Technical Topics

This section contains detailed technical reference material for advanced users.

These topics assume you have completed the basic tutorials (00-05) and are familiar with: - QICK program structure (_initialize, _body) - Pulse definition and sequencing - Basic readout configuration

Core Concepts

• How to ensure frequency matching
• Timing with tProcessor v2
• Timing with tProcessor v1
• How to play pulses with QICK
• Pulse configuration options
• Accumulated vs. decimated readout
• Time units

Advanced Topics

• Pyro4: Multi-Board Connection and Distributed Control
• Changing sample rates
• Reference clock generation

Topic Descriptions

freq_matching

How frequency matching works between generators and readouts in tProc v2 vs. v1.

timing

Detailed explanation of timeline management, delays, and synchronization.

playing_pulses

How to define and play pulses with different styles (const, arb, flat_top).

gen_config

Complete reference for generator configuration parameters.

readout_modes

Accumulated (acquire) vs. decimated (acquire_decimated) readout: what each mode returns, when to use which, and their shared setup.

units

Understanding QICK’s time, frequency, and amplitude units.

reference_clock

Configuring external reference clocks and clock distribution.

changing_fs

How to change the FPGA sampling frequency for different bandwidths.

asmv2_cheatsheet

Quick reference for tProc v2 assembly instructions.

tutorials

Link to the full Jupyter notebook tutorials.

tprocv2_migration

Short migration guide for tProc v1 users: hardware sweeps, timing calls, pulse playback, and units.

example_code

Larger example codebases shared by QICK collaborators, for both tProc v1 and v2.

xcom

XCOM: Full mesh network for multi-board synchronization and low-latency communication. Covers hardware requirements, communication protocol, command set, and Python interface.

XCOM-commands

Complete reference of all XCOM commands, including NET commands (for network communication) and LOC commands (for local control).

pyro4

Pyro4: Network-based multi-board connection for distributed control and data acquisition.

When to Use Each Topic

• New to timing concepts? Start with Timing with tProcessor v2

• Confused about frequencies? Read How to ensure frequency matching

• Need to shape pulses? See How to play pulses with QICK

• Changing hardware config? Check Pulse configuration options and Changing sample rates

• Not sure whether to use `acquire` or `acquire_decimated`? See Accumulated vs. decimated readout

• Using external clock? Refer to Reference clock generation

• Writing assembly code? Keep tProc v2 ASM Cheatsheet handy

• Coming from tProc v1? Start with Migrating from tProc v1

• Synchronizing multiple boards? Read XCOM: Multi-Board Network Synchronization and Communication for the network-based solution

• Need XCOM command details? See XCOM Commands Reference for the complete command reference