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160 PI-MAX
®
4 System Manual Issue 4
f. To have trigger output from the SyncMASTER1 and SyncMASTER2 connectors
on the AUX I/O cable, click on the SyncMASTER ON button. When
SyncMASTER is enabled, the output of the SyncMASTER1 connector will be at
the Internal Trigger Frequency. The SyncMASTER2 output will be at the same
frequency but can be delayed from 0 to 999,700 ns, in 100 ns increments.
5. Verify that the I.I.T. power switch on the rear of the PI-MAX4 is turned ON, and that
Enable Intensifier has been checked on the Common Acquisition Settings
expander.
6. When the experiment is ready, click on the ACQ button, or select Acquire on the
Acquisition menu, to start image acquisition.
9.6 Tips and Tricks
Experiments using the DIF feature of the PI-MAX4 can be complex, and timing of the
events is usually rather exacting. Here are several points to consider that may make the
experiment setup or troubleshooting much smoother and easier.
• The most important piece of equipment in a DIF experiment is an oscilloscope. The
PI-MAX4 has a MONITOR BNC on the back of the camera which is very useful
for seeing when the two image exposures occur during the course of the
experiment. The use of the MONITOR BNC and an oscilloscope is discussed in
greater detail in Chapter 15, Tips and Tricks.
• The short time between the two images in DIF requires an intensifier with a fast
phosphor. P46 phosphor has a decay time of ~ 2 µs which means it takes 2 µs for
the phosphor emission to drop to 10% of its peak value. The decay is not a simple
single exponential; even after 100 µs there may be 1% or more of the first image on
the phosphor screen. It is usually possible to subtract a percentage of the first image
from the second image to remove the residual image. If this is not possible, there
are intensifiers with P47 phosphor, which is an order of magnitude faster than P46.
• The software uses the Phosphor Decay Delay to determine how long to wait
after the gate to shift the image. This value can be adjusted in the Advanced
fly-out pane on the Common Acquisition Settings expander. If there is some
residual image from the first frame in the second frame, simply increase the
Phosphor Decay Delay to allow the phosphor more time to decay before shifting the
image. If residual image is not an issue, then Phosphor Decay Delay can be
shortened to decrease the time between the two DIF images. This setting has no
effect on the actual phosphor decay time. It is only used to adjust timing.