A mass spectrometer comprising: (a) ion optics for receiving ionized sample material from an ion source and conveying at least some ions from the ionized sample material through the ion optics; (b) a time-of-flight mass analyzer coupled to the ion optics for receiving at least some of the ions conveyed by the ion optics, the mass analyzer comprising a time-of-flight chamber, an ion pulsing system for periodically generating an electrical field to direct groups of the received ions into the time-of-flight chamber, and an ion detector arranged to receive ions that have travelled through the time-of-flight chamber for generating a signal indicative of the number of ions arriving at the ion detector as a function of time, the signal including information about mass spectra of the groups of ions produced by the pulsing system; and (c) a digitizing system for receiving and digitizing the signal from the ion detector and for providing extended dynamic range data during a target period, the digitizing system comprising first and second analog-to-digital converters (179, 181), the first analog-to-digital converter being configured to receive and digitize the signal from the ion detector during a first time window coinciding with a first portion of each mass spectrum, the second analog-to-digital converter being configured to receive and digitize the signal from the ion detector during a second time window coinciding with a second portion of each mass spectrum, wherein the first and second time windows are offset time-wise relative to one another and overlap one another during the target period, for providing extended dynamic range data during the target period; wherein the first and second analog-to-digital converters (179, 181) are 8-bit converters; wherein the digitizing system is adapted to apply a first voltage range to the signal from the ion detector before it is digitized by the first analog-to-digital converter and apply a second voltage range different from the first voltage range to the signal from the ion detector before it is digitized by the second analog-to-digital converter; wherein the first and second analog-to-digital converters (179, 181) each have a sampling rate of at least 1 GHz wherein the ion source is adapted to atomize and ionize the sample material and the ion optics convey substantially only elemental ions to the time-of-flight mass analyzer; and wherein the mass spectrometer is adapted to detect atoms in the mass range of between 80 and 210 amu. (a) ion optics for receiving ionized sample material from an ion source and conveying at least some ions from the ionized sample material through the ion optics; (b) a time-of-flight mass analyzer coupled to the ion optics for receiving at least some of the ions conveyed by the ion optics, the mass analyzer comprising a time-of-flight chamber, an ion pulsing system for periodically generating an electrical field to direct groups of the received ions into the time-of-flight chamber, and an ion detector arranged to receive ions that have travelled through the time-of-flight chamber for generating a signal indicative of the number of ions arriving at the ion detector as a function of time, the signal including information about mass spectra of the groups of ions produced by the pulsing system; and (c) a digitizing system for receiving and digitizing the signal from the ion detector and for providing extended dynamic range data during a target period, the digitizing system comprising first and second analog-to-digital converters (179, 181), the first analog-to-digital converter being configured to receive and digitize the signal from the ion detector during a first time window coinciding with a first portion of each mass spectrum, the second analog-to-digital converter being configured to receive and digitize the signal from the ion detector during a second time window coinciding with a second portion of each mass spectrum, wherein the first and second time windows are offset time-wise relative to one another and overlap one another during the target period, for providing extended dynamic range data during the target period;