Performance of the CMS Silicon Tracker Front-End Driver

The CMS Silicon Tracker Front-End Driver (FED) is a 9U 400mm VME64x card which processes the raw data generated within the Silicon Tracker by the APV25 readout ASICs. The processed, zero-suppressed, data is then sent to the Data Acquisition System (DAQ). The first 2 FEDs were made at the beginning of 2003 and since then a further 15 FEDs of this type (FEDv1) have been manufactured. All hardware modifications to the FEDv1 design have now been completed and a new iteration of the board produced, called the FEDv2, which is expected to be the final version. The firmware and software development is close to completion. The performance of a FED in the laboratory is presented.