One method of time multiplexing is to store the individual amplitudes as a charge in a capacitor, switch it to a bus line one channel after the other and digitize it with an ADC in a CAMAC or VME module. Several 100 channels can be digitized this way with a minimum of cabling and only one ADC. Many approaches have been made with monolithic integrated circuits, but for many applications the signal quality (amplitude resolution, linearity, offset, offset drift, low noise at high input capacity) and the flexibility (missing features like: good timing, self triggering or adapted energy range) are not sufficient. Also the available digitizers will not provide high resolution with low differential non linearity (sliding scale ADCs) which is necessary for spectroscopy applications.
The implemented preamplifiers should be low power for vacuum operation and a special version should be suitable also for high capacity detectors up to 2 nF (typical for large and thin energy loss detectors). It will provide excellent timing and some types will allows to create multiplicity selective triggers.