Hardware and software architecture of the upgraded H.E.S.S. cameras

S. Klepser , T. Ashton , M. Backes , A. Balzer , D. Berge , S. Bonnefoy , F. Brun (1) , T. Chaminade (2) , E. Delagnes (3) , G. Fontaine (4) , M. Füßling , G. Giavitto , B. Giebels (5) , J.F. Glicenstein (1) , T. Gräber , J.A. Hinton , A. Jahnke , M. Kossatz , A. Kretzschmann , V. Lefranc (6) , H. Leich , J.P. Lenain (7) , H. Lüdecke , I. Lypova , P. Manigot (5) , V. Marandon , E. Moulin (1) , M. de Naurois (5) , P. Nayman (7) , S. Ohm , M. Penno , D. Ross , D. Salek , M. Schade , T. Schwab , K. Shiningayamwe , C. Stegmann , C. Steppa , J. Thornhill , F. Toussenel (7)

1 IRFU - Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
2 CEA/DSM - CEA/DSM Centre de Saclay
3 DPhP - Département de Physique des Particules (ex SPP)
4 CdF (institution) - Collège de France
5 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
6 DPHN - Département de Physique Nucléaire (ex SPhN)
7 LPNHE (UMR_7585) - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies

In 2015/16, the photomultiplier cameras of the H.E.S.S. Cherenkov telescopes CT1-4 have undergone a major upgrade. The entire electronics has been replaced, using NECTAr chips for the front-end readout. A new ventilation system has been installed and several auxiliary components have been replaced. Besides this, the internal control and readout software was rewritten from scratch in a modern and modular way. Ethernet technology was used wherever possible to ensure both flexibility, stability and high bandwidth. An overview of the installed components will be given.

Keywords: activity report; programming; HESS; Cherenkov counter; detector: upgrade; electronics: design; electronics: communications; electronics: readout; integrated circuit

Domains: Instrumentation and Detectors [physics.ins-det]

S. Klepser, T. Ashton, M. Backes, A. Balzer, D. Berge, et al.. Hardware and software architecture of the upgraded H.E.S.S. cameras. 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Jul 2017, Busan, South Korea. pp.834, ⟨10.22323/1.301.0834⟩. ⟨hal-01891227⟩