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120 PI-MAX
®
4 System Manual Issue 4
7.2 Safety Precautions
When biased ON, intensified CCD cameras such as the PI-MAX4 can be permanently
damaged if continuously exposed to light levels exceeding twice the A/D saturation level. It
is
critical that a camera not be operated under lighting conditions which may damage the
intensifier.
Although intensified cameras operating in gated mode are less prone to damage from
background light, they are at
significant risk of damage from high-intensity light sources
such as LASERs. High intensity sources can damage an intensifier before protection circuits
have time to respond. Spot damage may result without the protection circuits acting at all.
If a sustained alarm indication occurs when the controller is turned on, immediately turn the
I.I.T. switch on the back of the PI-MAX4 to the OFF position. Cover the camera’s window,
and only after the illumination level has been lowered to safe operating conditions can the
I.I.T. switch be turned ON.
7.2.1 Intensifier Mode
The PI-MAX4 can operate in one of two intensifier modes:
• Gate Mode;
The photocathode is biased on only for the time that each gate pulse is applied. As a
result, the tolerance to room light is higher in gated operation, but the risk of
damaging overload from intense light sources such as lasers remains. In fact,
intense light sources in gated experiments can cause spot damage that would be
undetected by the alarm circuit.
NOTE:
In order for gating to occur, the I.I.T. switch on the back of the
PI-MAX4 must be in the ON position.
• Safe Mode.
The photocathode is continuously biased OFF and the intensifier is as safe as it can
be.
Within WinX applications, the intensifier mode is configured within the
Experiment Setup
—> Main
screen.