Automatic test system for the data acquisition board of GRANDProto300

TL;DR

This paper presents an automated testing system for the data acquisition board used in GRANDProto300, enhancing production efficiency for large-scale neutrino detection arrays.

Contribution

It introduces a novel automated test system for the GRANDProto300 DAQ board, improving testing efficiency for large-scale production.

Findings

Successful automation of signal acquisition and transmission tests

Validation of FPGA filter algorithm performance

Accurate analog-to-digital conversion and GPS timing

Abstract

The Giant Radio Array for Neutrino Detection (GRAND) aims to detect the radio emission from air showers triggered by ultra-high-energy particles in the atmosphere. GRANDProto300 is its pathfinder array, of which the first 100 detection units have already been produced. A custom data acquisition (DAQ) board receives, processes, and transmits radio signals. We report on the board design, and on the functions and performance tests applied to it. Function tests are of signal acquisition and transmission, and of the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) filter algorithm. Performance tests are of the analog-to-digital conversion and GPS time accuracy. We developed an efficient system to automate the test, in line with the mass-production scale needed to build future, larger versions of GRAND.