On-board electronics for BLIMP: a balloon-borne prototype for the INTEGRAL satellite

The data handling electronics for BLIMP (Balloon launched Integral Model Payload), a prototype of the IMAGER experiment on board the INTEGRAL (International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory) mission (ESA, M2 Phase A Study) is described. A parallel modular and expandable architecture is used to handle the 100-pixel detector. Each pixel is a CsI (Tl) bar coupled to two photodiodes. The main components of the on-board electronics are based on field programmable gate arrays to provide good flexibility and compactness. This system is capable of handling about 10000 events/s. The structure, the tests, and future improvements are described in detail. The same type of architecture is proposed for the IMAGER electronics.<
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