Multichannel analyzer using a card of data acquisition

In this work is described the progress of a multichannel analyzer, using the card of data acquisition PCI-MIO-16E-4 and its programming in the LabVIEW ambient. The system proposed capture the signal to the amplifier exit to a rate of sampling of 500 k sps and a maximum resolution of 12 bits; later on is carried out the processing by means of programming, using virtual instruments that carry out the tasks of a classical multichannel analyzer. The height of the pulse is corresponding to the interaction energy of the radiation with the detector; a locality is assigned in a data arrangement that corresponds to the amplitude in voltage, taking into account that the position of the incident pulses is known inside the arrangement; a differential spectrum of pulse height was realized. The developed program has conversion gain controls, voltage intervals, live time of count, sampling rate, detection threshold and reports generation; as well as the real time indicators, total counts, channel with major and minor counts number. Comparisons with a commercial multichannel analyzer were realized using a Cs-137 source, the spectrum obtained with the developed multichannel analyzer has the characteristic form of the photopeak, the backscattering peak, the plateau and the border Compton; besides an efficiency and similar resolution. (Author)