Teledyne PIXIS-XF, System Manual

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82 PIXIS-XF System Manual Issue 5
• The circulator is higher than the camera. Reposition the circulator so that it is
6 inches [150 mm] or more below the camera. The vertical distance should not
exceed 10 feet [3 m]. Typically, the camera is at table height and the circulator is
on the floor.
• The vacuum has deteriorated and needs to be refreshed. Contact Teledyne
Princeton Instruments Customer Support for information about how to refresh
the vacuum. Refer to
Contact Information on page 114 for complete
information.
• The connectors of the cable that interconnects the controller and the camera
need to be secured.
• The target array temperature is not appropriate for your particular camera and
CCD array.
• For a TE-cooled camera, the camera's internal temperature may be too high,
such as might occur if the operating environment is particularly warm or if you
are attempting to operate at a temperature colder than the specified limit.
TE-cooled cameras are equipped with a thermal-protection switch that shuts
the cooler circuits down if the internal temperature exceeds a preset limit.
Typically, camera operation is restored automatically in about ten minutes.
Although the thermo-protection switch will protect the camera, you are
nevertheless advised to power down and correct the operating conditions that
caused the thermal-overload to occur.
7.7.2 Camera loses Temperature Lock
The internal temperature of the camera is too high. This might occur if the operating
environment is particularly warm or if you are trying to operate at a temperature colder
than the specified limit. If this happens, an internal thermal overload switch will disable
the cooler circuits to protect them. Typically, camera operation is restored in about ten
minutes. Although the thermal overload switch will protect the camera, users are
advised to power down and correct the operating conditions that caused the thermal
overload to occur.
7.7.3 Gradual Deterioration of Cooling Capability
While unlikely with the PIXIS-XF camera (guaranteed permanent vacuum for the life of
the camera), if you see a gradual deterioration of the cooling capability, there may be a
gradual deterioration of the camera's vacuum. This can affect temperature
performance such that it may be impossible to achieve temperature lock at the lowest
temperatures. In the kind of applications for which cooled CCD cameras are so well
suited, it is highly desirable to maintain the system's lowest temperature performance
because lower temperatures result in lower thermal noise and better the
signal-to-noise ratio. Contact Teledyne Princeton Instruments Customer Support for
information about returning the camera for service. Refer to
Contact Information on
page 114 for complete information.
7.8 Data Loss or Serial Violation
You may experience either or both of these conditions if the host computer has been
set up with Power Saving features enabled. This is particularly true for power saving
with regard to the hard drive. Make sure that Power Saving features are disabled while
you are running the WinX/32 application.