Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:25 pm
6V in a bin is very rare! 6V bus wiring, output test jacks on front, etc. are common. Most 6V was generated by 6V power supply plugins (2 wide) and went onto the bin buss, thus enabling it. LRS (Lecroy Research Systems) modules regularly used the + and - 6v bus for their more complicated nim modules as did BNC (Berkley Nuclear Corp.).
For those with +/-6 Volt test pins on the front power panel, but with no +/-6 volts measured, here is the explanation. The 6 volt buss receives it power and transmits it on pins #10 and #11 to all modules. (see the original posting in this thread for the pinouts) NIM bins with the test pins have the 6 volt buss wiring. You will need to buy the NIM modules that use the 120 volt line voltage into them to generate +/-6volts within them and output these voltages from their pins 10 and 11. Remember, all NIM bin plugs have 120 volts as a wired buss on all bin sockets, thus, a nice transformer is always in the 6 volt NIM modules. No separate power cord is needed. Once plugged in and turned on, the +/-6 volt busses are now powered up.
NIM module makers worked almost exclusively in circuit design to avoid using any 6 volt power within their modules. The thinking was that if they did, it would involve extra expense for the purchaser of their module as they would be forced to power their buss with another module.
Why have 6 volts at all? Well, when the first NIM culture developed there were a lot of germanium transistors still in use and power consumption could be kept low by doing a lot of the electronics on a lower voltage buss. Silicon transistor technology was booming and was the future so 12 volt and 24 volt busses were also used in the main buss power. Very quickly the 6 volt buss fell into disuse. By the 1970's IC's, mainly DTL and especially TTL were the norm and the 6 volt buss came back into its own as the 5 volts needed for these systems fit the 6 volt, multiamp buss perfectly.
The upshot is that the earliest NIM modules might be found in need of 6 volts and a few of the last or latest might also need 6 volts. Still, most makers avoid the 6 volt buss like the plague.
Richard Hull
For those with +/-6 Volt test pins on the front power panel, but with no +/-6 volts measured, here is the explanation. The 6 volt buss receives it power and transmits it on pins #10 and #11 to all modules. (see the original posting in this thread for the pinouts) NIM bins with the test pins have the 6 volt buss wiring. You will need to buy the NIM modules that use the 120 volt line voltage into them to generate +/-6volts within them and output these voltages from their pins 10 and 11. Remember, all NIM bin plugs have 120 volts as a wired buss on all bin sockets, thus, a nice transformer is always in the 6 volt NIM modules. No separate power cord is needed. Once plugged in and turned on, the +/-6 volt busses are now powered up.
NIM module makers worked almost exclusively in circuit design to avoid using any 6 volt power within their modules. The thinking was that if they did, it would involve extra expense for the purchaser of their module as they would be forced to power their buss with another module.
Why have 6 volts at all? Well, when the first NIM culture developed there were a lot of germanium transistors still in use and power consumption could be kept low by doing a lot of the electronics on a lower voltage buss. Silicon transistor technology was booming and was the future so 12 volt and 24 volt busses were also used in the main buss power. Very quickly the 6 volt buss fell into disuse. By the 1970's IC's, mainly DTL and especially TTL were the norm and the 6 volt buss came back into its own as the 5 volts needed for these systems fit the 6 volt, multiamp buss perfectly.
The upshot is that the earliest NIM modules might be found in need of 6 volts and a few of the last or latest might also need 6 volts. Still, most makers avoid the 6 volt buss like the plague.
Richard Hull