Note in no particular order:

Message from Luan Nov 3, 2022

What kind of sample are you using? A coat of something like 12 pulses/flashes should be good--make sure the stage of the sputter coater is adjusted to the right position, close to the window. Put a slip of paper beneath the sample and make sure that you can see a distinct "shadow" of where carbon was laid down.

I don't think you need to do an energy channel calibration unless something has changed. You would do it with the pelco standard stub (don't coat it). Probably best would be to follow the excellent Bruker manufacturer manual.

Message from NannoImage rep Jon Lechich, Nov 3, 2022:

I believe Luan and I calibrated the system with a copper sample, but if that was someone else, then you can calibrate the system with a copper sample.  But if you are getting elements in mapping but not in point or line scan, I think it just might be a glitch in the EDS software/hardware.  I would recommend starting with a power cycle of the software and the grey Bruker box, waiting 30 seconds and turning them back on.  If the issue persists, we can look elsewhere, but there is no reason to be getting elements in one but not the other.  

Message from Luan Nov 7, 2022

I think that the standards are useful for making sure that you're using the EDS correctly (probably the Pelco EDS stub is helpful here) or you can use a carbon-coated thin section containing minerals of known chemistry (probably a better comparison to thin section EDS, as it's a more similar preparation and a more similar geological material than the materials in the Pelco EDS stub). Last cruise we were using a carbon-coated thin section of biotite schist, which contains biotite (spectra should contain Si, Mg, Fe, Al, K) and quartz (should always be 47% Si, 53% O, or 100% SiO2). I believe this is located in the SEM area of the lab in a thin section box, or Aidan can help you find a play thin-section of some quartz-bearing rock. We can talk about buying/making more mineral standards (or a set of "play standards" for EDS learners) however this was discussed with some skepticism by the Geology LWG, c. 2/17/2020 (email subject "Standard for EDS").