RBD Software Windows Operating System Compatibility (February 2024)

Microsoft Windows General Support

All of RBD’s software products (AugerScan/AugerMap for PHI Upgrades, Actuel for the 9103 USB Picoammeter, and CMapp for the microCMA Compact Auger Analyzer) are compatible with the latest version of Microsoft Windows (as of this post, Windows 11).

In general, RBD warranty supports all versions of Windows supported by Microsoft, which are currently Windows 10 and 11. We cannot guarantee support for previous versions, however all our software products are functionally compatible with Windows 7 through 11 with a few exceptions, and we can usually support Windows 7-8.

RBD maintains archives for versions of software compatible with even older operating systems.

Please keep in mind that for any legacy version of RBD software, any newer features and subsequent bug fixes will be missing.

Lifecycle FAQ – Windows | Microsoft Learn


Details for RBD’s Software Applications

PHI / Perkin Elmer System Upgrades (AugerScan and AugerMap)

Minimum Windows Version Recommended: Windows 7

RBD maintains versions of AugerScan and AugerMap that are compatible with Windows XP. We can provide versions that may be compatible with Windows 95 and 98, however driver support may not be possible, depending what interface cards are used in the upgrade.

For RBD 147 Interface Cards in the PCI format, drivers are available for Windows XP, and Windows 7-11 32 and 64 bits.

For RBD 147 Interface Cards in the PCI format, drivers are available for Windows 7-11, 32 and 64 bits.

9103 USB Picoammeter

Minimum Windows Version Recommended: Windows 10

RBD maintains versions of the Actuel application for the 9103 that are compatible with Windows XP. There are no versions available for earlier operating systems.

(The 9103 USB Picoammeter itself is compatible with any operating system supported by the FTDI USB drivers if you chose to code/script your own custom application)

microCMA Compact Auger Analyzer

Minimum Windows Version Recommended: Windows 10

CMapp for the microCMA Compact Auger Analyzer is currently only compatible with Windows 10. While older versions may run on Windows 7 – 8, it is highly recommended that these are not used, as subsequent versions provide much better safety mechanisms for hardware control.


As always, contact RBD here for any questions you may have or versions of software you do not see available on the website.

CMapp for the microCMA Version 1.0 Released

RBD has released Version 1 of CMapp – the data collection, analysis and control application for the microCMA. Of course, this is not the first version of CMapp available, but we had a set of features in mind for Version 1 that would truly represent the most feature-complete version of CMapp. Of course, this won’t be the last version – we’re already busy adding new features and working on a completely redesigned application for a future release.

Download the latest version here.

Cmapp Version 1

Electron Gun Control Pane

The key new feature in CMapp 1.0 is the addition of the Electron Gun Control Pane, which replaces the dialog window. All of the electron gun controls are always available on-screen in the familiar layout. There’s no longer a need to move or minimize a window in order to view acquisition data.

CMapp Electron Gun Control

Other Features and Changes

CMapp now offers the ability to differentiate and smooth data while acquiring. This is invaluable for getting important peak information in real-time, and removes the need to wait until the end of an acquisition to determine if the parameters are resulting in useful / expected data.

The latest version of CMapp also includes the ability of the edit the Wehnelt setpoints in the Hardware properties menu. Normally these values are factory set, but now they are easier to adjust without putting undo “stress” on the filament by ramping the beam voltage from 2 to 3 kV before having ballpark Wehnelt values.

Lastly, some minor changes have been made to improve the UI when working with Windows 11.

CMapp New Features

We have added a few new features to CMapp, our microCMA acquisition and data massage software.

For example, when you first open the electron gun dialog box, a filament warm-up reminder pops up:

It is recommended that you warm up the filament at the beginning of each session so that the microCMA can thermally stabilize. The filament warm-up routine brings the filament current up over a 5-minute period and then keeps the filament on.  What is nice about this feature is that you can just click “Yes” and then walk away and come back later when you want to use the microCMA.

Another new feature is the “Auto Set the Beam Voltage to 2 kV ” for alignments:

The alignment acquisition is typically used to acquire a 2 kV elastic peak that sets the analyzer to the sample distance. Surveys and multiplexes are typically acquired with the beam voltage set to 3 kV.  Then, if you move to a new sample, or if you move the same sample to a new location, you would need to re-acquire a 2 kV elastic peak. With the “Auto Set beam to 2 kV” feature, you can just acquire the elastic peak alignment and the beam voltage will automatically change from 3 kV to 2 kV.

The new Diff/Smooth feature combines the differentiate and smooth commands into one click:

Related to the Diff/Smooth command is the ability to automatically Diff/Smooth at the end of an acquisition:

By checking the “Auto Diff/Smooth After Acquisition” box, the data will automatically differentiate and then smooth when the acquisition is complete. The “Auto Diff/Smooth” feature works for surveys, multiplexes, and alignments. Since you need to differentiate the data for quantification anyway, you might as well have it happen automatically.

Finally, we have added a feature that provides estimated target current. This is helpful if your target is grounded internally on your sample manipulator and you have no way to measure the actual electron beam current. Rather than using the emission current to set the relative target current, you can use the estimated target current to set the electron beam current to the recommend 300 nA.

First, select Estimate Target (Beam) Current in the Hardware Properties dialog box:

The estimated target current will be displayed in the Electron Gun dialog box as shown below:

Each electron gun filament behaves a little bit differently so the user-settable Emission Current-to-Target Current ratio can be adjusted in the Hardware Properties dialog box. We will have a video soon that will show you how to set this ratio.

If you have our 9103 USB picoammeter or some other picoammeter, you can measure the target current and enter the value into an acquisition manually (or, in the case of the 9103, automatically). You define this setting in the Hardware Properties dialog box.

If Estimate Target Current is selected, then the estimated target current will be entered into the acquisition before the acquisition starts. Whether entered manually, automatically, or estimated, the target current is displayed on the left-hand side of the alignment, survey, or multiplex acquisition.

For more information on our microCMA compact Auger Electron Spectrometer visit our website:

RBD Instruments microCMA