Ocean Optics MultiFrequency Phase Fluorometer User Manual

MultiFrequency Phase Fluorometer

Installation and Operation Manual

Document Number MFPF-00000-000-02-1207

Offices: Ocean Optics, Inc. World Headquarters

830 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, FL, USA 34698

Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]

8 a.m.– 8 p.m. (Mon-Thu), 8 a.m.– 6 p.m. (Fri) EST

E-mail: [e-mail] (General sales inquiries)

[e-mail] (Questions about orders)
[e-mail] (Technical support)

Additional
Offices:

Ocean Optics Asia

137 Xianxia Road, Suite 1802, Changning District, Shanghai, PRC. 200051

Phone [phone]

Fax [phone]
E-Mail [e-mail]

Ocean Optics B.V. (Europe)

Geograaf 24, 6921 EW DUIVEN, The Netherlands

Phone [phone]

Fax [phone]
E -Mail [e-mail]

Copyright © 2001-2007 Ocean Optics, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from Ocean Optics, Inc.
This manual is sold as part of an order and subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or
otherwise circulated without the prior consent of Ocean Optics, Inc. in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

Trademarks

All products and services herein are the trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.

Limit of Liability

Ocean Optics has made every effort to make this manual as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The
information provided is on an “as is” basis. Ocean Optics, Inc. shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to
any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this manual.

Important Safety Notices

WARNINGS

1. Intense UV radiation is emitted from the MFPF LED. Do not look directly at the

LED output with the naked eye once the red cap is removed. To verify there is
power to the instrument, place a white piece of paper in front of LED 1.

2. Do not open the instrument case. High voltage is present. There are no

serviceable parts inside. Return the instrument to the factory for service.

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Important Safety Notices

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Table of Contents

About This Manual ..............................................................................v

Document Purpose and Intended Audience.................................................................... v

What’s New in This Document ........................................................................................ v

Document Summary........................................................................................................ v

Product-Related Documentation ..................................................................................... v

Chapter 1: Introduction.......................................................................1

MFPF System Overview.................................................................................................. 1

Applications ..................................................................................................................... 2

Models............................................................................................................................. 3

Shipment Components.................................................................................................... 3

Additional Recommended Equipment ............................................................................. 4

Chapter 2: Installation ........................................................................5

Overview ......................................................................................................................... 5

Software Installation ........................................................................................................ 5

Hardware Installation....................................................................................................... 10

Chapter 3: Configuration....................................................................13

Overview ......................................................................................................................... 13

Configuring Tau Theta Software ..................................................................................... 13

Configuring the COM Port ......................................................................................................... 13

Configuring MFPF Parameters.................................................................................................. 15

Configuring OOISensors Software for MFPF Unit........................................................... 17

Phase Fluorometer Tab for MFPF Systems in OOISensors ..................................................... 18

Appendix A: Specifications................................................................21

Index.....................................................................................................23

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Table of Contents

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About This Manual

Document Purpose and Intended Audience

This document provides the users of the MultiFrequency Phase Fluorometer with instructions for setting
up, calibrating and performing experiments with their equipment.

What’s New in This Document

This version of the MultiFrequency Phase Fluorometer Installation and Operation Manual updates the
installation procedure.

Document Summary

Chapter Description

Chapter 1: Introduction Contains descriptive information about the MFPF unit. It also

provides a list of system requirements, interface options, and
shipment components.

Chapter 2: Installation Provides installation instructions.

Chapter 3: Configuration Contains steps to configure MFPF and OOISensors software

for use with the MFPF unit.

Product-Related Documentation

You can access documentation for Ocean Optics products by visiting our website at

http://www.oceanoptics.com. Select Technical → Operating Instructions, then choose the appropriate

document from the available drop-down lists. Or, use the Search by Model Number field at the bottom
of the web page.

• Detailed instructions for the OOISensors Software are located at:

http://www.oceanoptics.com/technical/NEW OOISensors FOXY Manual.pdf

Engineering-level documentation is located on our website at Technical → Engineering Docs.

You can also access operating instructions for Ocean Optics products from the Software and Technical
Resources CD that ships with the product.

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About This Manual

vi MFPF-00000-000-02-1207

Chapter 1

Introduction

MFPF System Overview

The MultiFrequency Phase Fluorometer (MFPF) is a flexible platform for measuring luminescence
lifetime, phase and intensity. The MFPF is a compact, self-contained, frequency-domain luminescence
monitor that uses LED excitation and photodiode detection with filter-based wavelength selection for
easy experimental set-up and control. Because the unit is self-contained, it is invariant to fiber bending
and stray light, and has a wide dynamic range of optical intensity as well as low optical and electronic
crosstalk, and low drift and phase noise. Therefore, the MFPF is especially useful for oxygen sensing
applications where sensitivity to drift is important and where sample set-ups must be left undisturbed for
long periods of time.

MFPF-00000-000-02-1207 1

1: Introduction

The MFPF is used with Ocean Optics’ Fiber Optic Oxygen (FOXY) Sensors and custom probes. FOXY
Fiber Optic Oxygen Sensors are low-power, portable devices that offer high sensitivity, reversibility, and
stability. Their small size is useful for remote monitoring. What's more, the thin film used in the probe
tips consumes no oxygen, allowing for continuous contact with the sample. FOXY Sensors offer other
key advantages: they're ideal for viscous samples and are immune to interference caused by pH change or
from changes in ionic strength, salinity, and biofouling. The MFPF unit supports the following Ocean
Optics sensors (and their respective frequencies):

• FOXY (40 kHz) – Ocean Optics’ standard oxygen sensors designed for monitoring oxygen

partial pressure in gas and aqueous solutions. FOXY is a fiber optic fluorescence probe with
proprietary oxygen-sensing thin-film coating on the tip.

• HIOXY (40 kHz) – Designed for monitoring oxygen partial pressure in nonaqueous vapors

and solutions. The sensor coating chemistry is compatible with oils, alcohols, and
hydrocarbon-based vapors and liquids.

• FOSPOR (5 kHz) – A new generation of highly sensitive sensor coating for monitoring traces

of oxygen in gas and liquids.

See

http://www.oceanoptics.com/products/probes.asp for more information on probes

available from Ocean Optics.

The MFPF connects to a PC via USB connection and saves your data in an easy-to-use Microsoft Excel
format. The USB connection actually emulates the USB as a serial COM port. The MFPF can be
configured with two-channel LED excitation and detection, and modulation frequencies to 100 kHz. It
will give you lifetime measurements from 200 µsec down to 0.3 µsec. The on-board pressure transducer
measures atmospheric pressure or external pressure with a ¼-inch hose fitting.

The Tau Theta software manages the device and OOISensors software monitors its output via a DDE
software connection so that the Tau Theta software must be running in the background for the
OOISensors to work properly. Tau Theta software is Windows 2000/XP control software that measures
over a wide dynamic range of luminescence intensity, lifetime and phase, and allows you to select
channels, the LED frequency duty cycle and advanced instrument functions. OOISensors can support up
to four MFPF units; up to eight channels can be supported when OOISensors is used with MFPF100-2
(two-channel) units.

Applications

Typical applications include the following:

• Luminescent materials characterization

• Phase/lifetime-based sensor development

• Calibration of phase/lifetime-based sensors

• Stability and photodegradation studies

• Characterization of phase shift over frequency

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