Specifications
Table Of Contents
- iXon Ultra
- SAFETY AND WARNINGS INFORMATION
- SAFETY AND WARNINGS SYMBOLS
- MANUAL HANDLING
- SHIPPING AND STORAGE PRECAUTIONS
- SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION TO IXON ULTRA HARDWARE
- 1.1 - TECHNICAL SUPPORT
- 1.2 - DISCLAIMER
- 1.3 - TRADEMARKS AND PATENT INFORMATION
- 1.4 - COMPONENTS
- 1.4.1 - Camera description
- 1.4.2 - Camera Power Supply Unit
- 1.4.3 - SOFTWARE
- 1.5 - SPECIFICATIONS
- 1.6 - ACCESSORIES
- 1.7 - SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND MAINTENANCE
- 1.7.1 - Care of the camera
- 1.7.2 - Regular checks
- 1.7.3 - Annual electrical safety checks
- 1.7.4 - Replacement parts
- 1.7.5 - Fuse replacement
- 1.7.6 - Working with electronics
- 1.7.7 - Condensation
- 1.7.8 - Dew Point graph
- 1.7.9 - EM Gain ageing
- 1.7.10 - Minimizing particulate contamination
- 2.1 - INSTALLING THE HARDWARE
- 2.1.1- PC requirements
- 2.2 - INSTALLING ANDOR SOLIS SOFTWARE - WINDOWS O/S(XP/VISTA/SEVEN)
- 2.3 - NEW HARDWARE WIZARD
- 2.5 - WATER PIPE CONNECTORS
- 2.6 - MOUNTING POSTS
- 2.7 - COOLING
- 2.8 - START-UP DIALOG
- 3.1 - EMCCD OPERATION
- 3.1.1 - Structure of an EMCCD
- 3.1.2 - EM Gain & Read Noise
- 3.1.3 - EM Gain ON vs EM Gain OFF
- 3.1.4 - Multiplicative Noise Factor and Photon Counting
- 3.1.5 - EM Gain dependence and stability
- 3.1.6 - RealGain: Real and Linear gain
- 3.1.7 - EM Gain Ageing: What causes it and how is it countered?
- 3.1.8 - Gain and signal restrictions
- 3.1.9 - EMCAL
- 3.2 - COOLING
- 3.2.1 - Cooling options
- 3.2.2 - Heat generated in the EMCCD
- 3.2.3 Heatsink “hot side“ temperature
- 3.2.4 - Fan settings
- 3.3 - SENSOR READOUT OPTIMIZATION
- 3.3.1 - Sensor Pre-amp options
- 3.3.2 - Variable Horizontal Readout Rate
- 3.3.3 - Variable Vertical Shift Speed
- 3.3.4 - Output amplifier selection
- 3.3.5 - Baseline Optimization
- 3.3.5.1 - Baseline Clamp
- 3.3.6 - Binning and Sub Image options
- 3.4 - ACQUISITION OPTIONS
- 3.4.1 - Capture Sequence in Frame Transfer (FT) Mode
- 3.4.1.1 - Points to consider when using FT Mode
- 3.4.2 - Capture Sequence in Non-Frame Transfer Mode (NFT) with an FT EMCCD
- 3.4.2.1 - Points to note about using an FT EMCCD as a standard EMCCD
- 3.4.3 - Capture Sequence for Fast Kinetics (FK) with an FT EMCCD
- 3.4.3.1 - Points to consider when using Fast Kinetics mode
- 3.4.4 - Keep Clean Cycles
- 3.5 - TRIGGERING OPTIONS
- 3.5.1 - Triggering options in Frame Transfer (FT) mode
- 3.5.1.1 - Internal Triggering (FT)
- 3.5.1.2 - External Triggering (FT)
- 3.5.1.3 - External Exposure (FT)
- 3.5.2 - Triggering options in Non-Frame Transfer (NFT) mode
- 3.5.2.1 - Internal (NFT)
- 3.5.2.2 - External & Fast External (NFT)
- 3.5.2.3 - External Exposure (NFT)
- 3.5.2.4 - Software trigger (NFT)
- 3.5.3 - Trigger options in Fast Kinetics (FK) mode
- 3.5.3.1 - Internal (FK)
- 3.5.3.2 - External (FK)
- 3.5.3.3 - External Start (FK)
- 3.6 - SHUTTERING
- 3.7 - COUNT CONVERT
- 3.8 - OPTACQUIRE
- 3.8.1 - OptAcquire modes
- 3.9 - PUSHING FRAME RATES WITH CROPPED SENSOR MODE
- 3.9.1 - Cropped Sensor Mode Frame Rates
- 3.10 - ADVANCED PHOTON COUNTING IN EMCCDs
- 3.10.1 - Photon Counting by Post-Process
- 3.11 - SPURIOUS NOISE FILTER
- 4.1 - EMCCD TECHNOLOGY
- 4.1.1 - What is an Electron Multiplying CCD?
- 4.1.2 - Does EMCCD technology eliminate Read Out Noise?
- 4.1.3 - How sensitive are EMCCDs?
- 4.1.4 - What applications are EMCCDs suitable for?
- 4.1.5 - What is Andor Technology's experience with EMCCDs?
- 4.2 - EMCCD SENSOR
- 4.3 - VACUUM HOUSING
- 4.3.1 - Thermoelectric cooler
- 4.4 – USB 2.0 INTERFACE
- 4.5 - OUTGASSING
- 4.6 - EXTERNAL I/O
- 4.7 - SIGNAL DIAGRAMS
- 4.8 - CAMERALINK
- SECTION 5: TROUBLESHOOTING
- 5.1 - UNIT DOES NOT SWITCH ON
- 5.2 - SUPPORT DEVICE NOT RECOGNISED WHEN PLUGGED INTO PC
- 5.3 - TEMPERATURE TRIP ALARM SOUNDS (CONTINUOUS TONE)
- 5.4 - CAMERA HIGH FIFO FILL ALARM
- 5.5 - USE OF MULTIPLE HIGH SPEED USB 2.0 I/O ON ONE CAMERA
- A.1 - GLOSSARY
- A.1.1 - Readout sequence of an EMCCD
- A.1.2 - Accumulation
- A.1.3 - Acquisition
- A.1.4 - A/D Conversion
- A.1.5 - Background
- A.1.6 - Binning
- A.1.7 - Counts
- A.1.8 - Dark Signal
- A.1.9 - Detection Limit
- A.1.10 - Exposure Time
- A.1.11 - Frame Transfer
- A.1.12 - NOISE
- A.1.12.1 - Pixel Noise
- A.1.12.1.1 - Readout Noise
- A.1.12.1.2 - Shot Noise
- A.1.12.1.2.A - Shot Noise from the Signal
- A.1.12.1.2.B - Shot Noise from the Dark Signal
- A.1.12.1.3 - Calculation of Total Pixel Noise
- A.1.12.2 - Fixed Pattern Noise
- A.1.13 - Quantum Efficiency/Spectral Response
- A.1.14 - Readout
- A.1.15 - Saturation
- A.1.16 - Scans (Keep Clean and Acquired)
- A.1.17 - Shift Register
- A.1.18 - Signal To Noise Ratio
- B - MECHANICAL DIMENSIONS
- C - DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
- D - HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE WARRANTY SERVICE
- D.1 - SERVICE DESCRIPTION
- D.2 - Access to Service
- D.3 - Hardware Remediation
- D.4 - Software Remediation
- E - THE WASTE ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS 2006 (WEEE)
Version 1.1 rev Jan 2013
Page 26
iXon Ultra
Installation
SECTION 2: INSTALLATION
2.1 - INSTALLING THE HARDWARE
2.1.1- PC requirements
Install the camera Software before rst connecting the camera – this will ensure that USB drivers are available when
required.
There are no restrictions on the order in which components are connected. It is best to allow a few seconds from camera
power on (using the button or a mains switch) to starting Solis in order for the camera to be recognised by the PC.
• 3GHzQuadCoreor2.4GHzmulticoreprocessor
• 2GBRAM
• 100MBfreeharddisctoinstallsoftware(atleast1GBrecommendedfordataspooling)
• USB2.0HighSpeedHostControllercapableofsustainedrateof40MB/s
• Windows(XP,Vistaor7)orLinux
To connect the camera use the supplied power block to power the camera. A faint beep may be heard when the camera
is turned on. Note: The iXon Ultra has a power switch on the camera head for convenience.
Connect the supplied USB lead to the PC. (A USB socket on the rear of a desktop machine is preferred).
The supplied Multi i/o cable may be required depending on the measurement being carried out. Refer to Section 1.6 on
page 19 for details.
The camera can achieve stated performance with air cooling using the internal fan – Water cooling is also available see
Section 3.2 on page 48 for details.