40 incorporates comprehensive on-board self-test functions which monitor all power rails and PCB temperature. In the event any of these are outside permitted range, the PM40 will force outputs to a known non-functional safe state and set on-board LED to alarm state.

  • Software

    OEM:

    Software Development Kit (SDK) and Application Programming Interface (API) for OEM customers available on request.

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