[en] ERNE is designed to study the composition and energy spectra of particles encountered in interplanetary space in the energy range from 1 MeV/n to well beyond 500 MeV/n. Several innovative ideas had to be incorporated in the design of the instrument in order to fulfill the scientific requirements. Position-sensitive strip detectors are used in the high energy detector (HED) for determining particle trajectories. Integrated interstrip capacitances were designed to allow for a very simple read-out technique from the two edges of each detector. The event recognition, signal multiplexing and control of the pulse height analysis are based on a gate array technique. The versatility of the gate array also allowed an elegant realization of a number of other functions and instrument control tasks. By using the gate array a very compact structure of the digital control electronics was achieved. (orig.)

[en] The design of the ERNE experiment of the ESA and NASA collaborative SOHO mission is described. ERNE will investigate the sun by measuring energetic particles. Starting from the design objectives, as determined by the scientific goals of the experiment, and from the adopted basic solutions, the design and structure of the instrument are presented in detail. The fundamental technical aspects encountered in building a space instrument are briefly considered. The methods of implementation of scientifically the most important parts of the instrument, the sensors for measuring energetic particles and the associated electronics, are thoroughly explained. Both hardware and software are examined. The pre-flight calibrations of the instrument are described and the performance of the instrument in space is demonstrated. (orig.)