Dynamically adjusting effective sampling rates of a mass spectrometer

A mass spectrometer 50 comprises an ion detector 25, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 27, and a decimator (66 in Figure 4), the analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 27 being configured to receive and sample an analog signal from the ion detector thereby providing a first plurality of samples at a first rate. The decimator (66) is configured to receive the first plurality of samples and to transmit, at a second rate, a second plurality of samples that are based on the first plurality of samples. The decimator (66) is further configured to dynamically adjust the second rate so that memory requirements for the mass spectrometer are reduced. The decimator allows a higher effective sampling rate for analog pulses corresponding with lighter mass ions and lowers the effective sampling rate of analog pulses corresponding with heavier mass ions.