Piranha: Reference Manual - English - Version 5.5D

Piranha
Reference Manual - English - Version 5.5D
RTI article number: 9629053-00

Welcome to the Piranha
The Piranha is an X-ray Analyser/Multimeter for

everybody work ing with Quality Assurance and
Service of X-ray systems.
Notice III
NOTICE
RTI Electronics AB reserves all rights to make changes in the Piranha and the
information in this document without prior notice.
RTI Electronics AB assumes no responsibility for any errors or consequential
damages that may result from the use or misinterpretation of any information
contained in this document.
Copyright © 2001-2015 by RTI Electronics AB. All rights reserved.

Content of this document may not be reproduced for any other purpose than
supporting the use of the product without prior permission from RTI
Electronics AB.
Palm, palmOne, and TUNGSTEN are trademarks of PalmOne, Inc.
Microsof t, Windows, Win32, Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 7, and 8 are either registered trademarks
or trademarks of Microsof t Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., USA.
Contact Information - Contact Information -

World-Wide United States
RTI Electronics AB RTI Electronics Inc.

Flöjelb ergsgatan 8 C 33 Jacksonville Road, Bldg. 1,
SE-431 37 MÖLNDAL Towaco, NJ 07082,
Sweden USA
Phone: Int. +46 31 7463600 Phone: 800-222-7537 (Toll free)

Int. +1-973-439-0242
Fax: Int. +46 31 270573 Fax: Int. +1-973-439-0248
E-mail E-mail
Sales: sales@rtigroup.com Sales: sales.us@rtigroup.com
Support: support@rtigroup.com Support: support.us@rtigroup.com
Service: service@rtigroup.com Service: service.us@rtigroup.com
Web site: http://www.rtigroup.com Web site: http://www.rtigroup.com
2015-05/5.5D Piranha Reference M anual

IV Intended Use
Intended Use of the Piranha System

Accessory to diagnostic X-ray equipment to be used as an electrometer. Together w ith external
probes it is to be used for independent service and quality control, as w ell as measurements of
kerma, kerma rate, kVp, tube current, exposure time, luminance, and illuminance w ithin limitations
stated below .
If installed according to accompanying documents, the product is intended to be used together

w ith all diagnostic X-ray equipment except for:
- therapeutical X-ray sources.
- X-ray equipment w ith tube potential below 18 kV.
- X-ray equipment on w hich the instrument cannot be mounted properly, e.g. equipment w here
the beam field size is narrow er than the active part of the detector.
- specific types of X-ray equipment listed in the instructions for use or in additional information
from the manufacturer.
With the X-ray installation in stand-by conditions w ithout patients present, the product is
intended to be used:
- to provide the operator w ith information on radiation beam parameters that might influence
further steps in an examination but not an ongoing exposure.
- for assessing the performance of the X-ray equipment.
- for evaluation of examination techniques and procedures.
- for service and maintenance measurements.
- for quality control measurements.
- for educational purposes, authority supervision etc.
The product is intended to be used by hospital physicists, X-ray engineers, manufacturer's

service teams, and other professionals w ith similar tasks and competencies. The operator
needs a short training to be able to use the product as intended. This training can be achieved
either by careful study of the manual, studies of the built-in help function in measurement
softw are or, on request, in a short course ordered from the manufacturer.
The product is intended to be used inside X-ray rooms ready for clinical use and can safely be
left sw itched on and in any measuring mode in the vicinity of patients.
The product is NOT intended to be used:

- for direct control of diagnostic X-ray equipment performance during irradiation of a patient.
- so that patients or other unqualified persons can change settings of operating parameters
during and immediately before and after measurements.
Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

Contents 1
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
..................................................................................................... 5
1.1 About this ..................................................................................................................
Manual 5
1.2 Introduction
..................................................................................................................
to the Piranha 5
1.3 PC Requirements
.................................................................................................................. 6
1.4 Palm OS Computer
..................................................................................................................
Requirements 6
2. Description
.....................................................................................................
of the Piranha 8
2.1 Indicators ..................................................................................................................
and Connectors 8
2.2 Setting Up
..................................................................................................................
the Piranha for the First Time 11
2.3 Setting Up
..................................................................................................................
the Piranha 11
2.4 Hardware..................................................................................................................
and Specifications 12
2.4.1 Piranha..................................................................................................................12
internal detector (Internal detector)
2.4.1.1 General ..........................................................................................................12
2.4.1.2 Pow er & Communication
..........................................................................................................13
Specifications
2.4.1.3 Specifications,
..........................................................................................................13
Piranha
2.4.1.4 Typical Response,
..........................................................................................................21
Piranha
2.4.1.5 Angular Sensitivity,
..........................................................................................................24
Piranha
2.4.2 Piranha..................................................................................................................26
External Probes
2.5 Standards
..................................................................................................................
and Compliances 29
2.5.1 Waste Electrical
..................................................................................................................30
and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
2.5.2 Manufacturer's
..................................................................................................................31
Declaration of Conformity
2.5.3 Intended
..................................................................................................................32
Use
2.5.4 FCC Certification
..................................................................................................................33
2.6 Maintenance
.................................................................................................................. 33
2.6.1 Updating
..................................................................................................................33
the Piranha Firmw are
2.6.2 Managing
..................................................................................................................36
Detector Calibrations
2.7 Measurement
..................................................................................................................
Settings 37
2.7.1 Settings..................................................................................................................37
- Conditions
2.7.2 Settings..................................................................................................................40
- Piranha
2.7.3 Settings..................................................................................................................41
- Internal detector
2.7.4 Settings..................................................................................................................42
- Other Detectors
3. .....................................................................................................
Measurement Principles & Theory 44
3.1 Overview..................................................................................................................
of Capability for Measurement Modes 44
3.2 Update Modes
.................................................................................................................. 44
3.2.1 Using Timed
..................................................................................................................45
Update Mode
3.2.2 Using Free
..................................................................................................................46
Run Update Mode
3.3 Display Messages
..................................................................................................................
and Active Messages 46
3.3.1 Active Messages
..................................................................................................................46
3.3.2 Display ..................................................................................................................47
Messages
3.4 Waveforms
..................................................................................................................
and Triggers 48
3.5 Measurement
..................................................................................................................
Principle for the Piranha 49
4. .....................................................................................................
Measurements with the Piranha System 52
2 Contents
4.1 Introduction
.................................................................................................................. 52
4.2 Radiography
.................................................................................................................. 52
4.2.1 kVp, Time,
..................................................................................................................52
Dose, and Dose Rate
4.2.2 Dose Measurements
..................................................................................................................53
w ith Piranha Dose Probe
4.2.3 Quick-HVL
..................................................................................................................53
and Total Filtration
4.3 Cine/Pulsed
..................................................................................................................
Radiography 53
4.3.1 kVp, Time,
..................................................................................................................53
Dose, and Dose Rate
4.3.2 Pulse Measurements
..................................................................................................................53
w ith Piranha Dose Probe
4.3.3 HVL, Quick-HVL,
..................................................................................................................54
and Total Filtration
4.4 Fluoroscopy
..................................................................................................................
and Pulsed Fluoroscopy 54
4.4.1 Image Intensifier
..................................................................................................................55
Input Dose Rate
4.4.2 Pulsed Fluoroscopy
..................................................................................................................55
4.5 Mammography
.................................................................................................................. 56
4.5.1 General..................................................................................................................56
4.5.2 Setting ..................................................................................................................57
Up the Piranha for Mammography
4.5.3 kVp, Time,
..................................................................................................................58
and Dose Measurements w ith the Internal detector
4.5.4 Dose Measurements
..................................................................................................................58
w ith the Piranha Dose Probe
4.5.5 Quick-HVL
..................................................................................................................59
4.5.6 Mammo..................................................................................................................59
Compensations and Corrections
4.5.6.1 Corrections ..........................................................................................................60
for the Compression Paddle
4.5.6.2 Normalization ..........................................................................................................60
4.5.6.3 Beam Correction
..........................................................................................................61
Factor
4.5.6.4 Corrections ..........................................................................................................61
for Angular Sensitivity
4.5.7 Average ..................................................................................................................62
Glandular Dose, AGD (MGD)
4.5.8 Mammographic
..................................................................................................................62
Pre-pulses
4.5.9 Scanning..................................................................................................................63
Beam Mammography
4.6 Dental and
..................................................................................................................
Panoramic Dental 63
4.6.1 Waveforms
..................................................................................................................65
4.7 CT .................................................................................................................. 65
4.7.1 CT kVp..................................................................................................................65
4.8 Tube Current
..................................................................................................................
Probes 67
4.8.1 MAS-1,..................................................................................................................68
Invasive mAs Probe
4.8.2 MAS-2,..................................................................................................................69
Non-invasive mAs Probe
4.9 Light Measurement
.................................................................................................................. 70
4.9.1 Luminance
..................................................................................................................71
- Monitor/View box (cd/m²)
4.9.2 Illuminance
..................................................................................................................71
- Ambient Light (lx)
5. .....................................................................................................
Problems and Solutions 73
5.1 Troubleshooting
.................................................................................................................. 73
5.2 Bluetooth.................................................................................................................. 74
5.2.1 Bluetooth
..................................................................................................................75
Passkey
5.2.2 Enable Bluetooth
..................................................................................................................75
Passkey
5.3 Windows..................................................................................................................
Restricted User Accounts 76
5.3.1 Which Applications
..................................................................................................................76
are Needed?
5.3.2 Installing
..................................................................................................................77
the Softw are
5.3.3 Setting ..................................................................................................................78
Necessary Rights
5.4 How To Report
..................................................................................................................
a Problem 79
6. ..................................................................................................... 81
Glossary

Contents 3
.............................................................................................................
Index 93

Chapter 1
Introduction
1. Introduction
About this Manual 5
1 Introduction
1.1 About this Manual

This manual is divided into a few main parts.
1. A general description of the Piranha.

2. Some theoretical background and basic principles.
3-4. Descriptions on performing measurements with the system for different
modalities.
5. Description of different accessories for the Piranha.
6. Troubleshooting tips, an FAQ, and a glossary.
Users who use the Piranha with only a PC and Ocean are recommended to read at
least the following topics:
Introduction
Description of the Piranha
Measurements with the Piranha System
For the Piranha system, calibration data is stored inside the system. See section
Managing Detector Calibrations 36 for more information.
Typographical Rules
Terms in bold face are references to texts on screenshots, like buttons and texts, and
menu items. Other terms are italicized.
1.2 Introduction to the Piranha

Congratulations to your purchase of a Piranha. You have now in your hand the most
powerful tool for X-ray analysis. It has been carefully designed to meet the needs of
both standard QA applications as well as advanced service/repair/calibration of
modern X-ray systems, while still being very simple and intuitive to use. It can
measure all the required parameters such as kVp, exposure time, dose, HVL, Total
Filtration, dose/pulse, dose rate, tube current, mAs, waveforms, and much more.
The Piranha can be used in two different ways:
As a "meter" with a handheld computer and the QABrowser or a PC with Ocean

Quick-Check.
As a complete "QA-system" with a PC and the Ocean software.
This manual describes the Piranha. The QABrowser and the PC software, Ocean, are
described in detail in separate manuals.
The Piranha system's main features are:
Very easy and intuitive to use

Accurate
Active Compensation - No manual corrections are needed
Measures on all modalities with one detector

1. Introduction
6 Introduction to the Piranha
Specially designed measuring modes for pulsed waveforms
Compact
QABrowser or Ocean is used for control and data processing
Waveform analyser
USB and Bluetooth interface
Free upgrade of firmware
New and unique design
Free upgrades of the firmware (the software resident in the cabinet and measuring
modules) are available on RTI Electronics Web site at http://www.rtigroup.com.
If you have questions, comments, or feel that some functionality is missing, you are
welcome to contact us at RTI Electronics at support@rtigroup.com. You can of course
also call or send a fax (see notice section for details).
1.3 PC Requirements
To run the RTI Updater, the QABrowser Updater, and Ocean the following is required:
Minimum requirements
Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 7/8 32-bit, or 7/8 64-bit.
Pentium class 300 MHz, 64 MB RAM (24 MB free), 60 MB of HD 1
USB port
Display and graphics card with at least 800×600 resolution
Recommended requirements
Windows 7/8 32-bit or 8 64-bit
Pentium class 500 MHz, 128 MB RAM (32 MB free), 100 MB HD
USB port
CD/DVD-ROM for installation
Internet connection for updates (Recommended)
1: Virtual memory and available hard drive space. Microsoft recommends that you have at least 20 % of your total HD
space free for virtual memory.
1.4 Palm OS Computer Requirements

To run the QABrowser the following is required:
Minimum requirements
PalmOS v5.0 or higher
16 MB of memory
Colour screen with a resolution of 320×320 pixels
Palm connection: Bluetooth wireless
Recommended requirements
RTI Handheld Display or Palm Tungsten E2/TX
Bluetooth wireless

Chapter 2
Description of the Piranha
2. Description of the Piranha
8 Indicators and Connectors
2 Description of the Piranha
2.1 Indicators and Connectors

The Piranha comes in a lot of different models, the external design is basically the
same for all models (except for the External Probe port).
Edge: External Probe port

(on some Piranha models)
Detector area
The rectangular marking indicates where the
active detector area is located. The detector
surface is located 10 mm below the surface, see
section Specifications, Piranha 13 . Minimum X-
ray field is 3×21 mm.
The recommended field size is shown as red

corners. (20×40 mm).
Power switch (on edge)

Turns the Piranha on and off
Indicators for charging, status, and Bluetooth
USB Palm charger

port output (not used)
The USB port is used when using RTI Updater to update the internal firmware. It can
also be used when the Piranha is used together with a PC running the QA software
Ocean. Note that the USB connector cannot be used when connecting to a handheld
computer. The system is then powered from the PC via the USB cable. The PC
however have a limited USB power output, so when fast charging is needed the
power supply needs to be connected here. This is also possible when using the
Bluetooth link to communicate with the Palm or PC. The port is marked USB.

Indicators and Connectors 9
The orange indicator

for Charging of
batteries is lit when The blue indicator for
charging is active. Bluetooth is lit when the
Note that charging is Bluetooth interface is active
possible even when and discoverable.
the power switch is off.
The multi-coloured indicator for Status
shows the status of the system, e.g.
battery level as described below. Also
works as Power indicator, one of the
colours will light when the Piranha is on.
Battery level
The status indicator is used to show the battery level of the Piranha.
1. Starting a system running on batteries the status indicates for 3 seconds:
- Green if battery level over 25 % (4 h left)
- Yellow if battery level between 10 and 25 % (1½-4 h left)
- Red if battery level below 10 % (<1½ h left).
The idea is to get a quick indication when powering on the system if it will take me
through today's work.
2. When running on batteries the status indicator shows:
Status colour Running time left

Green >2 hours
Yellow >1 hours
Red >15 minutes
Flashing red <15 minutes
You may also check the battery level in the QABrowser or in Ocean.
See section Power & Communication Specifications 13 for more information about
battery charging and discharging times.
External Probe port and Opening

for filter position viewing

10 Indicators and Connectors
Here you attach the external probes that come with some models of the Piranha. The
port is marked EXT. Not all models have this port.
The small square opening above may be used for monitoring the filter position inside
the Piranha.
Product marking
Indicates the model of your
Piranha, as well as the
version, serial number, and
applicable conformity
markings.
Power switch
Turns the Piranha
on and off (Marked
1/0)
Camera thread for mounting

the Piranha to a holder.
Attachment for Safety strap
The Power switch is used to turn the Piranha on and off. Piranha has several ways of
saving power when it is inactive, but must be powered off manually since there is no
auto-power off function.
Below a block diagram of a typical Piranha system is shown.

Indicators and Connectors 11
2.2 Setting Up the Piranha for the First Time

Before you use your Piranha for the first time, please do the following:
Attach the external power supply.
Charge the system for 16 hours.
Then continue according to the following section.
2.3 Setting Up the Piranha

To set up the Piranha:
1. Power on the Piranha using the power switch. Optionally you may connect the
power supply.
2. Place the Piranha under the tube or mount the holder and HVL stand for positioning
of the Piranha in the X-ray field. The stand allows you to position the Piranha (or the
external Dose Probe) and HVL filters in any angle including upside-down. Use the
light-field or other help to position the Piranha in the X-ray field. The Piranha
detector is not sensitive for different field sizes as long as the entire sensitive
detector area is irradiated, but try to keep the field size down to minimize scattering.
It is recommended to position the Piranha in such a way that the

detector area is orientated perpendicular to the anode/cathode axis, to
avoid the heel effect.
Adjust the collimator so the radiation clearly covers the detector
rectangle marked on the Piranha top panel, but try to keep the field
size inside the top panel size to minimize scatter. Recommended field

12 Setting Up the Piranha
size is 20×40 mm. Furthermore the Piranha top surface should
optimally be placed perpendicular to the focal spot, see also Angular
Sensitivity, Piranha 24
3. Connect with Handheld via Bluetooth, or with Ocean via included USB cable or via
Bluetooth.
2.4 Hardware and Specifications

Specifications are valid after a warm-up time of one minute and presuming reference
conditions. All specifications are for use together with the Piranha unless otherwise
stated. All specifications can be changed without prior notice. RTI Electronics AB
assumes no responsibility for any errors or consequential damages that may result
from the misuse or misinterpretation of any information contained in these
specifications.
2.4.1 Piranha internal detector (Internal detector)
2.4.1.1 General
With the Piranha internal detector you will manage most of your measurements. Tube
voltage, exposure time, dose, and dose rate are measured for all kinds of modalities:
conventional radiography, fluoroscopy, pulsed fluoroscopy, cine, mammography,
dental, panoramic dental, and CT (kVp only, not dose and doserate). In one exposure,
the detector provides tube voltage, time, dose, dose rate, quick-HVL, and estimated
total filtration on radiographic, fluoroscopic, dental, and CT exposures. On pulsed
radiation and cine, also dose per pulse and pulse rate are measured. The Piranha
internal detector is very sensitive and can measure peak tube voltage for as low
outputs as 50 kV / 0.050 mA at 50 cm.
Typically the exposure time has to be at least 5 ms to get a kVp value but it depends
on the waveform. On modern X-ray generators (high-frequency with fast rise and fall
times) the peak tube voltage can normally be measured with exposure time as short
as 1 ms. Dose and time values will be given for even shorter exposure times.
The estimations of total filtration and Quick-HVL are done from one single exposure
using a combination of detector and filters in the Piranha. In situations when the total
filtration cannot be automatically estimated, a "standard" HVL measurement may be
required. All measured kVp and dose values measured with the Piranha are
automatically compensated for the actual beam/radiation quality. This means that no
manual corrections of measured data is needed.
The range indicator can be viewed behind a

little lid, that can be pushed to the side. Make
sure to close it afterwards, to avoid light
leaking into the detector.

Hardw are and Specifications 13
2.4.1.2 Power & Communication Specifications

Power Source
Pow er supply 5 V AC/DC adapter w ith Mini-USB connector, internal battery,
or USB cable supply from PC.
Battery operated One 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery. Operation time typically 15 hours.
Typical charging times are listed below .
External pow er 100-240 V AC 50/60 Hz w ith external adapter.
Pow er output On connector marked "5V OUT" for supply/charging of Palm.
Only functional w hen AC/DC adapter is connected to USB port.
Typical Battery Charging and Running Times
Running Charging time

Capacity
time Using Pow er supply USB, Piranha ON USB, Piranha OFF
50 % 7½ h 1½ h (90 min) 3½ h 17 h
80 % 12 h 2½ h (150 min) 6h 27 h
90 % 13½ h 3¼ h (195 min) 7h 30 h
100 % 15 h 5 h (300 min) 8½ h 32 h
Note that other mains power solutions that uses a regular USB cable to connect to
the Piranha, will behave like USB in the table.
Communication
USB Max 12 Mbit/s (USB v1.1)

Bluetooth 115 kbit/s
2.4.1.3 Specifications, Piranha

The inaccuracy is here defined as the root of the square sum of systematic errors,
which has not been eliminated, and random errors (dispersion around a mean
value). The calculation of the inaccuracy is based on 15 different measurements and
with a confidence level of 95 %. Of the total inaccuracy, random error is 20 % and
general inaccuracy is 80 %.
Note: Irradiation time is often called exposure time in daily use.
General
Operating tem perature 15 – 35 °C

and relative hum idity at <80 % relative humidity
Storage tem perature –10 °C to +50 °C
Operating air pressure Minimum 80 – 106 kPa

14 Hardw are and Specifications
Reference conditions
Tem perature +18 °C to +23 °C

Relative hum idity 50 %
Air pressure 101.3 kPa
X-ray field size Inside the Piranha top panel.
Calibration is done w ith field size typically 5 mm less than the size of
the top panel.
Radiation quality
Radiography 70 kV, 2.5 mm Al
Mam m ography 28 kV, 30 µm Mo
CT 120 kV, 2.5 mm Al
Note: The reference conditions are given in reference to the IEC61674 standard.
Physical dimensions
Detector area 3 × 21.1 mm

Detector position 10 mm below top panel, as indicated in figure below and by a 3 mm rim
on 3 edges.
Size 133 × 75 × 26 mm (5.2" × 2.9" × 1.02")
Weight Approximately 405 g

Parameters
Tube voltage (kVp) The average of all samples w ith compensation for the ripple
(default method)
Tim e Irradiation time (Exposure time)
Air kerm a (Dose) Measured air kerma (may be called dose or air kerma in this
manual)
Air kerm a rate Average air kerma rate (may be called dose rate or air kerma rate
(Dose rate) in this manual)
Total Filtration Estimation of total filtration (for conventional radiography,
fluoroscopy, dental, and CT)
Quick-HVL Estimation of Half Value Layer (for conventional radiography,
fluoroscopy, dental, mammography, and CT)
Half Value Layer Standard HVL using filters for evaluation on radiography,
fluoroscopy, dental, and mammography (all for both pulsed and
conventional)
kV w aveform Waveform is calculated based on detector signals measured
after different thickness of filtration.
Dose rate w aveform Signal measured from radiation detector (ionization chamber or
solid-state detector).

Measuring range and inaccuracy
Radiography, Fluoroscopy, and Dental
Param eter RQ Range Inaccuracy Resolution

kVp (standard) 4 digits
W / 3 mm Al R1 35 – 160 kV ±1.5 % (10 or 100 V)
kVp dental ±1.5 % As above
W / 3 mm Al R1 35 – 105 kV
Irradiation tim e 0.1 ms – 2000 s ±1 % or ±0.5 ms 0.5 ms
1 – 65535 pulses ±1 pulse 1 pulse
Air kerm a (Dose) 2 0.7 µGy – 1000 Gy ±5 % –
w ith w ide range 15 nGy – 1000 Gy

option (WR) (2 µR – 100 kR)
Air kerm a rate 2 10 µGy/s – 450 mGy/s 3 ±5 % or ±7 nGy/s Typ. noise:
(Dose rate) ±5 % or ±0.8 µR/s 3 nGy/s
w ith w ide range 15 nGy/s – 450 mGy/s 3 ±5 % or ±0.05 mR/min
option (WR) 1.7 µR/s – 50 R/s (for Irr. time >20 ms)
0.1 mR/min – 3000 R/min
-Free run 15 nGy/s – 12 mGy/s 2 ±5 % or ±7 nGy/s Typ. noise:
-High Sensitivity 150 nGy/s – 12 mGy/s 2 ±5 % or ±7 nGy/s 3 nGy/s
-Low Sensitivity 25 µGy/s – 450 mGy/s 2 ±5 % or ±0.1 µGy/s
Estim ated total 1.0 – 90 mm Al ±10 % or ±0.3 mm 2 digits
filtration (full kV range) ±15 % >50 mm Al (0.1 or 1 mm)
(60 – 120 kV, HF/DC,
>10 µGy/s)
Quick-HVL 1.2 – 14 mm Al 4 ±10 % or ±0.2 mm 3 digits
(35 – 150 kV, (60 – 120 kV, HF/DC, (0.01 or 0.1 mm)
TF=1-45 mmAl) >10 µGy/s) 1
Note 1: This is valid for a tube w ith 14° anode angle. The HVL for a 22° anode is typically 0,5 mm
low er (@ 80 kV, 3 mm TF).
Note 2: All kerma and kerma rate ranges, inaccuracy, and resolution figures are valid for
product version 2 and higher of the Piranha.
Note 3: The Kerma rate is calculated as the Kerma (Dose) divided by the Irradiation time. See
also Waveforms and Triggers 48 .
Note 4: The HVL range is valid if also the TF is w ithin its specified range. For high TF at high kV
the HVL range may be limited by this.
Mammography

kVp (standard)
Mo / 30 µm Mo M1 18 – 49 kV ±1.5 % or ±0.7 kV 4 digits
Mo / 25 µm Rh M3 20 – 46 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV (10 V)
Rh / 25 µm Rh M4 25 – 49 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 50 µm Rh 3 M6 3 20 – 49 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 0.50 mm Al 5 M7 5 20 – 48 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
Mo / 1.0 mm Al M8 18 – 49 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 50 µm Ag 3 M10 3 20 – 40 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 75 µm Ag M11 20 – 40 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 50 µm Rh (Gio) M12 22 – 35 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 0.70 mm Al 3 M15 3 20 – 49 kV ±1.5 % or ±0.7 kV
W / 50 µm Ag (Sel) 4 M16 4 22 – 39 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 50 µm Rh (Sel) 4 M17 4 22 – 39 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
W / 0.30 mm Cu 3 M18 3 40 – 49 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
kVp (optional)
Mo / 30 µm Mo + M1d 25 – 35 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV 4 digits
+ 2 mm Al (10 V)
Mo / 2.0 mm Al M2 18 – 49 kV ±2 % or ±1 kV
Air kerm a (Dose) 1 5 µGy – 1500 Gy ±5 % –
±5 %
w ith w ide range 25 nGy – 1500 Gy
option (WR) 3 µR – 150 kR
Air kerm a rate 1 10 µGy/s – 750 mGy/s 2±5 % or ±12 nGy/s Typ. noise:
(Dose rate) ±5 % or ±1.5 µR/s 6 nGy/s
w ith w ide range 25 nGy/s – 750 mGy/s 2 ±5 % or ±0.1 mR/min
option (WR) 30 µR/s – 86 R/s (for Irr. time >20 ms)
1.8 mR/min – 5100 R/min
-Free run 25 nGy/s – 20 mGy/s ±5 % or ±12 nGy/s Typ. noise:
-High Sensitivity 0.25 µGy/s – 20 mGy/s ±5 % or ±12 nGy/s 6 nGy/s
-Low Sensitivity 45 µGy/s – 750 mGy/s ±5 % or ±0.2 µGy/s
Note 2: The Kerma rate is calculated as the Kerma (Dose) divided by the Irradiation time. See
also Waveforms and Triggers 48 .
Note 3: The M6 (W / 50 µm Rh), M10 (W / 50 µm Ag), M15 (W / 0.70 mm Al), and M18 (W / 0.30
mm Cu) calibrations are suitable for the Hologic Selenia Dimensions and Fuji Amulet (M6, M15
only).
Note 4: The M16 (W / 50 µm Ag (Sel)) and M17 (W / 50 µm Rh (Sel)) calibrations are suitable
for Hologic Selenia w ith W anode.
Note 5: The M7 (W / 0.5 mmAl) calibration is suitable for Philips MicroDose Mammography
(Sectra).

Quick-HVL 4
Mo / 30 µm Mo M1 0.19 – 0.47 mm Al ±10 % 3 digits
Mo / 25 µm Rh M3 0.31 – 0.52 mm Al (0.001 mm)
Rh / 25 µm Rh M4 0.33 – 0.60 mm Al
W / 50 µm Rh 1 M6 1 0.37 – 0.75 mm Al
W / 0.50 mm Al 3 M7 3 0.24 – 0.64 mm Al
Mo / 1.0 mm Al M8 0.31 – 0.68 mm Al
W / 50 µm Ag 1 M10 1 0.34 – 0.69 mm Al
W / 75 µm Ag M11 0.41 – 0.79 mm Al
W / 50 µm Rh (Gio) M12 0.37 – 0.66 mm Al
W / 0.70 mm Al 1 M15 1 0.27 – 0.81 mm Al
W / 50 µm Ag (Sel) 2 M16 2 0.34 – 0.69 mm Al
W / 50 µm Rh (Sel) 2 M17 2 0.37 – 0.66 mm Al
W / 0.30 mm Cu 1 M18 1 2.43 – 4.00 mm Al
Note 1: The M6 (W / 50 µm Rh), M10 (W / 50 µm Ag), M15 (W / 0.70 mm Al), and M18 (W / 0.30
mm Cu) calibrations are suitable for the Hologic Selenia Dimensions and Fuji Amulet (M6, M15
only).
Note 2: The M16 (W / 50 µm Ag (Sel)) and M17 (W / 50 µm Rh (Sel)) calibrations are suitable
for Hologic Selenia w ith W anode.
Note 3: The M7 (W / 0.5 mmAl) calibration is suitable for Philips MicroDose Mammography
(Sectra).
Note 4: The Quick-HVL for mammography is only available for Piranhas w ith product version 2
and higher.

Computed Tomography

kVp (standard)
W / 3.0 mm Al C1 45 – 155 kV ±1.5 % 4 digits
(10 or 100 V)
W / 3 mm Al + 1.2 mm Ti C3 2 75 – 145 kV
(Siemens Straton (Siem1)) 2
GECT (7°) 2, 3 C4 2 75 – 145 kV
Acquillion 64 (Toshiba) 2 C5 2 75 – 145 kV
GECT (10.5°) 2, 3
C6 2 65 – 150 kV
Air kerm a (Dose) 4 4 4
Estim ated total C1 1.0 – 90 mm Al ±10 % or ±0.3 mm 2 digits

filtration (full kV range) ±15 % >50 mm Al (0.1 or 1 mm)
(75 – 120 kV, HF/DC,
>10 µGy/s)
C6 1.0 – 90 mm Al ±10 % oder ±0,3 mm

(65 – 150 kV, 2 –
10 mm Al, HF/DC, >10
µGy/s)
Quick-HVL C1 1.2 – 14 mm Al ±10 % or ±0.2 mm 3 digits
(45 – 150 kV) (75 – 120 kV, HF/DC, (0.01 or 0.1 mm)
>10 µGy/s) 1
Note 1: This is valid for a tube w ith 14° anode angle. The HVL for a 22° anode is typically 0,5 mm
low er (@ 80 kV, 3 mm TF).
Note 2: The C3 and higher numbered calibrations are only available for product versions 2.0 or
higher.
Note 3: The C4 (GECT (7°)) is suitable for all GE CT tubes w hich have a 7° anode angle as w ell
as other manufacturers CT tubes and replacement tubes w ith a 7° anode angle. The C6 (GECT
(10.5°)) is suitable for GE CT tubes w ith a 10.5° anode angle.
Note 4: CT dose is measured w ith a CT ionization chamber connected to a Piranha Chamber
Adapter. See Piranha Chamber Adapter manual for details.

Pulses
Param eter Range

Dose/pulse 2.5 µGy/pulse - 0.9 Gy/pulse1
w ith w ide range option (WR) 8 nGy/pulse - 0.9 Gy/pulse1

Pulse dose rate Low er limit 10 µGy/s (70 mR/min), otherw ise same as
for air kerma rate.
w ith w ide range option (WR) Low er limit 10 µGy/s (70 mR/min) otherw ise, same as
for air kerma rate.
Min. output peak dose rate dose rate (min. pulse w idth)
- High Sensitivity 4 µGy/s (4 ms) / 30 µGy/s (0.5 ms)
- Low Sensitivity 20 µGy/s (4 ms) / 160 µGy/s (0.5 ms)
Pulse rate 0.5 – 180 Hz, resolution 0.5 Hz
Pulse w idth 4 ms - 2000 s
Duty cycle 5 - 95 %
Minim um pulse w idth pulse w idth (min. dose rate)
- High Sensitivity 4 ms (4 µGy/s) / 0.5 ms (30 µGy/s)
- Low Sensitivity 4 ms (20 µGy/s) / 0.5 ms (160 µGy/s)
Minim um ripple 50 %
(pulse top to bottom)
Irradiation tim e 1 – 65535 pulses, resolution 1 pulse
Note 1: Max dose/pulse depends on the pulse length.
Waveform recording time
At m ax sam pling rate 1024 ms (2 kSa/s) QABrow ser: 320 ms

At m in sam pling rate 524 s (4 Sa/s) QABrow ser: 4 s
A total of 8 recording times are available, all separated by a factor of 2, i.e. 1, 2, 4, 8,

16, 33, 66, 131, 262 and 524 seconds.
The setting for Waveform recording time may affect the Irradiation time
calculation. Make sure to set back the Waveform recording time to the
lowest choice after temporarily modifying it. Please also note that in
QABrowser, the waveforms are limited to between 0.32 and 4 seconds.

2.4.1.4 Typical Response, Piranha

The table below shows the typical response for the Piranha at standardised radiation
qualities.
Radiography, Fluoroscopy, and Dental (measured using RTI RQ Code R1, W/Al)
Radiation quality Air kerm a m easurem ent

Mean
Total
ISO 4037 energy air HVL Factor kQ
PTB Filtration
IEC 61267 kerm a (keV) (m m Al) (Rel. RQR 5)
(m m Al)
DV40 RQR 2 26,3 2,49 1,42 0,9959
DV50 RQR 3 28,8 2,46 1,77 1,0073
DV60 RQR 4 31,7 2,68 2,19 1,0033
DV70 RQR 5 34,9 2,83 2,57 1
DV80 RQR 6 37,5 2,99 3,01 0,9956
DV90 RQR 7 40,7 3,18 3,48 0,9931
DV100 RQR 8 43,8 3,36 3,96 0,9957
DV120 RQR 9 50,3 3,73 5,00 1,0008
DV150 RQR 10 60,7 4,38 6,55 1,0132
Note: These values are typical values measured at PTB in Germany in 2014.
Radiation quality Mean Air kerm a m easurem ent

energy air Total
ISO 4037 kerm a Filtration Factor kQ
PTB HVL (m m Al)
IEC 61267 (keV) (m m Al) (Rel. RQR 5)
DH40 RQA2 30,22 6,49 2,2 1,0321

DH50 RQA 3 37,76 12,5 3,74 1,0043
DH60 RQA 4 44,74 18,7 5,32 0,9953
DH70 RQA 5 51,08 23,8 6,73 1
DH80 RQA 6 57,47 29,0 8,12 1,0041
DH90 RQA 7 62,95 33,2 9,21 1,0214
DH100 RQA 8 68,19 37,4 10,10 1,0147
DH120 RQA 9 78,36 43,7 11,59 1,0129
DH150 RQA 10 93,36 49,4 13,23 1,0377
Mammography, Mo / 30 µm Mo and 30 µm Mo + 2 mm Al (measured using RTI RQ

Code M1)
Radiation quality Mean energy Air kerm a m easurem ent

ISO 4037 air kerm a Factor kQ
PTB (keV) HVL (m m Al)
IEC 61267 (Rel. RQR-M2)

MMV25 RQR-M1 14,86 0,28 0,9869
MMV28 RQR-M2 15,39 0,31 1
MMV30 RQR-M3 15,67 0,33 1,0068
MMV35 RQR-M4 16,24 0,37 1,0067
MMH25 RQA-M1 18,28 0,55 0,9945

MMH28 RQA-M2 18,88 0,60 1,0091
MMH30 RQA-M3 19,34 0,63 1,0058
MMH35 RQA-M4 20,55 0,71 0,9885
Mammography, Mo / 1 mm Al (measured using RTI RQ Code M8)

IEC 61267 (Rel. MAV28)
MAV25 - 17,58 0,48 0,989
MAV28 - 18,29 0,54 1
MAV30 - 18,66 0,56 0,9978
MAV35 - 19,36 0,61 0,9944
MAV40 - 19,89 0,64 1,006
Note: These values are typical values measured at PTB in Germany in 2009 and 2014.
Mammography, Mo / 25 µm Rh (measured using RTI RQ Code M3)

IEC 61267 (Rel. MRV28)
MRV25 - 15,78 0,34 0,996
MRV28 - 16,29 0,38 1
MRV30 - 16,54 0,39 0,9980
MRV35 - 17,02 0,43 0,9911
MRV40 - 17,4 0,45 1,001

Mammography, Rh / 25 µm Rh (measured using RTI RQ Code M4)

IEC 61267 (Rel. RRV28)
RRV25 - 15,57 0,32 0,996
RRV28 - 16,34 0,37 1
RRV30 - 16,73 0,39 1,0036
RRV35 - 17,57 0,45 1,0089
RRV40 - 18,18 0,49 1,005
Mammography, W / 0.5 mm Al (measured using RTI RQ Code M7)

IEC 61267 (Rel. WAV28)
WAV25 - 16,08 0,35 0,979
WAV28 - 16,97 0,40 1
WAV30 - 17,49 0,43 0,9974
WAV35 - 18,73 0,51 0,9928
WAV40 - 19,79 0,58 0,982
Mammography, W / 50 µm Rh (measured using RTI RQ Code M6)

IEC 61267 (Rel. WRV28)
WRV25 - 17,6 0,48 0,997
WRV28 - 17,99 0,51 1
WRV30 - 18,19 0,52 1,0009
WRV35 - 18,78 0,56 0,9969
WRV40 - 19,54 0,61 1,022

Mammography, W / 50 µm Ag (measured using RTI RQ Code M10)

IEC 61267 (Rel. WSV28)
WSV25 - 17,87 0,50 0,991
WSV28 - 18,66 0,56 1
WSV30 - 18,92 0,58 0,9983
WSV35 - 19,57 0,63 0,9963
WSV40 - 20,22 0,68 1,015
2.4.1.5 Angular Sensitivity, Piranha

In this section you can see graphs of the typical angular sensitivity for dose measured
with the Piranha at 28 and 70 kV. The setup is shown in figures below.
This "directional" behaviour makes it excellent for reproducible measurements, with

less influence by nearby spreading matter. This makes it possible to make accurate
HVL measurements even when measuring with "bad geometry", which is especially
interesting for mammography. To understand, please see the polar plot shown
below. The Piranha is shown to the left, and a typical mammographic ion chamber to
the right.

There are two different graphs, depending on the product version of your Piranha. The
product version is the version number you can find on the label on the bottom of the
Piranha. If the version of your Piranha is 1.X, use the graphs marked v1. For 2.X and
higher use graphs marked v2.
For v1.X it is however important that you place the detector surface
perpendicular to the direction of the radiation source or that you make
corrections according to the tables in section Corrections for Angular
Sensitivity 61 .
For radiography this is generally no problem, since most measurements are
performed in the middle of the field, perpendicular to the incident radiation.

2.4.2 Piranha External Probes

The inaccuracy is here defined as the root of the square sum of systematic errors,
which has not been eliminated, and random errors (dispersion around a mean
value). The calculation of the inaccuracy is based on 15 different measurements and
with a confidence level of 95 %. Of the total inaccuracy, random error is 20 % and
general inaccuracy is 80 %.
Note: Irradiation time is often called exposure time in daily use.
Reference conditions
Tem perature +18 °C to +23 °C

Relative hum idity 50 %
Air pressure 101.3 kPa
Radiation quality
Radiography 70 kV, 2.5 mm Al
Mam m ography 28 kV, 30 µm Mo
CT 120 kV, 2.5 mm Al
Note: The reference conditions are given in reference to the IEC61674 standard.
General
Connector type Hirose ST40X-10S w ith built-in detector identification.

Measuring range and inaccuracy

The detector noise given is typical values at room temperature.
- Piranha/RTI External Dose Probe (typical sensitivity +55 µC/Gy)
Param eter Range Inaccuracy Typ. noise

Air kerm a (Dose) 100 pGy – 1.5 kGy ±5 % (for time > 0.1 ms)
12 nR – 170 kR
Air kerm a rate (valid for Irr. time >20 ms)
(Dose rate) 4 nGy/s – 150 mGy/s ±5 % or ±1 nGy/s ±500 pGy/s
460 nR/s – 16 R/s ±5 % or ±100 nR/s
26 µR/min – 1000 R/min ±5 % or ±6 µR/min
1.6 mR/h – 60 kR/h ±5 % or ±360 µR/h
1 nGy/s – 150 mGy/s ±5 % or ±250 pGy/s ±100 pGy/s

(5 s moving average)
Irradiation tim e 0.1 ms – 34000 s ±1 % or ±0.5 ms Resolution
1 – 65535 pulses ±1 pulse 0.5 ms
Note 1: The air kerma rate is calculated as the air kerma divided by the time. See also
Waveforms and Triggers 48 .
Note 2: The standard calibration for the Piranha External Dose Probe is W/23 mm Al. This
calibration w as chosen since the main use of the detector is to measure the dose to the image
intensifier, after the phantom. How ever, you can just as w ell use this probe for measurements
of skin dose. The detector is very linear in its energy response and w ill not be affected by a
different filtration.
Pulses
Param eter Range

Dose/pulse 1 nGy/pulse - 0.3 Gy/pulse 1
Pulse dose rate Low er limit 10 µGy/s (70 mR/min), otherw ise same
as for air kerma rate.
Min. output peak doserate Doserate (min. pulse w idth)
- High Sensitivity 0.23 µGy/s (4 ms) / 1.8 µGy/s (0.5 ms)
- Low Sensitivity 10 µGy/s (4 ms) / 73 µGy/s (0.5 ms)
Pulse rate
- Normally 0.5 – 100 Hz, resolution 0.5 Hz
Pulse w idth 4 ms - 2000 s
Duty cycle 5 - 95 %
Minim um pulse w idth pulse w idth (min. peak doserate)
4 ms (0.23 µGy/s) / 0.5 ms (1.8 µGy/s)
Minim um ripple 50 %
(pulse top to bottom )
Irradiation tim e 1 – 65535 pulses, resolution 1 pulse

Note 1: Max dose/pulse depends on the pulse length.
Waveform recording time
At m ax sam pling rate 1024 ms (2 kSa/s)

At m in sam pling rate 524 s (4 Sa/s)
A total of 8 recording times are available, all separated by a factor of 2, i.e. 1, 2, 4, 8,

16, 33, 66, 131, 262 and 524 seconds.
The setting for Waveform recording time may affect the Irradiation time
calculation. Make sure to set back the Waveform recording time to the
lowest choice after temporarily modifying it. Please also note that in
QABrowser, the waveforms are limited to between 0.32 and 4 seconds.
The table below shows the typical response for the Piranha/RTI External Dose Probe
at standardised radiation qualities.
Radiation quality Mean Air kerm a m easurem ent

energy air Total
ISO 4037 kerm a Filtration HVL Factor kQ
PTB
IEC 61267 (keV) (m m Al) (m m Al) (Rel. RQR 5)
DV40 RQR 2 26,38 2,49 1,42 1,087
DV50 RQR 3 29,0 2,46 1,77 1,044
DV60 RQR 4 32,0 2,68 2,19 1,013
DV70 RQR 5 34,8 2,83 2,57 1
DV80 RQR 6 37,8 2,99 3,01 0,993
DV90 RQR 7 41,0 3,18 3,48 0,988
DV100 RQR 8 44,2 3,36 3,96 0,986
DV120 RQR 9 50,8 3,73 5,00 0,986
DV150 RQR 10 61,2 4,38 6,55 1,002
Note: Note: These values are typical values measured at PTB in Germany in 2009.
- Piranha/RTI MAS-1 Probe, Invasive mAs probe (sensitivity 1 nC/mAs)
Module type Range Inaccuracy Typ. noise

Tube charge 0.001 mAs – ±1 % (for time > 0.1 ms)
Tube current 0.1 – 3000 mA ±1 % or ±10 µA (for time >100 ms) ±1.5 µA
Pulse tube Low er limit 1 mA,
current otherw ise same as
tube current.
Tim e 1 0.1 ms – 34000 s ±1 % or ±0.5 ms Resolution

Note 1: When the Piranha internal detector is used simultaneously, the default mode of operation
is to use the internal detector for time measurement.
Note 2: The tube current is calculated as the tube charge divided by the time. See also
Waveforms and Triggers 48 .
- Piranha/RTI MAS-2 Probe, Non-invasive mAs probe (sensitivity 1 nC/mAs)

Tube charge 0.1 mAs – ±5 % (for time > 0.1 ms)
Tube current 10 – 4000 mA ±5 % or ±2 mA (for time > 20 ms) ±1 mA
(±3 % at 250 mA)
Pulse tube Low er limit 50 mA,
current otherw ise same
as tube current.
Tim e 1 0.1 ms – 34000 s ±1 % or ±0.5 ms Resolution
Note 1: See also note 1 and 2 for the Piranha/RTI MAS-1.
- Piranha/RTI Light Probe, Light detector (typical sensitivity 670 pA/nit or 200 pA/lx)

Lum inance 0.003 – 72000 cd/m² ±5 % or ±0.6 mcd/m² ±0.3 mcd/m²
Illum inance 0.001 – 24000 lx ±5 % or ±0.2 mlx ±0.1 mlx
- CT-DP, CT Dose Profiler (typical sensitivity 3.6 µC/Gym)

Air kerm a (Dose) 1,5 nGy – 22 kGy ±5 %
160 nR – 2.5 MR ±5 %
Air kerm a rate 60 nGy/s – 1.1 Gy/s ±5 % or ±15 nGy/s ±8 nGy/s

(Dose rate) 6.8 µR/s – 125 R/s ±5 % or ±1.6 µR/s
0.4 mR/min – 7500 R/min ±5 % or ±0.1 mR/min
24 mR/h – 450 kR/h ±5 % or ±6 mR/h
2.5 Standards and Compliances

Hereafter you can find declarations of conformity, as well as documents describing
the intended use of the Piranha system.

30 Standards and Com pliances
2.5.1 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

The European Union Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste from Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE) places an obligation on manufacturers, distributors, and retailers
to take back electronics products at the end of their useful life.
The WEEE directive covers all RTI products being sold into the European Union (EU)
as of August 13, 2005. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are obliged to finance
the cost of recovery from municipal collection points, reuse, and recycling of specified
percentages per the WEEE requirements.
Instructions for disposal of WEEE by Users in the European Union

The symbol, shown left, is marked on the product, which indicates that
this product must not be disposed of with other waste. Instead, it is the
user's responsibility to dispose of the user's waste equipment by handing
it over to a designated collection point for the recycling of waste electrical
and electronic equipment. The separate collection and recycling of waste
equipment at the time of disposal will help to conserve
natural resources and ensure that it is recycled in a manner that protects human
health and the environment. For more information about where you can drop off your
waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local distributor from whom you
purchased the product.

Standards and Com pliances 31
2.5.2 Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity

32 Standards and Com pliances
2.5.3 Intended Use

Standards and Com pliances 33
2.5.4 FCC Certification

Piranhas of product version 3.1 and newer contains FCC certified transmitter module
(Bluetooth).
FCC ID R47F2M03GX
This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class-B digital
device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated
in commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used according with the instruction manual,
may cause harmful interference to radio communication. Operation of this equipment
in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will
be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
2.6 Maintenance
2.6.1 Updating the Piranha Firmware

All firmware that is controlling the function of the Piranha is stored in flash memory to
allow quick and easy update. The RTI Updater with the latest firmware is always
available free of charge on the RTI Electronics Web site at http://www.rtigroup.com. To
update your Piranha you must first download the latest version and install it on a PC.
The PC needs to have an USB port.
You will need to have access to an administrative account to install the software.
To update the Piranha firmware (or bootloader):
1. First download the latest version of the RTI Updater Setup from RTI Electronics
Web site.
2. Unzip the file and run the file "RTI Updater Setup.exe" to install it on your PC. In the
end of the installation process you will get the question if you want to run that
updater immediately. If you have your Piranha available you can connect it as
described in step #3. Answer "Yes" and continue with step #6.
3. Connect the Piranha. Use the USB cable that came with your Piranha to connect
your Piranha to one of the USB ports on the PC. Power on the Piranha. Use the
power supply to ensure that no power failure occur during the update process. If
you do not have a power supply available, make sure you have fresh batteries in the
Piranha. You will get a notice about that.

34 Maintenance
4. Go to Start Menu | RTI Electronics | RTI Updater and select the RTI Updater.
5. The RTI Updater starts and locates the Piranha automatically if it is connected to an
USB port.
6. If the Piranha is found, the window in the figure above is shown. The different
modules are checked and after a while the start button is enabled. Click Start. If the
Piranha cannot be found, a message with suggested solutions is shown.
7. The updating process starts. The RTI Updater checks the current versions and
compares with the update. Modules with old firmware are automatically updated.

Maintenance 35
8. Note that storing the new firmware in the flash memory may take several minutes
for each module. The RTI Updater will indicate which modules have been updated.
9. Power off the Piranha and disconnect the serial cable when the program indicates
that everything is OK.
If you have any problem with your Piranha after updating, re-install the firmware again
before contacting your local distributor or RTI Electronics. To re-install firmware repeat
step 1 to 9 above, but before performing step #6 go to the menu Settings and select
Always Overwrite.
If you want to see more details of what is updated, use the menu
Settings - Advanced, and you will see more information as shown in the
figure below.
You normally also need to update the QABrowser and Ocean, when you
update the firmware. See the QABrowser manual and the Ocean manual
for details.
36 Maintenance
2.6.2 Managing Detector Calibrations

RTI Detector Manager is a special Windows software that gives an overview of all
calibrations for the detectors and probes in your system. You will find the RTI Detector
Manager on your Product CD, in the folder \Software\RTI Detector Manager\.,Start the
file RTI Detector Manager.exe by double-clicking it.
Select the instrument of interest (Piranha)

and click OK.
If no instrument appears, check the

communication cable and that the Piranha
is powered on, then click Rescan.
Next, the available detectors

are shown to the left. The
Internal detector is always
available, but external
probes will only show up if
they are attached.
When clicking a detector, the

available calibrations will
show up to the right (In this
case the Internal detector is
highlighted). The TV and TF
columns show an × if there
are calibrations for Tube
Voltage and/or Total
Filtration. The factor column
shows the calibration factor
(for dose in this case).

Maintenance 37
Here is another example
(Piranha Dose Probe). This
type of detector only contains
a calibration factor for dose.
2.7 Measurement Settings
2.7.1 Settings - Conditions

Here general conditions for the measurements are shown. Different values can be
shown depending on selected measured parameter.
Conditions - TF and Waveform
Total Filtr. Shows actual total filtration value. Estimate means that a new
estimation will be performed at next exposure and the values will be
displayed on screen.
Waveform Shows the actual waveform type. Determine means that a new
analyse of the waveform will be performed for the next exposure.
The result will be displayed on screen. The waveform types
supported are:
- DC/HF
- Single Phase
- 3-Phase 6-Pulse
- 3-Phase 12-Pulse
- AMX-4
- Pulsed
The first four can be automatically determined when Estimate is
chosen. The selected or set waveform is also shown with a symbol
on the QABrowser Real-Time Display, see the QABrowser manual.
In Ocean using Quick-Check you need to select the

generator waveform type for each measurement session. Default
is HF/Constant potential.
AMX-4
The difficulties when measuring tube voltage on a GE AMX-4 is a well-known
problem. Due to high kV ripple at a frequency of 2 kHz it is hard for most non-invasive
kVp-meters to follow the kV waveform correctly.

38 Measurem ent Settings
This waveform type has an agreement with measurements made with the Keithley
Triad System 37946C mobile filter pack (50-135 kV), which is the only filter package
recommended by GE. According to GE, the use of the standard Keithley 37617C W-R
filter pack (50-150 kV) is not good enough. The results have further been verified with
measurements with a traceable high voltage divider that has sufficient bandwidth to
accurately follow the kV ripple from the AMX-4.
Therefore it is important to select the AMX-4 waveform( under Settings | Conditions).
More about the AMX-4 correction can be found in the Application Note 1-AN-52020-1
from RTI Electronics AB.
Pulsed
This waveform type should be used for pulsed fluoroscopy especially when the
pulses do not have a "good" square waveform shape. The exposure time must be
longer than the selected recording time when using this waveform type. (Pulsed
waveform type is selected under Settings | Conditions in the same way as the AMX-4
waveform type.)
Conditions - TP-factor
If an ion chamber is used, temperature and pressure can be specified to get correct
dose measurements.
The Internal detector and other semiconductor detectors are virtually not
affected by temperature and pressure.
The TP Factor is calculated as follows:
TP = P0/P × T/T0
where: P0 and T0 are the reference air pressure and absolute air temperature
(normally P0=101.3 kPa and T0=293 K [20 °C])
T and P are the actual absolute air temperature and pressure in the same
units (kPa and K)
Temperature This value is used to calculate the TP-factor when ion chambers
are used. Temperature can be specified in Kelvin, degrees
Celsius, or degrees Fahrenheit. Unit is chosen in the
QABrowser Setup, under Units.
Pressure This value is used to calculate the TP-factor when ion chambers
are used. Air pressure can be specified in several different units.
Unit is chosen in the QABrowser Setup, under Units.
Please note that the pressure easily changes by 10 %. For the same effect from
temperature, it must change 30 °C (or 54 °F).
Measurem ent Settings 39
Pulse rate
If a pulsed mode is used, like pulsed fluoroscopy or pulsed radiography (cine) the
pulse rate can be specified in pulses per second (same as Hz). This allows you to
get a dose/pulse reading even if the detector used (e.g. ion chamber) is too slow for
the Piranha electrometer to detect the pulses. A solid-state detector, like the Piranha
Dose Probe, is however fast enough to detect the frequency even for very low-level
signals.
Compression paddle
For mammography, it is sometimes easier to do measurements with the
compression paddle in the field. The compression paddle will however affect the
Piranha kV and dose reading. With this setting, all the measured values (kV, dose
and HVL) will be corrected according to what the user has selected.
When selected you will see the settings for Scatter factor and Equivalent thickness.
The thickness is given in "mm Al". If you do not know, ask the manufacturer or make a
comparison with Aluminium filters.
Scatter factor If an ion chamber is positioned just below the compression

paddle, the measured dose will rise, because of side scattering
from the compression paddle material. The effect of this is
depending on the ion chambers angular dependence. Since the
Piranha is almost insensitive to this, you can put a number here
to compare readings from the Piranha with readings from an ion
chamber. See also section Average Glandular Dose, AGD (MGD)
62 .
Equiv. thickness The given equivalent compression paddle thickness is used to

increase the accuracy of dose measurements when dose is
measured below the compression paddle. It is given in
equivalent thickness of aluminium.
This feature can also be used if you have additional

filtration in the beam. Add the equivalent thickness of aluminium.
Beam Correction Sometimes you may want to make comparable measurements

with known mechanical setup. For instance if you want to
emulate ion chamber measurements in a particular scattering
situation. Then you can set a Beam Correction factor to get that
reading. In this case the ion chamber measures an extra 25 %
from side and back-scatter. Using this factor makes the readings
to be the same. It is of course important that the mechanical
setup in these cases are the same.

2.7.2 Settings - Piranha

Here general measurement settings for the Piranha are shown.
Post Delay The post delay time defines how long time the Piranha shall wait
and "look for more" after detecting what can be considered to be
"the end of the exposure". Default value is 250 ms. The post-
delay is necessary when measuring on units with some kind of
pre-pulse or for pulsed exposures.
Trig source This setting makes it possible to define the trig source for the
electrometer module.
Available settings are:
Individually, each detector starts to measure individually
when it detects a signal.
Internal detector, the measurement of all parameters (all
modules) start when the Internal detector starts to measure.
Default value is always Internal detector when it is used. This is

the recommended trig source.
Trig level (time) Here you can set the level used for irradiation time
measurements. "Trig level (time)" (TL) is normally set to 50 % of
the peak waveform (SPEAK), but can be set between 10 and 90 %.
The irradiation time is then calculated as the end time minus the
start time.
The start time is the first time the signal goes above TL×SPEAK.
The end time is the last time the signal goes below TL×SPEAK.
See example below.
Update This setting defines when Piranha shall send measured

values to the QABrowser.
Four different alternatives are available:

Measurem ent Settings 41
After exp., the display/software receives a new
value when the exposure terminates.
Continuous, the Piranha is continuously sending
data as long as radiation is detected. Values to the
display/software are updated about every
four seconds. Typically used for Fluoroscopy.
Timed, the user sets a measurement time. The
user then starts the measurement and the Piranha
will measure all radiation received during the
measurement time, without any trig levels. When
the time has passed, a reading will be presented.
Free run, the Piranha will continuously measure the
radiation without any trig levels.
Default value is set according to selected type of

measurement and this parameter normally never needs
to be manually changed, unless really low-level
measurements are to be accomplished.
Waveform The Piranha can sample a maximum of 2048 samples.

rec. time Ocean supports the full depth, but the QABrowser is only
able to show a total of 640 samples. The sampling
interval is normally 0.5 ms, giving a total measurement
window of 1024 ms in Ocean and 320 ms when using
the QABrowser. By increasing the sampling interval, a
much longer sampling window can however be
selected. This is very handy when longer exposure times
are used and the waveforms need to be viewed.
Start after delay When this is selected, the waveform recoding will start
after the set delay. This can be useful if you want to study
a phenomenon that occurs after the normal waveform
recording time. When this is selected the electrometer
waveform will not show simultaneously and you will get
a warning that the irradiation time measurement is
inaccurate. The reason for this is that the Piranha needs
the waveform from start to be able to accurately calculate
the irradiation time.
2.7.3 Settings - Internal detector

Here general measurement settings for the Internal detector are shown. You can find
information about the different parameters below.
Sensitivity This is used to set the dose and TF sensitivity for the Internal
Dose/TF detector.
The sensitivity can be set to: Low, High, and Very High.

Sensitivity kV This is used to set the kV sensitivity for the Internal detector.
The sensitivity can be set to: Low and High.
Delay The delay time defines how long time the Piranha shall wait before
starting to measure kVp after that radiation has been detected.
Window This gives the possibility to define a fixed time that Piranha
measures kVp after that the delay time has expired. Default value is
always "Infinite".
2.7.4 Settings - Other Detectors

Sensitivity This is used to set the sensitivity for the electrometer module. The
sensitivity can be set to: Low and High.
Threshold This is used to set the trig level. It can be set to Low (½×), Normal,
2×, 4×, and 8×. The default value is "Normal". The setting "Low" can
be used if low signals are measured and a lower trig level is
required. However, the risk for false triggering increases when "Low"
is used. To avoid false triggering in a noisy environment use one of
the "higher" threshold levels.
Normalize to Note: Only for dose detectors!

distance If Normalize to distance is checked, you have the option to normalize
the dose reading to any given distance. Here you can enter your
Source to Detector Distance (SDD) and a normalizing distance (SDD
Norm), that you want the dose normalized to. When this is activated
an "N" symbol will show on the RTD screen.

Chapter 3
Measurement Principles &
Theory
3. Measurem ent Principles & Theory
44
3 Measurement Principles & Theory

The QABrowser has a number of measurement algorithms and applications built-in.
This section describes some about the principles, how some values are calculated,
and the basic use of such measurements.
3.1 Overview of Capability for Measurement Modes

The following graph shows an overview of some common capabilities the different X-
ray measurement types have in the QABrowser.
HVL
Modality Estimated TF Quick-HVL
Application
Radiography OK OK OK
Cine/Pulsed exposure OK OK OK
Fluoroscopy OK OK OK
Pulsed Fluoroscopy OK OK OK
Mammography OK – OK
CT – OK OK
Dental OK OK OK
Panoramic Dental (OPG) OK OK OK
3.2 Update Modes

The following four update modes are available:
After exp., the QABrowser receives a new value when the exposure terminates.
This means when the output goes under the trig level and stays there at least the
time set by Post Delay under Settings | Piranha. Reset time is one second.
Continuous, the Piranha is continuously sending data as long as radiation is
detected. Displays in the QABrowser are updated about every four seconds.
Typically used for Fluoroscopy. Reset time is one second.
Timed, the user sets a measurement time. The user then starts the
measurement and the Piranha will measure all radiation received during the
measurement time, without any trig levels or background compensation. When
the time has passed, a reading will be presented. It has a long reset time for
increased accuracy, which varies with the sensitivity, as seen in the table below.
Free run, the Piranha will continuously measure the radiation without any trig
levels or background compensations. No applications are available when using
this mode. The mode has a feature called moving average which calculates the
average of the measured values during a defined time, to increase accuracy by
lowering the time resolution. This function gives a larger stability to the
measurements. Free run also has a long reset time for increased accuracy, see
the table below.
In Ocean the Normal Mode automatically handles After exp. and

Continuous modes.

Update Modes 45
Default value is set according to selected type of measurement and this parameter
normally never needs to be manually changed, unless really low-level measurements
are to be accomplished.
However, to measure on real low-level signals the Timed or Free run update mode
may be used
Reset Sample Min. WF Max. WF

Auto
time time rec. time rec. time
reset
Update mode (s) (ms) (s) (s)
After Exposure – 1 0.5-64 0.32 40
Timed (Low/High sens.) – 4 0.5-64 0.32 40
Timed (Very High sens.) – 30 20-2560 13 2000
Continuous Yes 1 0.5-64 0.32 40
Free run (Low/High sens.) – 4 0.5-64 0.32 40
Free run (Very High sens.) – 30 20-2560 13 2000
Note: The Sample time is the "resolution" of the w aveform, i.e. time betw een tw o samples.
Auto reset means that a reset is performed after each trig off.
Reset time is the time it takes to perform a reset each time you hit Reset.
Sample time is the time between individual data point of the waveform.
Waveform recording time is the range of user selectable recording times the Piranha
allows.
Note that in Timed and Free run you may get negative readings, for instance if you
press reset when a signal is present on the detector.
3.2.1 Using Timed Update Mode

The Timed mode can be very useful both for very low dose rate measurements as
well as for long duration measurements.
For extreme low-level dose measurements you can improve your reading by
subtracting the background level. First do a Timed measurement without exposing
the detector to radiation and then do the same with radiation. The timed mode will
use the same measuring time and the first reading can be subtracted from the first.
Just make sure not to do a Reset between these measurements, as the Reset will
also make an offset adjustment. Note also that low-level readings may give
inaccurate kV readings.
For long duration measurements, cases with slowly rising and falling output, or
cases with very low pulse rate, timed mode may also be useful. For instance on CT
machines where the rotation cannot be stopped.

46 Update Modes
3.2.2 Using Free Run Update Mode

Free run update mode works almost exactly as the ordinary Continuous update mode.
There are however two differences:
1. Since there is no trig level, you will be able to measure lower, but there will be no
time reading unless the signal goes over the trig level.
2. You can select a moving average function. This lets you set a time for moving
average, this time acts as a averaging window, moving through time.
Moving average
This function is intended for low level dose rate measurements where increased
sensitivity and stability is needed. The function uses a moving average algorithm
where the number of seconds is selected by the user.
During the reset process the user must make sure that the detector is not exposed to
radiation. After the reset procedure the Piranha will start to show a value calculated as
the sum of the last X values divided by X (X is the number of seconds chosen by the
user). For each new second that passes the last value in the stack will be discarded
and a new value added. This means of course that it will take X seconds before the
Piranha starts to show a valid value when the detector attached is exposed to a
steady radiation level. In the same way it will take X seconds for the Piranha to show a
zero value after the radiation has ended. Great care must be taken into choosing a
time constant fitted to the nature of the signal.
Example
If you set the time to 8 seconds, each reading, will be the mean of the reading of the
last 8 seconds. This means that it will take 8 seconds until the reading reaches a
started set radiation level.
3.3 Display Messages and Active Messages

Even though the range of the Piranha measurement system is quite wide, sometimes
the signal may get too low or too high. To inform you of this, there are display
messages. These are mainly of two types, Active or Passive. Active messages are
shown when the hardware settings can be adjusted to adapt the measurement
ranges. The active message will just inform you that it is making an automatic
adjustment and you can simply do another exposure/measurement. The active
messages can be disabled, see the following section.
The passive display messages indicate what the problem is and possible remedies
for them. These will show if there are no active messages, the active messages are
disabled, or when no more automatic adjustment can be done.
3.3.1 Active Messages

In some rare occasions it might be helpful to disable the active messages, for
instance if the detector signal is very noisy or there are pre-pulses that makes the
system auto-adjust erroneously.
Below the various active messages are shown. Make sure to follow the text shown,
Display Messages and Active Messages 47
since reset may be performed automatically. Otherwise do a Reset again.
High signal One or several detectors have too high signal.
Low signal The Piranha detects a signal but it is too low to

present a reliable result.
High kVp Measured tube voltage is higher than that of the

selected kV-range.
Low kVp Measured tube voltage is lower than that of the

selected kV-range.
3.3.2 Display Messages

High signal
One or several detectors have too high signal.
Lower the set sensitivity under settings.
Reduce the mA and/or increase the distance from tube to detector.
Exp. < Delay

The exposure time is too short compared to the delay time.
Increase the exposure time and/or reduce the values of delay and/or window time.
Keep in mind that the for the QABrowser, the type of measurement sets the delay time
value. The standard value for radiography use is 5 ms, but for dental it is 200 ms .
High kVp
Measured tube voltage is higher than that of the selected kV-range.
Change to a higher kV-range.
Low kVp
Measured tube voltage is lower than that of the selected kV-range.
Change to a lower kV-range.
Low Signal
The Piranha detects a signal but it is too low to present a reliable result.
Increase the mA and/or decrease the distance from X-ray tube to detector or
change the sensitivity for the dose parameter to High sensitivity or even Very High
sensitivity. Also the kV sensitivity can be changed. You find these settings if you tap
the symbol.
Reposition Detector
The radiation signal on D2 and D1 is not within 5 % (quota not between 0.95 to 1.05).
The most common reason for this is that the detector area is only partially irradiated,
the detector is tilted, or the filtration differs between D2 and D1 (e.g. heel effect).
Change the field size or move the detector into the central beam.

48 Display Messages and Active Messages
Negative Signal
The electrometer module detects a negative signal.
Most common is that the mAs-probe have been connected in the opposite direction
on the HV cable. Change the polarity of the current probe.
Also small negative drift created from the detector source, typically initially after
reset can give this message. Special care should be taken when using ionization
chambers, since it may take a few minutes before the initial drift of the electrometer
and detector has stabilized.
Do a Reset to clear the message.
This message does not appear in the Timed and Free run update modes.
3.4 Waveforms and Triggers

To get an understanding of how triggers, delays, and windows work, take a look at the
waveform below. This is what happens during a standard exposure:
1. The radiation starts, i.e. it goes over the detector's lowest trig level.
2. The signal reaches 50 % of its maximum. This is the starting point for the
irradiation time calculation. (The level is user adjustable.)
3. The signal reaches its maximum.
4. The Delay time is reached. (User adjustable.) kV integration window starts.
5. The Delay+Window time is reached. (User adjustable.) kV integration window
stops.
6. The signal goes below 50 % of its maximum. This is the end point for the
Irradiation time calculation. (The level is user adjustable.)
7. The radiation ends, i.e. it goes under the detector's lowest trig level.
8. If the signal has been below the trig level during all of Post delay, the exposure is
considered finished. All exposure readings are calculated.
Integrated signal (dose, mAs, etc.)

Waveform s and Triggers 49
Is the integration of all signal which means the area below the curve above from point
1 to 7. During the measurement (exposure) the accumulated signal (dose, etc) is
displayed where applicable.
Signal rate (dose rate, tube current, etc.)

During the measurement the mean signal for the last second is displayed. When the
measurement (exposure) is over, point 8 above, the mean signal for the whole
measurement is displayed. This signal rate is calculated as all integrated signal (as
described above) divided by the irradiation time. If no irradiation time is possible to
calculate, the radiation time is used instead.
This means that for long measurements you may see a change in the rate value
(dose rate, etc) when the measurement is finished, if the signal level was changed
during the measurement.
3.5 Measurement Principle for the Piranha

The following are the key features of the Piranha design:
Small size
Optimized filter packages for five different kV ranges
Very sensitive and wide dynamic range
Check filter for measurement geometry verification
Single exposure estimation of total filtration and Quick-HVL
Single exposure estimation of generator waveform type
The design of the detector package is very important to be able to measure kV and
dose correctly in the whole range of 20 to 155 kV.
The Piranha design makes it possible to measure small field sizes, less than 3 mm
width, and low output levels down to approximately 1 µGy/s. Basically the detector
packages consist of four separate electrometer channels connected to detectors D1,
D2, D3, and D4 and a moveable filter package that can change to one of six positions,
each a combination of different filters for the detectors. One of these positions is used
as a "check-filter". It has the same filter thicknesses for both D1 and D2. When the
detector is perfectly positioned and both detectors have the same radiation the ratio
between the two signals should thus be exactly "1.000". This is very useful
information, and testing this makes sure that your measurement geometry is fine,
giving reproducible readings. The other 5 filter pairs have different thicknesses all
optimized for different ranges of the tube voltage; two (1 and 2) are used for the low
mammography energy range 20 to 45 kV, and three filters (3 - 5) are used for the
radiography range 35 to 155 kV (35 - 75, 55 - 105, and 80 - 155 kV).
Using these four signals S1-S4 (from detectors D1 to D4) the Piranha can accurately
calculate the corresponding tube voltage. The signal S3 is not affected by the
moveable filters and is designed to measure the dose. This detector is marked by a
square inside the rectangular detector area on the top panel. The reference depth for
the sensitive area of the dose detector is 10 mm under the Piranha top panel
surface.
The detector D4 is placed directly under D3 with additional filter in between. The ratio
between S3 and S4 is used to estimate the total filtration for the radiography range.
50 Measurem ent Principle for the Piranha
Using these signals together more accurate dose and tube voltage readings can be
obtained.
Since all signals is measured simultaneously and with a relative high speed, the
Piranha can thus automatically compensate the kV and dose for the dependence of
the waveform and inherent/added tube filtration.

Chapter 4
Measurements with the
Piranha System
4. Measurem ents w ith the Piranha System
52 Introduction
4 Measurements with the Piranha System
4.1 Introduction
The Piranha system can, depending on model, measure up to eight parameters
simultaneously plus three waveforms from a single exposure:
kVp
Dose and dose rate
Exposure time
HVL
Estimated total filtration and determined waveform type
mAs and mA
pulses
kV waveform
Dose rate waveform
mA waveform
various pulsed fluoroscopy parameters
4.2 Radiography
Measuring the kVp on a radiographic units is straightforward since the Piranha can
automatically detect and compensate for variation in the radiation quality. It is also
easy to check that the detector area is fully and uniformly irradiated. Practically this
means that the kVp value can be measured in the range 1.0 to 50 mm of total
filtration.
Therefore the Piranha can be placed in the beam wherever you want, as long as it
passes the Position Check. It also has a very wide dynamic range so it very rarely
happens that the signal level is not enough to get a correct kVp value. The
radiography kV range is 35 to 155 kV.The displayed dose value has no energy
dependence since it is automatically compensated for each exposure since both the
kV, estimated filtration, and the waveform are measured.
4.2.1 kVp, Time, Dose, and Dose Rate

To measure on radiographic units:
1. Set up the Piranha and the handheld computer according to the description in
Setting Up the Piranha 11 .
2. Place the detector on the table at the distance that is clinically relevant.
3. It is recommended to make a check measurement at 70 kV to confirm that the

detector area is uniformly radiated.
The Piranha automatically changes back to the previous selected kV range.
4. Set kVp and mAs (or mA/time) to the desired values.
5. Make an exposure.

Radiography 53
6. Read the values.
4.2.2 Dose Measurements with Piranha Dose Probe

1. Place the Piranha Dose Probe in the field and connect the cable to the Piranha
input.
4. Read the values.
4.2.3 Quick-HVL and Total Filtration
Total filtration
The estimated Total filtration is measured with the Piranha internal detector, in one
exposure, simultaneously with all other parameters.
The estimated Total filtration is also in use for internal compensation of kV and dose
values.
Quick-HVL
The Quick-HVL is measured with the Piranha internal detector, in one exposure,
simultaneously with all other parameters.
4.3 Cine/Pulsed Radiography

For under-table cine measurement turn the Piranha upside-down.
The Position Check should be used to confirm the position. To be able to protect the
image intensifier from the relative high output cine pulses a lead apron can be placed
over the image intensifier input screen. The Piranha automatically measures the
number of pulses based on information from the radiation waveform. It uses a 50 %
trig level based on the maximum signal level.
4.3.1 kVp, Time, Dose, and Dose Rate

Use the same procedure as for the normal radiography measurement.
Note that if it is difficult to get a good pulse rate reading, you may use a manual pulse
rate setting, as described under Measurement Settings 37 to get a dose per pulse
reading.
4.3.2 Pulse Measurements with Piranha Dose Probe

Use the same procedure as for the normal radiography measurement. Note that if it
is difficult to get a good pulse rate reading, you may use a manual pulse rate setting,
as described under Measurement Settings 37 to get a dose per pulse reading.

54 Cine/Pulsed Radiography
4.3.3 HVL, Quick-HVL, and Total Filtration

Use the same procedure as for the normal radiography measurement.
Note that if it is difficult to get a good pulse rate reading, you may use a manual pulse
rate setting, as described under Measurement Settings 37 to get a dose per pulse
reading.
4.4 Fluoroscopy and Pulsed Fluoroscopy

For under-table fluoro measurement turn the Piranha upside-down. Use the optional
detector rod to be able to put the detector in the cassette holder or on the image
intensifier without risk of hazardous X-ray.
The Position Check should be used to confirm the position of the Piranha. When you
select fluoroscopy or pulsed fluoroscopy (as type of measurement) the Piranha
system automatically changes to continuously updating the display and using the
highest possible sensitivity.
If dose rate or image intensifier dose rate is selected the Piranha or external Dose
Probe can be used.
Normally the external Dose Probe is used to be able to measure the lowest possible
dose rate levels down to 0.1 µGy/s. Another reason to use the external Dose Probe is
that the detector is much smaller than the Piranha making it easier to position in front
of the image intensifier without affecting the measuring field for the mA feedback loop.
If the image intensifier manually can control the mA and kV, then you can use the
Piranha for measurements down to about 0.7 µGy/s. For pulsed fluoroscopy even
lower levels can be measured.
As a secondary parameter the total dose is accumulated. After you have turned off the
fluoroscopy unit, this value is used to calculate the average dose rate as total dose
divided by the exposure time.
Note that for very low dose rate values the exposure time cannot be measured
accurately and the last dose rate value cannot be stored automatically in the display.
Then tap Hold to "freeze" the current value in the display. The waveform is also
acquired when you tap Hold. Waveform is also automatically acquired when the
selected delay time expires.
Fluoroscopy and Pulsed Fluoroscopy 55
Select "I.I. input dose rate" as measuring parameter to be able to measure lowest
possible dose rate and tap Hold to "freeze" current value in the display. The total
accumulated dose is shoved after you have switched off the fluoroscopy unit.
4.4.1 Image Intensifier Input Dose Rate

Use patient equivalent phantom to measure the image intensifier input dose rate
according to manufacturer's specification:
1. Place the Piranha Dose Probe in front of the image intensifier but outside the
measuring field for the mA feedback loop. You may use the optional detector rod
that can be attached to Piranha Dose Probe to position the detector without risk for
hazardous X-ray exposure. Observe the image on the monitor.
Since the external dose probe (Piranha Dose Probe) is not sensitive to
back scatter, a lower value compared to a transmission ion chamber is
typically detected (typically in the range of 5 - 20 %).
You may use the b eam correction factor to make automatic corrections. The
b eam correction factor may also be stored permanently in a Favourite for
easy access.
2. Start the fluoroscopy.
3. The image intensifier input dose rate is measured and the display is updated
approximately every four seconds. Click Hold to "freeze" the currently shown value
in the display. The waveform is also acquired when Hold is activated. Release
Pause/Hold, the display will continue updating the display continuously.
4. Stop the fluoroscopy.
5. Read the values.
4.4.2 Pulsed Fluoroscopy

Select type of measurement in similar way as for normal continuously fluoroscopy to
setup the system.
Piranha is set-up for this application to calculate the number of pulses per second
(Hz or pps), the dose/pulse, and pulse dose rate. The picture below explain the
difference between the pulse dose rate and the traditional dose rate.
(Note that for DC waveform, pulse dose rate and dose rate gives the same value.)

56 Fluoroscopy and Pulsed Fluoroscopy
When measuring tube voltage on pulsed fluoroscopy there is an additional waveform
type available. This waveform type is called pulsed and is recommended for pulsed
fluoroscopy measurements, especially if the pulses are not square wave shaped,
since this can result in low tube voltage readings.
4.5 Mammography
This topic will describe how to measure kVp, dose, HVL, AGD (MGD), and time on a
mammography unit using the Piranha.
4.5.1 General
To measure kVp on a mammography unit is straightforward. This is true since the
Piranha automatically can detect whether the detector area is not fully uniformly
irradiated, by means of the Position Check. The mammography kV calibrations
available for the Piranha is ranging from 18 to 49 kV.
To be able to trust the kVp reading it is always very important to make

the Position Check to verify that the whole detector area is uniformly
irradiated. The Position Check is normally started automatically every
time you change Radiation Quality, but please make sure to do a
Position Check every time the Piranha is repositioned.
The kV and radiation waveform is always stored together with the RTD values and can
be displayed by tapping the Wave button. The kVp calibration for Piranha is made
without the compression paddle in place.
The purpose of dose measurement is often to determine the ESAK, Entrance Surface
Air Kerma (or ESE, Entrance Skin Exposure).
It is recommended to perform dose measurements according to a mammography

protocol. One is the "European Protocol on dosimetry in mammography EUR 16263
EN from the European commission". Chapter 3 in this protocol describes in detail the
determination of AGD, Average Glandular Dose (or MGD, Mean Glandular Dose). The
AGD is derived from measurements of the HVL and of the ESAK. Make use of
tabulated conversion factors from ESAK to AGD. See Average Glandular Dose, AGD
(MGD) 62 .

Mam m ography 57
4.5.2 Setting Up the Piranha for Mammography
To set up the Piranha:
1. Power on the Piranha using the power switch. Optionally you may connect the
power supply from the power outlet to the USB port.
2. Make sure that the image receptor is positioned at a clinically relevant distance
(typically 600 mm).
3. You should place the Piranha flat on the image receptor with its long axis parallel to
the chest wall making sure the centre of the detector surface is placed in the centre
of the light field, as shown in the pictures above (40 mm distance shown).
This placement of the Piranha makes the detector surface perpendicular to the
cathode/anode axis, to avoid influence from the heel effect.
For general mammography, it is important that the USB port points in the
patients left direction, as shown in picture.
To be able to get comparable results, please consider the position of the

Piranha. The Piranha should be placed at a clinically relevant distance from the

58 Mam m ography
chest wall. Recommendations for this varies, typically between 40 and 60 mm. For
Europe, 60 mm is the recommended distance (Ref. ECR 16263 EU).
4. Connect the devices.

Handheld: For Bluetooth (wireless) nothing is needed.
PC: connect the USB cable. For Bluetooth (wireless) attach the Bluetooth adapter to
the PC (if not built-in).
5. Power on the handheld computer or the PC.
Now everything is set up with the hardware. Please continue in one of the following
sections, depending on what you want to measure.
4.5.3 kVp, Time, and Dose Measurements with the Internal detector
Set up the Piranha and the handheld computer according to the description in Setting
Up the Piranha for Mammography 57 .
1. Select Type of Measurement and Parameter, as shown below.
2. Select the correct radiation (beam) quality.
3. Make a Position Check, as shown above. It is recommended to make the check at

28 kV. After the check the Piranha automatically changes back to the previously
selected kV range.
5. Make an exposure. The RTI logo flashes to indicate that the Piranha has detected
the exposure.
6. Read the values.
There are some mammographic units that are bit peculiar when it
comes to kV measurements, for instance The Hologic Selenia and IMS
Giotto. In those cases, RTI have updated Application Notes, and there
may be some even for other units. Please check the RTI Electronics
website (www.rtigroup.com) for the latest info. For Sectra MDM, Fischer
Senoscan and other scanning beam units, please see the section
Scanning Beam Mammography 63 .
4.5.4 Dose Measurements with the Piranha Dose Probe

It is often more convenient to use the Piranha to measure dose for a
mammography tube since no manual energy compensation has to be done,
as is the case with the Piranha Dose Probe (or TP compensation for an
ionization chamber).
Measuring procedure

Mam m ography 59
1. Place the Piranha Dose Probe in the field and
connect the cable to the Piranha input.
2. Set up the Piranha according to the description

in Setting Up the Piranha for Mammography 57 .
3. Follow the same step as for the measurements

with Piranha but select Dose as parameter. You
will also need to select the External detector.
4. Select radiation quality from the detector list.
5. Set kVp and mAs (or mA/time) to desired values.
7. Read the dose value. The dose reading has to be corrected manually according to
the Piranha Dose Probe DETECTOR DATA manual, unless set values for kV is
used in Ocean.
You may store the correction as a Beam Correction Factor in a Favourite for
a specific kV, to do the correction automatically.
To get a good HVL value, using the Piranha Dose Probe, you must
correct it according to the tables in the Piranha Dose Probe DETECTOR
DATA manual. It is often more convenient to measure HVL with the
Piranha using the built-in HVL application.
4.5.5 Quick-HVL
Quick-HVL
The Piranha is able to measure HVL for mammography in one shot. Quick-HVL is
available for measurements with or without compression paddle.
4.5.6 Mammo Compensations and Corrections

Here various corrections and compensations are described, that are of special
importance for mammography.

60 Mam m ography
4.5.6.1 Corrections for the Compression Paddle

The Piranha is well collimated above its small detector area, and will measure the
same whether the compression paddle is placed directly on top of the Piranha or high
above. This is NOT true for an ion chamber.
A factor has been introduced which enables the Piranha to take the scattered
radiation into consideration and produce measurement results as if it was an ion
chamber which senses the scattered radiation directly.
When an ion chamber is placed directly below the compression paddle, a relatively
constant scatter factor of 6 % is found. The factor is typical for ion chambers such as
Radcal 6M, PTW N23344, and Standard Imaging Magna 1cc.
Typically for a Mo/Mo beam energy, a 0.10 mm Al equivalent compression paddle is

used. That is equal to approximately 3 mm of plexiglass (PMMA).
For W/Al beam energy, an equivalent compression paddle of 0.18 mm Al is typically

used instead.
When comparing with typical mammographic ion chambers listed

above, you should multiply the Piranha dose value with a scatter factor of
1.06 to make it measure as an ion chamber directly below the
compression paddle.
More info about the correction for compression paddle can be found in Application
Note 1-AN-52020-2 from RTI Electronics AB. Please also see section Angular
Sensitivity, Piranha 24 for details on sensitivity in different directions.
4.5.6.2 Normalization
A normalization function is available which enables all measurements to be virtually
performed at the same distance, increasing productivity. According to European
protocol (ECR 16263 EU, 1996), ESAK should be measured 45 mm above the breast
support.
A practical consequence of usage of the normalizing function and scatter factor is that
the Piranha can be kept at the same position on the breast support all the time when
data is collected for AGD.
For an ion chamber it is not quite as easy because of the scatter contribution that is
not allowed during HVL measurement. The ion chamber and/or the compression
paddle must be moved to support good geometry.
More info about the correction and normalization function can be found in Application
Note 1-AN-52020-2 from RTI Electronics AB.

Mam m ography 61
4.5.6.3 Beam Correction Factor

Sometimes you may want to make comparable measurements with a known
mechanical setup.
Assume that you want to emulate ion chamber measurements in a particular

scattering situation. Then you can set a Beam Correction factor to get that reading like
you used to. In this case the ion chamber measures an extra 3 % from side and back-
scatter. Using this factor makes the readings to be the same. It is of course important
that the mechanical setup in these cases are the same.
You may use the Beam Correction factor to make compensations and
corrections of various nature. Examples might be: energy corrections,
angular corrections, field inhomogeneity corrections, etc. If you save this
setting as a Favourite, you can have a quick way of repeatedly making a
special measurement without any manual corrections.
4.5.6.4 Corrections for Angular Sensitivity

For mammography, the following correction table may be used at a SDD of 60 cm, if
the Piranha is placed flat on the breast support. (This assuming that the focal point is
situated at the chest wall, which normally is the case.)
You can find the product version on the label on the back side of your Piranha.
Distance from Correction for Piranha Correction for Piranha

chest wall v1.X v2.X and higher
(cm) (%) (%)
0 0 0
1 +1.9 +0.01
2 +3.8 +0.06
4 +7.6 +0.22
5 +9.5 +0.35
6 +11.5 +0.50
8 +15.3 +0.88
10 +19.1 +1.38
Rule of thumb for v1.X: add 2 % per centimeter from the chest wall at
60 cm SDD, i.e. for 4 cm use +8 % correction.
As seen for product version 2.X+, no correction is necessary.
You may use the Beam Correction Factor together with Favourites in
Ocean or QABrowser to automatically do a specific correction. See Beam
Correction Factor 61 .
See also Angular Sensitivity, Piranha 24 .

62 Mam m ography
4.5.7 Average Glandular Dose, AGD (MGD)

The AGD (average glandular dose) is derived from measurements of the HVL and of
the ESAK, entrance surface kerma (or ESE) making use of tabulated conversion
factors from ESAK (or ESE) to AGD (or MGD). The tabulated data has been derived
from Monte Carlo calculations and has been verified experimentally.
To determine the AGD a standard phantom should also be used when the ESAK (or
ESE) value is measured with the Piranha.
Correct measurement of the Average Glandular Dose (AGD) with the

Piranha
In most situations you can perform measurements for a mammographic unit with the
Piranha instead of a dedicated ion chamber. Since the Piranha compensates for
energy dependence, the readings are in direct comparison with readings from a
reference class ion chamber. When measuring the AGD you should always have the
compression paddle in place.
Important quantities to measure

The most common measurements for a mammographic system are conducted to
determine the average glandular dose (AGD). The AGD values are based on
measurements of ESAK (entrance surface air kerma) and HVL. To do the
measurements correctly and according to standards, the radiation detectors should
be placed directly below the compression paddle. This introduces extra scattered
radiation due to the compression paddle which is important to include when
determining ESAK. On the other hand, the HVL measurement should be done without
any scatter contribution and with good geometry.
HVL
The Piranha is well collimated above its small detector area. Due to this fact it
registers a narrower angle of the X-ray field and thus much less scattered radiation
compared to an ion chamber. It has built-in good geometry and is therefore ideal for
HVL measurements. Hence, the HVL filter can be placed on top of the compression
paddle without any extra collimation even at close distance to the Piranha. The
Piranha has a built-in HVL application which should be used to get accurate HVL
readings.
4.5.8 Mammographic Pre-pulses

Some mammography systems (e.g. GE DMR system) use a pre-pulse to determine
what radiation quality to use for a specific patient.
The time elapsing between the pre-pulse and the real exposure is usually about one
second. Therefore the default post-delay of 250 ms will not cover both the pre-pulse
and the real exposure. To get an overview of the signal output, set the post-delay to at
least 1 s and the waveform recording time to a corresponding time. It is important to
cover both signals. In this measurement setup, the Piranha will add the dose from
both pulses. This is OK if the radiation quality is not changed between the signals.
Mam m ography 63
If the Mammography unit changes the radiation quality after the pre-pulse however,
the kV and dose is affected and the pulses should be treated separately. To collect
data from real exposure, set the delay (not the post-delay) to exclude the pre-pulse.
When the data has been acquired, change the radiation quality to the one chosen by
the system and the measured data is automatically corrected. For the time being, this
feature is only present in the QABrowser software. With Ocean a new exposure has to
be made with the correct radiation quality using the same delay setting.
4.5.9 Scanning Beam Mammography

When measuring on scanning beam mammographic equipment, like for instance
Sectra MDM or Fischer Senoscan, two factors are very important.
1. You should place the Piranha flat on the image receptor. Then position it as
described in section Setting Up the Piranha for Mammography 57 .
2. Always perform a position check. This makes sure than any field imbalances are
corrected for.
3. If you use the compression paddle, make sure that you use the correct settings,
see section Corrections for the Compression Paddle 60 .
Please also see the CT section for measurement tips on scanning beams.
For Sectra L30, see special application note on the RTI Electronics website
(www.rtigroup.com).
4.6 Dental and Panoramic Dental

This topic will describe how to measure kVp, dose, and time for a Dental and
Panoramic Dental X-ray units using the Piranha only.
Set up the Piranha and the handheld computer according to the description in Setting
Up the Piranha 11 . To measure kVp for a dental unit is similar to measuring for a
radiography units with the difference that the output level is much lower and the total
filtration is normally around 2 mm Al.
The setup is straightforward and also to get the measured value. Most dental units is
still single phase self-rectified and has 100 % radiation and kV ripple. In the case of
one-phase dental units it is common that only the exposure time can be changed. In
most cases the set tube voltage and current is fixed to about 65 kVp and 8 mA. A
challenge can exist how to find a definition what measured value should be used.
Furthermore the radiation output and the kV waveform are not stable for the first
200 ms or so, because that the tube filament current in most cases is not regulated.
The definition of both what is the true kVp and exposure time cannot be as easily
determined without study the waveform and select appropriate measurement
parameters as delay and window. Introducing small CCD detectors instead of film
also demands carefully calibration of single phase dental systems. The tube voltage
waveform is collected from 200 ms after start trig and the kVp is calculated based on
the measuring window equal the remaining part of the exposure time.
The dose value is collected for the whole exposure time. If you need to change the
64 Dental and Panoram ic Dental
sensitivity, delay, or/and measuring window, tapto show the settings and make your
choices.
In the case of dental panoramic system the situation is somewhat different. Here the
kV and radiation waveform often is very well regulated.
The challenges instead arise for the mechanical setup needed to position the
detector in right position. The small and narrow field is only a few millimetres. The
Piranha detector has very narrow detector area and is very thin and a special holder
(optional) can be used to position the Piranha without any problem. Panoramic units
that use digital detectors have much smaller detector area and magnets cannot and
should not be used close to the detector area.
Special fixation rods for the head should be placed so that they are not in the beam
during the scan or can hit the detector. In most cases the control panel have a special
scan mode without X-ray so the mechanical set up can be tested.
Another important issue to be aware of is that a dental panoramic system normally

compensates the for the thicker penetrating neck region in the patient when it makes
its scan. This means that some units actually increase its tube voltage a short
moment during the scan, other use different mA or scan speeds when the scanning
beam passes the neck region. Newer digital system can actually measure patients X-
ray beam attenuation dynamically and change the output level automatically during
the scan.
The Piranha has addressed these challenges. Since the panoramic scan has an
exposure time of about 10 to 20 seconds, the Piranha is set up to continuously
update the display during the scan. It is preferable to select a single parameter
display and angle the Palm holder, making it easy to read the values during the scan,
from a distance.
You can always trust the kV reading of a dental measurement. This is true since
Piranha can automatically detect whether the detector area is not fully uniformly
radiated or not by means of the Position Check, and also compensates for the beam
Dental and Panoram ic Dental 65
filtration during the scan.
You can either select the tube voltage as single parameter or together with dose,
dose rate, and exposure time. As complementary information an estimation of the
total filtration in the beam and type of waveform are made. This features use the kVp
filter R1[4] that also is the default kV range 55 - 105 kV when the instrument is turned
on. The displayed dose value has very little energy dependence since it is
automatically compensated for each exposure since the kV, estimated filtration and
the waveform are measured.
4.6.1 Waveforms
The example below explains why a change of delay change the value of measured
kVp and the kV and radiation waveform on a one phase dental unit.
Delay = 0 ms Delay = 200 ms Delay = 500 ms

From the study of the above three screens several conclusions can be made:
1. A stable output level is not reached until after approximately 200 to 300 ms (20 to
30 pulses for a 50 Hz main based dental unit).
2. The exposure time is depending on the definition of the trig level.
3. The kVp value in the RTD is related to selected delay and window and is several kV
higher in the beginning of the exposure at the same time as the radiation level is
relative low here. Therefore a delay of 200 ms is default for the Piranha.
If the signal to the detector is too low to give a correct kV value, this part of
the waveform will be blank. This is the reason why only the upper parts of
the kV waveform is displayed. To see more of the waveform, change the
kV range.
4.7 CT
4.7.1 CT kVp
To measure kVp on a CT is many times difficult since with most meters it is required
to stop the tube in the top position at the same time as the table is not moving. This
can normally not be obtained using an available standard clinical program. Instead a
service mode must be used. Another problem is to "find" the beam, especially when
using a small slice width. All these problems are minimized when using the Piranha

66 CT
since it can "move with the table" through the beam while the tube is in the top
position. This is can easily be obtained by measuring while a topogram (scout/pilot
image) is taken. A topogram is obtained with a moving table and a stationary tube,
normally in the top position. The topogram is normally used to provide information for
the actual CT scan. It is recommended to use a slice width of 3 mm or wider. That is,
if selectable use as large slice width as possible.
You may also want to use the Timed mode to allow measurements on moving CT
machines, see section Update Modes 44 .
To measure CT kVp:
2. Place the detector on the patient bed in a

region that is irradiated during the
topogram process. Place the Piranha in the
direction indicated by the figure below. That
is, the Piranha detector surface rectangle
should be placed perpendicular to the
scanning direction.
You may use the lasers to align the Piranha

correctly.
3. Select Tube voltage.

The following calibrations are available:
C1 = W/3.0 mm Al
C2 = W/3.0 mm Al + 0.25 mm Cu (optional)
C3 = W/3.0 mm Al + 1.2 mm Ti (optional)
C4 = GECT
C5 = Toshiba Aquillion
4. Make a check of the position of the Piranha by using the Position Check function.
5. Set up the CT to make a topogram.
6. Start the topogram program. If the procedure includes more than one topogram you
may abort after the one taken with the tube in the top position.
If the Piranha is positioned in a correct way, the position is accepted and the real-
time display is shown again. If not check the position of the Piranha and/or
increase the slice width if possible.
7. You are now ready to measure. Repeat the topogram program to measure kVp.

CT 67
The exposure time you measure is not related to the actual "radiation time". It is the
time it takes for the detector to "pass through" the CT X-ray field when the table
moves when it is acquiring the topogram.
4.8 Tube Current Probes

The mAs probes are used to measure mAs (current time product) and mA (tube
current). Tube current is normally measured only for fluoroscopy or when long
exposure times are possible to allow read-out during the exposure. When tube
current is presented for exposures it has been calculated from the measured mAs
and from measured exposure time.
For pulsed fluoroscopy it is possible to measure pulse mA in addtion to the mA value.

The difference between the pulse mA and the traditional mA is explained in the picture
below.
(Note that for DC w aveform , pulse m A and m A gives the sam e value.)
You can measure mAs as a single parameter or multi-parameter together with the
Piranha. When using only the mAs-probe the measurement always starts when the
mAs-probe detects a signal. When using multi-parameter you can choose to trig
individually or to trig with the Piranha:
Individually: The mAs-probe starts to measure as soon as the tube current is

detected. The Piranha starts to measure as soon as it detects the radiation.
Normally will the mAs-probe start to measure first since tube current first charges
the HV cables before it "reaches" the tube and radiation is generated.
Piranha: Both the mAs-probe and the Piranha starts to measure at the same time;
when the Piranha detects radiation. This is the easiest way to measure since there
is almost no risk for false triggering.
It is important to be aware of that measured mAs-values may differ depending on

which trig method is used. Especially when measuring low mAs values the difference
may be significant when comparing the two methods or comparing to "traditional"
mAs meters. The value you get when triggering on the tube current (Individual trig)
corresponds to the total mAs supplied from the generator. A part of that has been
used to charge the cables and the rest has reached the tube and contributed to the
exposure and the image. When you use Piranha trig you measure only the mAs that
actually contributes to the exposure and the generation of the image.
The discussion above is generally true for the invasive MAS-1 probe since it is
68 Tube Current Probes
connected in the transformer and measures "all" current. The non-invasive probes,
MAS-2 and MAS-3, can be placed anywhere on the HV cable. If they are placed close
to the tube they will measure only the current that floats through the tube and
contributes to the radiation and the choice of trig source will have limited influence on
the measured values.
When measuring on fluoroscopy the trig source has no influence and it is

recommended to trig on the Piranha.
4.8.1 MAS-1, Invasive mAs Probe

This section describes how to measure the tube current and charge as a single
parameter. This means that the measurement starts when the mAs-probe detects the
tube current. The measurement is performed in the same way if you use a multi-
parameter display. In that case the default trig is the Piranha and what is said below
about false triggering can be ignored.
The MAS-1 probe provides an invasive way

to measure mA and mAs on X-ray
generators. The MAS-1 probe should be
connected to the X-ray generator mAs
socket. The figure to the left shows the
Piranha MAS-1 Probe. Read the MAS-
1User's Manual for a detailed description on
how to connect it.
To measure tube charge (mAs) with the Piranha MAS-1 Probe
1. Connect the MAS-1 probe to the X-ray generator as described in the MAS-1 User's
Manual.
2. Connect the MAS-1 probe to the external probe input.
3. Place the Piaranha internal detector in the X-ray field as for a normal exposure and
continue measure as for a standard measurement.
If you get a message about Negative Signal, the current is floating in the wrong
direction in the mAs probe. Switch the two connectors that are connected in the mAs
measuring socket, do a Reset and make a new exposure.
Since the MAS-1 probe is connected in the X-ray generator false triggering may occur
due to electrical noise when the pre-heat is started and the anode starts to rotate. If
you get incorrect or inconsistent results try the following:
First start anode rotation without firing the exposure.

While the anode is rotating do a Reset or press the corresponding button. Make
Tube Current Probes 69
the exposure when the reset procedure is finished.
The MAS-1 probe can also be used for measurement of tube current during
fluoroscopy.
To measure fluoroscopy tube current with the Piranha MAS-1 Probe
Do as for tube charge (mAs) as described above, but please note that for low mA
values the mAs and the exposure time may not be measured.
4.8.2 MAS-2, Non-invasive mAs Probe

This section describes how to measure mAs, using the Piranha in the x-ray beam to
trigger the measurement. This means that the measurement starts when the Piranha
detects the radiation.
The MAS-2 probe uses a current clamp probe to measure mAs and mA non-
invasively.
The MAS-2 probe is mostly used for mAs
measurements since it is not sensitive
enough to measure tube current on
fluoroscopy. The lowest tube current that can
be measured with MAS-2 is 10 mA. The
figure to the left shows the MAS-2 probe
without the cable.
The parameter mAs is available for most type
of measurements but mAs is normally
measured only for X-ray exposures.
To measure tube charge (mAs) with the Piranha MAS-2 Probe
1. Connect the MAS-2 probe to the X-ray generator. Then power on the MAS-2 by
turning the range switch to the 4 A range and make a Reset of the MAS-2 probe by
pressing the yellow knob on the probe.
2. Connect the MAS-2 adapter cable to the Piranha.
3. Place the Piranha internal detector in the X-ray field as for a normal exposure and
continue measure as for a standard measurement.
4. Make sure to use the Piranha internal detector as trig source. This will make the
system trigger on the radiation, and thereby avoid self-triggering by ground loops in
the high tension cables.

70 Tube Current Probes
5. Do a Reset before the first exposure.
If you get a message Negative Signal, the mAs probe is probably connected in the
wrong direction. Change the direction of the mAs probe, press the Reset button on
the mAs probe, do a Reset, and make a new exposure.
If using Individual trig

Since the MAS-2 probe is based on measurement of magnetic flux, false triggering
may occur due to electrical noise when the pre-heat is started and the anode starts to
rotate. If you get incorrect or inconsistent results try the following:
First start anode rotation without firing the exposure.

While the anode is rotating tap Reset or press corresponding button. Make the
exposure when the reset procedure is finished.
4.9 Light Measurement

The Piranha Light Probe is a highly sensitive light detector. It has two different
adapters to measure the quantities luminance and illuminance. The most common
applications for the Piranha Light Probe are luminance (cd/m²) measurements on
CRTs (monitors) and viewing boxes, and illuminance (lx) measurements of ambient
light in a room or in front of a CRT. Read the Piranha Light Probe User's Manual for a
detailed description of practical use and explanation of the theory behind the units
and quantities of light.
The monitor adapter is shown to the left and the lux adapter to the right.

Light Measurem ent 71
4.9.1 Luminance - Monitor/Viewbox (cd/m²)

Read the Piranha Light Probe User's Manual to get information about how to do
different type of measurements and how to use the different adapters.
To measure luminance (cd/m²):
1. Attach the monitor adapter to the Piranha Light Probe as described in the Piranha
Light Probe User's Manual.
2. Connect the Piranha Light Probe to the Piranha.
4. Make a Reset. Place the Piranha Light Probe onto the surface where you want to
measure the luminance.
5. Press and hold the shutter. Read the value. You can now move the Piranha Light
Probe to other points and continue measure the light.
4.9.2 Illuminance - Ambient Light (lx)

Read the Piranha Light Probe User's Manual to get information about how to do
different type of measurements and how to use the different adapters.
To measure illuminance (lx):
1. Attach the lux adapter to the Piranha Light Probe as described in the Piranha Light
Probe User's Manual.
2. Connect the Piranha Light Probe to the Piranha.
4. Cover the white light-sensitive area of the Piranha Light Probe to shield off all light
(you may use the rubber part that comes with the Piranha Light Probe-M if
available). It is very important that you shield off all light. Then make a Reset. After
that you can remove the shield and place the light detector where you want to
measure the ambient light.
5. Read the value. You can now move the Piranha Light Probe-L to other points and
measure the ambient light.

Chapter 5
Problems and Solutions
5. Problem s and Solutions
73
5 Problems and Solutions
5.1 Troubleshooting
Before contacting your distributor or RTI Electronics, please check the following tips.
A. Check the RTI web page for updates http://www.rtigroup.com.
B. Run through the checklist below.
The Piranha does not work

Check:
1. Check that the motor moves properly or can beep. (QABrowser: Setup | System
Test).
The Piranha filter seem to have stuck

1. Start the QABrowser and run the filter test. (QABrowser: Setup | System Test)
2. Hold the Piranha in you right hand by the cable edge.
3. When the motor is trying to move, tap the Piranha's left long edge in the palm of
your left hand until it comes free.
The electrometer does not give a reading

Check:
1. That the correct input connector is used and connected.
2. That probe cables look healthy.
The electrometer gives numerous trig indications

If you get the trig indicator ("play" symbol) when there is no signal:
1. Press reset.
2. If it comes over and over you may need to increase the trig level, by raising the
threshold, see topic Measurement Settings 37 .
The electrometer or Piranha gives too low dose rate

If you get to low dose rate readings or too short irradiation times for short
exposures:
1. Check that you are measuring with a good geometry, where the incoming
radiation is perpendicular to the detector surface. See Specifications, Piranha 13 for
details.
Installation or upgrade of RTI Updater failed

Make sure you are not having a restricted user account (on Windows XP, 2000, or
newer). You will need to have access to an administrative account to install the
software, see section Windows Restricted User Accounts 76 for details.

74 Troubleshooting
My Piranha cycles its status indicator quickly between colours and does not
measure
Your system is in Bootloader mode. Please run RTI Updater to correct this.
My Piranha beeps twice quickly when starting

The Piranha normally beeps once when starting. If it beeps twice quickly when
powering on, run RTI Updater to correct this.
Bluetooth unable to reconnect using Retry

Tap Exit and restart the Piranha and then re-start the QABrowser again.
Bluetooth only shows "Unknown device" when trying to connect

Depending on Palm model it may take a little while for the serial number to appear,
the Piranha will appear as "Unknown device". Normally it will show the serial
number if you wait a while.
Can I set the time before the Handheld powers off automatically?
Yes, there is a preference setting for this (pull-down menu | Setup | Preferences),
in the QABrowser preferences.
How do I reset the Handheld computer?

There is a small reset hole on the back of the Handheld computer, use the stylus
(pointer) to reset.
C. Contact your local representative or see Notice for contact information to RTI
Electronics AB. The more information you supply will help us to get a quick solution to
your problem. Examples of useful information is screen dump pictures, exact error
message texts, log files, etc. You may also use the auto-report function described in
the section How To Report a Problem 79 .
5.2 Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a wireless way of communication between your PC/handheld and your
meter. The Piranha has built-in support for this, but with the Barracuda you need the
Barracuda Serial Bluetooth Module accessory. A Palm OS handheld also has built-in
support for Bluetooth but a PC may or may not have built-in support for Bluetooth. If
the PC does not have built-in Bluetooth support you will need a Bluetooth adapter
(that you connect to the USB port) for instance the D-Link DBT-120 or DBT-122.
The range of Bluetooth is about 10 meters (32 feet) in free air for a class 2 Bluetooth
adapter (like the D-Link DBT-122), for a class 1 Bluetooth adapter (like the Targus
ACB20EU) the theoretical range is up to 100 metres. This can be significantly shorter
if there are walls and other objects obstructing the signal.
Bluetooth and a Palm OS handheld works out of right out of the box, while using
Bluetooth and PC usually requires some work. If it is possible for you to use a USB
cable with your PC and meter then this is recommended.

Bluetooth 75
5.2.1 Bluetooth Passkey

There are two different ways to use Bluetooth with you meter, without a passkey and
with a passkey (also called PIN code, authentication, and Bluetooth security code). All
meters and accessories that are delivered from RTI Electronics from the first quarter
of 2010 are configured to use a passkey (0000).
Drawbacks of using a Passkey

If you enable a passkey you might experience some drawbacks.
If you use your meter (with Bluetooth communication) with more than one PC or
with a PC and a Palm OS handheld you might need (depending on your hardware)
to add the meter (also called to pair a device, or to add as a trusted device) with the
PC/handheld every time you have used another PC or handheld with the meter.
With a Palm OS handheld you cannot just simply start the QABrowser with
Bluetooth. You need to first add the meter as a trusted device. And if you have used
the meter with another handheld or PC (using Bluetooth) you will need to add the
meter as a trusted device again.
New hardware which supports multiple devices

Piranha with product version 3.0 (which started shipping around spring 2009) and
higher, and product version 2.5.4 supports multiple Bluetooth devices, which means
that you can use it with both a PC and handheld without additional steps.
Advantages of using a Passkey

Works with Windows Vista and Windows 7-8.
Increased security
The main reason to change so that you use a passkey is if you are going to use
Bluetooth communication and Windows 7-8, Vista, or Windows XP and a Bluetooth
adapter where you cannot disable authentication. But we recommend that you use a
USB cable if you can.
If you want to use a passkey and have previously not been using one, you need to
reconfigure your Piranha/Barracuda Serial Bluetooth module. Detailed instructions
are available later on in this manual.
5.2.2 Enable Bluetooth Passkey

Before you enable the use of a Bluetooth passkey please read the section about
Bluetooth passkeys and the drawbacks of using a passkey.
You enable and disable passkeys by using the RTI Updater application (requires
version 2008.6A or later) which is available on your RTI Software & Documentation
CD and the RTI website (www.rtigroup.com).
1. Connect your meter using the USB cable. If you are using a Barracuda then also
connect the Barracuda Serial Bluetooth Module.
76 Bluetooth
2. Launch RTI Updater from the RTI Electronics folder in the Windows start menu.
3. Select the USB connection. You cannot use a Bluetooth connection when you want
to change the Bluetooth configuration. A Bluetooth connection is shown as COMxx.
4. Wait for RTI Updater to finish with the startup procedure. After a while when it is
ready the Start button will be enabled.
5. Select Settings | Advanced from the menu.
6. Now select the Tools menu.
7. If you want to enable the use of a passkey select Enable Bluetooth Passkey. If you
experience problems with this, then you probably need to update you meter
firmware before you can enable the Bluetooth passkey. Please run the available
updates (by pressing Start) and then restart the application again to enable the
Bluetooth passkey.
8. Follow the onscreen instructions.
If you want to disable the Bluetooth passkey do the same thing but select Disable
Bluetooth Passkey instead. If you are asked for a PIN code during the startup do not
enter a PIN code, just cancel instead. Because if you do, you will have activated your
Bluetooth and RTI Updater cannot reconfigure the Bluetooth module when it is active.
5.3 Windows Restricted User Accounts

If you only have a restricted user account (e.g. not an account with administrator
privileges) for your computer you will need to contact your network administrator so
that the administrator can help you with installing the software needed for your
Piranha.
If you are an administrator trying to install the software for a user, read the instructions
below in order to find out what you need to do in order to enable the restricted user to
be able to run the RTI applications.
All necessary software is included on your Piranha CD, except the Palm Desktop (not
shipped by RTI Electronics, due to legal reasons) which you will find on the CD that is
shipped with your Palm OS handheld.
5.3.1 Which Applications are Needed?

The necessary applications differs depending on if the user is going to use only
Ocean (measurement software for the Windows platform) or if the user is also going
to use (or only use) the QABrowser (measurement software for the Palm OS
handheld platform).
Only Ocean (Windows platform)

Ocean only requires that you install the Ocean software, but also note that there are
some other utilities (RTI Updater) that the user will need in the future, in order to
update the software located in the Piranha instrument (firmware).
QABrowser (Palm OS and Windows platform)

In order to properly use the QABrowser and to be able to use the Palm OS handheld
Window s Restricted User Accounts 77
the user will need the Palm Desktop software (available on the CD shipped with the
handheld). The Palm Desktop software makes it possible for the user to HotSync
data (like contacts, memos, and QABrowser measurements logs) and other
applications to the handheld from the users PC.
Attention!
Always start by installing the Palm Desktop software before you install any of the RTI
Electronics AB software. And check that the HotSync works properly by performing a
HotSync with the Palm OS handheld. Instructions on how to install Palm Desktop and
performing a HotSync are shipped with the Palm OS handheld, usually in a "Read this
first" booklet.
After the Palm Desktop software is installed and working properly you will also need:
The Support File Package (available on the Piranha CD). This contains the run time
libraries and components that is required by RTI Updater and other RTI Electronics
utilities and an addition to the Palm Desktop software (from Palm Source) that is
required for data synchronization with the handheld.
QABrowser Updater (available on the Piranha CD), which contains an application
that updates the files on the handheld, the Excel Add-in (Excel macro), and the
software (Palm OS conduit) that transfers the QABrowser measurement logs from
the handheld.
RTI Updater
The RTI Updater application is used for updating the built-in software (firmware) of the
Piranha. This is needed if the user is going to update either the Ocean or QABrowser
software in the future, since updates to those applications usually also requires that
the firmware of the Piranha is updated. Please note that the RTI Updater application
requires the Support File Package (also required by the QABrowser software).
Software updates for the different applications are available for download from the RTI
website (www.rtigroup.com).
5.3.2 Installing the Software

Start by logging in as an administrator on the computer that you wish to install the
software on.
If you are going to install QABrowser, make sure that you have installed the Palm
Desktop software and that it is working properly.
If you have just purchased your Piranha and are a new user, you can use the Piranha
CD that is shipped with your Piranha.
If you are only installing Ocean, goto Install and select Ocean to start the
installation.
If you are installing only QABrowser, then goto Install and select Minimal
Installation. This will install the Support File Package, QABrowser, and then RTI
Updater.

78 Window s Restricted User Accounts
If you want to install both oRTIgo and QABrowser select Full Installation. This
option will install Support File Package, QABrowser, Ocean, and RTI Updater.
For more information about the different installers please refer to the Updating the
Piranha Firmware 33 topic and the Installation chapter of the Ocean manual. Note
that the programs will be available for all users of the computer. After the installations
are done you will need to give these users some additional permissions to the
directory where you installed the software, see Setting Necessary Rights 78 .
5.3.3 Setting Necessary Rights

The applications from RTI Electronics AB requires that you give the users "Read &
Execute" and "Write" permissions to the directory where you installed the applications.
Since all applications by default are installed in an "RTI Electronics" directory in the
"Program Files" directory, the easiest way to accomplish this is by giving the user
those permissions to the entire "RTI Electronics" directory. Do that by using Windows
Explorer and navigate to the program files directory and right click the "RTI
Electronics" folder and select "Properties".
In the properties dialogue,

go to the Security tab and
make sure that the
checkboxes for both "Read
& Execute" and "Write" are
checked for the user group
or user that will be using the
software.

Window s Restricted User Accounts 79
If they are not checked,
check them and then click
OK.
5.4 How To Report a Problem

There is a way of automatically sending technical support information to RTI
Electronics AB when you are experiencing problems with the QABrowser.
This is how you use that functionality:

1. HotSync the Palm handheld that you are experiencing the problem with.
2. On your PC, go to Start Menu | All Programs | RTI Electronics | QABrowser
Updater and click Send Support Information.
3. A dialogue window will be shown. Please enter a description of the problem.
The more information you give, we will have better chances of reproducing the
problem and finding a solution to it.
4. Click Send to send the auto-generated email.

Chapter 6
Glossary
6. Glossary
81
6 Glossary
Absorbed dose (D)
The energy imparted per unit mass by ionizing radiation to matter at a specified point.
The SI unit of absorbed dose is joule per kilogram (J/kg). The special name for this
unit is gray (Gy). The previously used special unit of absorbed dose was the rad. 1 rad
= 0.01 Gy. 1 Gy = 100 rad. (See Report No. 82, NCRP, 1985b.)
SI unit: Gy = J/kg
Absorbed dose rate (D')
absorbed dose per unit time. Absorbed dose rate is determined as the quotient of dD
by dt, where dD is the increment of absorbed dose in the time interval dt: D'=dD/dt. A
unit of absorbed dose rate is any quotient of the gray or its multiples or submultiples
by a suitable unit of time (Gy/s, mGy/h, etc.).
SI unit: Gy/s = J/kg·s
Absorption, energy
Phenomenon in which incident radiation transfers to the matter which it traverses
some or all of its energy.
Activity
The number of nuclear transitions occurring in a given quantity of radioactive material
per unit time. The SI unit of activity is s -1. The special name for the unit of activity is
becquerel (Bq). The previously used special unit of activity was the curie (Ci). 1 Bq =
2.7 x 1010 Ci. 1 Ci = 3.7 x 1010 Bq. (See Report No. 82, NCRP, 1985b.)
SI unit: Bq = s -1
Additional filtration
ADDED FILTERS and other removable materials in the RADIATION BEAM which are
between the RADIATION SOURCE and the PATIENT or a specified plane.
See also filter.
Air kerm a
See kerma.
Alum inium equivalent or Alum inium Attenuation Equivalent (AAE)
The thickness of aluminum affording the same attenuation, under specified
conditions, as the material in question.
Anode
In a X-ray tube, electrode to which electrons forming a beam are accelerated and
which usually contains the target.
Aperture
(e.g., for computed tomography) - the opening in the collimation that allows radiation
to reach the detector.
Area exposure product
Product of the area of a cross-section of a radiation beam and the averaged exposure

6. Glossary
82
over that cross-section.
SI unit: Gy·m²
Attenuation
The reduction of radiation intensity upon passage of radiation through matter.
Autom atic exposure control (AEC)
In an X-ray generator, mode of operation in which one or more loading factors are
controlled automatically in order to obtain at a preselected location a desired quantity
of radiation.
Autom atic exposure rate control
In an X-ray generator, mode of operation in which the rate of emitted radiation is
controlled automatically by control of one or more loading factors in order to obtain at
a preselected location and in a preselected loading time a desired quantity of
radiation.
Beam lim iting device
Device to limit the radiation field.
Becquerel (Bq)
The special name for the SI unit of activity. One becquerel is one reciprocal second or
1 s -1. 3.7 × 1010 Bq = 1 Ci.
Bootloader
General: a program that does the job of loading the OS kernel of a computer.
Piranha bootloader: Miniature program stored in cabinet and modules which normally
just starts the Firmware. It is used more when the Firmware is updated. See
Firmware.
Centigray
0.01 gray. 1 cGy equals one rad.
Cinefluorography
The production of motion picture photographic records of the image formed on the
output phosphor of an image intensifier by the action of X-rays transmitted through the
patient (often called cineradiography).
Cineradiography
Indirect radiography of moving objects usually in rapid series on cine film.
Collim ator
See beam limiting device.
Com pensating filter
Filter used in order to modify the distribution of absorbed dose rate over the radiation
field.
Com puted tom ography (CT)
An imaging procedure that uses multiple X-ray transmission measurements and a
computer program to generate tomographic images of the patient.

6. Glossary
83
Continuous m ode
For an X-ray generator, mode of loading an X-ray tube continuously as in radiotherapy
or in radioscopy.
Conversion factor (of an im age intensifier)
The quotient of the luminance of the output phosphor of the image intensifier divided
by the kerma rate at the input phosphor.
SI unit: cd/m² / Gy/s = cd·s/Gy·m²
CT
See Computed Tomography
CT num ber
One of a set of numbers on a linear scale which are related to the linear attenuation
coefficients calculated by a computed tomographic device. One of the specific set of
CT numbers on a scale from -1000 for air to +1000 for bone, with water equal to zero,
which is called a Hounsfield unit.
Curie (Ci)
The previously used special unit of activity equal to 3.7 × 1010 per second. 1 Ci =
3.7 × 1010 Bq.
Dead m an sw itch
A switch so constructed that a circuit-closing contact can be maintained only by
continuous pressure on the switch.
Dental panoram ic radiographic
Direct radiography of a part of or the complete dentition by the use of an intra-oral X-
ray tube. See also Orthopantomography.
Diagnostic source assem bly
A diagnostic source housing (X-ray tube housing) assembly with a beam limiting
device attached. This assembly shall be so constructed that the leakage radiation air
kerma measured at a distance of one meter from the source does not exceed 1 mGy
(0.1 rad) in one hour when the source is operated at its leakage technique factors.
(See definition).
Digital radiography
A diagnostic procedure using an appropriate radiation source and an imaging system
which collects processes, stores, recalls, and presents image information in a digital
rather than analogue fashion.
Digital subtraction
An image processing procedure used to improve image contrast by subtracting one
digitized image from another.
Dose equivalent (H)
A quantity, defined for radiation protection purposes, which is the product of the
absorbed dose to the tissue and a quality factor "Q" determined by the properties of
the radiation that produced the absorbed dose. For X-rays, gamma rays, and
6. Glossary
84
electrons, Q = 1 and dose equivalent values are numerically equal to absorbed dose
values when consistent units are used for both quantities. The SI unit for dose
equivalent is joule per kilogram. The special name for the SI unit of dose equivalent is
sievert (Sv). The previous special unit of dose equivalent was the rem. One sievert
equals 100 rem.
SI unit: Sv = J/kg
Dose rate m eter
Radiation meter intended to measure absorbed dose per unit time.
Dosem eter
Radiation meter intended to measure absorbed dose.
Effective dose equivalent (HE)
Quantity used to express the weighted DOSE EQUIVALENT to the whole body when it
is irradiated non uniformly or partially.
Exposure (X)
A measure of the quantity of X-ray or gamma radiation based upon its ability to ionize
air through which it passes. The SI unit of exposure is coulomb per kilogram. The
previously used special unit of exposure was röntgen (R). 1 R = 2.58 × 10-4 C·kg-1
(exactly). The physical quantity exposure is now replaced by
the quantity kerma in air. An exposure of 114.1 R is equal to an Air Kerma of 1 Gy. That
means that the value in R should be multiplied by 8.76 to get the Air Kerma in mGy.
SI unit: C/kg
Exposure rate (X')
Exposure per unit time. Exposure rate is determined as the quotient of dX by dt, where
dX is the increment of exposure in the time interval dt: X' = dX/dt. A unit of exposure
rate is any quotient of the unit of exposure or its multiples or submultiples by a
suitable unit of time ((C/kg)/s, (mC/kg)/h, etc.).
SI unit: C/kg·s
Filter
In radiological equipment, material or device provided to effect filtration of the radiation
beam.
SI unit: mm
Filter: Inherent filter
The filter permanently in the useful beam; it includes the window of the X-ray tube and
any permanent enclosure for the tube or source. Replaced by term Permanent filter
Filter: Added filter
Filter in addition to the inherent filtration.
Filter: Perm anent filter
The filter permanently in the useful beam; it includes the window of the X-ray tube and
any permanent enclosure for the tube or source.

6. Glossary
85
Filter: Total filter
The sum of the permanent and added filters.
Firm w are
General: The operating system and software installed on a small device. Sometimes
called embedded software.
Piranha firmware: Program stored in cabinet and modules which handles all control
of measurement electronics. Can be updated, then a special part of the firmware
called bootloader, is used. See Bootloader.
Fluorography
The production of a photographic record of the image formed on the output phosphor
of an image intensifier by the action of X-rays transmitted through the patient.
Fluoroscopy
Technique of radioscopy by means of a fluorescent screen.
Focal spot, effective
The apparent size of the radiation source region in a source assembly when viewed
from the central axis of the useful radiation beam.
SI unit: dimensionless (corresponding to a dimension in mm)
Fram ing
In cinefluorography, the registration of the circular image of the output phosphor on
the rectangular film element or frame.
Gantry
The moveable patient table used for CT.
Geom etric unsharpness
Unsharpness of the recorded image due to the combined optical effect of finite size of
the radiation source and geometric separation of the anatomic area of interest from
the image receptor and the collimator.
Gray (Gy)
The special name for the SI unit of absorbed dose, kerma, and specific energy
imparted equal to one joule per kilogram. One gray equals one joule per kilogram.
The previous unit of absorbed dose, rad, has been replaced by the gray. One gray
equals 100 rad.
Half-value layer (HVL)
Thickness of a specified substance which, when introduced into the path of a given
beam of radiation, reduces the kerma rate by one-half.
SI unit: mm
Heel effect
Non-uniform intensity observed because a small fraction of the X-ray beam emitted in
a direction nearly parallel to the angled target surface must pass through more target
material before escaping from the target than does the major portion of the beam
which is emitted more perpendicularly. (Note: In addition to the non-uniform intensity
6. Glossary
86
the angled target also produces non-uniform image resolution due to variations in
apparent focal spot size as viewed from various positions on the film).
Hounsfield units
See CT number.
Im age intensifier
An X-ray image receptor which increases the brightness of a fluoroscopic image by
electronic amplification and image minification.
Im age receptor
A system for deriving a diagnostically usable image from the X-rays transmitted by the
patient. Examples: screen film system; stimulable phosphor; solid state detector.
Inherent filtration
Filter between the radiation source and the output window of the X-ray equipment.
See filter.
Initial X-ray tube voltage
In a capacitor discharge X-ray generator, X-ray tube voltage at the beginning of the
loading of the X-ray tube.
Installation
A radiation source with associated equipment, and the space in which it is located.
Interlock
A device used to assure proper and safe use of a radiation installation by monitoring
(usually by electrical devices) the status, presence or position of various associated
devices such as source position, collimator opening, beam direction, door closure,
filter presence, and preventing the production or emission of radiation if the potential
for an unsafe condition is detected.
Ionization
Formation of ions by the division of molecules or by the addition or removal of
electrons from atoms or molecules.
SI unit: C, Coloumb
Ionization cham ber
Ionization detector consisting of a chamber filled with a suitable gas, in which an
electric field, insufficient to induce gas multiplication, is provide for the collection at the
electrodes of charges associated with ions and the electrons produced in the
sensitive volume of the detector by ionizing radiation.
Ionization constant
For air the ionization constant W/e = 33,97 J/C. The ionization constant is used to get
the correspondence between exposure and air kerma. See Roentgen and Gray for
more information.
Ionization detector
Radiation detector based on the use of ionization in the sensitive volume of the
detector.
6. Glossary
87
Irradiation tim e
Irradiation time is usually the time a rate of a RADIATION QUANTITY exceeds a
specified level. Irradiation time is sometimes called Exposure time.
SI unit: s, second
Kerm a (K)
The sum of the initial kinetic energies of all the charged ionizing particles liberated by
uncharged ionizing particles per unit mass of a specified material. Kerma is
measured in the same unit as absorbed dose. The SI unit of kerma is joule per
kilogram and its special name is gray (Gy). Kerma can be quoted for any specified
material at a point in free space or in an absorbing medium. Typically the kerma is
specified in air.
SI unit: Gy = J/kg
Kerm a rate (K')
Kerma per unit time. Kerma rate is determined as the quotient of dK by dt, where dk is
the increment of kerma in the time interval dt: K'=dK/dt. A unit of kerma rate is any
quotient of the Gray or its multiples or submultiples by a suitable unit of time (Gy/s,
mGy/h, etc.).
SI unit: Gy/s = J/kg·s
Kilovolt (kV)
A unit of electrical potential difference equal to 1000 volts.
kVp
See Peak tube voltage
Lead equivalent
The thickness of lead affording the same attenuation, under specified conditions, as
the material in question.
Leakage radiation
All radiation coming from within the source assembly except for the useful beam.
(Note: Leakage radiation includes the portion of the radiation coming directly from the
source and not absorbed by the source assembly, as well as the scattered radiation
produced within the source assembly).
Magnification im aging
An imaging procedure carried out with magnification usually produced by purposeful
introduction of distance between the subject and the image receptor.
Measured value
Estimate of the true value of a quantity, derived from the indicated value of a meter
after applying all relevant correction factors.
Medical diagnostic radiology
Medical diagnosis using ionizing radiation.
Modulation transfer function (MTF)
A mathematical entity that expresses the relative response of an imaging system or
6. Glossary
88
system component to sinusoidal inputs as a function of varying spatial frequency,
which is often expressed in linepairs per millimetre (lp/mm), the correct unit is
however m -1 (or often mm -1). The reference value most commonly used is that for zero
frequency. The MTF can be thought of as a measure of spatial resolution of the
detector system.
SI unit: m -1
Monitor, personnel
See personnel monitor.
Occupancy factor (T)
The factor by which the workload should be multiplied to correct for the degree of
occupancy (by any one person) of the area in question while the source is in the "ON"
condition and emitting radiation. This multiplication is carried out for radiation
protection purposes to determine compliance with the dose equivalent limits.
Operator
Any individual who personally utilizes or manipulates a source of radiation.
Orthopantom ography
Orthopantomography (also called OPG or Panorama) is a radiographic procedure
that produces a single image of facial structures including the upper and lower
dentition jaws and their supporting structures and bones. Mostly used in dental
applications. An OPG ("orthopantomogram") gives a panoramic view of the mouth,
giving information on the teeth and the bones of the upper and lower jaw.
Particle fluence
Number of particles incident on a sphere, divided by the cross-sectional area of the
sphere.
SI unit: m -2
Personnel m onitor
Also known as personal monitor. An appropriately sensitive device used to estimate
the absorbed dose received by an individual.
Peak tube voltage Ûo (kVp)
The peak value of the tube voltage (corresponding to the highest available radiation
energy).
Phantom
In medical radiology, object behaving in essentially the same manner as tissue, with
respect to absorption or scattering of the ionizing radiation in question. Phantom are
used, for example, for simulating practical conditions of measurement:
- for purposes of radiation protection,
- for evaluating the performances to the diagnostic systems with respect to the
radiation or to the object,
- for dosimetry.
Pixel
A two-dimensional picture element in the presented image.

6. Glossary
89
Practical Peak Voltage (PPV)
The PPV is the constant potential producing the same image contrast as the
waveform under test. PPV is defined in the IEC 61676 standard as: "The PRACTICAL
PEAK VOLTAGE is based on the concept that the radiation generated by a high
voltage of any waveform produces the same AIR KERMA contrast behind a specified
PHANTOM as a radiation generated by an equivalent constant potential. The constant
potential producing the same contrast as the waveform under test is defined as
PRACTICAL PEAK VOLTAGE".
Prim ary protective barrier
See protective barrier
Protective apron
An apron made of radiation absorbing materials, used to reduce radiation exposure.
Protective barrier
A barrier of radiation absorbing material(s) used to reduce radiation exposure.
Protective glove
A glove made of radiation absorbing materials used to reduce radiation exposure.
Rad
The previously used special unit of absorbed dose. It is equal to 100 ergs per gram. 1
rad = 0.01 Gy (10-2 gray).
Radiation (ionizing)
Any electromagnetic or particulate radiation capable of producing ions, directly or
indirectly, by interaction with matter. Examples are X-ray photons, charged atomic
particles and other ions, and neutrons.
Ripple factor
The variation in the high-voltage expressed as the percentage of the maximum high-
voltage across the X-ray tube during X-ray production: Ripple factor (%) = 100 x (Vmax
- Vmin)/Vmax
Radiation protection survey
An evaluation of the radiation safety in and around an installation, that includes
radiation measurements, inspections, evaluations, and recommendations.
Radiation receptor
Any device that absorbs a portion of the incident radiation energy and converts this
portion into another form of energy which can be more easily used to produce desired
results (e.g., production of an image). See image receptor.
Radiation source
The region and/or material from which the radiation emanates.
Radiogram
A film or other record produced by the action of X-rays on a sensitized surface.

6. Glossary
90
Radiography
The production of images on film/image detector by the action of X-rays transmitted
through the patient.
Receptor
See radiation receptor.
Receptor assem bly
A radiation receptor in the specialized container necessary for the proper operation of
the receptor.
Rem
The previously used special unit of dose equivalent. One rem equals 10-2 sievert (Sv).
Resolution
In the context of an image system, the output of which is finally viewed by the eye, it
refers to the smallest size or highest spatial frequency of an object of given contrast
that is just perceptible. The intrinsic resolution, or resolving power, of an imaging
system is measured in mm -1 or line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm), ordinarily using a
resolving power target. The resolution actually achieved when imaging lower contrast
objects is normally much less, and depends upon many variables such as subject
contrast levels and noise of the overall imaging system.
Roentgen (R) (or Röntgen)
The previously used special unit of exposure. 1 R = 2.58 × 10-4 C/kg. – Originally
(Stockholm 1928) defined as "international R." (Symbol: r) and later (Chicago 1937)
modified to: Roentgen- or -ray, that gives a charge of 1 esE from secondary emission
in 0,001293 g of air.
This means that an exposure of one Roentgen will produce 2,58 × 10-4 coulomb of
ions of either sign per kilogram in air. Here the previously used physical quantity
exposure has been replaced by kerma in air. See kerma. One R does not equal 1 cGy
as the units C/kg and J/kg are different. To do this conversion the ionization constant
for air must be used, which is 33,97 J/C. This is how its calculated: 1 Gy = 1 J/kg Û 1
J/kg/(2,58 × 10-4 C/kgR × 33,97 J/C) = 114,1 R. An exposure of 114,1 R thus equals an
Air Kerma of 1 Gy. That also means that the value in R should be multiplied by 8,76 to
get the Air Kerma in mGy. (See also Exposure.)
Scattered radiation
Radiation that, during passage through matter is changed in direction. (It is usually
accompanied by a decrease in energy.)
Serial radiography
A radiographic procedure in which a sequence of radiographs is made rapidly by
using an automatic cassette changer, image intensifier/TV chain, etc.
Shutter
In beam therapy equipment, a device, attached to the X-ray or gamma-ray source
housing to control the "ON" or "OFF" condition of the useful beam.

6. Glossary
91
Sievert (Sv)
The special name for the SI unit of dose equivalent. One sievert equals one joule per
kilogram. The previously used unit was the rem. One sievert is equal to 100 rem.
Signal-to-noise ratio
For video cameras, the ratio of input signal to background interference. The greater
the ratio, the clearer the image.
Sim ulator
Diagnostic energy X-ray equipment used to simulate a therapy treatment plan outside
the treatment room.
Slice
The single body section imaged in a tomography procedure.
Source
See radiation source.
Source-detector distance (SDD)
The distance measured along the central ray from the centre of the front surface of the
source (X-ray focal spot or sealed radioactive source) to the active surface of the
detector.
Source-to-im age-distance (SID)
The distance measured along the central ray from the centre of the front of the surface
of the source (X-ray focal spot of sealed radioactive source) to the surface of the
image detector.
Source-surface distance (source-skin distance) (SSD)
The distance measured along the central ray from the centre of the front surface of the
source (X-ray focal spot or sealed radioactive source) to the surface of the irradiated
object or patient.
Spot film
A radiograph taken during a fluoroscopic examination for the purpose of providing a
permanent record of an area of interest of to verify the filling of a void with contrast
media.
Stray radiation
The sum of leakage and scattered radiation.
Survey
See radiation protection survey.
Target
The part of an X-ray tube anode assembly impacted by the electron beam to produce
the useful X-ray beam.
Tenth value layer (TVL)
Thickness of a specified substance which, when introduced into the path of a given

6. Glossary
92
beam of radiation, reduces the kerma rate to one-tenth of its original rate.
Tom ography
A special technique to show in detail images of structures lying in a predetermined
plane of tissue, while blurring or eliminating detail in images of structures in other
planes.
Topogram
For CT, prior to making the cross-sectional scans, the CT scanner is normally used to
obtain one or more radiograph-like reference images, as a way of identifying and
documenting where the scans are to be made. These so-called topograms are
prepared by keeping the X-ray source and the detectors stationary, and dragging the
specimen through the fan-beam by moving the table. Also called scout scans, pilot
scans, or scanograms.
Total filtration
The total of inherent filtration and additional filtration.
Useful beam
The radiation which passes through the opening in the beam limiting device and
which is used for imaging or treatment.
User
Physicians and other responsible for the radiation exposure of patients.
Voxel
A volume element in the object being imaged. The mean attenuation coefficient of the
voxel determines the CT (Hounsfield) number of the pixel.
Whole body dose equivalent (Hw b)
The dose equivalent associated with the uniform irradiation of the whole body.
Workload (W)
The degree of use of a radiation source. For X-ray machines operating at tube
potentials below 500 kV, the workload is usually expressed in milliampere minutes
per week. For gammabeam therapy sources and for photon-emitting equipment
operation at 500 kV or above, the workload is usually stated in terms of the weekly
kerma of the useful beam at one meter from the source and is expressed in grays per
week at one meter.
Xeroradiography
The production of an image on a xerographic plate (e.g., electrically charged
selenium) by the action of X-rays transmitted through the patient. (xeromammography:
Mammography carried out by the xeroradiographic process.)
X-ray tube
Evacuated vessel for the production of x-radiation by the bombardment of a target,
usually contained in an anode, with electrons accelerated from a cathode by an
electric field. Thus: Rotating anode X-ray tube. Double focus X-ray tube.

Index 93
running time 9, 13
status 9
Index Battery charging indicator 9
Beam Correction Factor 39, 61
Note! Beam limiting device 82
Page references in this Index points to the Beam quality 52, 56
first page of the section it is mentioned, not Becquerel 82
the exact page. Blank screen 73
Bluetooth 73, 74
Indicator 8
-2- Passkey 75
2002/96/EC 30 Passkey advantages 75
Passkey disadvantages 75
-A- PIN code advantages 75
About 5 PIN code disadvantages 75
Absorbed dose 81 Security code 75
Absorption 81 Bootloader 33, 82
Active display messages 46
Active Messages 46 -C-
Activity 81 Calibrations
Additional filtration 81 View 36
Additional filtration (mammo) 39 Camera thread 8
Administrative user 76 CAS-6 11
Advantages of using a Passkey 75 CAS-7 11
AEC 81 cd/m² 71
After exposure 44 CE Declaration 31
After exposure update mode 40 Intended Use 32
AGD 58, 62 CE Mark 31
Air kerma 81 Centigray 82
Air kerma (Dose) 16, 19 Charging Times 13
Air kerma rate (Dose rate) 16, 19 Chest w all distance 56
Aluminium equivalent 81 Cine 53, 54
Ambient light 71 HVL 54
AMX-4 37 Quick-HVL 54
Analogue Out 52 Total filtration 54
Anode 81 Cinefluorography 82
Anode/Filter combination 56 Cineradiography 82
Mo/Mo 56 Collimator 82
Mo/Rh 56 Communication
Rh/Rh 56 Bluetooth 13
W/Rh 56 USB 13
Aperture 81 Compensating filter 82
Atmospheric pressure 38 Compensation 52
Authentication, Bluetooth 75 Compliances 29
Auto reset 44 Compression paddle 39
Automatic exposure control 81 Equivalent thickness 37, 60
Auto-pow er off 73 Computed tomography 65
Autoscaling 73 Computed tomography (CT) 82
Average Glandular Dose 58, 62 Conditions 37, 52
TP-factor 38
-B- Conformity Declaration 31
Battery Connector
charging times 13 External probe 8
level 9, 13 Palm charging 8
94 Index
Connector Dose/Pulse 20, 53
USB 8 Dosemeter 83
Connectors 8 Draw backs of using a Passkey 75
Continuous 44
Continuous mode 82
Continuous update mode 40
-E-
Conversion factor (of an image Effective dose equivalent (HE) 84
Enable Bluetooth passkey 75
intensifier) 82
CT 65, 82 Entrance Skin Exposure 58, 62
kVp 65 Entrance Surface Air Kerma 58, 62
CT Dose Profiler 29 Equivalent thickness
CT number 82 Compression paddle 37, 60
CT specifications 19 Error 73
CT topogram 65 Error messages 46
CT-DP 29 ESAK 58, 62
Curie (Ci) 82 ESE 58, 62
Estimated total filtration 16, 19
EU Directive 30, 31
-D- Exp. < Delay 47
Dead man sw itch 83 Exposure (X) 84
Declaration of Conformity 31 Exposure rate (X') 84
Default Unit 73 External probe connector 8
Delay 40, 41, 42, 48, 65
Start efter 40
Waveform 40
-F-
Delay time 47 FCC 33
Dental 63 Filter 84
Dental panoramic radiographic 83 Filter: Added filter 84
Dental specifications 16 Filter: Inherent filter 84
Dental w aveforms 65 Filter: Permanent filter 84
Detector area 13 Filter: Total filter 84
Detector Manager 36 Filtration Additional(mammo) 39
Detector settings 42 Firmw are 5, 33, 84
Detector surface 8 Fluorography 84
Detectors Fluoroscopy 54, 84
Managing 36 Fluoroscopy specifications 16
View ing 36 Focal spot, effective 84
Diagnostic source assembly 83 Framing 84
Digital radiography 83 Free run 44, 46
Digital subtraction 83 Free run update mode 40
Direct radiography of a part of or the Using 46
complete dentition by the use of an
intra-oral X-ray tube. See also -G-
Orthopantomography. 83 Gantry 85
Disable Bluetooth passkey 75 Geometric unsharpness 85
Display messages 46 Good geometry
Active 46 HVL 60
Passive 47 Gray (Gy) 85
Dose 53
Mammography 58
Dose equivalent (H) 83
-H-
Dose Probe 8 Half-value layer (HVL) 85
Dose Probe Specifications 27 Handheld Reset 73
Dose rate meter 83 Heel effect 11, 85
Dose Sensitivity 41 Help 52

Index 95
High kVp 46, 47 Luminance 71
High signal 46, 47 lux 71
Holder lx 71
Piranha 11
HotSync 73
Hounsfield units 85
-M -
How To Magnification imaging 87
Report a Problem 79 Maintenance 33
HVL Mammography 56
Cine 54 Dose 58
Good geometry 60 Positioning Piranha 56
Stand 11 Quick-HVL 59
Mammography specifications 16
Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity
-I- 31
IEC 61267 21 mAs 68, 69
II dose rate 55 MAS-1 Probe Specifications 28
Illuminance 71 MAS-2 Current Probe 69
Image intensifier 55, 86 MAS-2 Probe Specifications 29
Image receptor 86 Mean Glandular Dose 58, 62
Indicator Measured value 87
Battery charging 8 Measurement 53, 55
Bluetooth 8 Cine 53
Status 8 Dose 53
Inherent filtration 86 Dose per pulse 53, 55
Initial X-ray tube voltage 86 Fluoroscopy 54
Input dose rate 55 Image intensifier 55
Installation 86 Mammography 58
Intended Use 32 Number of pulses 53
Interlock 86 Pulse rate 55
Internal detector settings 37, 41 Pulsed fluoroscopy 55
Introduction 5 Pulsed radiography 53
Ionization 86 Radiography 52
Ionization chamber 86 Measurement Modes
Ionization constant 86 Overview 44
Ionization detector 86 Measurement settings 37
Irradiation time 16, 19, 48, 86 Measuring principle
ISO 4037 21 Piranha 49
Medical diagnostic radiology 87
-K- MGD 58, 62
Min. output peak dose rate 20
Kerma 87 Minimum pulse w idth 20
Kerma rate 87 Minimum ripple 20
Kilovolt (kV) 87 Mo/Mo Anode/Filter combination 56
kV Sensitivity 41 Mo/Rh Anode/Filter combination 56
kVp 16, 19, 87 Modes
Of Measurement 44
-L- Modulation transfer function (MTF) 87
Lead equivalent 87 Monitor 71
Leakage radiation 87 Monitor, personnel 87
Light measurment 70 Moving average 46
Light probe 71
Light Probe Specification 29 -N-
Low kVp 46, 47 Necessary Rights 78
Low Signal 46, 47
96 Index
Negative Signal 47 Protective apron 88
Normalization distance 37, 60 Protective barrier 88
Protective glove 88
-O- Pulse Measurements 53
Pulse Rate 20, 39, 53
Occupancy factor (T) 88 Pulsed fluoroscopy 54, 55
Operating air pressure 13 Pulsed radiography 53
Operating temperature 13
Operator 88
OPG 63 -Q-
Orthopantomography 88 Quick-HVL
Oscilloscope 52 Cine 54
Overview of Measurement Modes 44 Mammography 59
Radiography 53
-P-
Palm computer requirements 6 -R-
Panoramic dental 63 Rad 89
Particle fluence 88 Radiation (ionizing) 89
Passive display messages 47 Radiation protection survey 89
Passkey advantages 75 Radiation quality 21
Passkey draw backs, Bluetooth 75 Radiation receptor 89
PC requirements 6 Radiation source 89
Peak tube voltage Ûo (kVp) 88 Radiation time 48
Personnel monitor 88 Radiogram 89
Phantom 88 Radiography 52, 53, 89
Physical dimensions Quick-HVL 53
Piranha 14 Total filtration 53
PIN code advantages 75 Radiography specifications 16
PIN code draw backs, Bluetooth 75 Receptor 89
PIN code, Bluetooth 75 Receptor assembly 89
Piranha 11, 49 Recording time 44
Cable 11 Reference conditions 13
Holder 11 Rem 89
Mammography positioning 56 Report a Problem 79
Physical dimensions 14 Reposition Detector 47
Specifications 13 Requirements, Palm computer 6
Piranha internal detector 49 Requirements, PC 6
Piranha Light Probe 70, 71 Reset
Piranha MAS-1 Probe 68 Bluetooth 73
Piranha settings 37, 40 Handheld 73
Pixel 88 Reset time 44
Position check 53, 58, 63 Resolution 89
Post delay 40, 48 Restricted user 76
Pow er sw itch 8 Rh/Rh Anode/Filter combination 56
Practical Peak Voltage (PPV) 88 Ripple factor 89
Prefixes, Unit 73 Roentgen (R) (or Röntgen) 89
Pre-pulse mammography 62 Röntgen Unit 73
Pressure RTI Detector Manager 36
Atmospheric 38 RTI Updater 33
Primary protective barrier 88 Running time 9, 13
Probes
Managing 36
View ing 36
-S-
Problem Report 73, 79 Safety strap 8
Scanning Beam Mammography 63
Index 97
Scatter factor 37, 60 Mammography 16
Scattered radiation 90 MAS-1 Probe 28
SDD MAS-2 Probe 29
Normalization 37, 60 Min. output peak dose rate 20
Send Support Information 79 Minimum pulse w idth 20
Sensitivity 41, 42 Minimum ripple 20
Dose/TF 41 Piranha 13
kV 41 Pow er Source 13
Serial radiography 90 Pulse rate 20
Settings 37, 40, 41, 42, 52 Radiography 16
Beam correction factor 39 Size 14
Compression paddle 39 USB 13
Conditions 37 Waveform recording time 20, 28
Delay 41, 42 Weight 14
Detector 42 Spot film 90
Internal detector 37, 41 Stand 11
Piranha 37, 40 Standards and Compliances 29
Post delay 40 Start 33
Pulse rate 39 Start after delay 40
Sensitivity 41, 42 Status indicator 8
Threshold 42 Storage temperature 13
Total Filtration 37 Stray radiation 90
Trig level (time) 40 Support 73
Trig source 40 Support Information 79
Update mode 40 Survey 90
Waveform recording time 40
Waveform type 37
Window 41, 42
-T -
Shutter 90 Target 91
Sievert (Sv) 90 Temperature 38
Signal Extension Module 52 Tenth value layer (TVL) 91
Signal-to-noise ratio 90 TF Sensitivity 41
Simulator 90 Theory
Size 14 Current reading 48
Slice 90 Delay 48
Source 90 Dose rate reading 48
Source-detector distance (SDD) 90 Irradiation time 48
Source-surface distance (source-skin Post delay 48
Radiation time 48
distance) (SSD) 90
Source-to-image-distance (SID) 90 Waveform 48
Specifications Window 48
Air kerma (Dose) 16, 19 Threshold 42
Air kerma rate (Dose rate) 16, 19 Timed 44, 45
Battery Charging 13 Timed update mode 40
Bluetooth 13 Using 45
Communication 13 Tomography 91
CT 19 Topogram 65, 91
Dental 16 Total filtration 37, 52, 91
Dose Probe 27 Cine 54
Dose/pulse 20 Radiography 53
Estimated total filtration 16 TP-factor 38
Fluoroscopy 16 Trig level (time) 40
Irradiation time 16, 19 Trig source 40
kVp 16, 19 Trigger 48
Light Probe 29 Troubleshooting 73
98 Index
Tube current
Invasive 68
Non-invasive 69
Tube current measurements 67
Typical Response 21
Typographical Rules 5
-U-
Unit
Default 73
Gray 73
Prefixes 73
Röntgen 73
Units 73
Unknow n device 73
Update Firmw are 33
Update Mode 40, 45, 46
Update modes 44
Update of Piranha 33
USB connector 8
Useful beam 92
User 92
-V-
View Calibrations 36
View box 71
Voxel 92
-W-
W/Rh Anode/Filter combination 56
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
30
Waveform 48
Dental 65
Waveform delay 40
Waveform recording time 40, 44
Waveform recording time Specifications
20, 28
Waveform type 37, 52
WEEE 30
Weight 14
White screen 73
Whole body dose equivalent (Hw b) 92
Window 41, 42, 48
Window time 47
Workload (W) 92
-X-
Xeroradiography 92
X-ray tube 92

Notes 99
Notes

100 Notes
Notes

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Piranha

Reference Manual - English - Version 5.5D

RTI article number: 9629053-00

The Piranha is an X-ray Analyser/Multimeter for

Copyright © 2001-2015 by RTI Electronics AB. All rights reserved.

Palm, palmOne, and TUNGSTEN are trademarks of PalmOne, Inc.

BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., USA.

Contact Information - Contact Information -

RTI Electronics AB RTI Electronics Inc.

Phone: Int. +46 31 7463600 Phone: 800-222-7537 (Toll free)

Web site: http://www.rtigroup.com Web site: http://www.rtigroup.com

2015-05/5.5D Piranha Reference M anual

Intended Use of the Piranha System

If installed according to accompanying documents, the product is intended to be used together

The product is intended to be used by hospital physicists, X-ray engineers, manufacturer's

The product is NOT intended to be used:

Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

2015-05/5.5D Piranha Reference M anual

1.1 About this Manual

1. A general description of the Piranha.

1.2 Introduction to the Piranha

As a "meter" with a handheld computer and the QABrowser or a PC with Ocean

The Piranha system's main features are:

Very easy and intuitive to use

2015-05/5.5D Piranha Reference M anual

1.4 Palm OS Computer Requirements

Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

2 Description of the Piranha

2.1 Indicators and Connectors

Edge: External Probe port

The recommended field size is shown as red

Power switch (on edge)

Indicators for charging, status, and Bluetooth

USB Palm charger

Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

The orange indicator

2. When running on batteries the status indicator shows:

Status colour Running time left

External Probe port and Opening

2015-05/5.5D Piranha Reference M anual

Camera thread for mounting

Below a block diagram of a typical Piranha system is shown.

Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

2.2 Setting Up the Piranha for the First Time

Attach the external power supply.

Charge the system for 16 hours.

Then continue according to the following section.

2.3 Setting Up the Piranha

It is recommended to position the Piranha in such a way that the

2015-05/5.5D Piranha Reference M anual

2.4 Hardware and Specifications

2.4.1 Piranha internal detector (Internal detector)

The range indicator can be viewed behind a

Piranha Reference M anual 2015-05/5.5D

2.4.1.2 Power & Communication Specifications

Typical Battery Charging and Running Times

Running Charging time

USB Max 12 Mbit/s (USB v1.1)