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Then Click the 'Start' button. This brings up a login screen where you will enter the following information and then click 'Login' (Figure 4):
User Name: innovx
Password: 1776
Figure 4. The Login Screen. Login Button is outlined in red
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Figure 5. Mode Window. A. Mode Button to access the screen. B. Geochemistry and Soil Modes (on display: Geochemistry mode)
- Now that the Mode is set, establish the measuring time for each beam. Each Mode has preset measuring times but these are changeable. To access the Measurement Time click on the 'Setup' Button at the top of the screen (Figure 6). Then in Left Panel click on 'Test Condition.' This brings up a screen that shows the Minimum and Maximum time currently set for each beam. Adjust the settings to your liking and click 'Save'.
Figure 6. Test Condition Window. A. 'Setup' Button on the top right of the screen. B. 'Test Condition' Option in the Left Panel. C. Minimum and Maximum Time Settings for each beam. D. 'Save Button
Note: If the minimum time is set to 1 and the maximum to 30, if the gun determines it has a good profile in less than 30 seconds it will stop actively measuring. If you want to ensure it measures for the full time, set the minimum and maximum time to the same number. Ex: Minimum 30s and Maximum 30s
Making a Measurement
When you turn on the gun for the first time you need to make a 'Cal Check' before any other measurements are taken. Place the gun in its stand as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. : Handheld XRF Gun gun resting in stand .
Then click on the blue 'Cal Check' button on the bottom left of the screen (Figure 8). This tells the gun to measure the stainless steel disk located in the stand. This is an internal calibration which ensures the gun is measuring properly.
Figure 8. Cal Check Indications. A. Cal Check Measurement Button. B. Message to perform Cal Check. C. Disabled Start Button
This measurement is taken when the gun is turned on and every 10 hours. When a Cal Check is needed the white bar will say 'Perform a Cal Check' and the 'Start' button will gray out and be disabled until the Cal Check is completed (Figure 8). When successfully completed the white bar will say 'Cal Check completed successfully'.
Naming a Measurement
In the Analysis Window, click the blue button with three dots in the upper left corner (Figure 9). The white bar shows the current run number.
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Editable fields are as follows: Run Number, Sample Name, Text ID, SHLF Offset, and Comment (optional field).
Run Number: A sequential number increased by +1 with every measurement, ex: 1, 2, 3… This number will should start at 1 for the first measurement of the expedition.
Sample Name: Sample Name according to the sample or section half label. Ex: 366-U1234A-20F1-W
Text ID: Unique 11 digit ID for each sample or section half located under the barcode on the label.
Offset for SHLF: The point where a measurement is made on a section half, measured as distance from the top of the section. This field will only have a value for section half measurements.
Comment: A brief description of the measurement. An optional field.
Enter the run number manually. It is not automatically incremented. This should be unique throughout the expedition, so the use of a logsheet is highly recommended. Then in the 'Sample Name' field scan your label. For a section half use the end cap label and the scanner labeled 'SECTION HALF'. For a powder mount scan the label on the mount with the scanner labeled 'POWDER'bag. This populates the 'Sample Name' and 'Text_ID' Fields. If measuring a section half enter in the offset, for the offset in 'Offset for SHLF' field. The offset must be a single number (e.g., 100, 120.5). For all other measurements (powder mount) leave the offset field blank. You may enter a brief description of the measurement in the 'Comment' Field (e.g., Rep1, Rep2 for repeated measurements on the same point).
Click 'Save' in the lower right portion of the screen. There is no confirmation that the information has been saved. If you do not click save 'Save' the information will revert back to the prior run and there will be two measurements with the same name. The measurements are parsed by time so measurements will not overwrite one another there will just be multiple measurements with the same information.
Now that a Cal Check has been performed and the sample information is updated you can start measuring.
Take the gun out of the stand and either attach it to the FlexStand for powder measurements or screw it into the leaded shielding drape for section half measurements (Figure 11).
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Figure 11. Leaded Shielding for Section Half measurements. The Nose nose of the gun goes into the opening and is tightened with the side screws.
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This can be done while in the 'Test Information' window or you may click 'Back' to go back to the Analysis page and then click 'Start'. The data are automatically saved (no confirmation message).
Record each measurement taken on the paper log sheets provided by the technician. Do not forget to export the files regularly.
Exporting Files
The gun writes one file per day that contains all the measurements taken in that 24 hour period. Until that file is exported the measurements are not permanently attached to the file. If files have not been exported do not disconnect the gun, turn off the software, or turn off the gun otherwise those un-exported measurements will be lost.
To export a file go the 'Set Up' in the top right and then click 'Data Management' in the left panel (Figure 13).
Figure 13. Data Management Window. A. Set Up Button B. Data Management Button
The Data Management Screen is now up and files can be exported. First select the date file you want to upload in the right panel (Figure 14). A 'Data' and 'Spectra' file need to be exported per file. The active filetype file type has the red check highlighted in the type Box. In the Figure below, the Data filetype file type has the red check so it is the active file-type. The Filename for each file needs to be the same. The file extension for the data file is ".csv" and the file extension for the spectra file is ".spm". Follow this naming convention: "MM-DD-YYYY"
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Note: If you would like a different data file-type let the technician know
Figure 14. Export a file. A. Panel listing files available files. B. Data and Spectra File Types. C. Bar displaying the Path files save to. D. Filename. E. Export Button. F. Successful data export.
Click the 'export' button for the data file and then repeat for the spectra file and click 'export'. A message 'Exported data file successfully' will appear in the white bar. After the files have been exported the measurements are attached to the file. Multiple exports can be done in the same day however the measurements will still be written to the same date file.
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