Measuring Time Lag in Sequence Wizard

Experimental steps can be sequenced together using the sequence wizard, including digital out events to trigger external equipment.  However, there is a small amount of lag time between the end of one sequence step and the start of the next.  A rough estimate of this lag time is 50ms, but it can vary greatly depending on the computer’s performance, the amount of other software running, and the amount of data that the potentiostat must transfer at the end of a sequence step.  A second potentiostat or an oscilloscope can be used to measure the average delay time between sequencer steps on your computer.

From your first potentiostat, connect the Monitor V Output across the blue and white leads of your second potentiostat.  On the second potentiostat run and open circuit measurement experiment with a low sample period to increase your time resolution, and set the length of this to be sufficient to complete your entire sequence.  Now, start running the sequence on potentiostat 1.  You will be able to measure the time lag between the end of the first step and the beginning of the sequence step by using the data from potentiostat 2.  Repeat this several times to see how precise the time measurement is.