Frequently Asked Questions
about the ELMB2 board
Hardware
Q: Is the design ready?
A: Yes, this is a fully proven design that is in use at CERN. The predecessor, the ELMB, in use by the thousands at CERN and the ELMB2 is fully compatible and CERN will produce over 3000 to control its particle detectors and other equipment. (03/2021)
Q: Is the design open?
A: Yes, the design is Open Hardware that is licenced under the CERN Open Hardware Licence CERN-OHL-W-2.0+. (03/2021)
Q: I cannot see in the design files which licence is used.
A: Indeed. Usually one can see in the source files (schematics, PCB layout silkscreen, etc.) that a design is licenced under the CERN OHL. In this design the choice to make it open was made after all design files were finalised. We may add the licencing information to the sources if the need would arrive. Please contact us if you'd like to use the design and modify or produce it.
Radiation tolerance
Q: Is the design radiation tolerant?
A: Yes. TID: All sections of the ELMB2 remain fully functional up to 32 krad gamma TID, but 20 krad should be foreseen as maximum value in a mixed-field radiation environment. NIEL: No neutron radiation related malfunctioning was detected in all sections of the ELMB2 up to 1.5E+13 n/cm2 fluence. SEE: Since the ELMB2 system is used for monitoring and slow-control, SEEs are allowed. Average effective fluence per functional SEE is around 1E+11 HEH/cm2.
Software
Q: Where can I find test software?
A: The ELMB2 can be tested with the "Test box". This test box is a cabin-case sized box that test a card, tests and calibrates voltages and loads the latest firmware. CERN has built three of them and in exceptional cases one may be lent to others for handling a production. The manual is available. (03/2021)
2 March 2021