A system for providing high quality triggers to experimental areas

Many researchers require a high resolution trigger to synchronize their data gathering electronics with the arrival of a synchrotron radiation pulse at their target. At the Advanced Light Source (ALS), this requirement was initially satisfied in a case by case manner by running Heliax cables from the Accelerator Timing System to the various experiment locations. This approach was less than ideal due to poor risetimes, cost and difficulty of running Heliax cables, and the inconvenience of fixed timing. A new system has been installed at ALS that provides the researcher with a high quality, adjustable delay fiducial trigger, and a low level sample of the Accelerator RF (499.66 MHz). The Ring Orbit Clock (1.523 MHz) is distributed from the Accelerator Timing System to the various experiment locations using inexpensive twisted pair cable, where it is processed by a Phase Locked Loop Multiplier and High Speed Logic to integrate out noise/jitter and to produce the desired signals. Local drivers provide the researcher with sharp edged robust triggers