ORTEC Alpha Duo Hardware User Manual
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ORTEC Alpha Duo Hardware User Manual

Integrated alpha spectrometer
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®
ORTEC
®
®
Alpha Duo
, Alpha Mega
,
®
and Alpha Ensemble
Integrated Alpha Spectrometer
Hardware User's Manual
Printed in U.S.A.
ORTEC Part No. 932505
0520
Manual Revision F

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  • Page 1 ® ORTEC ® ® Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega ® and Alpha Ensemble Integrated Alpha Spectrometer Hardware User’s Manual Printed in U.S.A. ORTEC Part No. 932505 0520 Manual Revision F...
  • Page 2 In the event ORTEC fails to manufacture or deliver items called for in this agreement or purchase order, ORTEC’s exclusive liability and buyer’s exclusive...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............1 1.1.
  • Page 4 5.12.1. Alpha Duo and Mega ........
  • Page 5 Safety Instructions and Symbols This manual contains up to three levels of safety instructions that must be observed in order to avoid personal injury and/or damage to equipment or other property. These are: DANGER Indicates a hazard that could result in death or serious bodily harm if the safety instruction is not observed.

  • Page 7: Introduction

    Expansion couldn’t be easier — simply slide an enclosure- less version of the Alpha Duo or Alpha Mega into an available bay in the chassis, make three simple connections, and the new module is ready for use.
  • Page 8 ! Recoil Contamination Protection Option (Duo only) — Our Recoil Contamination Avoidance Process (RCAP) is available as an option for the Alpha Duo. It employs a reverse-biased sample tray (powered by a lithium coin battery on the tray underside; avail- able separately from ORTEC) and careful control of the chamber pressure.

  • Page 9: About This Manual

    1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. About this Manual This manual tells you how to set up and install the Alpha Duo and Alpha Ensemble, with empha- sis on the Duo and Mega because they are the building blocks of the Ensemble. See the MAESTRO or AlphaVision User’s Manual for instructions on installing the software.
  • Page 10 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 [Intentionally blank]...

  • Page 11: Installation

    Be sure to read the entire instruction sheet. how to enable and disable the drivers for your ORTEC MCB(s) and share ORTEC MCBs across a network. It also points you to information on selecting the proper network protocol for older, TCP/IP Ethernet units.

  • Page 12: Multiple-Duo / -Mega / -Ensemble Systems

    ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 known issue with super-speed (3.0) USB connectivity and with connections to some PC front-panel USB ports. 3) Connect the Alpha unit to ac mains power and turn its rear-panel On/Off switch on.

  • Page 13: Connect To The Vacuum Pump

    2.5. Connect to the Vacuum Pump ® The vacuum connector for the Alpha Duo and Alpha Mega is a 0.25 in. Swagelok fitting. The Alpha Ensemble has an NW-25 ISO-KF connector. A rotary pump with an oil mist trap should be used. A pump displacement of 6.7 CFM (190 liters/min) is required.
  • Page 14 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 [Intentionally blank]...

  • Page 15: Operation

    As a “quick start” for users already familiar with ORTEC spectroscopy applications, the first two sections of this chapter tell how to use those applications to operate the Alpha Duo and Alpha Mega vacuum chambers. A more detailed discussion of MAESTRO’s hardware and data acquisition controls can be found in Section 3.5.

  • Page 16: Venting The Alpha Chamber(S)

    The maximum spa- cing is 44 mm. The sample trays shipped with the Alpha Duo are for 0.75 in. (19 mm) and 1 in. (25 mm) samples. The trays for the Alpha Mega can accommodate samples up to 4.2 in.

  • Page 17: Resolution Measurement And Calibration

    932505F / 0520 3. OPERATION Fig. 1. Alpha Duo Sample Chamber Fig. 2. Alpha Mega Sample Chamber 3.4. Resolution Measurement and Calibration The measurement of alpha-particle resolution should be performed in a vacuum with a uniform, ultra-thin source located at a source-to-detector distance at least equal to the detector diameter.

  • Page 18: Mcb Properties In Maestro

    Peak Fit features in AlphaVision. 3.5. MCB Properties in MAESTRO This section discusses the hardware setup dialog you will see within MAESTRO, the Alpha- Vision advanced chamber properties feature, and all other ORTEC C software when ONNECTIONS you click on Acquire/MCB Properties..The MCB Properties dialog contains all of the com- puter-selectable hardware controls including ADC setup parameters, high voltage on/off, cham- ber pressure controls and readouts, and acquisition presets.

  • Page 19: Amplifier 2

    932505F / 0520 3. OPERATION 3.5.2. Amplifier 2 Figure 4 shows the Amplifier 2 tab, which accesses the advanced shaping controls including the InSight™ Virtual Oscilloscope mode. This is typically not used in alpha spectroscopy. For more information on the InSight mode, see the MAESTRO User’s Manual.

  • Page 20: Stabilizer

    ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 3.5.4. Stabilizer The Stabilizer tab (Fig. 6) shows the current settings for the gain stabilizer (gain stabilization is discussed in the MAESTRO User’s Manual).

  • Page 21: High Voltage

    932505F / 0520 3. OPERATION 3.5.5. High Voltage Figure 7 shows the High Voltage tab, which allows you to set the bias voltage from 0 V to ±100 V, turn the detector bias on or off, and monitor the voltage (Actual) and leakage Current.

  • Page 22: Alpha

    ±10%. For pressures outside this range, pressure may vary by more than 10%. Note that if you try to assign two different Target settings to the chambers in one Alpha Duo, both chambers will use the most recently entered value. For more detail on controlling chamber pressure, see Sections 3.1 and 3.2.

  • Page 23: Alpha Chamber Data Display In Alphavision

    Note that some of the field names on the AlphaVision Hardware panel differ slightly from those on the MAESTRO Alpha tab. Fig. 10. Alpha Duo or Mega Chamber Hardware Readouts in AlphaVision 3.5.8. Presets Figure 11 shows the Presets tab. The presets can only be set on an MCA that is not acquiring data.
  • Page 24 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 this or another nuclide, the dead time could be high, resulting in a long counting time for the sample. If you...

  • Page 25: Maintenance And Service

    4. MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE 4.1. Decontamination The normal background count above 3 MeV for a Alpha chamber detector should be <24 counts per day for the 300 mm and 450 mm ULTRA detectors. If an increase of background is noted, this may be caused by contamination of the chamber and/or the detector by residual deposits of alpha-emitting materials.

  • Page 26: Ultra Detector Decontamination

    ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 4.1.2. ULTRA Detector Decontamination The front surface of an ULTRA detector can be cleaned with a cotton swab moistened with ace- tone.
  • Page 27 6) Pull the chamber out a little more until the glass feedthrough on the top of the chamber is exposed. This is shown for an Alpha Duo chamber in Fig. 12. CAUTION If the cable is caught on the top of the panel, you may damage the feed- through pin by pulling hard on the chamber.

  • Page 28: Chamber Installation

    When installation is complete, you should be able to start up MAESTRO or AlphaVision, go to the detector pick list in the program, and select the spectrometers (two inputs per Alpha Duo; one per Alpha Mega) you configured during setup.

  • Page 29: Can't Find The Duo Or Mega On The Detector Pick List

    4.3.2. Data or Settings Are Lost When Power Is Turned Off The memory in the Duo and Mega has battery backup to maintain data when power is removed from the module. The battery is located on the upper-rear quadrant of the PWB. Contact ORTEC for the appropriate replacement.

  • Page 30: Troubleshooting Vacuum Problems In The Alpha Ensemble

    The Alpha Ensemble’s vacuum system consists of a four-port manifold. Each port is connected to a one-chamber Alpha Mega or two-chamber Alpha Duo via a neoprene vacuum line. A cap is supplied for each of the unused ports. Figure 13 shows vacuum lines 1–4; line 1 is closest to the vacuum pump and line 4 is farthest away.
  • Page 31 When replacing an O-ring, put a small amount of Apiezon L silicone-/halogen-free vacuum grease (available from ORTEC) on the O-ring with your fingers (use plastic gloves). All excess should be thoroughly wiped off. Excess vacuum grease traps dust, which degrades the vacuum seal.
  • Page 32 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 [Intentionally blank]...

  • Page 33: Specifications

    5. SPECIFICATIONS Note that these specifications, except where noted, apply to the Alpha Duo and/or Alpha Mega because these are the major components of the Alpha Ensemble. 5.1. Performance Unless otherwise specified, performance is based on use with a BU-017-450-100 ULTRA™...

  • Page 34: Calibration Pulser

    ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 5.3. Calibration Pulser Range 0 to 10 MeV. Pulser Computer controls the internal pulser. amplitude with 12 bit (2.5 keV) level settings; set to a nominal 7 MeV pulse when shipped.

  • Page 35: Digital Mca

    5. SPECIFICATIONS 5.6. Digital MCA Digital Filter 1 ìs unipolar equivalent. Conversion Gain Software-selectable as 256, 512, 1024, 2048, or 4096. In the Alpha Duo, each spectrometer’s conversion gain is independent. Fine Gain Software-selectable range from 0.25 to 1. Gain Instability ±100 ppm/°C, measured with external pulser and charge terminator.

  • Page 36: Vacuum Chamber

    Vacuum Manifold Connector 0.25 in. Swagelok tube fitting. Vacuum Pump Requirements Rotary vacuum pump, 6.7 CFM (190 L/min) displacement, with oil mist trap. The ORTEC ALPHA-PPS-115 (or -230) is available for this application. Recoil Protection (RCAP) Option (Duo only) Automatic pressure controller, requires addi- tion of optional biased sample holders.

  • Page 37: Connectors

    Dimensions 25.7 cm W ×36.6 cm D × 15.2 cm H (10.1 in. × 14.4 in. × 6.0 in.) enclosure. Weight ! Net Weight: ! Alpha Duo Net Weight: 7.5 kg (16.5 lb). ! Alpha Mega Net Weight: 8.5 kg (18.7 lb). ! Shipping Weight: 11.5 kg (25.0 lb).

  • Page 38: Battery Backup

    , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 Weight (with 4 Alpha Duo and/or Mega modules installed) ! Net Weight: 26.6 kg (58.4 lb). ! Shipping Weight: 29.5 kg (65.0 lb). ! Module Weights: ! Alpha Duo: 3.9 kg (8.5 lb).
  • Page 39 932505F / 0520 5. SPECIFICATIONS One-button acquisition (ENA/DIS/SHOW_TRIG_SPEC, MOVE) Nomadic (likely to move between opens) Local app data (SET_DATA_APP, SHOW_DATA_APP) Software-retrievable serial number (SHOW_SNUM) Power management commands Battery status support (SHOW_STAT_BATT) Software-selectable AMP polarity (SET/SHOW_GAIN_POLAR) Support for flattop optimization (ENA/DIS_OPTI) Stoppable AutoPZ (STOP_PZ_AUTO) Network support (e.g., DSPEC) ®...
  • Page 40 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 Software-enabled, MicroNOMAD-style audio clicker (ENA/DIS_CLICK) Software-readable thermistor (SHOW_THERM) Floating-point fine gain (SET/SHO/VERI/LIST_GAIN_FINE) Software-enabled pileup rejector. (ENA/DIS/SHO_PUR, SET/VERI_WIDT_REJ) Alpha-style HV power (SHOW_HV_CURRENT)
  • Page 41 DSPEC-Pro Auxiliary BNC input available SET_DISPLAY is NOT used to select ZDT data view (requires Bit 93) ID Reports (DO_ID, SHOW_REPORT, SHOW_REPO_LINES) Has neutron detector (SHOW_CRM 2 returns valid number) — Has the ORTEC new Alpha feature set — —...
  • Page 42 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 — — — — — — — — Extended feature mask available (SH_FEAT_EXT)

  • Page 43: Appendix A. Firmware Commands And Responses

    APPENDIX A. FIRMWARE COMMANDS AND RESPONSES Most software communication with the Alpha Duo or Alpha Mega will be through the C ONNEC software layer. C is used by all ORTEC software and can be accessed for TIONS ONNECTIONS other software development with our C Programmer’s Toolkit with Microsoft...

  • Page 44: Dollar Response Records

    ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 Command syntax error Command execution error Invalid Command For macro code 129 (syntax error) or 131 (execution error), the following apply:...

  • Page 45: Mcb Commands

    932505F / 0520 APPENDIX A. FIRMWARE COMMANDS AND RESPONSES The following list provides the general form of each dollar response record for the MCB API. In this list, lower case letters represent numeric values. The letters “ccc” always represent an 8-bit unsigned checksum of all characters on the record up to but not including the checksum charac- ters, and <CR>...
  • Page 46 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 CLEAR_ALL This command is equivalent to the combination of CLEAR_COUNTERS, CLEAR_DATA, CLEAR_PRESETS, and CLEAR_ROI commands. CLEAR_COUNTERS The live-time and true-time counters for the currently selected segment are set to zero.
  • Page 47 (see ENABLE_ ALARM command). Overflow presets may be independently set for each of the devices in an Alpha Duo. See also DISABLE_OVERFLOW_PRESET and SHOW_OVERFLOW_ PRESET commands. ENABLE_PULSER Turns on the internal pulser.
  • Page 48 Response: GAIN_FINE 0.250 1.0 1032192 4128768 Valid fine gain settings range from 0.25 to 1.0. LIST_HV Lists the valid bias settings. The Alpha Duo accepts bias values between 0 and +1200 V in 960 steps (1.25 V/step). LIST_VACUUM_MODE Lists the available vacuum modes (e.g. vent, pump, or hold).
  • Page 49 The actual number of counts in the ROI integral may exceed the preset value by up to 512 counts due to the pipelined architecture of the Alpha Duo. Setting an integral pre- set to 0 counts disables the preset. The integral preset can be set to from 0 (disabled) to 4294967295 counts.
  • Page 50 ROI peak may exceed the preset value by a small number of counts due to the pipelined architecture of the Alpha Duo. Setting a peak preset to 0 counts disables the preset. The peak preset can be set to from 0 (disabled) to 2147483647 counts.
  • Page 51 This sets the upper level discriminator to value, in channels. SET_VACUUM_MODE setting Sets the vacuum mode. Setting 0 = vent, 1 = pump, 2 = hold. See also SHOW_VACUUM_ MODE. SET_VACUUM_TARG milliTorr Sets the target pressure for both Alpha Duo chambers in milliTorr. See also SHOW_ VACUUM_TARG.
  • Page 52 SET_DATA. If neither start nor length is provided, the window is set to the maximum size allowed by the conversion gain specified. SHOW_ACTIVE Reports which segments are currently acquiring data. Always 1 for the Alpha Duo. Responses: $C00000087<CR> No segments are acquiring data.
  • Page 53 932505F / 0520 APPENDIX A. FIRMWARE COMMANDS AND RESPONSES SHOW_FEATURES Responds with four 32-bit masks that indicate which features are present in the MCB. See Section 5.14 for a complete description of each bit in the mask. Example Response: FEATURES 00003152173 01116798988 02684945664 00001114120 SHOW_GAIN_ADJUST Returns the gain-stabilizer setting.
  • Page 54 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 SHOW_GATE Reports the current mode of operation of the ADC gate input. See also SET_GATE_OFF, SET_GATE_COINCIDENT, and SET_GATE_ANTICOINCIDENT. Responses: $FOFF<CR>...
  • Page 55 932505F / 0520 APPENDIX A. FIRMWARE COMMANDS AND RESPONSES Example Responses: 2000 V, negative, not overloaded, disabled. $D0200000003077<CR> $D0200000002076<CR> 2000 V, positive, not overloaded, disabled. $D0200000007082<CR> 2000 V, negative, not overloaded, enabled. SHOW_INTEGRAL [start_chan,number_of_chans] Reports the sum of the specified group of spectral data channels for the currently selected segment.
  • Page 56 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 $G4294967295132<CR> Live-time preset reported as 4294967295 ticks. SHOW_LLD Shows the lower level discriminator setting. See also SET_LLD. Responses: $C00050092 The LLD is 50.
  • Page 57 932505F / 0520 APPENDIX A. FIRMWARE COMMANDS AND RESPONSES SHOW_OVERFLOW_PRESET Reports the state of the overflow preset for the currently selected segment. Responses: $IT<CR> Overflow preset enabled for the currently selected segment. $IF<CR> Overflow preset disabled for the currently selected segment.
  • Page 58 $D0215000150086<CR> channels long. $D0000000000072<CR> No ROI groups to report. SHOW_SEGMENT Returns the current segment number. Always 1 for the Alpha Duo. SHOW_SNUM Responds with a $F record indicating the serial number of the MCB. Response: $F100 Serial Number = 100.
  • Page 59 932505F / 0520 APPENDIX A. FIRMWARE COMMANDS AND RESPONSES SHOW_STATUS Returns system status information in the following format: $Mllllllllllttttttttttaaaaahhhhhccc<CR> where llllllllll represents the live time as returned by the SHOW_LIVE command, tttttttttt represents the true time for the current segment as returned by the SHOW_TRUE command, aaaaa represents the active device mask as returned by the SHOW_ACTIVE_DEVICES command, and hhhhh represents the hardware status, which is an ASCII representation of a 16-bit decimal number with the following bit definitions:...
  • Page 60 Example Responses: VACU_MODE HOLD The chamber is currently in HOLD mode. SHOW_VERSION Reports the Alpha Duo firmware version number in the form: Fmmmm-vvv<CR> where mmmm is a 4-character model designator and vvv is a 3-character version designator. Example Responses: Alpha Duo firmware version 2 reported.
  • Page 61 START [seg-mask] Starts data acquisition. The optional segment mask is provided for compatibility with other MCBs and may be any value from 0 to 65535 but is ignored by the Alpha Duo. STOP [seg-mask] Stops the acquisition of spectral data in the currently selected segment. The optional segment mask is provided for compatibility with other MCBs and can be any value from 0 to 65535, but is ignored by the Alpha Duo.
  • Page 62 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 [Intentionally blank]...

  • Page 63: Appendix B. Changing To An Opposite-Polarity Detector

    (However, disconnection and recon- nection are very simple, should you wish to do so.) Figure 14 shows an Alpha Duo partially removed from its benchtop housing. The housing cover has been removed for illustrative purposes.
  • Page 64 — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 Fig. 14. Alpha Duo Partially Removed from Benchtop Enclosure 5) To remove the chamber(s), use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the four (4) screws that hold the faceplate to the chassis, then pull the faceplate/chamber assembly gently forward.
  • Page 65 932505F / 0520 APPENDIX B. CHANGING TO AN OPPOSITE-POLARITY DETECTOR Fig. 15. Removing an Alpha Module from the Alpha Ensemble Enclosure ! Duo The three switches for the left chamber are SW 101, SW 102, and SW 100. The right-chamber switches are similarly numbered SW 201, SW 202, and SW 200.
  • Page 66 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 Fig. 16. Inside the Alpha Duo Fig. 17. Alpha Mega Faceplate and Chamber Pulled Out of Enclosure...
  • Page 67 932505F / 0520 APPENDIX B. CHANGING TO AN OPPOSITE-POLARITY DETECTOR Figure 18 highlights the three switches that control the polarity for the left chamber. Move the three sliders toward the back of the housing to switch them to negative polarity, or toward the front panel for positive polarity.

  • Page 68: Recalibration

    Am source, and peak location is based on its 5.945 MeV alpha peak. Leaving the top panel off, reattach the Alpha Duo to its vacuum, USB, and power connec- tions, and power the unit ON. Place the source in the appropriate chamber and close the door.
  • Page 69 17) Turn off the HV and pulser, and vent the chamber. 18) You are now ready to turn off the enclosure mains power, replace the Alpha Duo’s top panel, reassemble and reconnect the unit, then return to MAESTRO to set the MCA set- tings and calibrate for the data window of interest.
  • Page 70 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 [Intentionally blank]...

  • Page 71: Index

    INDEX Alpha Duo/Mega/Ensemble Resolution......11 ADC setup ......13 Troubleshooting .
  • Page 72 ® ® ® ® ORTEC Alpha Duo , Alpha Mega , Alpha Ensemble — Hardware User’s Manual 932505F / 0520 [Intentionally blank]...

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