Teledyne PIXIS-XF, System Manual

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38 PIXIS-XF System Manual Issue 5
In WinX/32 and LightField, these operations use the Experiment Setup parameters to
establish the exposure time (i.e., the period when signal of interest is allowed to
accumulate on the CCD.) Focus {Preview} is more likely to be used in setting up the
system (refer to
Section 5.2, WinX/32 First Light on page 39, and Section 5.3, LightField
First Light , on page 42, for more information,) and Acquire is then used for the
collection and storage of data.
Briefly:
• In Focus {Preview} mode, the number of frames and accumulations settings are
ignored. A single frame is acquired and displayed, another frame is acquired and
overwrites the currently displayed data, and so on until Stop is selected.
— In WinX/32, the last frame acquired before Stop is selected can be stored.
— In LightField, this frame cannot be stored.
Focus {Preview} mode is particularly convenient for familiarization and setting
up.
• In Acquire mode, every frame of data collected can be automatically stored (the
completed dataset may include multiple frames with one or more
accumulations). This mode would ordinarily be selected during actual data
collection.
One limitation of Acquire mode operation is that if data acquisition continues at
too fast a rate for it to be stored, data overflow will eventually occur. In
WinX/32, this could only happen in Fast Mode operation.
The remainder of this chapter is organized to first talk about the system on/off
sequences. Next First Light procedures follow which provide step-by-step information
about how to verify initial system operation.
The last three sections discuss factors that affect exposure, readout, and digitization of
the incoming signal. By understanding these factors and making adjustments to
software settings you can maximize signal-to-noise ratio.
REFERENCES:
For information about synchronizing data acquisition with
external devices, refer to
Chapter 6, Advanced Topics , on
page 57.
5.1 System On/Off Sequences
For WinView/32 and WinSpec/32, the following on/off sequences must be followed to
establish and maintain the communication link between the camera and the host
computer:
• The PIXIS-XF camera must be powered ON before the WinX/32 application
software (e.g., WinView/32,) is launched to ensure communication between the
camera and the computer. If the application software is opened and the
PIXIS-XF is not powered on, many of the functions will be disabled and you will
only be able to retrieve and examine previously acquired and stored data. You
must close the application software, power the camera on, and reopen the
application software before you can set up experiments and acquire new data.
• The WinX application software must be closed before powering the camera off.
If you power the camera off before closing the application software, the
communication link with the camera will be broken. You can operate the
program in a playback mode (i.e., examine previously acquired data,) but will be
unable to acquire new data until you have closed the application software,
powered the camera on, and then relaunched the application software.