WaveDump

WaveDump is a console-based readout application designed for CAEN digitizers 1.0 running Waveform Recording firmware. It enables users to configure a single digitizer board through a plain-text configuration file — specifying parameters and acquisition instructions — and to start or stop data taking at any time. During operation, WaveDump displays readout information and trigger rates in real time, allowing immediate verification of the acquisition status. Beyond basic acquisition control, WaveDump offers integrated post-processing capabilities, including FFT analysis and amplitude histogram generation. Acquired data can be saved in ASCII or binary format for offline analysis, and waveforms can be plotted graphically through the Gnuplot third-party utility (www.gnuplot.info).

WaveDump also serves as a well-structured reference implementation in C, demonstrating best practices for interfacing with CAEN libraries and building efficient readout pipelines. It is an ideal starting point for developers who wish to create custom acquisition software tailored to the full capabilities of their digitizer hardware. Source files and the Visual Studio project are available for free download.

NOTE: WaveDump does not support DPP (Digital Pulse Processing) firmware.

Applications

• Signal inspection and waveform recording

• Research and development of detector prototypes

• Data collection for offline statistical analysis

• Beam monitoring

• Sensor readout and detector performance characterization

• Lida