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Chapter 5 Operation 51
51
Confirming the Setup
1. Turn on the light source at the spectrograph entrance slit.
2. Click on Run to begin previewing the data. Depending on the display settings,
you should see either a spectral band (image) or a graph. Background noise will
decrease as the camera cools to its default temperature.
3. Turn off the light source. The data display should change to a background noise
pattern or low intensity graph. If this occurs you have confirmed that light
entering the spectrograph is being seen by the camera. Skip Steps 4-5 and
continue to the “Focusing” topic on page 52.
4. If there is little or no difference between the data displayed when the light source
is on or off:
a. Verify that the light source has power and is turned on.
b. Verify that the entrance slit is open at least 10 µm.
c. Check the Exposure Time (Common Acquisition Settings expander).
d. Confirm that Shutter Mode is set to Normal (Shutter expander).
e. Check the shutter cable connections.
f. Verify shutter operation. You should hear the shutter open and close while
Run is active.
If you hear a shutter operating and you have done Steps a-e, turn the light
source on, wait a minute and then turn the light off while you view the
data display. If the problem is fixed, stop acquisition or continue to the
“Focusing” topic on page 42 ; otherwise, stop data acquisition and
continue to Step g.
If you do not hear a shutter operating and you have done Steps a-e, stop
data acquisition and continue to Step g.
g. Make sure the spectrograph has an entrance slit shutter. An externally
mounted shutter is easily confirmed. Verifying an internally mounted shutter
requires access to the inside of the spectrograph: refer to the spectrograph
manual for instructions.
h. Check to see if the PIXIS has a shutter. Loosen and remove the camera from the
spectrograph. If you see the CCD when you look into the front of the camera, the
camera does not have an internal shutter. Re-mount the camera to the
spectrograph.
i. If the camera and spectrograph both have shutters, permanent damage to the
shutter driver may occur. You can either disconnect and remove the entrance
slit shutter or control it via a Princeton Instruments SHC-EXT Control Box.
To disconnect and remove an entrance slit shutter:
External Slit Shutter: Disconnect the shutter cable and remove the
shutter assembly from the spectrograph entrance port.
Internal Slit Shutter: Disconnect the shutter cable. Removing an
internally mounted shutter requires access to the inside of the
spectrograph: refer to the spectrograph manual for removal instructions.
5. If you need more help, contact Customer Support. See page 132 for contact
information.