A multiple cell array detector (MCAD) has been developed to investigate the spatial structure of plasma turbulence in fusion plasmas. This system is expected to provide simultaneous measurements of edge and core density fluctuations with both temporal and spatial resolution,
extending the range and number of the sample volumes simultaneously recorded by a heavy ion beam diagnostic (HIBD). Since the detector (usually located close to the vessel wall of a plasma device) operates in a strong plasma radiation environment, the effective shielding of the detector presents a special problem. This article describes and compares the MCAD operation conditions on ISTTOK tokamak and TJ-II stellarator. Experimental results of the detector performance are presented together with the first measurements of ne seff in the TJ-II plasmas.