Connections MLA-2

The connections for the generation-2 MLA™ are described below. Some generation-2 MLA™ have a clean front side without any BNC connectors, and in that case the necessary connections to the host AFM are contained in a composite AUX connector on the back side of the MLA™.

Front-side connections

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  • TRIG IN 1 and TRIG IN 2 are input trigger ports. In a standard configuration these are configured to receive End-of-Line (EOL) and End-of-Frame (EOF) trigger signals respectively.

  • IN 1 and IN 2 are fast inputs which can operate at a maximum of 250 Msam/sec. The exact speed of these ports can be configured from the software. The frequencies analyzed at these inputs are set by your firmware configuration.

  • IN 3 and IN 4 operate at a maximum of 62.5 Msam/sec. The exact speed of these ports can be configured from the software. The frequencies analyzed at these inputs are set by your firmware configuration.

  • OUT 1 and OUT 2 are fast output ports. The user can specify at run-time which drive frequencies are sent to which output ports.

  • OUT A , OUT B and OUT C are three slow output ports run-time controllable by the user, combined speed is 800 kSam/sec. A standard configuration uses OUT A for AFM feedback.

Back-side connections

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  • POWER is supplied to the MLA™ via an external power supply. Use only the power supply delivered from Intermodulation Products. Using any other supply voids the warranty.

  • SIGNAL GROUND gives external access to the grounding point for all input signals.

  • RF CLOCK IN and RF CLOCK OUT connections are used for synchronizing the internal clock of the MLA™ with the clock of some other piece of measurement equipment. They receive and send respectively, a 10MHz square waveform, AC-coupled, voltage range 2 Vpp. Other frequencies and voltage levels can be configured from the software. These ports are designed to connect to a 50 Ohm matching impedance and signal distortions may occur if the receiving or sending connection is not 50 Ohm on the other end.

  • ETHERNET The MLA™ communicates with the computer via the Ethernet connection. The MLA™ may be directly connected to the Ethernet connection on the computer, or it may be be put behind an Ethernet router, switch or gateway.

  • TRIG OUT 1 and TRIG OUT 2 send trigger signals from MLA™ to an external device. If your version of the MLA™ does not have front-side connections, these ports will be labeled TRIG IN 1 and TRIG IN 2 and they receive End-of-Line (EOL) and End-of-Frame (EOF) trigger signals respectively from the host AFM.

  • AUX is used for a composite cable connection and it may be empty if your version of the MLA™ has front-side connections. If your version of the MLA™ does not have front-side connections, this port is used for a composite cable connection to the host AFM. A typical configuration uses an 8-channel DVI connector which connects to a Signal Access Module (SAM), for example for the Bruker Nanoscope V controller (Icon and FastScan SPMs). The DVI cable contains to the necessary input and output ports, which are otherwise accessible on the front-sided connections.