Page History

ScanImage control of X/Y & Z position, of either the objective or specimen, requires use of a Sutter Instruments MP-285 controller. Several improvements to the MP-285 interface have been added in ScanImage 3.5:

* The 'calibration' of the X/Y & Z motions has been considerably simplified. Rather than entering separate _X/YZCalibration_ values in the INI file, users must now enter only one value in the INI File Rig Configuration section, specifying the type of _firmware_ present in their MP-285 controller. This ensures that the X/Y & Z positions are read-out and updated correctly by ScanImage.
(i) In ScanImage 3.0, incorrect calibration could cause errors in the displayed X/Y/Z positions and discrepancies between the entered _Z step/slice_ and the actual step size. 
* Users can now reliably enter positions into the X/Y/Z position controls to cause MP-285 to move to newly desired position.
* The _# Slices_ and _Z step/slice_ values in the {link-window:ScanImage Pics^r3_5_StandardModeGUI.png|type=popup}*Standard Controls*{link-window} window can now be constrained to the stack start/end-points set in the *Movement* window (if both are in factset). This new option is active by default.
* MP-285 error conditions are now uniformly handled. A simple procedure allows recovery from most errors.
\\
{panel:title=Movement}
{center}[!ScanImage Pics^r3_5_MotorGUI.png|height=150!|ScanImage Pics^r3_5_MotorGUI.png]{center}
h5. New Controls
* *Stack Start/End*: These read-only display controls allow Z positions set via _start_ and _end_ buttons to be seen, and stored even as the current Z position may be updated.
* *Slice Params Obey Start/End*: If selected, when either one of the _# slices_ or _Z step/slice_ is adjusted in the {link-window:ScanImage Pics^r3_5_StandardModeGUI.png|type=popup}*Standard Controls*{link-window} window, the other parameter will auto-adjust, so the start/endpoints set here remain in effect. For example, the user can vary the _Z step/slice_ and the _# slices_ will auto-adjust based on the distance between the stack start/end. If the checkbox is deselected, any change to the _Z step/slice_ or _# slices_ will clear the stack start/endpoints.

h5. Modified Controls
* *GRAB*: This control, which initiates a GRAB acquisition consisting of a Z stack between the displayed stack start/endpoints, is now inactive unless both a stack start and end have been entered. 
{panel}
\\
{panel:title=INI File _Rig Configuration_ Changes|bgColor=#DDFFFF}
{center}{link-window:ScanImage Files^r3_5_standardINI_rigConfig.txt|target="_blank"}View _Rig Configuration_ Section of Model INI File{link-window}{center}
h5. New Variables
* *firmware*:  ScanImage users employ different MP285 firmware types. To identify the firmware used on your MP-285, navigate to _Setup->Utilities->Info_ on the MP-285 controller. If there are 2 letters ('KS', 'SA', or 'WD') preceding the version number, enter those two letters here. If not, the string 'native' should be entered. 
* *posnResolution*: ScanImage validates the motor end position following all move operations, except for those in the midst of a stack acquisition. Infrequently, the end position will not exactly match the specified position. This value specifies, in microns, the smallest difference that will be tolerated without alerting the user.
* *calibrationAdjustX/Y/Z*: The MP-285 firmware imposes a _microns/step_ calibration on each of the X,Y, and Z dimensions (e.g. the 'KS' version is 2.5um/step in X&Y and 0.5um/step in Z). The firmware variants correspond to commonly used stage and stepper motor combinations. Some customized stages and/or stepper motors employed will have differing calibrations, which may not match the firmware. In such cases, adjusting _calibrationAdjustX/Y/Z_ allows the user to adjust the calibration in each dimension, specified as a factor relative to firmware calibration. This allows ScanImage to operate in physically accurate units. 
(!) If any of these parameters is not *1*, then the MP-285 controller and ScanImage will display different values. 
(/) Practically, _calibrationAdjustX/Y/Z_ should only be adjusted (from default values of 1) if the MP-285 position display is physically *incorrect*_ (i.e. distances it reports are off by some factor). 

h5. Modified Variables 
(!) These variables should not be modified by typical users. 
* *velocityFast/Slow*: (Previously below Rig Configuration section) These values specify the 'velocity' of the motor movement employed for long moves (fast) and short moves (slow). Movements during stack acquisitions always follow _velocitySlow_. Other movements (e.g. entering a new position in one of the X/Y/Z controls) use _velocityFast_ for moves larger than 100um to get within 100um of the final position. The movement always finish using _velocitySlow_ to reach the final position, which helps ensure the correct position is reached. The _velocityFast_ value is roughly in um/second, whereas _velocitySlow_ is in units about half of this. 
(!) The precise calibration of these 'velocities' is not fully understood and is known to be somewhat nonlinear. The default values in _standard_model.INI_ (2000 and 400, respectively) have been found empirically to be satisfactory.
(!) Values for _velocityFast_ and _velocitySlow_ must not exceed 6500 and 1300, respectively. 

h5. Removed Variables
* *calibrationX/Y/Z*: (Previously below Rig Configuration section) These values are noreplaced longerby needed. The correctthe new _firmware_ setting ensures proper calibration in each dimensionand _calibrationAdjustX/Y/Z_ variables described above.
{panel}

h5. Error Handling
If an error condition is encountered during MP-285 operation, including timeout errors, the *Movement* window will clearly indicate the error condition:
{center}!ScanImage Pics^r3_5_MotorGUI_error.png|height=150px!{center}

Hitting the _RESET_ button will attempt to restore communication with the MP-285 using serial commands sent to the MP-285 (the 'Interrupt' command is sent multiple times). Following that, the X,Y, and Z positions are read and updated. This ensures that future motor commands pertain to the correct actual positions.

If the _RESET_ operation is unsuccessful, the user is advised to press the physical Reset button on the MP-285 controller. After this, pressing the software _RESET_ button in the *Movement* window should operate correctly.

When the MP-285 is in an error condition, ScanImage operation can continue, but motor operations will not be possible.