Date: Mon, 9 Jan 95 09:17:31 CST
Subject: SX50 users: lots of things
From:
Status: OR
1995 is upon me/us with a vengenance. Several things:
1 - for those keeping their own lists, a few changes/additions:
Please change Maggy Piranian's address from
maggy@microprobe.esd.mun.ca to maggy@sparky2.esd.mun.ca
Please add Eric Essene to your SX50 mailing list.
2 - SX50 motor replacement response and ion pump query (below)
3 - feedback re Quantiview (below)
4 - FTP sites, archive of files - Mike Comerford (comerford.1@osu.edu)
at Ohio State has agreed to try to sort thru the messages I have saved
over the past year, to organize into a searchable form, which we then
can put on FTP sites. So far Ken Severin (FNKPS@aurora.alaska.edu) and
Robert McDonald have expressed interests in
setting up FTP sites at their locations.
5 - Query:trace element (glass) standards -- Does anyone know if the
glass standards GSCA, B, C, D made up by Corning for the USGS 20+
years ago are available? They were doped with a whole slew of trace
elements at various levels (50, 500, 5000 ppm). If so, please send a
message to me - johnf@geology.wisc.edu
6 - Ginny Sisson and I still owe folks a summary of the users group mtgs
at GSA and AGU...
7 - SX50 Printing problem:
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 95 23:49:18 CST
From: "Tom Hulsebosch"
Subject: SX Printing Problems
I'm looking for input on a printer problem that we have with
our SX-50 system. Does anyone have information that may
help solve the following problem:
We have a SUN 4/330 system with a DEC LA75 printer. Print
out from QuantiView often stops mysteriously during
microprobe use. To restart the print process we have to
either re-boot the computer, or manually removing files from
the print queue-kill the print process-then rest the print
process. Our computer personnel say the problem arises when
a file becomes "wedged" (whatever that means). We have
always had this problem, but it seems to be happening more
frequently lately.
Has anyone experienced similar problems, or does anyone have
ideas about avoiding the problem?
Tom H.
================
===========================
Quanti-quantiview Responses:
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 94 08:54:52 HST
From: "Mike Garcia"
Subject: Re: Quantiview-Geologic; FTP site
Seasons greetings. We use quantiview sometimes but I have not had the
problems you mentioned. Sometimes I have trouble using an old geology
declare file, but I have always assumed that the file got corrupted
somehow, especially if I have not used it for awhile. I have never
got erroneous values. I do like to check structural formula, but as
you note this seems a lost cause in the literature. HOwever, I mainly
run simple minerals like olivine.
Yes, we still get CORE DUMPS as I mentioned during our meeting with
Andy. I confirmed this with Tom and our other users. They are less
frequent with the new software and mainly occur when trying to change
something after creating it.
Good to hear about the FTP sites. Were you going to put together a
summary of our SF meeting and/or compare notes with Ginny Sisson on
the GSA users meeting?
Cheers, Mike Garcia
...............................
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 95 23:46:08 CST
From: mdl@probe.geo.umass.edu (M David Leonard)
Subject: CAMECA geologic software
We've been revising geoext.f here for a bit, and are getting ready
to to a complete rewrite of it. We don't like the Carlmichael Fe
correction
very much (ha!) and are planning to insert Larry Finger's method instead,
with
a user-settable flag to enable/disable it.
With F we have found that it can be tricky to get everything set up
correctly in the label. Don't you find the CAMECA documentation somewhat
lacking in terms of user instructions? I wish they'd take a clue from
Hewlett
Packard's manuals which are (IMHO) about the best there are.
We still see problems with QuantiView, so much so that we regularly
use quanti instead.
Hope this answers your questions. 73 de WA1TLM,
David Leonard
..............................
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 95 23:46:26 CST
From: jstor@owlnet.rice.edu (J. C. Stormer, Jr.)
Subject: Re: Quantiview-Geologic; FTP site
The oxide (ilmenite at least) routines create fictitious Fe if required by
stoichiometry. This doesn't seem to be a probem except when analysing mt
with ilm routine (or it might be the other way around). Actually, the
analysis listed first (elemental) is OK, only the calculated one below is
bad.
I use a generic oxide declaration that I made up. I agree the geologic
mode can be a trap for the unwary.
Happy New Year - Jay
Dr. J. C. Stormer, Jr., jstor@rice.edu
Dept. of Geology & Geophysics, MS-126
Rice University, 6100 South Main St., Phone: (713) 527-4054
Houston, TX 77005-1892 KB5TKO
===============================
=============================
SX50 Motors, Ion Pump Parts
Date: Sun, 8 Jan 95 23:44:57 CST
From: B.Robinson@dem.csiro.au (Bruce Robinson)
Subject: SX spec motors
In Australia, we have been ordering motors in "bulk", say five at a time,
shared between users. This has worked quite well. We also then all have
more spares, so we can borrow motors from other users if one lab runs out,
in between orders.
It is a while since we have ordered, and I do not know the address, as the
ordering was done elsewhere. My recollection is that the motors were the
same as those used by Cameca and made in Switzerland. I am inquiring for
you. [yes, we have been getting Portescap motors from the Australian
agent,
these are the ones Cameca use. The lead time is the same as you suggested,
and there is a drop in the unit cost for 5 or more, so it makes sharing
sensible. The price seems about the same, roughly]
I suggest you set up a small consortium to buy some motors in "bulk" to
reduce costs. We need some too, so I would like to hear how you get on.
It is possible for one lab/person to do the ordering, then to take a small
commission to cover the work and the risks etc. Otherwise you could
convince the agents for Portescap to keep some in the US given that more
people would buy them if they are in stock when needed. We would not have
the volume to do that in Australia
***********************
You don't know where to get SX ion pump modules do you?. We have an
original 1987 ion pump, and after Christmas (? during a power-fail
incident)
it coated our electron gun insulator with a silver mirror of carbon, put 1
mm of carbon soot onto the pump module, and got very hot. There seems a
funny reaction if the specro window goes, the methane comes in, and the
protection does not work.
It is back on the air over the weekend, but it would be business-like to
have spare ion pump modules available. We have often broken the ceramic
(Al2O3) insulators inside the pumps, and have been unable to get
replacements. We have had to make them from machinable ceramic, which is
a
bit slow.
I have heard that someone in your sector of the hemisphere reconditions etc
ion pumps. Any hints.
Regards from another West Coast.
Bruce Robinson
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John Fournelle
Electron Microprobe Lab Internet:johnf@geology.wisc.edu
Dept of Geology & Geophysics Telephone: (608) 262-7964
University of Wisconsin Fax: (608) 262-0693
1215 West Dayton Street Amateur radio: WA3BTA/9
Madison, WI 53706