Highly integrated readout electronics were developed and produced for the 182 000 channels of the four TPCs of the NA49 heavy-ion fixed target experiment at the CERN SPS. The large number of channels, the high packing density and required cost minimization led to the choice of a custom electronics system. The requirements, the design and the performance of the electronics components are described.

A fully integrated CMOS pulse shaping amplifier has been developed at LBL. All frequency dependent networks are included on the chip. Provision is made for tuning to compensate for process variations. The overall architecture and details of the circuitry are discussed. Test results are presented. >

A precision bipolar voltage-to-frequency converter, which is computer-programmable from a digital interface, has been produced at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Utilizing NIM packaging, the 1 MHz V/f has sixteen ranges and may be operated from panel controls as well as remotely programmed. Intended for use in magnetic measurements, good performance and versatility suggest wider application. The instrument is described and the circuit design is discussed in detail. Tests of the first unit are discussed and instrument specifications are given.

It is well known that a principal limitation in monolithic operational amplifiers is inadequate slew rate. This paper will discuss a design that achieves slew rates in excess of 40 V/μs by means of an input stage which tends to retain small signal characteristics when subjected to large differential input signals.

The work reported here is a continuation of earlier work1 in which ultrasound is found to promote ion exchange but is less effective than mechanical agitation. Correspondingly, an effort has been made to study the effect of ultrasound on adsorption by a non-polar adsorbent, XAD-2 resin. The present work shows, as in the previous case of ion exchange resins, that the rate controlling step is also a diffusion process in the uptake by the non-polar XAD-2.