Question: Is it possible to output a serial port command (CL Acquisition)?

[RIKO]

Hi John,

This is really cool !! I wonder if your offer is still stand, that we can beta test it for free?
I should be able to get a time slot for Jason's JX1 system in Feb 2016.

Regards,
Riko

[John Donovan]

Hi John,

This is really cool !! I wonder if your offer is still stand, that we can beta test it for free?
I should be able to get a time slot for Jason's JX1 system in Feb 2016.

Regards,
Riko

Hi Riko,
Sure.  You can beta test for free- that's my usual deal!   

However, do you have an Ocean Optics spectrometer you can use for this test?

You'll also want to make sure Jason is updated to the latest v. 11.x of Probe for EPMA.
john

[RIKO]

Hi John,

Great !!
I will have the spectrometer ready by Feb.
I will still need to check the software versions.
Just in case it is not v11.x, what should I do (read: Jason will need to do ...).
Am right to assume v11.x is ready to interface with OceanOptics spectrometer?

-riko-

[John Donovan]

Great !!
I will have the spectrometer ready by Feb.
I will still need to check the software versions.
Just in case it is not v11.x, what should I do (read: Jason will need to do ...).
Am right to assume v11.x is ready to interface with OceanOptics spectrometer?

See here for updating:

http://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=642.0

Yes, v. 11.1.8 is ready to go.  I will send you the Ocean Optics driver when you are ready to test.
john

[RIKO]

Hi John
I tried the OO-USB4000 with v11.x.
The "CL Acquisition" group is greyed (see attached picture)

-riko-

[John Donovan]

Hi John
I tried the OO-USB4000 with v11.x.
The "CL Acquisition" group is greyed (see attached picture)

-riko-

Did you "turn on" the CL interface in the probewin.ini file?

[RIKO]

Thanks John,

 I found the following lines from probewin.ini
"CLSpectraInterfacePresent=0
CLSpectraInterfaceType=0"

change it to
"CLSpectraInterfacePresent=1
CLSpectraInterfaceType=0"

It brings the groups out of the grey. I am trying a test run now.

[John Donovan]

Thanks John,

 I found the following lines from probewin.ini
"CLSpectraInterfacePresent=0
CLSpectraInterfaceType=0"

change it to
CLSpectraInterfacePresent=1
CLSpectraInterfaceType=0"

It brings the groups out of the grey. I am trying a test run now.

Hi Riko,

CLSpectraInterfacePresent=1

is fine, but

CLSpectraInterfaceType=0

is demo mode.  Check the help file for the Ocean Optics interface value for this keyword.
john

A quick search of the Help will reveal:

CLSpectraInterfacePresent=0
CLSpectraInterfaceType=0
CLInterfaceInsertRetractPresent=0

These keywords are to specify the CL spectrum acqusition interface for Probe for EPMA. To indicate a CL interface is present, change CLSpectraInterfacePresent to any non-zero number. The following CL interfaces will be supported:

0 = Demo CL
1 = Ocean Optics (OmniDrive driver)
2 = Gatan
3 = Newport
4 = Unspecified

[RIKO]

Hi John,

Good news and bad news:
The good news is probesoftware interface with Ocean-optics USB4000 without problems. It worked both for single point measurement and automated measurement (polygon).

The bad news is, the unit is not sensitive enough. Even though I can see the light with eyes (for brief moments) and JEOL's CCD camera, USB4000 wasn't detecting anything. Picture1.png is the test results. The unit's entrance slit is maybe too small.

Another thing, my other spectrometer i.e Newport-OSM100 and Avantes-Avaspec  3648 seems able to pickup the signal (see Picture2).
The Newport-OSM100 doesn't  need a special driver, it can be controlled from serial port.

-riko-

[John Donovan]

Hi John,

Good news and bad news:
The good news is probesoftware interface with Ocean-optics USB4000 without problems. It worked both for single point measurement and automated measurement (polygon).

The bad news is, the unit is not sensitive enough. Even though I can see the light with eyes (for brief moments) and JEOL's CCD camera, USB4000 wasn't detecting anything. Picture1.png is the test results. The unit's entrance slit is maybe too small.

Another thing, my other spectrometer i.e Newport-OSM100 and Avantes-Avaspec  3648 seems able to pickup the signal (see Picture2).
The Newport-OSM100 doesn't  need a special driver, it can be controlled from serial port.

-riko-

Hi Riko,
Happy to hear the PFE interface works.

Maybe you need to improve the optical coupling?  The USB 4000 works just fine on my Quanta SEM.  I know that the ExCLent system also uses an Ocean Optics spectrometer, though not sure what model they use.  Maybe someone on the forum can check the model number for us?

Do you have an engineer there you can consult? Perhaps you should contact Ocean Optics?

What comms interface does the Avantes have? Does the Newport spectrometer offer an API at all? I really don't want to parse out a serial stream!  Also I'm totally swamped for the next few weeks.
john

[Probeman]

The bad news is, the unit is not sensitive enough. Even though I can see the light with eyes (for brief moments) and JEOL's CCD camera, USB4000 wasn't detecting anything. Picture1.png is the test results. The unit's entrance slit is maybe too small.

I note that the xCLent system seems to use the Ocean Optics QE65000 spectrometer.  Maybe this is a more sensitive spectrometer?

I've attached the data sheet below.

[RIKO]

Hi John,

Yes I've been in contact with OO representative here, I'll update you again what their recommendation.
Second, I've manage to source Ocean Optics QE65000 spectrometer from a friend here. I should be able to test it out next week (pending for the probe's slot).
Third, the Avantes use USB interface, and they provided dll for it. I am checking if it is distributable. Unfortunately, the Newport spectrometer does not provide any sort of dll, so we are stuck to serial port.

-Riko

[Probeman]

The data sheet for the Ocean Optics USB 4000 is attached below.
john

[John Donovan]

I chatted a bit with a guy from Ocean Optics and he thinks it could be an issue with the way the USB 4000 unit is configured.  For example the entrance slit.

I asked him to compare the USB 4000 (now called the FLAME) and the QE 65000 (now called the QE Pro), and he said the main difference was the thermal electric cooling and the use of a back thinned CCD on the QE Pro.  This difference is also reflected in the price difference as a well.  The USB 4000 is about $4000 US and the QE 65000 is around $13000 US.

However, he also said that using short interval accumulations (say, 0.5 seconds or so, which is how I coded the interface), that even though the P/B for the cheaper unit is around 250:1 and the more expensive one is 1000:1, the two units will produce comparable results during long accumulations. Some experimentation is of course worth doing. 

So basically please try running the USB 4000 for 100 seconds or so and you should see the CL spectrum improve as the data is accumulated.

[Probeman]

Please chime in as I am just beginning to learn this stuff.  In my discussions with another optical engineer there seem to be two or three source of noise in a CL spectrometer:

1. Incoherent noise- simply random thermal noise- analogous to the x-ray continuum.  Integrating over time will improve the P/B of the signal.

2. Coherent noise- noise artifacts from the detector/electronics which create a non-continuous background and must be removed using the dark spectrum. Ideally the dark spectrum and light spectrum should be acquired with the same acquisition time.

3. Not sure about this, but there may be a third type of noise which increases with integration time and the active operation of the detector itself?  Hence the instruction from the vendor to utilize short integrations and average or sum these interval spectra so the detector has time to "re-set" in between...

Can someone with more knowledge on light spectroscopy please add their expertise?