uniSpec

Universal Tube-Base MCA

Hardware Manual
9235470B
Copyright 2004, Canberra Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

The material in this document, including all information, pictures,

graphics and text, is the property of Canberra Industries, Inc. and
is protected by U.S. copyright laws and international copyright
conventions.

Canberra expressly grants the purchaser of this product the right

to copy any material in this document for the purchaser’s own use,
including as part of a submission to regulatory or legal authorities
pursuant to the purchaser’s legitimate business needs.

No material in this document may be copied by any third party, or

used for any commercial purpose, or for any use other than that
granted to the purchaser, without the written permission of
Canberra Industries, Inc.

Canberra Industries, 800 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450

Tel: 203-238-2351 FAX: 203-235-1347 http://www.canberra.com

The information in this document describes the product as

accurately as possible, but is subject to change without notice.

Printed in the United States of America.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. Software Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installing Genie 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installing the Genie 2000 Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installing the uniSpec Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installing Additional uniSpecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3. The Input Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The MID Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Starting the MID Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Creating a New Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Editing an Existing Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Working With the Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4. Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Mating the PMT With the uniSpec. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Connecting the USB Cable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

A. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Physical and Electrical Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Spectrum Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Programmable Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Signal Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Inputs/Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
High Voltage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Computer Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

ii
1. Introduction
The uniSpec Hardware Manual describes the steps to be performed in setting up your
MCA for daily use.

1. You must have Genie 2000 V3.0a or later installed on your system (page 2).

2. If you’ve been using Genie 2000 V3.0, you must install the Update (page 3).

3. Now you’ll have to install the uniSpec drivers (page 3).

4. With the software installed, your next step is to define a Genie 2000 MCA
Input Definition (MID) file for uniSpec (page 7).

5. Now you can connect your uniSpec to a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and the
the uniSpec’s cable to a USB port on your computer (page 18).

6. Using Genie 2000, you can start acquiring and analyzing data. (Refer to the
Genie 2000 Tutorials Manual and the Genie 2000 Operations Manual.)
 Software Installation

2. Software Installation
Before you can use the uniSpec with Genie 2000, you’ll have to install Genie 2000
V3.0a and the uniSpec driver.

• If Genie 2000 V3.0a is already on your system, do not install it again. Go to

“Installing the uniSpec Driver” on page 3.

• If Genie 2000 V3.0 is on your system, go to “Installing the Genie 2000 Update”
on page 3.

Installing Genie 2000

1. Refer to Appendix A, Software Installation, in the Genie 2000 Operations
Manual for information on basic system requirements, installing basic and
optional Genie 2000 software, installing network components, and installing
the security key.

2. Insert the Genie 2000 Software Distribution CD into your CD-ROM drive.

3. Select the Install Genie 2000 button on the Basic Software Installation
Screen (Figure 1) and follow the prompts on the screen.

Figure 1 The Software Installation Screen

2
Installing the uniSpec Driver

Installing the Genie 2000 Update

With Genie 2000 V3.0 installed, select the Install Genie 2000 Update button on
the Software Installation Screen (Figure 1) and follow the prompts on the screen.

Note: The Genie 2000 Update button is available only if Genie 2000 V3.0 is installed
on your system. It is not available for V2.1 or earlier or V3.1 or later.

Installing the uniSpec Driver

This section describes how to install the uniSpec driver. The procedure is for Windows
2000 with Windows XP differences discussed in “Windows XP Driver Installation”
(page 5).

Windows 2000 Driver Installation

With Genie 2000 V3.0a or later installed on your system, you’ll now install two
uniSpec driver files: first taruldr.inf, then tarumca.inf.

1. With the Genie 2000 CD still in the drive, plug your uniSpec into one of
your computer’s USB ports.

2. The Found New Hardware Wizard (Figure 2) will start automatically. Click
the Wizard’s Next button.

Figure 2 The Found New Hardware Wizard

3
 Software Installation

3. On the next screen (Figure 3), select the Search for a Suitable Driver button.

Figure 3 The Install Hardware Device Drivers Screen

4. In the Locate Driver Files Screen (Figure 4), check CD-ROM Drives.

Figure 4 The Locate Driver Files Screen

4
Installing the uniSpec Driver

5. The next screen (Figure 5) asks you to browse the Genie 2000 CD for the
first driver file, G2kV3.xy\UniSpecUSB\taruldr.inf, where x is 0, 1, 2, etc.
and y, if present, is A, B, etc.

Figure 5 Browsing for the Driver File

6. The next screen confirms the driver’s path and file name. Click Next to con-
tinue.

7. The final screen verifies that the first driver has been installed. Click the Fin-
ish button to restart the Wizard so you can install the second driver file.

8. For the second file, select the UniSpecUSB\tarumca.inf file and proceed as
you did for the first driver file.

Windows XP Driver Installation

For Windows XP, the installation routine is only slightly different from the Windows
2000 installation.

1. With the Genie 2000 CD still in the drive, plug your uniSpec into one of
your computer’s USB ports.

2. Go to the UnispecUSB folder on the software distribution CD.

3. There is no file to choose, only the folder is specified under XP.

4. After the first driver is loaded the Wizard starts again to install the second
driver. Again only the folder is specified; the Wizard automatically knows
which file to choose.

5
 Software Installation

Installing Additional uniSpecs

Each uniSpec on your system must be registered as a separate USB device, so if you
attach an additional uniSpec to your computer, you’ll be told that the taruldr.sys file
is needed (Figure 6).

Figure 6 Installing a Second uniSpec

To register the new uniSpec:

1. Insert your Genie 2000 CD into your computer’s CD drive..

2. Verify the displayed path, or browse for the correct one.

3. Click on OK.

4. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Your computer will remember which USB devices have been registered. Detaching a
USB device then reattaching it later does not require another installation of the driver.

6
The MID Wizard

3. The Input Definition

The first step in using your uniSpec is to create a Genie 2000 MCA Input Definition
(MID) file.

• To help you set up the Input Definition quickly and easily, Genie 2000 includes
an easy-to-use MID Wizard, described below.
• If you want to edit the Input Definition, use the MID Editor (page 11).

The MID Wizard

To use the MID Wizard, open the Genie 2000 folder and select the MID Wizard icon
to start the definition process.

Step 1
The Wizard’s first screen (Figure 7) lets you select the MCA you’re creating a defini-
tion for. Click on the ‘+’ next to “USB MCAs”, choose “uniSpec”, then click the Next
button.

Figure 7 Wizard Step 1

7
 The Input Definition

Step 2
The step 2 screen (FIgure 8) asks you to enter the uniSpec’s serial number and select
the data Acquistion Mode, PHA or MCS.

Figure 8 Wizard Step 2

8
The MID Wizard

Step 3
The Step 3 screen (Figure 9) lets you enter the Input Name. Other parameters are dis-
played for information only; they are not editable.

Figure 9 Wizard Step 3

Steps 4 and 5
You won’t see the screens for Steps 4 and 5; these steps are not used when setting up a
uniSpec MCA.

9
 The Input Definition

Step 6
The Step 6 screen (Figure 10) asks you to set the HVPS’s default operating Voltage
for the PMT. The Voltage Limit sets the maximum output voltage allowed.

Figure 10 Wizard Step 6

10
The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor

Step 7
The Step 7 screen (Figure 11) displays a summary of the MCA configuration for review
and lets you enter the name of the MID file that the configuration is to be saved to.

Figure 11 Wizard Step 7

Ending the Definition

To complete your Input Definition, select Finish. The input that you just defined will
be stored as an MID file, using the name you specified in Step 7. The new MID file
will automatically be loaded into the MCA Runtime Configuration Database (de-
scribed in the MCA Input Definition chapter of the Genie 2000 Operations Manual).

When you select Finish, you will be asked if you would like to define another input.
Answering No will close the Wizard.

The Step 7 Input Name defaults to UNTITLED, which you’ll probably want to change
to something more meaningful. If the name you enter is the same as that of an existing
MID file, the system will ask if you want to overwrite the existing file.

The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor

The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor allows you to create a new or edit an existing
input definition.

11
 The Input Definition

Starting the MID Editor

Double click the MID Editor icon in the Genie 2000 Program Group to see the win-
dow in Figure 12.

Figure 12 The MID Editor Window

Creating a New Definition

To create a new MID definition, select Edit | Add, then click on the ‘+’ next to “USB
MCAs”, choose “uniSpec”, then click the Next button.

Figure 13 Adding an MCA

12
The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor

Editing an Existing Definition

For editing considerations and instructions, refer to the “Editing an MCA Definition”
and “Loading and Unloading Definitions” sections of the MCA Input Definition chap-
ter in the Genie 2000 Operations Manual.

Working With the Definition

This section discusses the parameters for the uniSpec MCA. For detailed information
on using the MID Editor, refer to the MCA Input Definition chapter of the Genie 2000
Operations Manual

Devices
The Devices menu sets the parameters for the MCA and included “devices” (amplifier,
ADC, etc.). Some Devices are disabled (grayed out) because they aren’t used with
your MCA.

ADC
The ADC Devices dialog (Figure 14) is for information only; its parameters cannot be
edited.

Figure 14 The ADC Device Dialog

MCA
The MCA Devices dialog (Figure 15) lets you enter the uniSpec’s serial number and
select either PHA or MCS as its data Acquistion Mode.

13
 The Input Definition

Figure 15 The MCA Devices Dialog

The serial number is located on the unit’s label (Figure 16). Type all eight digits into
the Device Serial Number field.

Figure 16 Location of the Serial Number

14
The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor

The Other Device Dialogs

The Sample Changer, ADC, Stabilizer, Amplifier and High Voltage device dialogs are
for information only; their parameters cannot be changed.

Settings
The dialogs under the MID Editor’s Settings menu let you select parameters for the
uniSpec’s defined devices.

MCA
The MCA device has no adjustable controls.

ADC
The ADC device dialog (Figure 17) lets you program the ADC’s LLD, ULD and
Noise settings. The energy range considered by the ADC is limited to the window be-
tween the LLD setting and the ULD setting.

LLD
The ADC’s Lower Level Discriminator (LLD) can be set as a percentage of the ADC’s
full scale input.

ULD
The ADC’s Upper Level Discriminator (ULD) can be set as a percentage of the ADC’s
full scale input.

Noise
Events below the Noise setting are not considered when caculating dead time, and like
events below the LLD setting, they are not considered by the ADC.

Figure 17 The ADC Settings Dialog

15
 The Input Definition

Stablizer
The Stabilizer device dialog (Figure 18) lets you turn Gain Mode on and off and
specfiy the stabilizer’s Gain Centroid.

Figure 18 The Stablizer Settings Dialog

Amplifier
Fine Gain is the only setting provided by the Amplifier dialog (Figure 19).

Figure 19 The Amplifier Device Dialog

High Voltage
The operating Voltage and the Voltage Limit are specified in the High Voltage dialog
(Figure 20).

Figure 20 The High Voltage Device Dialog

16
The MCA Input Definition (MID) Editor

MCS
The MCS device dialog offers only the Dwell Time value parameter. This dialog will
be available only if the MCA Acq. Mode under Devices (Figure 15) was configured
for MCS.

Figure 21 The MCS Device Dialog

Input
The Input dialog (Figure 22) lets you edit the Input Name and determine the MCA’s
input size in channels. Checking the Out of Service box makes this Input unavailable.

Figure 22 The Input Device Dialog

17
 Hardware Setup

4. Hardware Setup

Mating the PMT With the uniSpec

Carefully mate the pins on your photomultiplier tube (PMT) with the sockets on the
uniSpec tube base. To ensure correct alignment, the PMT has a key which mates with
the uniSpec’s keyway (Figure 23).

Figure 23 Mating uniSpec with the PMT

CAUTION Do not force the connection; doing so can permanently

damage both units. If resistance is felt, pull the two units
apart, align the key with the keyway and carefully press them
together again.

18
Connecting the USB Cable

Connecting the USB Cable

The uniSpec’s integrated USB 5 m (16 ft) cable supplies power to the tube base and to
the photomultiplier tube. It also transfers software commands and spectral data be-
tween the uniSpec and the host computer.

The cable’s free end has a rectangular connector which is to be plugged into a USB
port on your PC.

CAUTION When plugging a uniSpec into the PC, you must wait about
10 seconds for it to be recognized. Unplugging a uniSpec
and plugging in another within that 10 second window,
perhaps because you decided to use a different one, will
cause undesirable results.

The only solution to this problem is to unplug the uniSpec,

exit the VDM, plug the uniSpec in again, then restart the
VDM.

19
 Specifications

A. Specifications
Note: These specifications are based on a 2x2 NaI(Tl) detector.

Physical and Electrical Dimensions

CONFIGURATION – Single input.

INTERFACE – USB standard.

PHYSICAL SIZE – 58 x 53 mm (2.3 x 2.1 in.).

POWER REQUIREMENTS – 250 mA, max., through USB.

WEIGHT – 220 g (7.8 oz).

Spectrum Parameters
SPECTRUM LENGTH – 512 or 1024 channels.

BITS PER CHANNEL – 32.

OPERATING MODE – PHA, MCS.

MEMORY – 1024 channels.

Programmable Controls
FINE GAIN – x0.722 to x1.625.

PRESET MODE – Live or real time.

PRESET TIME – PHA: 0.1 to 10 6 s; MCS: 0.01 to 256 s.

Signal Processing
ADC – Integrated Wilkinson, 60 MHz.

CONVERSION RANGE – 1024 channels.

20
Signal Processing

PULSE SHAPE – Bipolar.

PEAKING TIME – 1 µs.

FAST CHANNEL PEAKING – 0.1 µs.

CONVERSION SPEED – 8 µs (for 512 channels).

INTEGRAL NON-LINEARITY – ≤±0.1% of full scale over the top of 99% of se-
lected range.

DIFFERENTIAL NON-LINEARITY – ≤±1.0% over the top of 99% of the range in-
cluding the effects of INL.

LLD – 256 steps.

ULD – 256 steps.

Inputs/Outputs
PMT – 14 pin diheptal socket.

COMPUTER – USB with cable.

High Voltage
RANGE – 0 to +1200 V dc, 1 mA integrated into tube base, 4096 steps.

Environmental
TEMPERATURE – 0 °C to 50 °C.

HUMIDITY – Up to 80%, non-condensing.

Software
S500 Basic Spectroscopy Software for Multi-Input Applications.

S502 Basic Spectroscopy Software for Single Input Applications.

S504 Basic Spectroscopy Software for InSpector.

21
 Specifications

Ordering Information
UNISPEC – Standard model with 5 m (15.2 ft) cable.

UNISPEC-PRO – Standard uniSpec and Model S504 Basic Spectroscopy Software for
InSpector software.

Computer Requirements
The minimum computer requirements for Genie 2000 are:

COMPUTER – A computer with a Pentium®-233* processor and CD-ROM drive is

required.

OPERATING SYSTEM – Windows® 2000 or Windows® XP.**

RAM – A minimum of 64 MB (Windows 2000) or 128 MB (Windows XP) is recom-

mended, but in the Genie 2000 environment more memory will generally improve per-
formance.

HARD DISK – 100 MB free disk space for Genie 2000 software and sample data file
storage.

DISPLAY – VGA color, 800 x 600 resolution, minimum; 1024 x 768 recommended.

Consult the factory for assistance in configuring a system to the needs of your applica-
tion.

* Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
** Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

22
 Canberra (we, us, our) warrants to the customer (you, your) that for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of
shipment, software provided by us in connection with equipment manufactured by us shall operate in accordance
with applicable specifications when used with equipment manufactured by us and that the media on which the
software is provided shall be free from defects. We also warrant that (A) equipment manufactured by us shall be
free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one (1) year from the date of shipment of such
equipment, and (B) services performed by us in connection with such equipment, such as site supervision and
installation services relating to the equipment, shall be free from defects for a period of one (1) year from the date of
performance of such services.

If defects in materials or workmanship are discovered within the applicable warranty period as set forth above, we
shall, at our option and cost, (A) in the case of defective software or equipment, either repair or replace the
software or equipment, or (B) in the case of defective services, reperform such services.

LIMITATIONS
EXCEPT AS SET FORTH HEREIN, NO OTHER WARRANTIES OR REMEDIES, WHETHER STATUTORY,
WRITTEN, ORAL, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL APPLY. IN NO
EVENT SHALL CANBERRA HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT
OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, WHETHER AS A RESULT
OF BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT LIABILITY (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR
OTHERWISE. REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THE SOFTWARE OR EQUIPMENT DURING THE
APPLICABLE WARRANTY PERIOD AT CANBERRA'S COST, OR, IN THE CASE OF DEFECTIVE SERVICES,
REPERFORMANCE AT CANBERRA'S COST, IS YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY UNDER THIS
WARRANTY.

EXCLUSIONS
Our warranty does not cover damage to equipment which has been altered or modified without our written
permission or damage which has been caused by abuse, misuse, accident, neglect or unusual physical or
electrical stress, as determined by our Service Personnel.

We are under no obligation to provide warranty service if adjustment or repair is required because of damage
caused by other than ordinary use or if the equipment is serviced or repaired, or if an attempt is made to service or
repair the equipment, by other than our Service Personnel without our prior approval.

Our warranty does not cover detector damage due to neutrons or heavy charged particles. Failure of beryllium,
carbon composite, or polymer windows, or of windowless detectors caused by physical or chemical damage from
the environment is not covered by warranty.

We are not responsible for damage sustained in transit. You should examine shipments upon receipt for evidence
of damage caused in transit. If damage is found, notify us and the carrier immediately. Keep all packages,
materials and documents, including the freight bill, invoice and packing list.

When purchasing our software, you have purchased a license to use the software, not the software itself. Because
title to the software remains with us, you may not sell, distribute or otherwise transfer the software. This license
allows you to use the software on only one computer at a time. You must get our written permission for any
exception to this limited license.

BACKUP COPIES
Our software is protected by United States Copyright Law and by International Copyright Treaties. You have our
express permission to make one archival copy of the software for backup protection. You may not copy our
software or any part of it for any other purpose.
Revised 1 Apr 03