R5560-B MCA Firmware

Default multichannel analyser (MCA) FPGA firmware for the DAQ boards of variant B (Zynq 7035) of the R5560 rack digitizer. It turns each DAQ board into a 32-channel pulse-height analyser with digital pulse processing, counters and per-channel oscilloscopes. The firmware is published as a .niu firmware package (bitstream, register map and metadata) that you install on one or all DAQ boards from the web dashboard. It is the same firmware that ships with the production image and the update packet of the R5560-B DAQ board: use this package to install, restore or change a specific firmware release.

Compatibility

The package declares platform GUID F417C046-3AA0-4E63-964A-2008A6D35172 and model B in its content.xml. The board checks both values when you upload the file and refuses a package made for another product or variant.

Not for: R5560-A (use r5560-a-mca-firmware), R5560-D (no MCA firmware package), the R5560 base controller board, R5560SE and DT5560 (different platform GUID).

What's in this package

<version> is the release version, for example 2026.10.11.00. The .niu file is the one to download and install. The .bit (bitstream), .bin (raw bitstream) and .xsa (Vivado hardware platform with the bitstream) files are development outputs of the same build and are not needed to use the instrument.

The .niu file is a zip archive with three files:

Register map

RegisterFile.json (device R5560, project MCAHPSD) describes a 32-channel design:

The register map is what the software uses to address the firmware: the SDK (libr5560) receives the RegisterFile.json of the active firmware from the board through nibridge, and Resource Explorer uses it to show and edit the registers. You can also download it from the Device Status page (Download register file).

How to install

The firmware is installed from the Firmware page of the x5560 web dashboard. Uploading and installing a firmware is allowed to any logged-in user; rebooting and deleting firmware files require the administrator account (root).

On a single DAQ board

1. Download the .niu file of the release you want from this page.
2. Open the dashboard of the DAQ board: from the Rack page of the base dashboard, or directly at http://<daq-ip>/ or https://<daq-ip>/. Log in.
3. Open Firmware. In Upload firmware to this board, choose the .niu file or drop it on the page. Optionally tick Install immediately after the upload. Click Upload.
4. The board validates the package (model and product GUID). A package for another product or variant is refused with "The package is not valid for this board".
5. In Manage firmware, click Install on the uploaded file and confirm.
6. The page shows "Reboot this board to load the new firmware." Reboot the DAQ: Reboot on the DAQ dashboard, Reboot daqN on the base dashboard, or a power cycle.

From the base, on one or all DAQ boards

1. Open the dashboard of the base controller board at http://<base-ip>/ or https://<base-ip>/ and log in (on a rack the login is valid on all boards).
2. Open Firmware and choose the Target: one DAQ board, or All DAQs.
3. Upload the .niu file. With All DAQs the base sends the file to every installed DAQ board, using the fastest route of each board (Ethernet, otherwise the slower internal serial link).
4. Click Install (for one DAQ) or Install on all DAQs. With all DAQs, the table Installation result per DAQ shows the outcome for each slot.
5. Reboot the DAQ boards (Reboot daqN on the base dashboard, or a power cycle of the rack).

Notes on the firmware files stored on the board:

• Firmware files are kept in /mnt/sdcard/user_firmware. The stored name is reduced to the characters A-Z a-z 0-9 _ . -, at most 29 characters, ending in .NIU; uploading a file with an existing name asks before overwriting it.
• The production image stores this firmware as 7035-mcahpsd.niu; the update packet installs it as MCA.niu.
• The firmware marked default cannot be deleted. Files can be deleted only by the administrator.
• Tools that upload firmware without logging in can use the update token that the administrator copies from the Security page.

Check the active firmware

1. Device Status shows FPGA firmware, Firmware version and Firmware build of the firmware running now.
2. Firmware shows Active firmware with its version, and the active badge on the file in use; the version column of each file is the release version written in its content.xml.
3. If Device Status shows DEFAULT FIRMWARE LOADED, the last installed firmware was not compatible with the device and the default firmware was loaded instead.
4. On the base, Firmware with target All DAQs lists the firmware files of every DAQ board.

Requirements

• An R5560 DAQ board of variant B running an operating system image with the x5560 web dashboard (r5560-b-daq-image, or updated with r5560-b-daq-update-packet).
• A PC on the same network as the instrument, with a current web browser. The instrument itself does not need Internet access.
• An account on the dashboard. Both accounts (user, root) ship with the factory default password, and the dashboard forces a password change at the first login.

Versioning and releases

• Releases are tagged with a date-based version YYYY.MM.DD.NN, for example 2026.10.11.00.
• The version is part of the file name (r5560-b-mca-<version>.niu) and is written in the content.xml of the package, so it appears in the version column of the Firmware page.
• The changelog (CHANGELOG.md) is shown on this portal with each release.
• Release channel on this portal: stable.

Related packages

Known limitations and notes

• A new firmware is loaded only after a reboot of the board.
• The package is accepted only by boards with the same platform GUID and model; it cannot be installed on another product or variant.
• The FPGA field inside RegisterFile.json reads xc7z030fbg676-2 although the bitstream is built for xc7z035ffg676-2: the field is informational only and does not affect register addresses.

Source and support

• Development repository: https://gitlab.lanni/nuclear-instruments/prodotti/x5560/fw-sw/r5560/r5560-b-mca-firmware
• For support contact Nuclear Instruments / CAEN support.