An open source isolated data acquisition with trigger pulse generation for ion mobility spectrometry

Ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) are used in a wide variety of applications, including trace gas detection in safety and security applications, but also in more analytical applications, e.g., in medicine or food quality monitoring. Consequently, IMS are often coupled with other separation techniques and laboratory equipment, requiring synchronization between the external equipment and the IMS electronics. In addition, IMS and the associated electronics are becoming increasingly complex due to ongoing instrumental developments. In this work, we present an open source data acquisition hardware tailored to the requirements of advanced IMS, but also applicable to other applications. The data acquisition hardware provides trigger pulses for synchronized operation of the IMS ion gate or external devices. In addition, the data acquisition hardware allows for parallel digitalization using two isolated 16-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADC) with up to 250 kilosamples per second. The galvanically isolated trigger input ensures a synchronized start of the IMS measurements, particularly when connecting external instrumentation such as a gas chromatograph. Furthermore, due to the isolated ADCs, the hardware allows great flexibility in defining the ground potential of the instrument setup.