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©2014 QImaging. All rights reserved.  QI_Retiga3000_UM_Rev_A1 

7

Retiga 3000 USER MANUAL

CHAPTER 3 

USING YOUR RETIGA 3000 CAMERA

Imaging Software

The easy-to-use QCapture Pro software supplied with your Retiga 3000 provides complete control over 
the camera’s settings and image capture functions. For an up-to-date list of other compatible third-party 
imaging software applications, please visit:  

http://www.qimaging.com/resources/pdfs/Software-Compatibility-Matrix.pdf

The Retiga 3000 camera’s image capture capabilities are controlled entirely through your imaging software. 
Basic functionalities include control over exposure time, gain state, clearing mode, region of interest (ROI), and 
pixel binning. For information describing how to implement changes to the camera’s parameters, refer to your 
imaging software’s instruction manual.

Basic Camera Parameters

Exposure Time

The Retiga 3000 camera’s exposure controls allow you to adjust the integration time for each acquisition (0 
ms – 30 min). By increasing the exposure time, more light is captured by the sensor and a better signal-to-noise 
ratio (SNR) is achieved. The longer the exposure time however, the longer you also expose your cells to more 
light, increasing the effects of photo toxicity and photo-bleaching. The exposure time should be adjusted to a 
level that achieves the shortest integration time possible while still maintaining sufficient SNR. 

Gain State 

Gain (with regards to cameras) is defined as the conversion factor of captured electrons to a digital signal, 
often referred to as a grey value or ADU (Analogue to Digital Unit) and has units of electrons per ADU (e/ADU). 
Knowing the gain of a camera allows users to directly compare an ADU value as measured from their software 
to the physical number of electrons actually captured by the camera’s sensor. Gain plays a critical role in many 
of the camera’s parameters including dynamic range and read noise. 

The Retiga 3000 provides three user-selectable gain states enable optimal camera performance for different 
imaging environments: 

 

Gain State 1 

 1.8e-/ADU (0.5x Gain - High Light: 1/2 single pixel full well = max bit depth)

 

Gain State 2 

 1.2e-/ADU (1x Gain - Mapped: single pixel full well = max bit depth)

 

Gain State 3 

 0.3e-/ADU (3x Gain - Low Light: 1/3 single pixel full well = max bit depth)

Содержание Retiga 3000

Страница 1: ...www QIMAGING com ...

Страница 2: ...ntific Inc Product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of QImaging or other hardware software or service providers and are used herein for identification purposes only Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks in the U S and other countries of Microsoft Corporation and are used herein for identification purposes only QImaging Corporation Address Inform...

Страница 3: ...asy to purchase Available for all QImaging cameras the Extended Product Warranty Plan includes parts and labor and is available in one year increments up to five years When you purchase an Extended Product Warranty Plan from QImaging you are assured of our commitment to minimizing down times Your needs are our top priority and QImaging responds immediately The QImaging Service and Support team is ...

Страница 4: ...www qimaging com 2014 QImaging All rights reserved QI_Retiga3000_UM_Rev_A1 Retiga 3000 USER MANUAL RETIGA 3000 CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY ...

Страница 5: ...NG YOUR RETIGA 3000 CAMERA 7 Imaging Software 7 Basic Camera Parameters 7 Exposure Time 7 Gain State 7 Sensor Cooling 8 Clocking Mode 8 Clearing Mode 9 ROI Binning 10 Device Synchronization 10 TROUBLESHOOTING 13 Resolving Problems with the Camera 13 Unresolved Problems Contacting QImaging Support 14 SPECIFICATIONS 15 Camera Dimensions Front 15 Camera Dimensions Bottom 15 Additional Camera Measurem...

Страница 6: ... and easy installation Additionally low noise electronics cooled sensor technology and excellent quantum efficiency QE yield superb sensitivity for low light fluorescence applications This manual describes the installation and configuration procedures for your new Retiga 3000 color or monochrome camera Descriptions of Retiga 3000 camera settings are also included System Components Your new camera ...

Страница 7: ...ble parts inside the Retiga 3000 camera Opening the camera voids the warranty Use only the integrated USB 2 0 interface cables and power supply designated for this camera system Using non Retiga 3000 cables or power supplies may result in permanent damage to your system Do not use a C mount lens that has optics that extend behind the flange of the lens Environmental Conditions for Operation and St...

Страница 8: ...ce Handheld cans are not recommended as they may spray propellant onto the window Do not touch the window Repair The Retiga 3000 camera system contains no user serviceable parts Repairs must be done by QImaging Should your camera system need repair contact QImaging Support Please save the original packing materials so you can safely ship the camera system to another location or return it for repai...

Страница 9: ...omputer for your Retiga 3000 camera must include Windows 7 operating system 32 64 bits 2 0 GHz or faster Intel processor either Xeon or Core i5 4 GB RAM 250 GB serial ATA SATA HDD and or 64 GB solid state drive SDD for high speed imaging and storage 256 MB slot based ATI NVIDIA video graphics card i e not an onboard integrated graphics adapter CD ROM drive or internet access to install the driver ...

Страница 10: ...Restart your computer Use the CD supplied with the USB card to install the appropriate drivers Refer to the USB card package for further details on installation If you elect to use a native USB port on your computer instead of the USB card please refer to Appendix A for more information on USB port compatibility Installation Step 2 Install the Camera Driver In order for the Retiga 3000 to communic...

Страница 11: ... 3000 to a native USB port on the computer 2 After the USB 2 0 cable has been connected to the computer and camera connect the Retiga 3000 power supply s cable to the power connector located on the back of the camera Your Retiga 3000 camera is powered by the 5V 4A power supply provided by QImaging Lastly plug the power supply s cord into an appropriate power source 3 You may now power on your came...

Страница 12: ...captured by the sensor and a better signal to noise ratio SNR is achieved The longer the exposure time however the longer you also expose your cells to more light increasing the effects of photo toxicity and photo bleaching The exposure time should be adjusted to a level that achieves the shortest integration time possible while still maintaining sufficient SNR Gain State Gain with regards to came...

Страница 13: ... to 5 C Clocking Mode The Retiga 3000 camera has two CCD clocking modes one of which allows removal of the glow that can appear in an image s corners at longer exposures arising from preamplifiers In the PVCAM implementation the clocking modes are referred to as Normal and Alternate Normal In Normal mode the CCD is optimized for precise exposure time control and maximum frame rate In Alternate Nor...

Страница 14: ...is the frame rate as each frame must be completely read out before beginning the next exposure When the camera is able to expose and read out images simultaneously it is in Overlap mode Overlap mode is set by choosing Pre Sequence Clearing for the clearing mode of the camera This allows one clear before the imaging sequence starts The following waveforms show how Overlap mode functions When using ...

Страница 15: ...When using pixel binning the acquired images will appear to be grayscale although they will have an RGB pixel value Simply convert the images to a single channel greyscale value 8 bit mono 12 bit mono etc and use your software application to apply a color tint Device Synchronization Your Retiga 3000 camera offers several methods of hardware synchronization via TTL signals with external devices inc...

Страница 16: ... will be equal to or larger than the readout time Triggers received while Trigger Ready is low are ignored For a sequence of one frame Strobe mode and Trigger first mode are the same Non Overlap mode is shown on the left Overlap mode is shown on the right Bulb mode In this mode each frame in the sequence requires a trigger The camera exposes for the duration the trigger signal is high Exposure tim...

Страница 17: ... exposure time for binning applied Set for preview mode only Captured image should be full frame binned 1x1 All other settings should be locked Full frame no ROI Normal mode Clear Pre Exposure Gamma 1 30ms exposure Default settings 24 bits Gain State 2 Binned 1x1 Center quad ROI for live preview Set for preview mode only Captured image should be full frame All other settings should be locked Norma...

Страница 18: ...s power switch is set to the On position Confirm that the correct Retiga 3000 camera is selected in your imaging software application Power off the camera and the host computer and check all system connections Restart Confirm that the camera is operational by taking an image with a standard C mount lens attached to your Retiga 3000 Using normal room lighting place the camera on a table about 3 met...

Страница 19: ...oblems Contacting QImaging Support If you are still unable to resolve your problem contact QImaging Support for assistance in one of four ways Visit http www qimaging com support faq for a list of all frequently asked questions Your issue may be resolved in one of these faqs Visit http www qimaging com contact and fill out a support form online E mail support qimaging com with complete details of ...

Страница 20: ...ra Dimensions Front 4 930 125 22 3 850 97 79 Camera Dimensions Bottom 5 756 146 2 1 375 34 93 3 375 85 73 201 250 260 X 90 NEAR SIDE 2 465 62 61 Additional Camera Measurements Dimensions 97 79 mm x 125 22 mm x 146 2 mm Camera weight 3 10 lbs 1 406 kg Optical interface 1 C mount optical format Mounting hole thread size 1 4 20 thread ...

Страница 21: ...O connector mates to Hirose Electrical Co Connector Part HR212 10P 10PC Power Switch Power 5V 4A Standard USB 2 0 Connector Power Supply Specifications IMPORTANT Only operate the Retiga 3000 camera with the power supply provided by QImaging Voltage output 5 V DC 4 A Voltage input 100 240 V 50 60 Hz IMPORTANT Must not exceed 5V DC 4A ...

Страница 22: ...CALE 1 1 IMAGE SURFACE CCD 1MM FUSED GLASS SILICA WINDOW 1MM IR FILTER FOR 3000C 6000C ONLY Sensor Specifications Image type Color or Monochrome Scientific CCD depending on camera model Dimensions 8 8mm x 6 6mm 11mm diagonal Resolution 1940 x 1460 2 8 MP Pixel size 4 54 µm x 4 54 µm Single pixel full well 16 000 e 24 000e binned 2x2 Peak QE 75 600 nm measured using monochrome model Readout frequen...

Страница 23: ...er clockwise to match the view seen through the eyepiece This is due to the differences in the optical paths between inverted side ports and upright top ports I O Connector Pinout The I O Input Output Status connector provides information about trigger function DAC and TTL signals Inputs must be at least 3 15 V for a high and less than 0 9 V for a low The numbers on the I O connector diagram corre...

Страница 24: ... Ready reflects power status for the camera 5 V on 0 V off Ground system digital ground Types of triggering supported by the Retiga 3000 Trigger first mode Overlap Non Overlap Strobe mode Overlap Non Overlap Bulb Mode Non Overlap Five shutter behavior modes are available Open Never Shutter is always closed Open Pre Exposure Open before every exposure closed when not exposing Open Pre Sequence Open...

Страница 25: ...el USB 3 0 host controller does not communicate properly with some traditional USB 2 0 chipsets to the extent where data is not properly delivered This hardware incompatibility is unfortunately the cause of recently discovered bugs with the Retiga 3000 cameras and new Dell and HP computers These problems manifest as black frames or failed frame deliveries when attempting to view live or capture im...

Страница 26: ...in or another hub to allow connection of more devices However the Retiga 3000 camera should be the only device connected to a single USB Root Hub If other devices are connected to the same Root Hub then camera communication may fail which can result in camera hanging or image tearing Since it is not always straightforward to tell which port on a PC is connected to which Root Hub follow the procedu...

Страница 27: ...A1 22 Retiga 3000 USER MANUAL If more devices are connected to the same USB Root Hub please reconnect them to a different port for optimal camera performance or use the supplied USB 3 0 card For any further questions and assistance please contact QImaging technical support ...

Страница 28: ...www qimaging com tel 1 800 874 9789 support qimaging com 2014 QImaging All rights reserved QI_Retiga3000_UM_Rev_A1 www qimaging com ...

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