Category Archives: General Optics and Vacuum

General information on repair, maintenance, and operation of both PHI (Physical Electronics) and other manufacturers’ systems and components

Support for the PC137 and PCMap1 Interface – updated 9-3-24

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As of May 1, 2016, RBD will be discontinuing support for the PC137 and PCMap1 interface boards for legacy PHI / Perkin-Elmer systems. If you’re still using your PC137 and.or PCMap1 interface board, you’ll have a number of options for keeping your system up and running.

Why we’re discontinuing support:

Both the PC137 and PCMap1 are ISA cards. The ISA interface was designed in the days of DOS computers, and support for the interface has been waning since Windows XP. While these legacy interfaces could still serve their purpose (even at ISA’s slow speed (by today’s standards), security issues have caused Microsoft to drop support for ISA libraries in their latest development environments.

What it means if you are running these legacy interfaces:

If your PC is up and running with the PC137/PCMap1 interface(s), you of course don’t need to do anything right away. However, you won’t be able to upgrade Windows, and finding a replacement PC with ISA slots can be challenging (although they are available).

You also will not be able to run that latest (or any future versions) of AugerScan and AugerMap. Both applications are still being updated with new features and bug fixes, however without available ISA libraries they will no longer support communications with either boards.

Replacing the PC137 and PCMap1 Interfaces

If you chose to update your PC137 / PCMap interface, you’ll be replacing them with a single full size PCI interface board, and a RBD147 interface unit.  Just as the ISA card are hard to find, so are full size PCI slots these days.  But you can get a PC with the latest Windows operating system (currently 11) and a full size PCI slot built up by practically any local PC shop.

The RBD147 unit provides all the breakout interfaces (such as DR11) for the individual PHI units. (The PCMap1 is replaced by the PCMap2 interface, which is part of the RBD147 and is physically located inside the unit).  The current versions of AugerScan and AugerMap both run on the latest Windows operating system.

RBD147

More information on RBD’s upgrades can be found here.

04-202 SED detector flange

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The model 97 SED preamp which is used on PHI scanning auger surface analysis systems converts secondary electron current into a video signal. It is designed so that it can be mounted onto a vacuum flange which houses a Channeltron electron multiplier.    The 97 SED preamp housing is made of aluminum and if extreme care is not taken when mounting or removing the preamp from the detector flange it is possible to crack one of the three electrical feedthroughs. The picture below shows a broken connector on a 04-202 SED detector flange.

broken-ceramic-feedthrough

broken-ceramic-feedthrough

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the difficulties of mounting the 97 SED preamp to the detector flange is that you can’t really see what you are doing as you slide the preamp over the flange.   There are three larger holes inside the 97 SED preamp mount which go over the electrical feedthroughs on the flange.   It is important that the electrical feedthroughs clear the holes on the 97 SED preamp mount and that the preamp is flush on the flange before the mounting screws are tightened. The mouthing screws should be tightened finger tight while holding the 97 SED preamp firmly against the flange, and then a little bit tighter which a screwdriver.

One way to make sure that the feedthroughs are not touching the holes in the preamp mount is to take the cover off the 97 SED before you mount it, and then put the cover back on after the preamp has been mounted.

Or, you can replace the cover with a piece of Plexiglas.   In the pictures below I have modified a 97 SED preamp by removing the cover and using the cover as a template to mark a piece of Plexiglas so that it is the same size as the original cover. I drilled holes in the Plexiglas and then mounted it on the 97 SED preamp.

With a clear Plexiglas cover on the 97 SED preamp it is very easy to install the preamp onto the 04-202 SED detector flange with less chance of breaking one of the feedthroughs. And the Plexiglas still provides user protection from the high voltage which is present during normal operation of the preamp.

So whether you remove the cover when mounting the 97 SED preamp and then re-install the cover, or replace the metal cover with a Plexiglas one, by being able to see the feedthroughs as you install the 97 SED preamp you can safely mount the preamp with less risk of damage to the 04-202 detector flange.

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Filament Housing Cleaning Procedure

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25-120A Filament Housing Cleaning Procedure

Overview

The filament housing contains two micrometers which are used to position the filament for maximum beam current. The filament is mounted in a ceramic that is attached to a bellows which is supported by an aluminum ring that slides against a plate. The ring and the plate are lubricated and when the lubrication dries out from baking, the ring becomes scored and the filament housing “sticks”. This procedure explains how to disassemble the filament housing and repair this problem.

  1. Vent the system. This removes all tension from the filament bellows.
  2. Remove the two filament micrometers.
  3. Removed the two spring housings. CAUTION! The springs are very strong, remove the top and bottom screws first and then “walk” out the spring with the two side screws.
  4. Remove the top screws from the filament housing.
  5. Remove the top of the filament housing.
  6. Remove the micrometer levers. Note the positions for re-assembly.
  7. Remove the screws that connect the aluminum ring to the ceramic.
  8. Remove the lower filament housing Bristol screws.
  9. Carefully lift up the lower filament housing.
  10. Sand down the surfaces of the aluminum ring and plate.
  11. Lubricate the aluminum ring and plate with C5A (copper based anti-seize lubricant).
  12. Reassemble in reverse order.

If you have questions about this procedure, please contact us or post a comment.