Pulse Height Analyzer with Internal Storage for Space Use

A pulse height analyzer has been designed for space use which is able to handle input count rates in excess of 5 X 104 counts per second with low power consumption and very small size. It can operate in the temperature range of -15 to + 70°C and survive storage temperature from -55 to + 125°C. A parallel-serial, coincident current, wide-temperature-range, ferrite core memory of 256 channels, 16 bits per channel is provided. A digitizing rate of 0. 5 microsecond per channel plus an average 25.5 microsecond storage time is used. An internal, nonoverloading linear amplifier is provided to handle up to 100 millivolt negative pulses for full scale storage. Control logic is provided for external commands for power, accumulate, nondestructive readout, and destructive readout functions. All input-output logic levels are compatible with conventional integrated circuits. All components are run at a fraction of their ratings in order to obtain maximum reliability.