FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

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FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

All,

Several of us on the list are working with NIM modules and bins in our effort to instrument ourselves for nuclear detection schemes.

What follows is a short history of NIM which while not directly involving fusion will serve to educate others in what it is and how it came to be a standard. I will continuously add to this post as needed.

****** NIM is a contraction or acronym for Nuclear Instrumentation Module ********

By the 1950's it was realized that most all nuclear instrumentation utilized several, common, basic building blocks with only a single or couple of application specific items for each different measurement scheme or system.

The idea came to a number of people that the basic building blocks could be provided in portable, removable modules common to a single cage or rack which would itself have a built in power supply to supply 4 commonly used DC and the standard line AC voltages on a bussed together group of standard amp plugs. The cage and attached power supply would itself fit into a standard 19" rack for laboratory use. The standardized modules could then just slide into the rack on rails and the rear mounted power plugs couple into the modules. The modules could then be linked up in logical order via front or back BNC jacks and cables to make any instrument desired. Neat, huh?

The credit for publishing the first paper to standardize this system goes to Lou Costgrell of the old Atomic Energy Commission who authored the document "Standard Nuclear Instrument Modules" TID-20893.

ORTEC (Oak Ridge Technical Enterprise Corp) offered 17 NIM Modules in their first catalog in 1966. Tennelec (Tennessee Electronics) was also an early supplier of NIM modules. (Bought out by Oxford and then Canberra. Most of the NIM makers are or were clustered in a cozy fashion on the door step of the major national AEC laboratories, which were their prime customers.

The current list of NIM manufacterers past and present follows:

ORTEC (Oak Ridge Technical Enterprises Corp)
Tennelec (Tennessee Electronics)
Canberra
LE (?)
Metronics
ND (Nuclear Data)
Victoreen/Tullamore
LeCroy (LRS)
SRS (Stanford Research Systems)
Tracor-Northern

I need help...Anyone know the letter codes in question marks? Got any Nim Modules made by another maker? Let me know.

ORTEC and Canberra remain the largest suppliers with SRS and a few others hanging in there. Many are gone or have been absorbed. ORTEC is now really part of Perkin Elmer along with the old EG&G.

The NIM bin and its standard slots have also had non-nuclear modules made for it. I have seen, and own, Laser Q switches, pockels cell controllers, and other electro-optical system modules bundled in the Nim module format.

A NIMless future?

With modern computers/laptops becoming a de facto lab standard and modern integrated circuits putting entire, rocket fast, complex systems on a single chip, the large, bulky rack mount NIM system is looking pretty long in the tooth.

Small boxes the size of a pack of cigarettes now plug into the USB port via a cable and you have a complete gamma spectrometer. Jack fields and snarled patch cords are being replaced by software which is multi-faceted and multi-tasking, changing your laptop from a gamma spec. to a mass spec. with a touch of a function key.

NIM is still actively sold, but for how long? A vast amount of surplus NIM is currently on E-bay as one college after another folds up half century old nuclear physics and engineering departments. Others still hanging on are moving into the 21st Century and getting computerized in the lab. (more NIM hittin' th' streets). It is a good time to buy into used NIM.

Nim Connectors/bins/standards......................

"Bin" or NIM frame

This is a rectangular metallic cage designed to mount in the universal 19" professional, vertical, rack mount. When empty, there are 12 slots with 12 guide rails and twelve AMP connector plugs in the rear of the unit designed to interface with an inserted module. The regulation NIM slot width and front plate is 1 3/8" wide. The height is 8 3/4 inches. This latter figure is also the height of the entire bin, thus it takes up about 6R or 6 standard 19" rack unit heights in any rack into which it is installed.

The rear of the bin has a low voltage DC regulated power supply attached. It supplies the following voltages to the following pins on each NIM connector.

+6VDC Pin 10 on modern bins only - not common
-6VDC Pin 11 on modern bins only - not common
+12VDC pin 16
-12 VDC pin 17
+24 VDC pin 28
-24 VDC pin 29
0 VDC pin 34 Common return to all supplies. Metal case of nim bin. GROUND
120VAC pin 41 (neutral)
120VAC pin 33 (hot)
Ground pin 42 (AC ground) High Quality

It is common to find a NIM bin wired for +/-6 volts on the buss and even have test points for these voltages on the front panel. However it is extremely rare to find that the power supply attached will actually deliver the 6 volt levels to the buss. It is an old standard. You can power it up by purchasing a plug in 6 volt module that plugs into the bin and it will supply 6 volt power to the buss.

Signals...........

The logic highs and lows of the original NIM spec are leftovers from discrete transistor wired logic days and are not generally compatible with modern logic families. The book "Building Scientific Apparatus" has some nice simple interfaces for modern TTL and ECL logic families. For more on the book, check out my post , "Building Physics Instruments" in the Books and References forum.

Output jacks of all NIM bins must deliver

logic zero is any voltage between +1volt and -2volts (zero volts is just fine! TTL, CMOS and most modern logic)
logic one is any voltage between +4 volts and +12 volts. ( the 4 volt minimum is a bit steep for drained, un buffered TTL. CMOS is OK)
All Nim module inputs must accept the following

Logic zero - +1.5 volts to -2 volts
Logic one - +3 volts to +12 volts

You can see there is lots of room for noise immunity and a decent guard band between logic levels. All this makes for fairly slow NIM data rates. (slew rates were low in the old days.) The wide logic level ranges made for relatively easy interfacing.

Inspite of the oddball levels, I have not had to build an interfacing circuit yet for "pulled up", clean, TTL signals.

Connectors......

These are made by AMP corp., and in all NIM Racks, (called NIM bins), they are 90% un-populated. That is, there are not even pins or wires connected to them. The extra pins were here for expansion and individual user use for specific signals to their custom application modules.

For standardizing purposes, all low voltages standardized for NIM use are piped to the same numbered pins on all bins and all modules. These are sacred territory, set in stone, not to be tampered with or altered in any way!

NIM modules do not have to be only 1 NIM slot wide. Complicated modules with lots of circuitry or with bulky or wide meters, readouts, etc are commonly found that take up 2 or 5 NIM slots. These wider modules, however, must all be a perfect multiple of the standard NIM module width.

Most connectors on the front panel of the modules as well as those on the rear panel, are standard BNC, RF type signal plugs. The standardized impedance of appropriate cables should be 94 ohms, (very weird), but 50 ohms can play unless loading is an issue. This impedance is common to many instrumentation systems.

Some NIM stuff is 94 ohms (whacko), but 75 ohm cabling can be used provided pulse shape fidelity isn't a major issue.

High voltage NIM bias supplies will usually contain and internal polarity "flipper board" that can be turned about to give either plus or minus HV output, as need.

Some NIM modules, especially single channel analyzers and linear amps, often have a 9 pin "D" standard preamp power plug on the rear panel to power an external preamp. This is normally for a PMT or solid state detector. The pinouts on these for power are fairly standardized, but are not rigidly adhered to across the board. Most are wired as follows

+24 VDC pin 7
-24 VDC pin 6
+12 VDC pin 4
-12 VDC pin 9
common return pin 1

You should check the above pinouts to be sure before pluging in a preamp to avoid problems damaging it or the NIM bin supply. ***NOTE********* Some Tennelec preamps and bins are wired for odd ball 9pin hookups.

More, later.......... check back as I add data.....

Update 2020:

What modules should I get?

Wow! I don't know. What are you trying to do?

For fusor work and neutron detection I use a an external preamp (Princeton Gamma Tech) powered off of the NIM bin's 9 pin connector attached directly to my Reuter and Stokes 3He neutron detection tube.
In the bin, I run the preamp output it to a linear amp module (Ortec)
I then run it through a windowed spectroscopy amplifier(Ortec)
Next I feed the spec amp neutron signal to an (Ortec) digital rate meter module.
I used a dead 1 slot NIM module, that I gutted, to build my own custom audio amp and light flasher to see and hear the individual neutron count detections.
I have a 2000 volt bias supply in the bin to bias the 3He tube (Tennelec)

I can't sit here and enumerate every available module that is out there and what they are used for. NIM is now a relic of the past, (1960's era), that has limped to the 21st century. Electronically it is ancient, but it is still a fine source of electronic, plug-and-play "erector set" components for those who can't make their own electronics based on modern age electronic components using knowledge and a soldering iron. In 1998, (22 years ago), when I started, NIM was the cat's PJ's. Today, using the latest electronics, what I have in my big, heavy, 19-inch rack, NIM bin could be placed in a child's small piggy bank including the 2000 volt power supply!

Modules and bins are where you find them. Let the buyer beware on this stuff, as always. The stuff is old and maybe one seller in 100 knows anything about NIM.

I now add a bit more......this is from our longtime member Rich Feldman. I copied his comments and a very valuable URL which should be looked at by all would-be NIM users. Thank you Rich

Just wanted to point out that NIM and "digital" are not mutually exclusive.
There's plenty of digital functionality available in NIM modules, for example timers and counters and coincidence detectors, with NIM and/or mainstream I/O signaling.

I now, 2022 attach a formal pin diagram

Richard Hull
Attachments
Typical NIM bin with modules used to make a simple GM counter.  Note only three modules in the lower bin are used to make the GM counter.
Typical NIM bin with modules used to make a simple GM counter. Note only three modules in the lower bin are used to make the GM counter.
Nim plug pinout.JPG
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: NIM History - ongoing and updated

Post by r_c_edgar »

Sometimes companies who don't really produce nuclear instrumentation will make a NIM module here or there. For example, I have a 3kv NIM hv supply made by Bertran.

Also, I believe Tennelec was bought by Canberra some time back, and LeCroy recently decided to get out of the modular nuclear instrumentation business. Of course, there are still plenty of their products floating around on the surplus market, and will be for a long time to come.

SRS in particular focuses on supplying high-end specialty modules (boxcar averagers, computer interfaces, etc.) rather than the more general-use products that most other companies in the business are known for. I actually picked up a SRS computer interface module not too long ago (used, of course. The prices new are obscene) It's almost everything I'll need to put my whole fusion setup under computer control.

--Ryan Edgar
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Re: NIM History - ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

I had completely forgotten about the other uses for NIM bin platforms. I have several laser related modules on hand (most are now gutted) which were in NIM modules. I have already updated the original post to include this fact.

Thanks. This is the kind of assistance and advice that will see the original post grow in scope and value.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
guest

Re: NIM History - ongoing and updated

Post by guest »

A vote of Thanks -- yet again---- to Richard this information exchange is most useful.
John
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Starfire »

Once again an invaluable FAQ -

Got me a new ( not so ) nim bin - no name except ' nuclear ' and a motorola-like mark

+ & - 12 & 24v OK, but both 6 v's are missing - regulator cards present for 12 &24 but can't see a 6v set. Does someone know if the 6's are drawn from the 12 reg's??

Help - before I delve and make things worse :)
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by UG! »

I liberated some rather old NIM modules from the physics dept at uny which seemed to be early digital stuff, printer interfaces, latches, an aincent video distrobution amp, and loads of custom stuff obviously home-made by the bods in the physics dept some 40 years ago by the look of them. the profesional ones have firnished my with a heap of silver-teflon wire (which seems to be widely used in NIM stuff) i'll check the make tommorow.

if anyone (UK) has a spair bin or PSU around, i am in dire need of one, i have a compleat ortek setup (HVpsu, 2X amps, 2X SCA, 2X rate meter, dual counter, timer) that i aquired when uny decomisioned an old SEM. there rattling around in a modifyed card cage at the moment, and i don't want to have to modify them all and build a psu with all its rather silly (my modurn standards) voltages :/

Oliver
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Jon Rosenstiel »

John,
I've got two somewhat dated Ortec bins, neither have the 6V supply. I have yet to see a module that required 6V, but then again the only modules I'm famliar with are the ones I have, and they're at least 20 years old.

Hope this helps.

Jon Rosenstiel

Ps: You're right, this is a great FAQ. Thanks, Richard.
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Starfire »

Tks Jon - I had pick it up for a song ( now have two ) but the Voltage cal's were far out. Makes me cringe at the standard of maintenance some of these instruments were subjected too and question the quality of work performed by the so called scientists using them. It has a - 6 v & +6 v but not working - I have identified the 12's & 24's but no sign of 6 -otherwise, bar a bit of metal straightening - I have a useful bin.
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by UG! »

ok, here are some by different makes:
J&P:
256 channel buffer register NM471
tape punch controller NM199A
256 channel store NM710
print sequence controller (no number)
display controller NM721

LRS:
gated latch model170 (so old it used light bulbs to indicate logic conditions)

these are all now dissassembeled for there Ag:PTFE wire, multi-turn pots, switches and BNCs, i kept the hardware in case i wanted to build anything else in the cases.

Oliver
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Jon Rosenstiel »

John,
Both of my bins came from eBay, one worked well straight away, the other had a few open electrolytics. To prevent future problems I relpaced them all.

Jon Rosenstiel
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

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
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Starfire »

Tks Richard - that explains why it was difficult to trace the 6v's in the regulators. Your experience is as always, valued and respected.
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by JuanDosio »

Thanks again for a great FAQ ! don't wish to be a bother but would anyone be willing into going into more detail regarding specific nim modules. Would quite enjoy knowing what is of use and what is not.

Cheers,
Dosio
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

Again, virtually no NIM bin has +/- 6 volt supplies installed, internally!! The +/- 6 volt buss is fully wired to all slots and their plugs, however, in all bins.

The very earliest bins used these voltages sometimes. To bring up the full +/-6 volt buss, you must purchase, both, a +6v and a -6v NIM plug-in module! These all power up off the 120vac buss and output onto the pre-wired +/-6 volt busses within the bin. I have both plug ins, and they are rated at 3 amps @6 volts!!

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by John Futter »

There are also European NIM module makers
the first to come to mind is FAST
as we use their NIM ADCs on our accelerator

I started out in the 70,s as an aspiring tech / engineer fixing NIM modules at my first job at the local university physics dept
I recall giving the mnemonic for ORTEC as Optimised Real Tricky Electronic Circuitry
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

Yes, In the early days of no IC's, the systems used often up to 40 transistors in some of the more complex NIM modules with up to 100 passive components. Real electronic engineering was required to do what just a couple of IC's can do today with far better effect. Servicing the internal electronics of one of the complex NIM modules can require a good deal of electronic experience and troubleshooting. Such skills are dying with old guys like me fading from the scene. Any form of complex, discrete, classic troubleshooting is virtually no longer needed. Even the large numbers of 1970's medium scale integrated circuit based systems can't be effectively repaired today as the DIP IC's, what remain of their ilk, are only offered as surface mount items that will always require a good bit of adaptation.

Older surface mount systems are also almost unrepairable due to the lifting of the hair-fine PC board traces during removal of the defective soldered-in component. Most ultra complex circuitry in modern systems are just a "board exchange" replacement. In some cases, in single board systems, total replacement of the entire device is often less expensive considering a new warranty period is also thrown into the new purchase.

NIM and even CAMAC, is a very "long-in-the-tooth" way to do nuclear instrumentation. It is only the VW, (Volkswagen), mentality that keeps NIM going. That is, lots of different available modules doing the same thing that plug in, universally, to a common buss. The lower expense of obtaining older modules, used, in working condition, make for a proven value to those wanting to assemble something special. Like the little VW, NIM can be bullet proof, maintained and kept working' on the cheap.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by ChristofferBraestrup »

I've been keeping a list of manufacturers of NIM modules (for Ebay bookmarking) for a while. Some overlap with the existing, but many oddball/small manufacturers:


All sorts:

Ortec (Owned by EG&G)
Canberra
Tennelec
Nuclear Data (Bought by Canberra; big overlap in product ranges)
BNC (Berkeley Nucleonics) (mainly pulse gen's and delays)
Tracor (or Northern or both)
EG&G (non Ortec-branded NIM modules exist)
Lecroy / LRS (Many CAMAC modules, some NIM, some hybrid)

Only high voltage PSU's:

Bertan
Vern Kiebler

RARE:

Helgeson
Chronetics (Became Canberra?? Similar logo)
Harshaw
Nuclear Diodes
Kevex (X-ray diffraction/spectro specific)
Stanford Research (Mainly advanced analyzers)
Knürr Baugruppen (empty module enclosures)
Nuclear Enterprises (British, only one module known)
Hewlett Packard (at least 1 nim bin known)
SAIC
Emetron GMBH (German, one module known.)
Power designs Inc (BIN PSU's)
Ordela
Nuclear Chicargo
LASL (Modules dev'd by Los Alamos Nat'l Lab. Likely very low volume)
Hamner
Princeton Gamma-Tech (Relation to Princeton Applied Research unknown)
Oxford-Danfysik
Nucleus (the nucleus?)
Mech-Tronics
Nuclear Semiconductor
Sturrup
National Nuclear Corp. (NNC)

Hope this will be of use.
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

Thank you very much Christoffer! A great addition to this FAQ! This is a combo fact and historical posting I love the list of the the rarities...I have a few.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Richard Hull »

Updated original with a formal pin-out of the NIM buss plug and modules. 2022

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Re: FAQ - NIM - SPECS - HISTORY ongoing and updated

Post by Rex Allers »

I thought I'd try to provide a little additional NIM documentation.

First, here is a link to a NIM Standard document from 1990.
https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCol ... 98.pdf?r=1

This version is from
IAEA.org -- International Atomic Energy Agency
INIS -- International Nuclear Information System

Since links tend to change, here is a copy of the pdf.
'NIM Standard 1990 - 21080298.pdf'
NIM Standard 1990 - 21080298.pdf
(1.85 MiB) Downloaded 624 times
This old document is (I'm pretty sure) the current version of the full released Standard.

The NIM connector pin-out diagram that Richard recently added comes from one page of this document. Unfortunately, what was shared has the bottom of the page cut off and the original scan suffers from a fair amount of imaging noise (dark speckles).

I extracted another version from the doc page titled, in the contents,
"Bin and Module Connector Pin Assignments"
and saved my copy as:
'NIM Connectors 1990.png'
NIM Connectors 1990.png

This has the missing section of notes at the bottom and doesn't suffer from the digitizing noise. I trimmed a bit of white space around the borders but otherwise it is unedited.

I had done more web searching and found another pin-out diagram in a document from a German company that makes NIM Bins and Power Supplies.

Here is what I extracted:
'NIM Conns 2.png'
NIM Conns 2.png

This one is apparently newer than 1990 and has a few additional functions assigned. Notably:
-- Pins 1 & 2 are now + and - 3V
-- The larger circular openings now specify Coaxial rather than just blank

I assume these additions were specified in some committee addendum(s) but I haven't found a defining document.

------------------
If anyone is interested, here's how I came to find and post this stuff.
------------------

There is a recent thread about NIM stuff.
"Question on which NIM amp for a 3He detector?"
Post by Dennis P Brown » Wed Jun 29, 2022 1:56 pm
viewtopic.php?p=96182#p96182

I don't have any NIM stuff, myself, but was reading the thread.
At one point in the thread Richard posted an image file --
'Nim plug pinout.JPG'

That image has now also been added to the top of this FAQ.

It seemed like a good reference that might come in handy someday, so I saved a local copy. Looking at it, all the important information was there, but it was clear some notes had been cut off at the bottom and the whole image had a fair amount of visual noise (dark speckles) in the scan of the original paper document.

I decided to search and try to find the original source. On a Wikipedia page about NIM, I found a link to a document.
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/7120327

This came from
DOE, OSTI.gov -- Office of Scientific and Technical Information
and was the same 1990 document.
I extracted an image of the page from that document. What I saved included the notes at the bottom that were cut off in Richards version.

This one had the same visual noise as in Richards shared image. In my saved image, I spent a lot of time in an image editor program painting out most of this irritating black speckle noise. I saved it as
'NIM Conns 1990.png'
and shared it in the other thread.

Today I did some more searching and found a different link for the 1990 Standard doc. This is the one from IAEA.org that I shared at the top of this post. It is the same 1990 document but a different scan. It is mostly cleaner visually and the image of the connector page that I shared didn't need any cleanup work.

I said "mostly cleaner" because I noticed there is one page in the doc (Figure 1) with pictures of example bins and modules. In the "cleaner" one these pictures are mostly dark blobs. In the "noisy" one the pictures are much better.

So for anyone who wants to keep a copy of the spec, the pdf I shared from inis.iaea.org is the mostly "cleaner" one. You might want to also download the "noisy" one from osti.gov because the pictures are better in that one.

I did more searching and eventually found a similar page in a doc from a German company, FAST ComTec GmbH, who make some NIM stuff. I think this contains newer information about the connector pin-outs than in the 1990 doc. The image I gave above may be the most current definitions.

Here is where I found that document:
https://www.fastcomtec.com/ftp/manuals/nim7022-7033.pdf

Ok, enough rambling.
Hope some of this is helpful for the FAQ.
Rex Allers
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