Star Hub Synchronization

This option allows up to 16 UltraFast boards to be connected as a fully synchronized system. It is possible to connect UltraFast boards of the same model, or to create systems combining a mixture of A/D, D/A and the Digital I/O boards.

Note that different boards - even having a different number of channels, may operate at different sampling rates and still remain synchronized due to the onboard clock hardware divider. We believe that this feature is unique to UltraFast. The internal synchronization bus (grey cable in picture) transfers the clock and trigger signals between all of the boards. Unlike the Cascaded Synchronization option, with Star Hub there is not any phase delay between any of the boards.

One of the boards is defined to be the Clock Master board and generates the sample rate clock for itself and the other boards to ensure that there no time-skew between any of the channels and boards. The same or alternatively a different board is also designated as the Trigger Master. This board is used to define the triggering condition that may be used to start the measurement / generation process.

As normal, either an External Trigger (external TTL signal) or a Software Trigger (level, windows, slope etc) may be defined and once detected the trigger signal will be transferred to all of the other boards to initiate the measurement / generation task.

Please note:
- that this is a factory installed option.
- it is not possible to use the Star Hub option simultaneously with the Time Stamp or Extra I/O options

Compared to the Cascaded Synchronization option

See also:
- Cascaded Synchronization