Automatic Weissenberg data collection system for time-resolved protein crystallography

A totally new type of fully automatic Weissenberg data-collection system called “Galaxy” was developed and was installed at the Photon Factory. This automatic data collection system consists of a rotated-inclined focusing monochromator, a screenless Weissenberg type camera, an image reader, an eraser, a cassette transportation mechanism, a control console and a safety and high-speed computer network system linking a control console, data processing computers and data servers. The special characteristics of this system are a Weissenberg camera with a fully cylindrical cassette which can be rotated to exchange a frame, a maximum number of 36 images to be recorded in an IP cassette, and a very high speed IP reader with five reading heads. Since the frame exchange time is only a few seconds, this system is applicable for time-resolved protein crystallography at seconds or minutes of time-scale.