Multiwire Laboratories, Ltd.

MWL110 SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

X-ray Detector - The heart of the MWL110 system is a multiwire proportional chamber with a 30 cm x 30 cm active area. The detector is equipped with a selection of four interchangeable collimators (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mm), a fail-safe x-ray shutter, and a gas delivery system consisting of a Matheson gas regulator with CGA580 inlet (for 90% Argon, 10% CO2 gas mixture).

Electronics - Rack mounted instrument modules: Modules by EG&G Ortec: 4001A/4002A Nim Bin and Power Supply, 556 High Voltage power supply, three 551 Constant fraction discriminators, PEC 535 Quad fast amplifier, EG&G 661 ratemeter. Modules by Multiwire Laboratories,: Dual time-to-amplitude converter and digitizer, model 4; Gas delivery module, model 101, equipped with an inlet flow gauge and over-pressure protection hardware.

Computer - Custom Pentium PC computer with high speed graphical interface bus for real-time graphics support, 128+ Mbyte memory, 250+ Mbyte hard drive, 3.5" floppy drive, CD ROM drive, 101 style keyboard, VGA graphics with color monitor, Windows 2000, and custom PCI interface card to Laue camera electronics. Laser printer recommended.

X-ray Source - The MWL110 system requires an x-ray source for operation. A standard focus tungsten x-ray tube is recommended that is continuously adjustable over the range of 9 to 25 KV and 1 to 20 mA of current, full-wave rectified or constant potential. The 9 to 20 KV operation is essential for crystals containing significant quantities of elements that may fluoresce in the 5 to 20 keV range. Low voltage operation will minimize the production of fluorescent x-rays which are also imaged by the detector system.

Environmental - Room Temperature: Less than 24 C (76 F), relative humidity less than 50%.

Installation and Electrical Requirements - Installation of equipment is provided at additional charge. The customer will need to provide an 6' (180 cm) or taller standard equipment rack to mount all the equipment. The instrument panels are of standard 19" (48 cm) width and companies such as Bud make a number of racks that would be suitable for this purpose. The NIM bin power supply, the 6-axis motor controller, and the shelf that we supply that supports the computer will all be assembled into this rack. Also, a plug strip with at least 5 outlets for the AC power chords to the various pieces of equipment should be provided.

The power draw expected is:

Rating	110-120 VAC	220-240 VAC
Nim Bin Power supply	3 A	1.5 A
0-3 KV HV Power Supply	1.5 A	1.5 A
LCD display	1 A	1 A
Real-time Computer	4 A	2 A
6-axis Motor Controller	5 A	3 A

A set of three installation drawings (file: layout3, 372k in PDF format) show how the MWL110 detector, base plate, jack, and x-ray tube can be properly positioned.  The drawings are in in PDF format and a free Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from Adobe if needed to view the document.

X-ray Track - A piece of brass track approximately 2" (5 cm) wide by 15" (38 cm) long piece is provided for mounting orientation devices such as the three-axis rotation stage.

Collimator Tube - We make an extension tube that connects our MWL110 camera to the x-ray shutter assembly. Typically, this is an insulated 1/2" (1.27 cm) diameter tube with a 1/8" (0.318 cm) hole in the middle. (Other sizes available upon request such as a 16.5 mm version for a Philips x-ray tube.)

Lead-covered Beam Stop - The purpose of this part (which is clamped to the x-ray track) is to absorb any of the direct x-rays that could hit an operator in the event that the sample to be x-rayed is taken out of the x-ray beam. It is important to have one of these for radiation safety.

Gas Cylinder - A 1A size gas cylinder mixture of 90% Argon + 10% CO2 is needed to operate the camera and to be available during the time of the installation. A cylinder can be ordered from Matheson Gas containing 10% bone dry CO2 and the balance argon, unanalyzed, with a CGA580 standard outlet for $89 (price as of June '97) from Matheson Gas Products, Inc., 1650 Enterprise Parkway, Twinsburg, Ohio 44087, USA, Phone (216)-425-4406. The MWL110 system includes the gas regulator to fit a 580 cylinder outlet and all the plumbing that goes with it. This cylinder should last 4 to 6 months during continuous trickle-flow operation.

Warranty - There is a six month warranty on all parts and labor on the MWL110 system effective upon installation by authorized Multiwire personnel.