Chelsea Technologies Group 55 Central Avenue West Molesey Surrey KT8 2QZ United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 8481 9000 Fax: +44 (0)20 8941 9319 sales@chelsea.co.uk www.chelsea.co.uk User Guide for FASTtracka FAST REPETITION RATE FLUORIMETER HB179 HANDBOOK REFERENCE No: HB179 AMENDMENT RECORD: ISSUE: 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 DATE: 13.09.97 23.07.97 08.09.97 23.09.98 09.01.
Chelsea Technologies Group CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 5 2. INSTRUMENT RATINGS 7 2.1 Physical specifications 7 2.2 Electrical specifications 7 2.3 Performance 7 2.4 Data communication 7 3. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS 8 3.1 8 8 8 8 Unpacking and assembly 3.1.1General Information: 3.1.2Battery Operation: 3.1.3Deck Unit Operation: 3.2 Establishing control FASTtracka 9 3.3 Immersion 11 3.4 Repetitive Immersals/ Deck considerations 12 3.5 Host Mode 12 3.6 Data download 13 3.
Chelsea Technologies Group 4. 5. 6. FASTtracka 3.15 CTD Operation 19 TECHNICAL REFERENCE 21 4.1 Control board 22 4.2 Interface board 22 4.3 Flasher Board 22 4.4 Detector Board 23 4.5 Power Board 23 4.6 Battery PACK 23 4.7 PAR sensor 23 4.8 PRESSURE SENSOR OPTION 24 SOFTWARE REFERENCE 25 5.1 Software Overview: 25 5.2 System Parameters & Structures: 25 5.3 FASTtracka System Menus 5.3.1 System Setup Menu 5.3.2 Error and PMT Log Menu 5.3.3 System Shutdown 5.3.4 File Menu 5.3.
Chelsea Technologies Group 6.6 Battery charging SOCKET 41 7. GLOSSARY 42 8. APPENDIX 1 - INTERCONNECTION DIAGRAMS 44 9. APPENDIX 2 - SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS 45 10. APPENDIX 3 - TYPICAL SENSITIVITY CURVES 46 FASTtracka User Guide HB179 Issue 7.
Chelsea Technologies Group 1. INTRODUCTION The FASTtracka Fluorimeter offers rapid, real-time, in situ measurements of photosynthetic characteristics of marine and freshwater phytoplankton. By exposing phytoplankton to a series of microsecond flashes of blue light at 200 kHz repetition rate, a saturation profile of PSII variable fluorescence is observed and recorded.
Chelsea Technologies Group The FASTtracka is shipped standard with a 15 Ah rechargeable battery pack, with an integral intelligent battery charging circuit which monitors battery temperature and charge characteristics. The internal charging circuit greatly simplifies the user’s task of battery maintenance. Battery charge algorithms are computed internally with respect to charge state and temperature; the user is required only to provide adequate voltage and current at the charge plug.
Chelsea Technologies Group 2. INSTRUMENT RATINGS 2.1 PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS Length: Diameter: Weight: Without Battery pack With Battery pack 635 mm 355 mm 990 mm 160 mm in Air: ~23kg in Air: ~39kg Instrument can + guard Battery pack Total mounted length in Water: ~15kg in Water: ~24kg Exterior Materials: Titanium, grade 2, or epoxy powder coated anodised aluminium Annealed black Delrin 316 stainless steel Pressure rating: 500m 2.
Chelsea Technologies Group 3. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Upon receiving your FASTtracka Instrument, follow these instructions to assure proper operation. Failure to follow these instructions may result in damage to the instrument and/or injury to the user. 3.1 UNPACKING AND ASSEMBLY 3.1.1 General Information: Please note that the instruments are somewhat heavy, especially the battery pack. Be careful not to drop or jar the instrument by improper handling.
Chelsea Technologies Group The Deck Unit will provide power to the FASTtracka only if mains power is supplied to the Deck Unit through the mains plug. If the FASTtracka is requested to turn on without power being applied through the Deck Unit and if no battery pack power is available, the instrument will return an error code through the indicator LEDs in the optical head.
Chelsea Technologies Group The indicator LEDs flash codes are used to inform the user of potential problems or instrument states without being required to attach a host computer or terminal. These codes include: FASTtracka User Guide HB179 Issue 7.
Chelsea Technologies Group One long: One short: Two short: Three short: Four short: FASTtracka FASTtracka FASTtracka FASTtracka FASTtracka on and ready to operate reset program shutting down normally refuses to turn on; no battery or Deck did not acknowledge shutdown request Unit power supplied A long pulse is roughly one second long, and a short pulse is roughly one half of a long pulse. 3.
Chelsea Technologies Group Data Download 3.6. Please note that the dark chamber ports, if attached, are delicate. Ensure that they are not struck or impacted during submersal. As well, although the instrument is equipped with auto PMT shutdown when exposed to high ambient light, it is recommended that the instrument is not operated under direct sun light. 3.
Chelsea Technologies Group In order to communicate effectively with the instrument, the user will need a computer with a terminal communications package. The protocol should be capable of trapping communication in order to effectively download data from the instrument. To simply reprogram or control the instrument, however, a dumb terminal is satisfactory. The instrument will communicate with terminals or emulators set for 9600 N 8 1.
Chelsea Technologies Group immersal, and must be oriented vertically 180° apart. If you are required to replace or remove the ports, do not use Teflon tape or other sealant on the threads of the ports. Such sealants are highly fluorescent and will contaminate the emission signal if exposed to the excitation flash. No sealant is required for attaching the ports to the dark chamber body.
Chelsea Technologies Group • • • • • A benchtop configuration is set up as follows: secure instrument to desk, deck, bench-top or another solid surface; connect and secure host cables and computer. establish host mode communications and power (see Host Mode section of this Users’ Guide). follow instructions in section 5. Software Reference . 3.10 POWER REQUIREMENTS The FASTtracka is designed to draw its power from its own battery pack, thus removing the need for an external power source.
Chelsea Technologies Group charge connector. Do not try to seal the recess of the battery can charging plug to the battery can (e.g. in order to protect it from salt spray). Ensure that while charging, that the charge plug area is kept free from spray or wash. Gently remove the stainless steel charge plug on the bottom of the battery can by hand, taking care not to damage the o-ring or o-ring surfaces. Inside the 1-12 threaded hole may be seen the internal charging receptacle.
Chelsea Technologies Group 3.12.2 External PAR Sensor The FASTtracka is supplied with a CI PAR sensor. For details on use and calibration data refer to the PAR sensor User Guide provided with the PAR sensor. 3.12.3 Photomultiplier Tube (PMT) To allow fine scale measurement of the variable fluorescence at low chlorophyll concentrations (down to 0.1 µg/l) a PMT is used as a fluorescence detector. Care should be exercised to ensure that the PMT is not exposed to excessive light levels (e.g.
Chelsea Technologies Group In most instances, operation of the instrument as a self-logging unit is preferred over CTD interfacing in terms of overall information quality and ease of access. To access stored data follow the instructions refered to in HOST MODE in this manual. The output data will be downloaded to a host computer as an XMODEM download, which will be written as a comma separated variable (CSV) file on the host PC.
Chelsea Technologies Group Flash count will increase from 1 to SFC for saturation zone and 1 to DFC for relaxation zone. If the instrument is configured to deliver only saturation flashes, then no relaxation flashes will be output. After collecting the raw data necessary to calculate FRRF parameters, the FASTtracka presents the user with a series of numbers corresponding to the integrated (per flash) excitation and emission signal for both the saturation and relaxation sequences.
Chelsea Technologies Group The analogue signals F0 & Fm can be connected for data logging and power can also be provided from the CTD, providing the CTD can provide the necessary 650mA. The Battery connector is used to accept the power input and the CTD_sens line on the connector needs to be linked to positive power, to enable working voltages down to 10.5V. In CTD operation mode the FASTtracka will switch on as soon as power is applied.
Chelsea Technologies Group 4. TECHNICAL REFERENCE Due to the complexity of the instrument circuitry and optics, service of the FASTtracka , involving removal or inspection of the internal components, should be attempted only by CI trained technical support staff. There are no user serviceable components inside the instrument. Any attempt to open the instrument or battery assembly and service any of the componentry will void the warranty.
Chelsea Technologies Group between battery operation and externally supplied power, preferentially protecting the battery pack while external power is available. 4.1 CONTROL BOARD The control board is designed around a Tattletale Model 7 datalogger from Onset Corporation (Pocasset MA, USA) and a PCMCIA Flashdisk (M-Systems, Santa Ana CA, USA).
Chelsea Technologies Group WARNING: Never look directly into the LED light source of the FASTtracka . Although the LED sources, unlike flashlamp sources, do not emit appreciable amounts of UV, the LEDs are focussed into a small sample volume and the intensity is correspondingly high. Damage to the eyes may occur if the beam is viewed directly. 4.4 DETECTOR BOARD A Hamamatsu R928 side-on photomultiplier tube (PMT) is used to detect the fluorescence from phytoplankton exposed to excitation light.
Chelsea Technologies Group 4.8 PRESSURE SENSOR OPTION The FASTtracka is fitted with a bulkhead Auxilliary connector for connection of the Chelsea Instruments Pressure Sensor option. The Pressure sensor is powered by the FASTtracka , and the pressure signal is returned to the FASTtracka for measurement. The FASTtracka outputs pressure readings in the range 0 to 4095. This corresponds to an analogue input range of 0 to 4095 mV.
Chelsea Technologies Group 5. SOFTWARE REFERENCE 5.1 SOFTWARE OVERVIEW: The FASTtracka system software is embedded in the instrument and is executed whenever the instrument is turned on. Main Menu looks as follows, with five options: ===================== Main Menu ===================== 1. Run 2. File 3. System Status & Setup 4. Error and PMT Log X.
Chelsea Technologies Group When the instrument is set to autoacquire mode, the FASTtracka will automatically generate a filename with a format corresponding to the acquisition date and time. 5.3 FASTTRACKA SYSTEM MENUS 5.3.1 System Setup Menu System Setup has 14 options and displays the present setup parameters: ===================== System Setup ===================== Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer - Ver 1.0 FPGA Version - Ver 0.
Chelsea Technologies Group Tue June 4 10:35:50 1997 Controller Battery Voltage = 14.88 V Controller Current = 0.096 A Electronics Temp = 22.95 Deg C The header presents the basic instrument configuration either as programmed at the factory or programmed by the user.
Chelsea Technologies Group J. K. L. M. match the Fo values expected. The user should refer to the Analogue Output section of this manual for more information. PMT calibration threshold is - This value sets the threshold under which the PMT calibration routine is not allowed to fail. This value is set at the factory and should not be changed by the user unless instructed to do so by CI Technical support.
Chelsea Technologies Group ===================== File Functions ===================== 1. Directory 2. Offload files Xmodem to host PC 3. Reserved 4. Format Flashdisk 5. Display file 6. Offload Data Dump 0. Return 1. Directory: Choosing this selection will display to the user a list of files all presently stored on the flashcard. Each file will be assigned a number according to its sequence on the card, and file data like name, date, size and location will as well be presented.
Chelsea Technologies Group 5. Restore Protocol to Return *** Boot Protocol = 0 *** 6. 0 Acquisitions 7. 1 Flash sequences per acquisition 8. 100 Saturation flashes per sequence 9. 4 Saturation flash duration (in instrument units) A. 0 Saturation interflash delay (in instrument units) B. ENABLED Decay flashes C. 20 Decay flashes per sequence D. 4 Decay flash duration (in instrument units) E. 61 Decay interflash delay (in instrument units) F. 1000 ms Sleep-time between acquisitions G.
Chelsea Technologies Group 5.3.6 Programmed Acquire Menu Programmed Acquire Menu is a sub-menu of Run Menu, and is used to generate wakeup tables which the FASTtracka reads to acquire data over long timescales. By correctly programming wakeup tables and setting the Programmed Acquire option in motion, the FASTtracka will set itself to sleep for a predetermined time, wake up when the time is correct, execute a predetermined protocol, and go back to sleep until the next appropriate wakeup time.
Chelsea Technologies Group 3. Set Regular Wakeup Dates/Times: Selecting this option prompts the user for an initial wakeup time, giving a default value of 1 minute in the future. Next the user is prompted for a inter-sequence delay in minutes, the default being 5. Then the user is prompted for a total number of wakeups to perform, the default being 100. Finally the user is prompted for the protocol to be used for these acquisitions, the default being 10.
Chelsea Technologies Group 3. Saturation Flashes per sequence (SFC): This is the number of saturation flashes in the flash sequence. It can range from 1-100. 4. Saturation Flash duration (SFW): This field is a machine code for the duration of each saturation flash, and can range from 4 to 100. It is important to keep this parameter less than half of the flash period. See the next section for further details. A.
Chelsea Technologies Group L. Logging mode to internal flashcard: Selecting this option will instruct the FASTtracka to store all measured and calculated data to the internal flashcard for later retrieval. When this option is selected and the instrument is not operated in AutoAcquire mode, the user is prompted for a filename after selecting number of acquisitions, but immediately before acquisition begins.
Chelsea Technologies Group This above figure illustrates the actual timing of a flash sequence consisting of 100 saturation flashes and 20 relaxation flashes. The entire operation, as pictured, requires only 450 µs for the programmed protocol. The Saturation group should be contained within a 250 µs frame, and the relaxation group may be stretched into the order of milliseconds if desired.
Chelsea Technologies Group The flash duration (options 9 and D) is programmed in instrument units corresponding to clock cycles in the FPGA, as integers ranging from 4 to 100. The minimum value is set to 4 which gives a flash duration of 1.1µs, this being above 1 µs, which is the design specification for the detector electronics. Each additional integer increases in the flash duration value will increase the flash duration time by 60 ns. Therefore period = (1.1 + (x - 4) * 0.06) µs.
Chelsea Technologies Group sequence, and this discrete information is stored sequentially on video speed SRAM as a linear array of 10-bit datapoints covering the entire flash sequence duration. After the flash sequence is completed, the FASTtracka microcontroller reads the discrete data from the SRAM and parses it into a series of numbers corresponding to the integrated signal (either fluorescence or excitation) for the 0-nn saturation + decay flashes. Each digitised datapoint is of 10 bit range (i.e.
Chelsea Technologies Group 7. Configuration Information: V0.2 software protected certain system parameters which were unnecessarily available to V0.1 users, including Serial Number and some calibration fields. 8. Shutdown Request: V0.2 software allows Main Menu option “X” to request an immediate instrument shutdown directly from software. 9. Configuration Options: V0.2 software removes the access to certain configuration parameters, and includes an option to check PMT calibration discretely. 10.
Chelsea Technologies Group 6. EXTERNAL CONNECTORS The FASTtracka instrument has waterproof bulkhead connectors on both the instrument can and the battery can. Additionally, the battery can has a sealing plug which needs to be removed in order to access the battery charging receptacle. FASTtracka FRRF HOUSING INTERCONNECTIONS INTERFACE BULKHEAD PLUG AUXILLIARY BULKHEAD SOCKET PAR SENSOR BULKHEAD SOCKET BATTERY BULKHEAD PLUG 6.1 INTERFACE CONNECTOR Impulse BH-8-MP Pin Description 1. HOSTPWR+ 2.
Chelsea Technologies Group 6.2 AUXILLIARY CONNECTOR Impulse BH-8-FS Pin Description 1. 0V 2. HISIG 3. LOSIG 4. 12VOUT 5. F0 6. Fm 7. SIG RET 8. SIG RET Pressure sensor 0V Pressure sensor high signal input Pressure sensor low signal input Pressure sensor 12V supply output F0 signal output 0 - 5V Fm signal output 0 - 5V Signal return for F0 Signal return for Fm 6.3 BATTERY CONNECTOR Impulse BH-3-MP Pin Description 1. BATT IN+ 2. BATT RET 3. CTD detect 10.
Chelsea Technologies Group 6.5 BATTERY CONNECTOR Impulse BH-2-FS Pin Description 1. BATT OUT + 2. BATT RET Battery positive output nominally 14V Battery negative output 6.6 BATTERY CHARGING SOCKET Switchcraft EN3P4F Pin Description 1. CHARGE RET Battery charger input return 2. CHARGE IN Battery charger input +28V 3. CHARGE RET Battery charger input return 4. CHARGE IN Battery charger input +28V FASTtracka User Guide HB179 Issue 7.
Chelsea Technologies Group 7. GLOSSARY Flash Repetition Rate The rate at which flashes occur in a flash sequence. (~200kHz) Flash Sequence A series of saturation and relaxation flashes (usually SFC = 100, DFC =20). Flash A single burst of light from LED flashlamps, on the order of microseconds. Flash Sequence Rate The rate at which flash sequences are repeated (up to 8 Hz). Acquisition Any combination of flash sequences which lead to one final set of FRRF data values.
Chelsea Technologies Group Relaxation Flashes FASTtracka Widely spaced, brief pulses of light generated by the FRRF to gradually probe the phytoplankton photosystems after saturation in order to observe relaxation kinetics. The factory default for these is 1 µs in duration, 50 µs apart. Also referred to as Decay Flashes. User Guide HB179 Issue 7.
Chelsea Technologies Group 8. APPENDIX 1 - INTERCONNECTION DIAGRAMS FASTtracka Interconnection Diagram for battery charging and host communication. Deck Interface Unit Battery Charge I/P FAST tracka Mains I/P Interface Conn Host PC/Terminal _____________________________________________________________________________ FASTtracka Interconnection Diagram for CTD operation and Pressure Sensor Option.
Chelsea Technologies Group 9. APPENDIX 2 - SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS Improper configuration of the users’ host serial terminal or PC terminal emulator is the most common source of problems with communicating with the FASTtracka . A series of hints and tips is included here to help the user troubleshoot their serial communication system before requesting assistance from CI Technical Support. Basic Configuration: 1.
Chelsea Technologies Group 10. APPENDIX 3 - TYPICAL SENSITIVITY CURVES Following three graphs show typical instrument sensitivity over PMT gain range and concentration of chlorophyll-a in acetone. The three curve sets illustrate the signal improvement when averaging the indicated number of flash sequences: CHLOROPHYLL-A IN ACETONE AVERAGING 1 FLASH PACKET (30nm CORION FILTER) 1.4 Gain 1 1.2 Gain 4 Gain 16 Referenced Signal 1.0 Gain 64 Gain 256 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.000 0.001 0.010 0.100 1.000 10.
Chelsea Technologies Group CHLOROPHYLL-A IN ACETONE AVERAGING 16 FLASH PACKETS (30nm CORION FILTER) 1.2 Gain 1 Referenced Signal 1.0 Gain 4 Gain 16 Gain 64 0.8 Gain 256 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.000 0.001 0.010 0.100 1.000 10.000 Chlorophyll-A Concentration (ug/L) FASTtracka User Guide HB179 Issue 7.0 Page 47 of 47 100.
