Choosing proper exposure time for Gocator line profiler (G2xxx)

Question

How do I choose the proper exposure time?

Answer

Setting up the exposure time is an important experience that users of the Gocator are developing with each new application. A good practice is to review the data and define if the selected exposure time allows us to acquire proper data from the scanned object which can be efficiently calculated by the created algorithm.

Exposure time and mode are highly dependent on scanned material. 

To choose proper exposure time you can follow a simple guideline:

1. Switch to Video mode.
2. Start with setting up the exposure time under the SCAN-SENSOR-EXPOSURE section
3. Zoom to the laser line so that you can see individual pixels in the data viewer.
   • Adjust the exposure time so that 2-5 red pixels can be seen at the cross-section of the laser line.
   • The blue view is indicating that the data are underexposure - normally you should see blue data which represent the "background" of your object
   • Red view means that the data are overexposed - this is acceptable for 2-3 pixels in terms to illuminate the rest of the object
4. If your scanned object has different absorption levels for example back rubber and shiny metal, then switch to multiexposure mode and adjust multiple exposures starting from lower - you can repeat the workflow from point 3.

Note that G2xxx allows you to use up to 5 exposure times in multiexposure mode but this will influence and lower the speed of the data acquisition. 

For more tips and presentations, on how optimally set up the exposure time please review the video: