One of the more common questions that we get when a PHI 5500 or 5600 XPS system loses the ability to collect data, is –  “how can we test the analyzer voltages?”   This post will explain the procedure in detail.

First though, the disclaimers –

#1 This procedure involves measuring potentially lethal voltages and is to be performed only by personnel property trained to work safely with high voltage.

#2 It is recommended that these measurements be taken using a Fluke 80K-40 high voltage probe or equivalent.  The impedance of the 80-40K is high enough that it will not load down the 80-365/66 analyzer control voltages which will be measured during this test procedure.

Procedure

1. Turn off the card rack power
2. Remove the filter box from the analyzer by loosening the two 9/16″ bolts and then sliding the preamp off the SCA connector.  Do not remove the black high voltage cable that is connected to the filter box.
3. Remove the 6 screws and take the cover off the filter box.
4. Position the filter box so that you can get to the connection points shown in the photos below.
5. Connect a jumper clip from the filter box chassis to the vacuum chamber.  This will ensure that the filter box is grounded.
6. Connect the ground lead of the high voltage probe to the vacuum chamber, and the input end of the high voltage probe to the E7 IS test point in the filter box.  The test points are hard to get to so you may need to use a small alligator or Pomona clip for the connection point inside the filter box and then connect the other end of the clip to the high voltage probe input.
7. Refer to the table below.
8. Turn on the card rack power and set up an alignment with a upper limit and lower limit of 1000eV.  For any given pass energy voltages are shown for the inner cylinder ((IS), the mid-ring (MR), the outer cylinder (OC), the Retard voltage (V Ret), Lens 2 (L2), Lens 3 (L3) and the pass energy (V PE) with respect to ground.  Values are shown for both Mg and Al anode energies. (Note that the CTL and FWD lens voltages are also included in the table. The CTL and FCL lens voltages are measured at the end of the CTL and FCL cables, not in the filter box.)
9. Select a few pass energies and measure and write down the voltages at all of the test points.   By comparing the results of your measurements to the values in the table you can determine of any of the supplies may have a problem. Typically the voltages measured should be within 10 volts of the values in the table.  If you have a problem with one or more of the supplies the measurement voltages will be off by a significant amount.
10. If you do find that there are some incorrect voltages then your qualified technician  can use the calibration procedure in the 80-365 or 80-366 manual as a guide to help isolate the problem to the component level. If you do not have the necessary resources to troubleshoot the problem to the component level please contact RBD Instruments for repair options.

MULTIPLIER VOLTAGE TIP: Not listed in the table is the electron multiplier voltage. To test the multiplier voltage, remove the NEG and POS filter box covers and connect the high voltage probe clips between the resistors inside the multiplier NEG and POS filter boxes. Make the connections to the high voltage probe with the card rack power OFF.  When acquiring data the multiplier voltage should be within 10V of the value that the multiplier is set to in the software.

5600 SCA filter box E7 IC

5600 SCA filter box E8 MR

5600 SCA filter box E9 OS

5600 SCA filter box E3 VRet

5600 SCA filter box E10 L2

5600 SCA filter box E11 L3

5600 SCA filter box E1 V PE