Princeton 4300 User Manual

 

41 

Once the PI-SCX camera has been installed, camera operation is basically 

straightforward. In most applications you simply establish optimum performance using 

the 

Focus mode (WinView/32 or WinSpec/32), set the target detector temperature, wait 

until the temperature has stabilized at the set temperature (see the "Setting the 

Temperature" section in this chapter), and then do actual data acquisition in the 

Acquire 

mode. Additional considerations regarding experiment setup and equipment 

configuration are addressed in the software manual.  
During data acquisition, 

the CCD array is exposed 

to a source and charge 

accumulates in the pixels. 

After the defined 

exposure time, the 

accumulated signal 

is readout of the 

array, digitized, and 

then transferred to 

the host computer. 

Upon data transfer, 

the data is data is 

displayed and/or stored via the application 

software. This sequence is illustrated by the block 

diagram shown in Figure 16.  
Whether or not the data is displayed and/or stored 

depends on the data collection operation (Focus or 
Acquire

) that has been selected in the application 

software. In WinView and WinSpec, these 

operations use the Experiment Setup parameters to 

establish the exposure time (the period when signal of interest is allowed to accumulate 

on the CCD). As might be inferred from the names, Focus is more likely to be used in 

setting up the system (see the "First Light" discussions) and Acquire is then used for the 

collection and storage of data. Briefly:  



 

In Focus 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. Only the last frame 

acquired before Stop is selected can be stored. When Stop is selected, the File Save 

function can be used to save the currently displayed data. This mode is particularly 

convenient for familiarization and setting up. For ease in focusing, the screen refresh 

rate should be as rapid as possible, achieved by operating with axes and cross-

sections off, and with Zoom 1:1 selected.