Scanbox now allows interleaved scanning using tunable/fixed laser sources. If you are using such a laser (eg, Coherent Discovery TPC) the sliders in the Laser panel are configured to control the power of the tunable (left slider) and fixed (right slider) sources. Either before or during scanning one can choose to alternate stimulation with the…
Read MoreAll articles filed in B: Scanning Parameters
Spatial Calibration for Multiple Objectives
Multiple users of the scope may be running projects that require different types of objectives. How to keep a spatial calibration for each and switch between them when necessary? Scanbox now includes an “objective” configuration variable — a cell array of strings each with the name of a different objective. Right now I have: Now,…
Read MoreSub-pixel alignment in bidirectional scanning mode
When imaging at low magnification in bidirectional mode cells can be small, with a diameter of ~6 pixels or so. In this and other situations the mechanism offer by the ncolbi variable to align even and odd lines may prove too coarse for optimal alignment. We added a new variable to the configuration file, named…
Read MoreMeasuring the field of view and validating the uniformity of spatial correction
If you followed the instructions on spatial calibration you should have a nice uniform field in Scanbox. One simple way to measure the resulting spatial resolution and spatial uniformity at each zoom setting is to mount a 40 line pairs per mm RONCHI calibration slide on top of a green aut0-fluorescent slide. By aligning the…
Read MoreBidirectional scanning and resonant driver calibration
Resonant mirrors vary somewhat in their resonant frequency and the settings of the mirror controller must be adjusted to obtain the best possible images in bidirectional mode. A synchronization signal from the resonant board must be adjusted so that it is both symmetric and its phase is aligned with the zero crossings of the mirror…
Read MoreLine scan and continuous resonant modes
The latest version of Scanbox includes two new features requested by users. These appear are small toggle buttons on the left within the Scanner panel. The button on the bottom right of the panel is already known to you — it allows you to toggle between Unidirectional and Bidirectional scanning modes. The letter shown in…
Read MoreMeasuring the resonant frequency
The actual time a line takes to scan depends on the resonant frequency of the mirror. This is typically around 8kHz but it can vary from one device to another. One easy way to measure it is to split the signal that goes from TRIG OUT to the TRIG IN of the Alazartech board and feed…
Read Moreauto-tuning bidirectional scanning
To properly align even and odd lines in bidirectional tuning one has to set the values of the configuration variable ‘ncolbi’. This variable is a vector where each entry controls how lines are ‘folded’ for each of the magnification settings, x1, x2 and x4. The latest version of scanbox includes a function sbxautocalbd() that allows you to automatically determine the…
Read MoreHow large can you go?
Following the recent post on expanding the field of view, Cris Neill sends us a beautiful movie of an imaging field of 1.2 x 1.2 mm. How large can you go?
Read MoreLarger field of view and finer control of pixel size
There have been requests for Scanbox to accommodate a larger field of view and the ability to precisely calibrate the aspect ratio and size of pixels. The latest version (along with modifications in the firmware) allow you to do just this. [This paragraph about the diodes is only relevant to older boards] A first step to maximize…
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