Development of a new distributed hybrid seismic and electrical data acquisition station based on system-on-a-programmable-chip technology

Abstract

Abstract. In the past few decades, with the continuous advancement of technology, seismic and electrical instruments have developed rapidly. However, complex and harsh exploration environments led to higher requirements and severe challenges for traditional geophysical exploration methods and instruments. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to develop new high-precision exploration instruments and data acquisition systems. In this study, a new distributed seismic and electrical hybrid acquisition station is developed using system-on-a-programmable-chip (SoPC) technology. The acquisition station hardware includes an analog board and a main control board. The analog board uses a signal conditioning circuit and a 24-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADS1271) to achieve high-precision data acquisition, while the main control board uses a low-power SoPC to enable high-speed stable data transmission. We designed the data transmission protocol for the acquisition station and developed independently an improved low-voltage differential signaling data transmission technology. What's more, a method to enhance the precision of synchronous acquisition was studied in depth. These key technologies, which were developed for the acquisition station, were integrated into the SoPC of the main control board. Test results indicate that the synchronization precision of the acquisition station is better than 200 ns, and the maximum low-power data transmission speed is 16 Mbps along a 55 m cable. The developed acquisition station has the advantages of low noise, large dynamic range, low power consumption, etc., and it can achieve high-precision hybrid acquisition of seismic and electrical data.