NIOS II Soft-Core Processor and Ethernet Controller Solution for RPC-DAQ in INO ICAL

TL;DR

This paper presents a high-performance FPGA-based data acquisition system with soft-core processors and Ethernet controllers, designed for large-scale RPC experiments, enabling efficient control and data transfer over LAN.

Contribution

It introduces a novel RPC-DAQ system utilizing NIOS soft-core processors within FPGAs for scalable, network-enabled data acquisition in large scientific setups.

Findings

Supports up to 28,800 RPC-DAQ units in the system.

Uses TCP/UDP protocols over 100 Mbps Ethernet for data transfer.

Provides detailed software implementation for the NIOS processor.

Abstract

This paper introduces a high-performance Soft-Core Processor based data acquisition system designed for handling Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs). The DAQ consist of FPGA-based hardware equipped with Soft-Core Processor and embedded hardwired Ethernet controllers named RPC-DAQ, offering a versatile and fast network-enabled data acquisition solution. A soft processor, NIOS, is instantiated within an Intel Cyclone IV FPGA, overseeing control, communication, and data transfer with remote processing units. These integrated RPC-DAQ units, in substantial numbers, connect to a limited set of high-end processing units via LAN switches. This paper provides a detailed account of the software implementation scheme for the NIOS processor in the RPC-DAQ system. A remarkable 28,800 RPC-DAQ units will be deployed in proximity to the RPCs, serving the proposed INO-ICAL experiment in Theni-Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The network-enabled RPC-DAQ units controlled by the soft processor offloads FPGA tasks including event data acquisition, periodic health monitoring of RPCs, command interfaces, high voltage control, and data transfer to back-end data concentrators. Communication and data transfer are executed efficiently via TCP and UDP protocols over a 100 Mbps Ethernet interface. This system provides innovative solutions to improve data acquisition and control in large-scale scientific experiments.