Development Of FPGA-Based Nuclear Electronics Using NI MyRIO Hardware For Small-Scale Radiation Detector Systems

This study presents advancements in coincidence electronics and a Pulse Height Analyzer (PHA) utilizing commercial FPGA-based (Field-Programmable Gate Array) hardware for radiation scintillation detectors. The hardware, based on a cost-effective NI myRIO device, integrates an FPGA, ARM Cortex-A9 processor, analog input (AI), digital input and output (DIO), and USB/wireless connectivity with a host computer. LabVIEW codes developed on the LabVIEW™ platform are implemented in the NI myRIO hardware for seamless integration and interfacing with a computer. The performance of the FPGA-based coincidence electronics is assessed through an experimental setup measuring the gamma-gamma angular distribution of a
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Na radioisotope source. Similarly, the FPGA-based PHA is tested with a CsI(Tl) detector, and its energy resolution is compared to a commercial EASY-MCA 2K from AMETEK Inc.