A small-scale prototype of the CALIFA calorimeter, which is a subsystem of the R 3 B detector, has been constructed and tested using the 179 MeV proton beam at The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala, Sweden. The prototype consists of 15 Csl(Tl) elements with a size of 10 x 30 x 130 mm(3), assembled in a 3 x 5 array. Each crystal was individually tested using gamma-ray sources and the light output uniformity along the longitudinal axes was adjusted to better than 0.6%. An energy resolution of similar to 0.5% has been achieved with a technique consisting of non-uniform polishing/lapping of the crystal side facets. The performance of the prototype is evaluated using experimental data and GEANT4 simulations. Results from the experiment, including multiplicity and sum spectra, show good agreement with simulations. The quality requirements for Csl(Tl) elements for construction of a high precision calorimeter/spectrometer are summarized. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)