The high-luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL-LHC) brings unprecedented requirements for
precision bunch-by-bunch luminosity measurement and beam-induced background monitoring in
real time. A key component of the CMS Beam Radiation Instrumentation and Luminosity detector
system is a stand-alone luminometer, the Fast Beam Condition Monitor (FBCM), which is able
to operate independently at all times with a triggerless asynchronous readout. FBCM utilizes
a dedicated front-end ASIC to amplify the signals from CO2-cooled Si-pad sensors with 1 ns
timing resolution. Front-end (FE) electronics are subject to high-radiation conditions, thus all
components are radiation hardened: sensors, ASICs, transceivers, etc. The FBCM ASIC contains
6 channels, each outputting a binary high-speed signal carrying the time-of-arrival and time-over-
threshold information. This signal is sent via a gigabit optical link to the back-end electronics for
analysis. A dedicated test system is designed for the FBCM FE electronics with a modular setup
for all testing needs of the project from initial ASIC validation test to system-level testing with the
full read-out chain. The paper reports on the design, read-out architecture, and testing program
for the FBCM electronics.