The PAR / temperature leafclip is available to facilitate measurements made under ambient light conditions using the FMS 1 chlorophyll fluorometer. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements can be made quite satisfactorily without the leafclip but a value of PAR from the light sensor on the leafclip is essential for the estimation of electron transport rate by the FMS software. Other chlorophyll fluorescence parameters are unaffected if the system is operated without the leafclip.

The FMS/PTL leafclip consists of a sprung upper section which gently grips the sample in a gentle clamping action. A grooved neck mounted at 60° to the plane of the sample accommodates the fibre optic cable which is slid into position.

Marked graduations on the neck can be aligned with graduations on the fibre optic cable termination to reference its position for future work, a retaining screw locks it into position throughout the experiment. The rest of the fibre optic cable may be looped over the leafclip and hooked to the rear of the clip to help support its weight. A fully cosine corrected PAR sensor and 0 - 90°C thermocouple are also fitted to the FMS/PTL.

An electrical connection to the Leafclip socket on the front panel of the FMS 1 chlorophyll fluorometer enables use of the remote trigger switch to activate / abort measurements in Local mode and connect the leafclip thermocouple and light sensor to the control unit. The leafclip may be held in the hand if multiple samples are being studied or mounted on a standard tripod mount via a thread in the lower clip section for fixed-position work. 

The PAR sensor has been designed for both recording of ambient light intensities during fluorescence analysis and measurement of FMS actinic and saturating light sources during instrument setup.

Optional 1.5m fibre optic cable with adapted end ferrule for use with LD2/3 electrode chamber in simultaneous fluorescence / oxygen measurement assays or with the CIRAS I and II photosynthesis measurement systems from PP Systems.

Due to advances in PC communications technology, RS232 serial communication is becoming more and more scarce on modern computers. It is now virtually impossible to purchase a new laptop PC with an RS232 port. If this is the case with the PC that you are using, it is possible to purchase USB - RS232 adapters which connect to an available USB port which are present on all modern desktop and laptop PC’s.

Hansatech Instruments have tested a large number of USB - RS232 adapters from a number of different manufacturers. The HAN/USB adapter is the only adapter that can be used in complete confidence. Other adapters purchased elsewhere may have limited or no functionality with the Hansatech Instruments product range and as such, will not be subject to technical support from Hansatech Instruments Ltd.