XRF Wiki
Welcome to the XRF Wiki. This Wiki is a repository of information contributed by members of [email protected]. Members can view and edit the pages. The pages are currently not viewable by the public. The pages below represent a rough overview of the technology and techniques associated with X-Ray Florescence Spectroscopy as well as serving as a place for members to organize the spectra that they have contributed to the forum.?
As a starting point, the pages will be populated by information taken from member posts from the past few years - with references/attribution. Perhaps in time, these pages can be edited by members to make them more complete and less choppy. Members can also edit this page, making the structure of the content more organized.?
Pages can contain information about a particular topic, links to relevant resources (such as manuals, research papers, etc.), links to relevant forum discussions on the topic, book titles, or anything that might be useful.
What follows is very much a work in progress.
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Adding to the Wiki
For those unfamiliar with the Wiki phenomenon, it is basically a user editable encyclopedia. The idea is that there are pages with different articles, which the user can read and also choose to edit if desired. If a piece of information is incorrect, a link outdated, or the presentation choppy or unclear, the user can just click "Edit Page" at the bottom and then fix the mistake. There is also a "Page History," so if you a user were to make a mistake or maliciously destroy a page (which wouldn't happen here) an editor can come along and restore the page to a previous version.?
If you have used MediaWiki (the engine that runs behind the scene of Wikipedia.org) you will be familiar with a certain style of creating an article. There are tags that one uses to change the formatting of the parts of the article. The Wiki on Groups.io uses a different background engine and so the standard MediaWiki syntax does not apply here. Rather, the page is edited using the same tools as one would use to compose a message on the forums. If you are a programmer or someone who likes using the tagged syntax directly, you can access the underlying page source code, be activating the advanced editing toolbar (the icon with three lines on the far right of the basic toolbar) and then clicking on the source code icon <> on the far right of the Advance Editing Toolbar. You will immediately notice that the underlying source code is HTML. Most things can be done just by using the various icons, but advanced features like table can only be implemented by manually writing the source code. (Although there are website available that will generate the source code for you through a graphical interface.)
Here are some useful resources from Groups.io:?
Wiki Guide for Users and Editors
Message Composition Tips and Tricks
Overview of XRF
X-Ray Florescence vs. X-Ray Diffraction
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Hardware
This section describes the hardware used for XRF. We will describe the basic theory of operation of each stage in the processing tool chain and then present different commercial systems that are available as these systems are often integrated together.
[Editor note: General theory needs to be in an independent page separate from specific manufacturer information.
[Editor note - question: Should this be arranged by category, e.g detectors, preamps, etc or by manufacturer with the manufacturers product line on one page. Perhaps it's best to put a list of products with theory but the details of the products on a manufacture page...]
Detectors?- what's available, theory of operation, tradeoffs
Detector Cooling?- keeping detectors cool to avoid thermal noise and keeping the TEC from overheating
Preamps?- theory of operation, brief summary of what out there (and what not to do - such as trying to use a PMT preamp for a SiPIN diode...)
Pulse Processing Theory - high level overview of the stages of going from detector pulse to channel peaks on the computer
Commercial Systems - many commercial systems are integrated so it seems to make sense to present, for example all Amptek products together. [question: are their other affordable integrated systems besides Amptek?]
Amptek XRF System
Activation Sources - what do you use to make the sample fluoresce (that's within the amateur budget and doesn't require special licensing)
Software
- Device Control Software - what do you use to collect the data from the detector system
- XRF Analysis Software - what do you use to analyze the data, especially for quantitative measurements (composition percentages, thin film measurement)
- Free Software Tools
Note: there may be software packages that possess some or all of these characteristics.
Materials Spectra
Metals Spectra
Historic/Archeological Spectra
Reference Materials Spectra
Household Objects Spectra
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Resources
Videos
Articles
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Non-XRF Techniques
Gamma Spectroscopy
Raman Spectroscopy
FTIR - Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Inductively Coupled Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Spark Emission Spectroscopy
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
LIBS - Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
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Re: Supplements exposed :filling materials of pharmaceuticals
Geo If anyone wishes to study his medicine best discard after use The xrf energy is sufficient to break some molecular bonds??potentially changing the chemistry of the drug? Taray
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#2077
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Re: Supplements exposed :filling materials of pharmaceuticals
Another good scan and a great idea to do. The micro XRF from a commercial lab is a good resource too, maybe we can start a folder for such things to compare our work against? Geo To: [email protected]
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2076
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Re: Xrf timing belt
Good scan Taray, Thanks for showing. Geo To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2021 9:09:49 AM Subject: Re: [XRF] Xrf timing belt Hi guys Automotive xrf continues Here is an xrf of my used car
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2075
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Re: Xrf timing belt
Hi guys Automotive xrf continues? Here is an xrf of??my used car spark plug The elements detected are as follows? Main body Fe Likely to have an Aluminum oxide ceramic?? Electrode side? Ni as a
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#2074
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Re: Supplements exposed :filling materials of pharmaceuticals
Hi guys Pharmaceuticals have some active ingredients but their main components? are fillers. These? fillers have some functions which? are not? necessarily therapeutic but can influence the
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#2073
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Locked
Re: Skimming angle XRF- Experiment
pic of setup, taken through the 1.5" thick scatter shield.
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2072
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Locked
Re: Skimming angle XRF- Experiment
A flat steel snap-spring, happened to be in the junk box. Probably off some old GM probe etc. Looking closer, it's the remains of an LND 725 tube. Very thin and hard, the sort of material you would
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2071
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Edited
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Re: Vanadium
Thanks for the report and analysis Taray. You are always coming up with unique materials to test, we are grateful. Geo To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2021 5:07:53 AM Subject: [XRF]
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2070
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Vanadium
Hi guys Vanadium is quite an elusive element and rarely makes a? solo appearance? in xrf spectrum Usually associated with Fe,Cr? or titanium alloys Used in implants and tools etc The very fact it
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#2069
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Re: Brown Crystal Cluster Ca-Fe-Zn more
Geo, Turn off Old ROI¡¯s before posting then do an interpretation based on energy of the peak¡¯s high count then look for associated x-rays and then nearby energy x-rays that are La or Ka¡¯s, and
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Dude
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#2067
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Re: Brown Crystal Cluster Ca-Fe-Zn more
When you have time Dud, see what you find here- it's a smaller tan crystal cluster, and we're looking at a blue patch on the distal end. Geo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2064
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Edited
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Re: Brown Crystal Cluster Ca-Fe-Zn more
Dud, there is a 1mm collimator on the beam too. Yes the W L-lines preclude and testing right there. For sure. Geo To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, January 25, 2021 1:39:57 PM Subject: Re: [XRF] Brown
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2063
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Re: Brown Crystal Cluster Ca-Fe-Zn more
Geo, Here¡¯s a good example of what we have been talking about. You have a 1mm W collimator peak sitting in the middle of the important Zn, Cu, W, Ta window with a reduced resolution due to the wide
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Dude
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#2062
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Jasper
Add YOUR Jasper scans to this topic. Geo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2061
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Re: Obsidian
Not perfect obsidian probably but solid - no bubbles. Carrizozo Shield Volcano Flow NM Skimming exciter 36kV @ 9.8uA 300s
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2060
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Edited
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Re: Brown Crystal Cluster Ca-Fe-Zn more
> > pic of XRF scan
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2059
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Brown Crystal Cluster Ca-Fe-Zn more
Argonite? just a guess, any clues to look for?. Huge calcium, Fe and good Zn plus others.
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2058
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Re: Obsidian
Just the one big cable in the back then? That must be yet another variant. Got pics? Geo To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2021 10:11:43 PM Subject: Re: [XRF] Obsidian OK I had to look to be
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2057
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Re: Obsidian
Both the Kevex CU015 and the LIXI have the control cable in back neither has a HV cable or SO 239. The HV power supply is in the head. The LXI has a jack for camera interlock and foot switch.. dud
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Dude
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#2056
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Re: Obsidian
OK I had to look to be sure. Both control units are marked LIXI PS-500, one has a connector on the front for the head wire (just 1 cable) and that's the one in my office. The one downstairs has all
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GEOelectronics@...
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#2055
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