# SPE SPE file format

Extensions: `.spe`

Some CCD camera software produces images in the Princeton Instruments SPE file format. This plugin supports reading such files.

## Parameters for reading

char_encoding : str
  Character encoding used to decode strings in the metadata. Defaults to “latin1”.
check_filesize : bool
  The number of frames in the file is stored in the file header. However, this number may be wrong for certain software. If this is True (default), derive the number of frames also from the file size and raise a warning if the two values do not match.

## Metadata for reading

ROIs : list of dict
  Regions of interest used for recording images. Each dict has the “top_left” key containing x and y coordinates of the top left corner, the “bottom_right” key with x and y coordinates of the bottom right corner, and the “bin” key with number of binned pixels in x and y directions.
comments : list of str
  The SPE format allows for 5 comment strings of 80 characters each.
controller_version : int
  Hardware version
logic_output : int
  Definition of output BNC
amp_hi_cap_low_noise : int
  Amp switching mode
mode : int
  Timing mode
exp_sec : float
  Alternative exposure in seconds
date : str
  Date string
detector_temp : float
  Detector temperature
detector_type : int
  CCD / diode array type
st_diode : int
  Trigger diode
delay_time : float
  Used with async mode
shutter_control : int
  Normal, disabled open, or disabled closed
absorb_live : bool
  on / off
absorb_mode : int
  Reference strip or file
can_do_virtual_chip : bool
  True or False whether chip can do virtual chip
threshold_min_live : bool
  on / off
threshold_min_val : float
  Threshold minimum value
threshold_max_live : bool
  on / off
threshold_max_val : float
  Threshold maximum value
time_local : str
  Experiment local time
time_utc : str
  Experiment UTC time
adc_offset : int
  ADC offset
adc_rate : int
  ADC rate
adc_type : int
  ADC type
adc_resolution : int
  ADC resolution
adc_bit_adjust : int
  ADC bit adjust
gain : int
  gain
sw_version : str
  Version of software which created this file
spare_4 : bytes
  Reserved space
readout_time : float
  Experiment readout time
type : str
  Controller type
clockspeed_us : float
  Vertical clock speed in microseconds
readout_mode : {“full frame”, “frame transfer”, “kinetics”, “”}
  Readout mode. Empty string means that this was not set by the Software.
window_size : int
  Window size for Kinetics mode
file_header_ver : float
  File header version
chip_size : [int, int]
  x and y dimensions of the camera chip
virt_chip_size : [int, int]
  Virtual chip x and y dimensions
pre_pixels : [int, int]
  Pre pixels in x and y dimensions
post_pixels : [int, int],
  Post pixels in x and y dimensions
geometric : list of {“rotate”, “reverse”, “flip”}
  Geometric operations