An Early Slice Prototype for the Upgraded Readout Electronics of TileCal

Upgrade plans for ATLAS hadronic calorimeter (TileCal) include full digital readout of all data to the counting room. This concept uses modern FPGAs containing large amounts of logic resources, generous connectivity and built-in multi-gigabit serial transceivers for communication. We have developed a slice prototype of the full readout chain based on prototype modules and off-the-shelf components. As different module prototypes are developed and become available they can be exchanged with earlier prototypes or emulators in the chain. Due to its modular and flexible structure, the prototype can be modified to reflect changing requirements. It will also allow most of the final functionality to be developed and tested before the hardware design is finalized.