Digital Interface Design for a Sub-Sea Data Acquisition System

Design and Verification of a High-Speed SPI Interface with Reclocking Architecture for a Subsea DAQ System

Bachelor Thesis (2026)
Author(s)

R. Ali (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

A.W.G. Spierings (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

Contributor(s)

K.A.A. Makinwa – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

Arthur Admiraal – Graduation committee member

F.J.P. van Mourik – Mentor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

T.D. Onstein – Mentor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Graduation Date
19-06-2026
Awarding Institution
Delft University of Technology
Project
EE3L11 Bachelor graduation project Electrical Engineering
Programme
Electrical Engineering
Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
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Abstract

A digital interface was designed and verified for a subsea data acquisition system operating at pressures of up to 500 bar. The interface connects an FPGA outside the pressure vessel to converter electronics inside the vessel through a 16-wire bulkhead connector.

Serial communication protocols were implemented in VHDL for both a DAC and an ADC operating at 2 MSps. The wire-count constraint drove the selection of serial interfaces and the placement of a low-jitter clock source on the converter PCB to meet the 100 dB SNR system requirement.

Hardware verification confirmed correct operation across the full output range. The system was pressure-tested at 500 bar, with no measurable degradation in performance.

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