Cooling Troubleshooting; Temperature Lock Cannot Be Achieved Or Maintained; Gradual Deterioration Of Cooling Capability - Princeton Instruments ProEM+ EMCCD User Manual

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Cooling Troubleshooting

Temperature Lock Cannot be Achieved or Maintained.

Possible causes for not being able to achieve or maintain lock could include:
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Gradual Deterioration of Cooling Capability

While unlikely with the ProEM+ camera (guaranteed permanent vacuum for the life of
the camera), if you see a gradual deterioration of the cooling capability, it might due to
damaged camera vacuum. This can affect temperature performance such that it may be
impossible to achieve temperature lock at the lowest temperatures. In the kind of
applications for which cooled CCD cameras are so well suited, it is highly desirable to
maintain the system's lowest temperature performance because lower temperatures result
in lower thermal noise and better the signal-to-noise ratio. Contact the factory to make
arrangements for returning the camera to the support facility.
ProEM
Ambient temperature greater than +20°C. This condition affects TE-cooled
cameras. If ambient is greater than +20°C, you will need to cool the camera
environment or raise the set temperature.
Airflow through the camera and/or circulator is obstructed. The camera needs to
have approximately two (2) inches (50 mm) clearance around the vented covers.
If there is an enclosure involved, the enclosure needs to have unrestricted flow to
an open environment. The camera vents its heat out the side vents near the nose.
The air intake is at the rear of the camera.
A hose is kinked. Unkink the hose.
Coolant level is low. Add 50:50 mix of ethylene glycol and water. Refer to
manufacturer's instructions for adding coolant.
There may be air in the hoses. Remove air and add 50:50 mix of ethylene glycol
and water. Refer to manufacturer's instructions for removing excess air and
adding coolant.
Circulator pump is not working. If you do not hear the pump running when the
circulator is powered on, turn off the circulator and contact the manufacturer's
Customer Support.
CoolCUBE : The CoolCUBE
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the circulator so that it is 6 inches (150 mm) or more below the camera. The
vertical distance should not exceed 10 feet (3 m). Typically, the camera is at table
height and the circulator is on the floor.
The target array temperature is not appropriate for your particular camera and CCD
array.
The camera's internal temperature may be too high, such as might occur if the
operating environment is particularly warm, if you are attempting to operate at a
temperature colder than the specified limit, or if you have turned off the fan and
are not circulating coolant through the camera. TE cameras are equipped with a
thermal-protection switch that shuts the cooler circuits down if the internal
temperature exceeds a preset limit. Typically, camera operation is restored
automatically in about ten minutes. Although the thermo-protection switch will
protect the camera, you are nevertheless advised to power down and correct the
operating conditions that caused the thermal-overload to occur.
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+ System Manual
circulator is higher than the camera. Reposition
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Version 1.B