CONFOCOR
3
Carl Zeiss
Options
ConfoCor 3
122 M60-1-0025
e
02/2010
Each single measurement is stored in one raw data file. For two channel experiments, each channel
will be stored in a separate file.
The names of the raw data files are identical to the .fcs measurements, when stored along with
them plus an extension that characterizes the measurement. Temporarily stored raw data do not
contain the measurement name and have only the extensions.
If you store a measurement along with the raw data, but than a second time without, the
connection between the .fcs and .raw files is lost. Instead of a relative directory location an
absolute directory location is assigned to the .raw data files. When opening the .fcs file, no
manipulations will be possible in this case.
You can open raw data in the File menu of the
Main tool
bar. You can either open the whole .fcs
measurement, in which case all raw data will be loaded, or you can select single .raw data files.
9.13.1.2
Raw Data Formats
The following raw data formats exist:
−
ConfoCor 1: FCS Access Rel 0.x and 1.x: No raw data format available
−
ConfoCor 2 (&3): LSM Rel. 2.x and 3.x
−
ConfoCor 2 & 3: LSM Rel. 4.x and ZEN 2008
Raw data files can be opened directly. They are also opened automatically if linked to an .fcs measure-
ment. In this case all raw data files associated with the .fcs file will be opened in the same window.
Raw data are stored permanently. Since the internal clock runs at a clock rate of 20 MHz a
maximum data rate of 10 Mbyte/s is achieved. If no pulses are recorded, the clock rate drops to
approx. 155 Kbyte/s according to counter overflows.
ConfoCor 2 LSM Rel 2.x and 3.x
The data format is an exact representation of the dual channel photon trace within the limits given by the
digitalization. This means that the data are recorded without losses within these limits.
The basic idea is to record the time between subsequent pulses from the detector in units of elapsed
clock cycles (run length encoding). However, the format is modified to conserve space at high count rates
and to be capable to handle dual channel data.
Data will be recorded in 16 bit words. Whenever a pulse is detected or the counter counting the clock
cycles overruns 255 (FF hex), a word will be recorded. The word will contain information how many clock
cycles elapsed (
1 ... 255
) since the last word had been recorded and additionally what happened in the
four cycles of data generation
bt1 ... bt4
.
