User guide

Chelsea Technologies Group
FAST
tracka
User Guide HB179 Issue 7.0
Page
32
of
47
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. The
user must ensure that there is a valid protocol in the slot being requested.
4. Delete Entire Wakeup Table: This option deletes the entire wakeup table. The user is
prompted for confirmation before the table is erased. Any response but a “y” or “Y” will
abort the erase.
5. Delete a Schedule Entry: Selecting this option allows the user to selectively delete any
one entry from the wakeup table.
6. Send FRRF to sleep for future wakeup: Selecting this option prepares the instrument to
sleep and sets the AutoAcquire configuration bit. The user is prompted for a “y” or “Y” to
continue; any other response returns the user to the previous level. Sleep then
commences until the next programmed wakeup, when acquisition commences.
5.3.7 Edit Protocol Menu
The active protocol is the set of parameters by which the FAST
tracka
determines the manner in
which FRR fluorescence information is generated and processed. The event of collecting
fluorescence data, internally analysing it to produce integrated flash sequences, and outputting
the data as per the user’s specification is called an acquisition. An acquisition may be made
up of one or more flash sequences, and each flash sequence is made up of a series, generally
120, of high speed flashes.
The default protocol will generate a flash sequence comprising 100 saturation flashes, each one
microsecond in duration and spaced one microsecond apart, followed immediately by a series
of 20 relaxation, or decay, flashes, each one microsecond in duration and 50 microseconds
apart.
At least one flash sequence must be executed in order to generate the raw data required by the
FAST
tracka
for FRRF analysis. Flash sequences may be averaged internally in order to reduce
noise effects on very low concentrations, e.g. up to 16 flash sequences may be internally
averaged before the averaged flash sequence data is passed to storage or analysed for output.
The Edit Protocol selection is used to prevent accidentally erasing or modifying the active
protocol. The user is required to select this option before being given access to the active
protocol options 6-L. Once “3” has been selected from the Run Menu, the user is prompted for
a selection 6-L:
1. Acquisitions: This protocol field sets the number of acquisitions to be executed. This
will correspond to the number of datasets stored on the flashcard, if flashcard storage is
selected. A maximum of 20887 acquisitions can be stored on a 20MB flashcard.
2. Sequences per Acquisition: This field corresponds to the number of flash sequences
which the FAST
tracka
will average before passing the integrated flash array on for internal
analysis and data storage. This field may range from 1-16. Averaging more than 16
samples can be performed on a spreadsheet.