PI error "Probe returned JEOL error 12103"

[Hwayoung Kim]

Hi all,

Last Friday afternoon I set up PI x-ray mapping of three separate rectangular areas in a single mount using our 8530F probe. 5 elements were to be measured through a single pass in each areas, but the elements, crystals and PHA settings for 3 areas were completely different. So I made 3 different rows (Acquisition Samples) in Setup | Acquisition window and started the acquisition.

This morning I found PI successfully acquired map of the 1st area, and stopped before starting the 2nd area with an error window says: "Probe returned JEOL error 12103: Unknown probe error code Occurred during setting PHA.". Spectrometer positions and crystals were still at the settings for elements of the 1st area and not changed for 2nd one.

I just closed the error window, deleted the 1st row (which was successfully acquired) in Setup | Acquisition window, and started again for 2nd and 3rd area without any problem.

Does anyone know about this error or possible causes?


Thanks,
Hwayoung

[John Donovan]

Last Friday afternoon I set up PI x-ray mapping of three separate rectangular areas in a single mount using our 8530F probe. 5 elements were to be measured through a single pass in each areas, but the elements, crystals and PHA settings for 3 areas were completely different. So I made 3 different rows (Acquisition Samples) in Setup | Acquisition window and started the acquisition.

This morning I found PI successfully acquired map of the 1st area, and stopped before starting the 2nd area with an error window says: "Probe returned JEOL error 12103: Unknown probe error code Occurred during setting PHA.". Spectrometer positions and crystals were still at the settings for elements of the 1st area and not changed for 2nd one.

I just closed the error window, deleted the 1st row (which was successfully acquired) in Setup | Acquisition window, and started again for 2nd and 3rd area without any problem.

Does anyone know about this error or possible causes?

Thanks,
Hwayoung

Hi Hwayoung,
Only JEOL can tell us what this error code refers to.   We have no information on it.

I will contact them and see what they say.
john

[Eric Ellison]

Hello,

I am having the same problem as above. It occurs consistently when Probe Image attempts to change the PHA settings.

-If I set up two passes in acquisition setup, and leave the instrument with the spectrometers/PHA setting corresponding to the second pass, I get this error when I attempt to start the map, before PI changes the settings to prepare for the first pass.

-If I manually move move the spectrometers to the peak positions corresponding to the first pass (using Probe for EPMA | Acquire |
Peaking Options), then attempt to start the map, the first pass will start fine, but the error will occur when it attempts to change the PHA
settings in preparation for the second pass.

-If I then move to the second pass peak positions, delete the first pass from the acquisition setup and start the map, I can collect the second
pass.

I'm attaching a log file.

Any help or workaround would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Eric

[John Donovan]

Hi Eric,
JEOL never responded to us on the 12103 error, but I've pinged Vern Robertson from JEOL again.

Can you send me by email a screen shot of your PHA settings in the PI Setup | Acquisition window?

Can you set these same PHA values in Probe for EPMA without any errors?

When you read in the values for the PHA settings in PI, did you use the Read ELM or Read Inst. buttons?
john

[Eric Ellison]

Hi John,
Yes, I am able to set the PHA values without any errors from Probe for EPMA. That I am doing that to manually set the PHA settings before I start each map while this problem occurs.

I am using the Read ELM button in Probe Image to import the PHA settings.

I'm emailing screenshots of my setup now. It certainly is possible that ther'es some small mismatch in my settings that could cause the issue.

Thanks for your assistance.
Eric

[John Donovan]

Hi John,
Yes, I am able to set the PHA values without any errors from Probe for EPMA. That I am doing that to manually set the PHA settings before I start each map while this problem occurs.

I am using the Read ELM button in Probe Image to import the PHA settings.

I'm emailing screenshots of my setup now. It certainly is possible that ther'es some small mismatch in my settings that could cause the issue.

Thanks for your assistance.
Eric

Hi Eric,
This is good info.  Hopefully JEOL will respond.  It would be real helpful if they let us know specifically what it is complaining about!  Also please contact JEOL yourself.  The more pings they get, they more likely they will respond!

That fact that the same PHA settings work fine in PFE is very interesting as both PFE and PI use the exact same driver calls. I have to wonder if it could be a subtle timing issue.

To add to the mystery is that most of the time Probe Image is able to set PHA values just fine, so it will be interesting to learn what is the exact problem is.
john

[Mike Matthews]

Hi John,

Did you find out what caused this? JM have just reported the exact same error to me. I've got them to increase the image start delay value from 300 to 1000ms which seemed to work but they're going to run more test maps to make sure it has resolved it.

[Mike Matthews]

The time delay setting hasn't resolved the issue, it's just a bit random in nature. Some maps start the first run OK then hang at the start of the 2nd, sometimes it stops the first run.

[John Donovan]

Here is the app log from Mike, so I suspect it is when PI sets the PHA values after flipping a crystal:

10:47:11: Skipping set crystal for Spectrometer #1, already at desired setting (PETJ, index 2).
10:47:11: Setting crystal: current 1, desired 1, name PETL.
10:47:11: Skipping set crystal for Spectrometer #3, already at desired setting (PETL, index 1).
10:47:11: Setting crystal: current 1, desired 2, name PETL.
10:47:11: Setting crystal for Spectrometer #5 to PETL (index 2).
10:47:12: Waiting on spectrometer crystal change complete status.
10:47:12: Setting PHA for Spectrometer #1.
10:47:12: Setting PHA for Spectrometer #3.
10:47:12: Setting PHA for Spectrometer #5.
10:48:18: Probe returned JEOL error 12103: Unknown probe error code  Occurred during setting PHA.

I suspect PI is setting the PHAs too quickly after changing crystals. I think the error can be avoided by not changing crystals during an acquisition (one shouldn't really change crystals anyway for quant work!).  But it still should work!

I will discuss with our developer.

[John Donovan]

Normally we don't deal with software bugs on the forum, but when this "12103" error first occurred we weren't sure if it was a hardware, firmware or software bug.

It turned out to be a software issue in Probe Image where it was trying to set the PHAs before the crystal had finished flipping.  So not that you'd normally want to flip crystals during a quant point or map acquisition, but sometimes one must and so now this will work.

https://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=117.0

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https://probesoftware.com/Update.html