When the Digital Sight Camera Control Unit (CCU) is powered on, the display is activated on the internal LCD monitor. This interactive tutorial explores the available features and simulates a majority of the software functions of the camera system.

	Interactive Java Tutorial
ATTENTION Our servers have detected that your web browser does not have the Java Virtual Machine installed or it is not functioning properly. Please install this software in order to view our interactive Java tutorials. Visitors using the Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers can download the appropriate software from the websites where the browsers are distributed. Please do not contact us for information about specific URLs where this software can be obtained.

The LCD monitor window displays a digital color specimen image captured in the microscope at either 1.3- or 5-megapixel resolution, which is refreshed by the live camera system at a rate ranging from 3.75 to 15 frames per second, depending on the imaging mode in use. An array of on-screen control menus that facilitate the capture and processing of digital images is accessible from the display window. In addition, the front panel of the CCU incorporates a number of indicators and buttons that can be used to monitor and control the CCU, and to gain access to many of its image adjustment and networking capabilities.

The tutorial closely simulates most operational functions of the native Digital Sight CCU. Upon initialization of the tutorial, a randomly selected specimen image appears in the image display area of the tutorial window. A different specimen can be chosen from a varied group by using the Specimen Slide pull-down menu. Each specimen name includes, in parentheses, an abbreviation designating the contrast mechanism employed in obtaining the image. The following nomenclature is used: (FL), fluorescence; (BF), brightfield; (PC), phase contrast; (DIC), differential interference contrast (Nomarski); and (POL), polarized light.

Directly beneath the image display area, controls similar to those of the native Digital Sight camera system allow exploration of the camera features that are accessible directly at the control unit. A wider range of camera functions and image processing and measurement capabilities are enabled when a mouse is utilized within the image display area, both in the tutorial and in the native camera system. The primary control menu (the CAM menu) is displayed by right-clicking the mouse in the upper portion of the display window, or by left-clicking the Menu button on the Digital Sight control panel. A shortcut toolbar menu may be displayed by right-clicking in the lower portion of the image window. Either menu can be dismissed by right-clicking again in the image area. The functions of the front panel controls and the available menus, which are limited in comparison to the native Digital Sight CCU, are described in detail in the Digital Sight Camera Control Unit review.