Germany-based Spectrum Instrumentation has introduced its Star-Hub, which will allow systems designers to build multi-channel data acquisition systems with ultrafast sampling speeds to 10 gigasamples per second.

According to its developers, Star-Hub enables users to connect up to eight of the company's M5i.33xx series PCI Express digitizers, thereby enabling separate cards to share common clock and trigger signals for minimal phase delay and timing skew across all the channels.

Source: Spectrum Instrumentation

The developers explained that users can install the Star-Hub test and measurement option by mounting one piggyback module onto any of the M5i series cards in the multi-channel system via correctly matched and shielded coax cabling. The board reportedly distributes the clock to each module and synchronizes the trigger event with the system clock.

Further, Star-Hub works with any of the cards from the M5i.33xx digitizer family and seven different models are available, which offer one or two channels, sampling rates from 3.2 to 10 gigasamples per second, 12-bit vertical resolution and bandwidths from 1 GHz to 4.7 GHz.

The cards can handle assorted signals and feature programmable input voltage ranges, offset control, large on-board memories, advanced trigger functions and various acquisition modes.

Star-Hub also allows systems designers to build data acquisition systems with 2 channels to 16 channels, sampling at rates as fast as 5 gigasamples per second, or as many as eight channels at the maximum sampling rate of 10 gigasamples per second.

Users also can opt to run the Star-Hub system with the digitizer cards internal clock or an external clock using a front panel SMA input connector.

For more information on the Star Hub, visit the Spectrum Instrumentation website.