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Introduction

The Bruker Tracer 5 pXRF makes contact elemental measurements on section halves and prepared powder mounts. The device emits a primary X-Ray beam that bombards the material and excites electrons. The movement of electrons emits secondary fluorescent radiation that is measured by a detector in the device. These energy patterns are characteristic to elements and determine what is present. The Tracer 5 pXRF can be run either independently or through an attached pc laptop. The Bruker RemoteCtrl software mirrors what is present on the screen of the Tracer5 and all functions are the same.

Before you begin: The instrument generates X-rays and should be only operated by authorized users trained in radiation safety. Do not expose any part of your body to X-rays! 

Remember to display a 'Caution: Radiation' sign, as well as a warning for others to stay 1 meter (3 feet) away at all times.

Getting Started

Place a fully charged battery into the Tracer 5 by opening the bottom of the handle. Alternatively, insert the AC adapter labeled ‘pXRF Power Cord’ into the power port below the screen (Fig. 1, B) and plug the cord into a regulated power outlet.

Figure 1. Power button (Left, arrow) and ports, A) Remote port, for connection to optional accessories, B) Power port, C) USB-A port with storage device installed, D) USB Mini-B port, for connection to a computer or laptop.

Note: The device can be used on its own or it can be connected to a laptop and, using the program Bruker RemoteCtrl , the device screen will be mirrored on the laptop. On the laptop, log in using the daq profile (Name: daq, Password: daq). Once logged in, connect the device to the laptop using the USB cord labeled ‘pXRF to computer cord’ using the USB Mini-B port (Fig. 1, D).

Turn on the Tracer 5 by pressing and holding the power button for 1-2 seconds (Fig. 1, Left) and the device will initialize.

Open the Bruker RemoteCtrl program found on the desktop and select ‘File’ and ‘Connect’. A smaller window will open and the device’s serial number will appear in the box (Fig. 2). This may take several seconds. Highlight the serial number and select ‘OK’.

The following screens and functions can be accessed on the device itself or using Bruker RemoteCtrl.

Once the Login screen appears (Fig. 3, Left), select the ‘Login’ button, enter the password (12345) (Fig. 3, Center) and select ‘Ok’. A radiation warning will be displayed, press and release the trigger to acknowledge this warning.

Figure 2. Connecting to Bruker RemoteCtrl.

Figure 3. Login Screen (Left), Passcode enter screen (Center), and current settings shown after Login (Right).

Then the current application will be displayed, as well as a few other details (Fig. 3, Right). Select ‘Ok’.

You are now in the main display screen (Fig. 4). Note: The device is armed with a proximity sensor and will display ‘Not Armed’ until something is placed in front of the device measurement window if this safety feature is enabled. Once the proximity sensor detects a surface or sample, the box will become green and display ‘Ready to Test’.

If the device displays 'Ready to Test' the trigger is active! Keep clear of the trigger when repositioning the device!


Figure 4. The main display screen. Left, X-ray is not armed. Right, X-ray is armed and ready to measure.

Application and Settings

The current application can be changed by selecting , choosing a different application type and selecting ‘OK’. This device has 5 applications installed. The best application for our purposes is GeoExploration. Each application has different scanning parameters which preferentially pick up some elements better than others. The device will keep the chosen application until manually changed.

Some application settings, such as beam scan duration, can be adjusted by selecting on the main display screen. Three settings can be adjusted in this screen (Fig. 5): 

  • Duration: This screen will display the number of phases used by the current application. The time in seconds spent on each phase can be adjusted. Note: The longer the scan time, the greater the accuracy and precision and the lower the % error of the measurement will be. For geological samples, 1 minute per phase or longer is not uncommon, but not required.
  • First Result/Test: This is the number of seconds before results will be shown on the display once a measurement has been triggered.
  • Trigger Active: The trigger can be set to ‘Auto’ or ‘Manual’ by selecting this button.
    • Auto (Preferred): The measurement proceeds by pressing and releasing the trigger.
    • Manual: The trigger must be pressed for the duration of the measurement. If the trigger is released at any time during the measurement, measuring will stop.

Figure 5. Settings display screen. User will only see the top box. Supervisor will see the screen as is.

Select ‘Ok’ when finished adjusting or 'Cancel' to return to the previous screen. Note: These settings may return to default if a new application is selected, therefore, check these settings before beginning to measure samples.

Making a Measurement

Edit Sample Information

On the main display (Fig 4, Left), click the ‘Edit Info’ button in the middle of the bottom row of buttons. This screen (Fig. 6) is where the sample information is entered or modified. All fields in the right column are editable by double clicking and should be reviewed and changed for each sample as needed:

  • Sample Type:
    • Standard – a powdered standard in a sample cup
    • SHLF – a measurement taken directly on a section half or of a piece from a section half
    • Sample – a powdered sample in a sample cup
  • Expedition: The current expedition
    • Example: 397
  • Site & Hole: The site and hole the sample was taken from
    • Example: U1586A
  • Core/Section: The core number with letter indicating the core type and the section in that core that is being measured or that the sample was taken from. If measuring a standard, enter the standard name.
    • Sample example: 1H/6 or 32X/1
    • Standard example: BCR 2 or BHVO 2
  • TextID: The unique sample number for every sample. This is found on the lower right corner of the sample label below the QR code, example: SHLF11754181. If measuring a standard, use the information from the appropriate QAQC label provided. If a standard does not have a QAQC label, leave this field blank. Note: If the device is connected to the laptop and using Bruker RemoteCtrl software, you can attach and use the barcode scanner to enter the TextID by scanning the QR code on the section half or sample label.
    • Example: SHLF11744181
  • Top Offset (cm):
    • For a section half or piece from a section half, this is the distance in cm from the top of the core section, example: 34 or 101.5 (Do not put a range!).
    • For powdered samples and standards, use 0.
  • Comment: Use this to provide any additional information, such as a physical description for reference or to indicate a replicate measurement.

Figure 6. The ‘Edit Info’ screen.

Click 'OK' in the lower left corner of the screen. The display will return to the main display screen.

Fill out the Log Sheet 

Remember to manually fill out the Log Sheet as you are editing the sample information. For the current version of the log sheet, do not worry about the Run#, this will be automatically assigned and you can fill that in after the measurement starts. It is important to fill in the Time (in UTC) as this will help the X-Ray technician match up the sample with the measurement and correct any errors, if any, before uploading the data. The most important pieces of information are the sample TextID and the Offset (if from a SHLF) as these are unique values needed to upload the data to LIMS.

Execute a Scan

There are 2 ways to initiate a scan:

If the device is connected to the laptop select ‘Trigger Pull (F6)’ along the top of the RemoteCtrl program window or press F6. The measurement will begin and continue until finished. Note: If the device is moved away from the sample, the measurement will stop!

If you are not connected the laptop press the device to the sample, the proximity sensor will detect a sample and the device will be armed for measurement. Press and release the trigger. The measurement will begin and continue until finished. Note: If the device is moved away from the sample, the measurement will stop!

A beep will sound when the device has finished measuring and the device can be moved away from the sample or repositioned for the next measurement. At this point, the previous measurement’s data has been stored and added to the results file.

Downloading the Data

To export the results, connect the device to the computer if not already connected. Also, log into the OES using your personal credentials.

Open the Bruker Instrument Tools found on the desktop. Go to Device, then Connect  and select 900G7838. Click Connect (Fig. 7 and 8).

Figure 7. Menu bar of Bruker Instrument Tools.

Figure 8. Connection window of Bruker Instrument Tools.

After connection, a file tree will appear on the left side of the program window (Fig. 9). Select the folder ‘Bruker’ and double click to open it. Then select the ‘Data’ folder and double click to open. 

Figure 9. File tree for the Tracer 5 in Bruker Instrument Tools.

Inside the Data folder is:

  • A .pdz file (spectra files) for each measurement
  • A .tsv file for each application used (i.e. GeoExploration.tsv)
  • A .csv results file named Results.csv

If a USB stick is installed, the data is automatically written to the 'Data' folder on the USB. The Tracer is also set up to save each data measurement to the internal memory as a back up in case the USB stick should fail. The Tracer automatically updates the ‘Data’ folders in the Bruker and USB folders after each new measurement with an associated .pdz file and also adds the data to the appropriate application .tsv file and .csv ‘Results’ file.

Highlight all the files and then select the ‘Download’ option in the toolbar of the program window (Fig. LOL, Box). A smaller window will appear and here you can select the location you wish to download the files to. Download all data files (.tsv, .csv, and .pdz) to C:\DATA\IN (Fig. 10, Arrow). The .tsv and .csv files will have all measurements that have been taken since the last internal memory clean-up, which will typically be done after each site or more frequently depending on the number of measurements executed. The data can be copied from this folder for data processing.

Figure 10. Downloading data with Bruker Instrument Tools. The box indicates the download button. The arrow indicates the location to save the data to.

Opening the .tsv file in Excel

The .csv file is not set up well for further data processing, however, the .tsv file can be opened in Excel in a more user-friendly set up to work with.

Open a new workbook and go to the Data tab and select .

You will be prompted to navigate to the folder containing the GeoExploration.tsv file.

Once you find the folder, select All Files from the drop down menu at the bottom right (Fig. 8, Box). Then select the GeoExploration.tsv file and click Import. (Fig. 11).

Figure 11. Importing data from the .tsv files into Excel. The red box indicates where to select 'All Files'.

A window will open showing you a preview of the file. Select 'Tab' from the 'Delimiter' drop down menu options if it is not already there. Click Load. (Fig. 12)

Figure 12. Data Preview in Excel of the .tsv file. The red box indicates the correct 'Tab' should be selected as the delimiter.

The data will be imported to Excel in a more useable format (Fig.13). The columns with the sample information will be the last columns to the right.

Figure 13. Exported file from pXRF device.

This file can then be saved in Uservol (when logged into the OES) to access for data processing. The file may contain repeat data, simply delete the rows of unwanted data.

!!! Clearing data from the internal memory and USB!!!

Note: The internal memory of the device is only 512MB (~1200 scans)! Therefore, the internal memory needs to be cleaned up several times an expedition to prevent locking up the device’s onboard computer.  Additionally, it is important to keep the data on the USB low as well. The X-ray technician will take care of this, but keep this in mind if you are performing a lot of measurements! 


Credits: J. Riekenberg and B. Cervera

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