3.3.1 Analogic signal processing (ASP)

Until recently the signal processing in EDXRS instruments was aimed at producing a Gaussian shaped pulse of amplitude that could be further delivered to a Multichannel Analyser for pulse height analysis. The availability in the 80's of NIM modules dedicated to different analog functions [detector power supply, spectroscopy amplifier, ADC (Analog to Digital Converters)] allowed to set-up custom systems.

The EDXRS commercial instruments included similar circuits, but following different brand designs in more compact dedicated units.

The main stages of the signal processing are illustrated below:

The overall signal processing time of ASP is of about some tens of microseconds. Therefore, ASP based spectrometers cannot process more than n x 10⁴ events per second.