Dimax 3 Sensors Pan Flat Field
Make sure that AutoFocus is disabled while calibrating. On the home screen verify you have a MM value, if not select the button for AF ON and change it to AF OFF.
Dimax 3 sensors require the use of a Windows PC to calibrate. Mac computers do not have the appropriate software to perform the calibration.
Did you remember to - Zero the Layer Light
Dimax Tool Setup
To shoot flat fields on Dimax 3 sensors, you will need to use the Dimax Tool program. This is automatically installed with Didapi, and should be inside the Didapi folder.
The number between “Dimax” and “Tool” indicates the version of the program, not the kind of sensor it works with. For example, “Dimax4Tool” will work on Dimax 2 and Dimax 3 sensors. It is simply the 4th version of Dimax Tool.
When you open Dimax Tool, your first step should be to select your unit type by going to Settings→Type and select your unit and sensor.
Note that if your version of Dimax Tool only has unit types, and not sensor versions, you can assume it refers to Dimax 3 Sensors.
Next we need to find our sensor version. On the bottom side of the sensor is a sticker that has a Serial Number starting with “RDX”. If the SN is “RDX314601” or numerically higher, then it is a Dimax 3 v02 sensor. If it is numerically lower, it is Dimax 3 v01.
Go back to Dimax Tool and select Settings→kV mA settings. Once in this menu, you can select your sensor version (always select “without cal block”) and it will fill the kV/mA values for you.
Capture
For this section of the calibration, remove all tools from the panoramic side of the machine. This includes bite sticks, temple supports, chin rests, and ball phantoms. We want the imaging area to be completely clear.
To begin capturing your flatfields, the next step will be to select Calibrate→Pan All Binnings. At this point, you will take 6 blank shots in a row. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th shots will have no radiation, while the 2nd, 4th, and 6th will have radiation. This process will be done automatically for you, simply hold the exposure switch when directed.
Every other shot, you should get an image that looks like the picture below. Grey on the sides, with the darkest part in the middle.
If your images seem to have vertical stripped lines going through them, this is possibly a result of Automatic Gain Control (AGC). If this is the case, follow our guide to disable AGC in Didapi Config HERE
Single Resolutions
To capture a single resolution, as opposed to all at once, you need to add a couple additional steps. This can be useful if you only need to replace a single calibration file, where something went wrong.
First you must select the appropriate resolution through Settings→Binning and select your resolution (generally Normal and Enhanced are the only ones commonly used).
Next, instead of selecting Pan All Binnings, you will simply select Calibrate→Pan. This will only shoot flat fields for the resolution selected.
When selected, this option will shoot 2 shots. The first without radiation, the second with radiation. Unlike Pan All Binnings, radiation needs to be turned off manually through the segmentation menu.
Click the picture of the Panoramic Image on the GUI, and press all of the arrows facing up, until the entire screen is red. This will disable radiation on all segments. Once the first shot is complete, go back to the segmentation menu, and turn radiation back on.
Additionally, you will need to enter the radiation values of each shot individually. The radiation values for each binning and sensor version can be found HERE