Nozzle Parameters

Nozzle parameters are Voltage, Pulse, Frequency, LED Delay and LED Pulse.

Voltage and Pulse

As PDC nozzles are handmade, each nozzles has a slightly different geometry and properties. As a result, the suitable voltage and pulse to actuate a PDC for a stable droplet could be slightly different from nozzle to nozzle. Likewise, different solutions require different actuation parameters.

Each Scienion PDC Nozzle comes with a recommended Voltage and Pulse value, that has been shown to produce stable water droplets in QC testing. It is always advisable to start with these default parameters. Even if a different set of parameters was required, default values can serve as a starting point.

As a rule of thumb, the voltage determines the distance of the droplet from the tip of the nozzle, and the pulse determines its size. However, these two parameters do interact with one another in more complex ways. A rule of thumb for a stable set of parameters would that 3 points above and below the set point should still be able to make a stable droplet.

Frequency

The default value for frequency is set a 500 Hz. It is recommended to stick to this value unless unless it is absolutely necessary to change, as it could effect the synchronization between camera image acquisition and droplet formation.

LED Delay and LED Pulse

The default values for LED Delay and Led Pulse are 200 µs and 2 µs, respectively. It is recommended to stick to this value unless unless it is absolutely necessary to change, as it could effect the synchronization between camera image acquisition and droplet formation.