Authorized Field Engineering Access Only. All instrument data is processed 100% locally on this device — zero data is transmitted over the wire.
🔬 RDS Instruments WDXRF Suite
Target Platform: Axios
Unit:Not Loaded
Axios WDXRF
Unassigned
🔒Local Sandbox
🔬 Instrument Ingestion: Parameter Bank (TDS) & Remote Diagnostics (RD)
Window 1 loads the machine Parameter Bank to build custom alignment tests and machine profile. Window 2 loads Remote Diagnostics for historical trend analysis.
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100% Local In-Browser Processing · Zero Data Transmitted Over The Wire: All loaded parameter banks, calibration matrices, and machine profiles are parsed strictly in your browser's local memory using the HTML5 FileReader API. Nothing is ever sent to or stored on any server. This tool functions completely offline once loaded.
Ingest two entire folders (Folder A: Baseline / TDS / Past Visit vs. Folder B: Current / RD / Evaluation). Automatic statistical process control (SPC) charting, performance drift tracking, and physical failure detection.
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Zero Server Transmission · Complete Device Privacy: Diagnostic logs (.RTF, .STB, .MUS) and SPC statistical trend runs remain strictly inside your device's memory. No customer data, tube hours, or proprietary telemetry is ever transmitted over the network.
💡 Drag & drop RD remote diagnostics folder or run reports here
⚪ Empty: Drop RD folder/files or click Browse
📈 Multi-Run Parameter Trend & Statistical Process Control (SPC) Chart
Interactive chronological timeline plotting Mean Centerline (x̄), ±2σ Warning Limits, and ±3σ Action Limits. Hover over data points for readings and outlier warnings.
🔍 Side-by-Side Dual Run Comparison & Drift Matrix
Direct parameter diff between any two historical or current runs with physical tolerance validation.
🚨 Automated Abnormality & Incident Detection Log
Rule-based diagnostic engine analyzing physical hardware failure signatures, interlock trips, and statistical outliers across all runs.
📚 Historical Diagnostic Runs Archive
Complete chronological registry of all parsed PANalytical .RTF, .STB, .MUS, and .CAL files.
Dynamically resolved from the installed crystals, collimators, and detectors in the active BOM.
Before beginning optical goniometer alignment, ensure the following certified reference sample disks are cleaned, inspected for surface flatness, and mounted in standard PANalytical sample cups (32 mm / 37 mm / 40 mm aperture).
📋 Official Channel Settings Reference (Service Manual Calibration Setups)
Official diagnostic channel definitions extracted from 📄 CH4401Rh.spc ↗ used by PANalytical Remote Diagnostics (RD4400 / RDS) for sequential optical alignment, detector linearity, reproducibility, and high-voltage calibration.
Channel
Category
Line / Elem
Crystal(s)
kV / mA
Filt / Mask
Coll
Det
Target kCPS
Min..Max kCPS
Sample
PSC
💎 Official Crystal Scan Line Calibration Specifications (📄 deflines.spc ↗)17 Crystal Calibrations
Standard coarse and fine angular 2θ scanning parameters, discriminator window levels, and calibration samples for all Axios crystal types.
Diagnostic countrate boundaries used by Remote Diagnostics software to verify that the operator placed the correct reference sample disk (Cu, C1, or C3) into the measuring cup prior to starting automated calibration.
Sample Disk
Channel
Min Allowed (kCPS)
Max Allowed (kCPS)
Verification Logic & Objective
🧮 Engineering Calculators & Service Formulas
Interactive service tools for detector dead times, optical alignments, vacuum/gas dynamics, and hardware verification.
💎 NIST SRM 1976 & 640 OQ Reference Standard & Delta Calculator
Certified 2θ reflections and relative intensities for Corundum (SRM 1976/a/b) and Silicon (SRM 640c/d). Enter measured angles to calculate Δ2θ and verify OQ tolerance (≤ 0.030°).
h k l
Certified 2θ [°]
Certified Rel. Int. [%]
Measured 2θ [°]
Δ2θ [°]
OQ Verdict
Select standard and enter measured peak 2θ angles to verify instrument OQ certification.
Models operating hour consumption vs 40,000 hr rated life, radiative Cu emission retention %, cathode cooling flow margin, and HV arc stability.
Click Evaluate to analyze tube lifetime, radiative emission loss, and cathode flow safety margin.
A Reference for the Rest of Us!®
WDXRF Service Formulas For Dummies®
The Field Engineer's Pocket Guide to Spectrometer Math: Every detector dead time, Bragg angle, goniometer alignment, and vacuum formula laid out in plain English. No corporate OEM fluff—just step-by-step arithmetic you can punch into a $5 pocket calculator with a #2 pencil on a clipboard.
Worksheet #1 · Detector Subsystem
Flow Detector Dead Time & Linearity
What it actually means: Your P10 flow counter detects an X-ray pulse, but goes blind for a few hundred nanoseconds while the ionized gas clears. If the dead time setting in software is wrong, your counts at 100 mA won't equal 10× your counts at 10 mA.
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REMEMBER:
The correction factor for the Flow Detector is 0.8. Counting time is 40 seconds at 10 mA and 4 seconds at 100 mA so counting statistics have equal weight.
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FIELD PRO-TIP:
Before changing dead time in .CAL, confirm your detector gas flow rate is exactly 0.85 L/h and the density stabilizer temperature is rock solid. Bad gas will fake a dead time error every single time.
🧮 The Calculator Math (Step-by-Step Keystrokes):
Step 1 (Count Ratio K): K% = ((10 × Ix - Iy) ÷ Iy) × 100 Step 2 (Correction in ns): ΔDT = K% ÷ 0.8 Step 3 (New Setting): New DT = Old DT + ΔDT Step 4 (Linearity Check): Error% = |(I50 - 5 × I10) ÷ (5 × I10)| × 100 (Spec: ≤ 1.0%)
Worked Field Example: Ix = 1.020 kcps (10 mA), Iy = 10.150 kcps (100 mA), Old DT = 150 ns.
10 × 1.020 = 10.200 → (10.200 - 10.150) ÷ 10.150 = 0.004926 → K = +0.493% → ΔDT = +0.493 ÷ 0.8 = +0.62 ns → New DT = 151 ns.
📋 Pen & Paper Field WorksheetInstrument Serial: __________________ · Date: ____________
What it actually means: Exactly like the flow counter, but filled with pressurized Xenon gas. Xenon's ionization cascade is heavier and recovers at a different rate, so the magic divisor is 0.3 instead of 0.8.
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REMEMBER:
The Xe divisor is 0.3. If K is positive, your detector is undercounting at high mA — you must INCREASE the dead time value.
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
Step 1: K% = ((10 × Ix - Iy) ÷ Iy) × 100 Step 2: ΔDT = K% ÷ 0.3 Step 3: New DT = Old DT + ΔDT
Worked Field Example: Ix = 0.980 kcps, Iy = 9.700 kcps, Old DT = 200 ns.
10 × 0.980 = 9.800 → (9.800 - 9.700) ÷ 9.700 = +0.01031 → K = +1.031% → ΔDT = +1.031 ÷ 0.3 = +3.4 ns → New DT = 203 ns.
📋 Pen & Paper Field WorksheetUnit: __________________ · Date: ____________
Old DT in .CAL:
ns
Ix @ 10 mA (40s count):
kcps × 10 = [ ]
Iy @ 100 mA (4s count):
kcps
K%:
( [ 10×Ix ] - Iy ) ÷ Iy × 100 = [ ] %
ΔDT:
K% ÷ 0.3 = [ ] ns
New Xe Dead Time:
Old DT + ΔDT = [ ] ns
VERDICT: [ ] PASS (≤ 1.0% error) [ ] FAIL
Worksheet #3 · Detector Subsystem
Standard Scintillator Dead Time
What it actually means: Scintillation crystals flash light when hit by hard X-rays, and a PMT tube amplifies it. Because scintillator signals are faster, we compare 10 mA against 50 mA (factor 5), and the tuning divisor is 0.23.
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REMEMBER:
Reference is 50 mA (NOT 100 mA). Count times: 25s at 10 mA, 5s at 50 mA. Magic factor is 0.23.
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
Step 1: K% = ((5 × Ix - Iy) ÷ Iy) × 100 Step 2: ΔDT = K% ÷ 0.23 Step 3: New DT = Old DT + ΔDT
📋 Pen & Paper Field WorksheetUnit: __________________ · Date: ____________
Old DT in .CAL:
ns
Ix @ 10 mA (25s count):
kcps × 5 = [ ]
Iy @ 50 mA (5s count):
kcps
K%:
( [ 5×Ix ] - Iy ) ÷ Iy × 100 = [ ] %
ΔDT:
K% ÷ 0.23 = [ ] ns
New Scintillator DT:
Old DT + ΔDT = [ ] ns
VERDICT: [ ] PASS (≤ 1.0% error) [ ] FAIL
Worksheet #4 · Detector Subsystem
Hi-Per Scintillator Dead Time
What it actually means: The high-count-rate Scintillator pre-amplifier. Uses 80 mA reference (factor 8). Use divisor 1.3 when calibrating on Cu Kα, or 1.5 when calibrating on Sn Kα.
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
Step 1: K% = ((8 × Ix - Iy) ÷ Iy) × 100 Step 2: ΔDT = K% ÷ Factor (Cu Factor = 1.3 · Sn Factor = 1.5) Step 3: New DT = Old DT + ΔDT
📋 Pen & Paper Field WorksheetUnit: __________________ · Element: [ ] Cu [ ] Sn
Old DT in .CAL:
ns
Ix @ 10 mA:
kcps × 8 = [ ]
Iy @ 80 mA:
kcps
K%:
( [ 8×Ix ] - Iy ) ÷ Iy × 100 = [ ] %
ΔDT:
K% ÷ [ 1.3 or 1.5 ] = [ ] ns
New Hi-Per DT:
Old DT + ΔDT = [ ] ns
Worksheet #5 · Counting Physics
True Count Rate vs. Measured Count Rate
What it actually means: If your detector has a 200 ns dead time and measures 1,000,000 counts per second, it was actually blind for 0.20 seconds out of that 1 second! The true count rate hitting the detector was actually 1,250,000 cps.
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WATCH OUT (UNITS TRAP):
Dead time τ is stored in nanoseconds (e.g. 200 ns = 0.000000200 seconds). Count rates must be in counts per second (cps), NOT kcps, when doing this math!
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
R_true = R_meas ÷ (1 - R_meas × τ)
Where: R_meas = cps, τ = dead time in seconds (ns × 10^-9)
📋 Pen & Paper Field WorksheetUnit: __________________
Measured Rate (R_meas):
cps
Detector Dead Time (τ):
ns = [ 0.000000_____ ] sec
Loss Factor (R_meas × τ):
[ ]
Denominator (1 - Loss):
1 - [ ] = [ ]
True Count Rate (R_true):
R_meas ÷ Denom = [ ] cps
Worksheet #6 · PMT Electronics
Scintillator PMT High Voltage & Gain Shift
What it actually means: As photomultiplier dynodes age, pulse heights sag. By measuring where the Antimony (Sb) and Iron (Fe) pulse height peaks land, this formula tells you how many DAC steps to crank the PMT high voltage supply to re-center everything at 50%.
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
ΔGain Steps = ROUND( 155 × (Sb - Fe) ÷ (4.19 × Fe - Sb) )
Nominal Target: Sb Top = 50.0% · Fe Top = 50.0%
Field Example: Sb measured at 52.0%, Fe measured at 48.0%.
Numerator: 155 × (52.0 - 48.0) = 155 × 4.0 = 620.
Denominator: (4.19 × 48.0) - 52.0 = 201.12 - 52.0 = 149.12.
Result: 620 ÷ 149.12 = +4.15 → Adjust PMT gain DAC by +4 steps.
📋 Pen & Paper Field Worksheet
Measured Fe Top Channel:
[ ] %
Measured Sb Top Channel:
[ ] %
Numerator: 155 × (Sb - Fe):
155 × [ ] = [ ]
Denominator: (4.19 × Fe) - Sb:
[ ] - Sb = [ ]
PMT DAC Step Adjustment:
Num ÷ Denom = [ ] steps
Worksheet #7 · Detector Diagnostics
Detector Energy Resolution & Q-Factor
What it actually means: Pulse Height Distribution (PHD) resolution tells you how sharp your detector is. A contaminated anode wire or bad gas turns a sharp mountain peak into a blurry rolling hill.
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OFFICIAL PASS/FAIL SPECS:Flow Detector: < 18.5% on Fe Kα (or < 42% on Ti Kα). Scintillator: < 55% on Cu Kα. If higher, your crystal has yellowed or the optical grease has dried out.
What it actually means: The granddaddy equation of WDXRF. X-rays hit your analyzer crystal (like LiF200 or PE002) and reflect into the detector only when wave interference is constructive at exactly 2θ degrees.
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CALCULATOR MODE WARNING:
Check your pocket calculator right now: does the screen say DEG or RAD? If it says RAD (radians), your answer will be total gibberish! Switch to DEGREES!
Worked Field Example: Cu Kα (λ = 0.1542 nm, n=1) on LiF200 crystal (2d = 0.4028 nm).
sin(θ) = 0.1542 ÷ 0.4028 = 0.38282.
Punch sin⁻¹(0.38282) on calculator → θ = 22.509°.
Multiply by 2 → 2θ = 45.018° (Look for the peak right at 45.02° on your goniometer scan!).
📋 Pen & Paper Field Worksheet
Diffraction Order (n):
[ ] (Usually 1)
Emission Line Wavelength λ:
[ ] nm
Crystal 2d Spacing:
[ ] nm
Ratio: (n × λ) ÷ 2d:
[ ] = sin(θ)
Theta (θ = arcsin):
sin⁻¹( [ ] ) = [ ] °
Theoretical 2θ Angle:
2 × θ = [ ] °
Worksheet #9 · Optical Alignment
Goniometer Linearity & Angular Offset
What it actually means: If your goniometer is off by +0.010° at low angles and -0.020° at high angles, the mechanical arm is either eccentric or the optical backlash cords are stretched.
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
Offset = 2θ_measured - 2θ_theoretical Slope Error = (Offset_high - Offset_low) ÷ (2θ_high - 2θ_low)
Tolerance: Peak position must be within ±0.005° across the full 15° to 145° scan range.
What it actually means: Exactly how many electrical stepper pulses does the drive board need to send to turn the goniometer optical disc exactly one full degree? Required when replacing motors or drive cards.
🧮 Pocket Calculator Math:
Pulses per Degree = Total Motor Pulses ÷ Δ2θ [degrees]
Nominal Factory Setting: Exactly 4,000 pulses / degree (or 8,000 in microstep mode).
📋 Pen & Paper Field Worksheet
Total Encoder Pulses:
[ ] pulses
Angular Travel Δ2θ:
[ ] degrees
Calibration Factor:
Pulses ÷ Degrees = [ ] pulses/°
Worksheet #11 · Optical Alignment
Direct Beam Split & Absolute Optical Zero
What it actually means: Remove the crystal and shoot the unattenuated primary X-ray beam straight through to the detector. Scan past zero from both sides. Absolute optical zero is the exact mathematical midpoint between positive and negative half-intensity points.
VERDICT: [ ] PASS (≤ ±0.002°) [ ] FAIL (Update DOPS zero in .CAL)
Worksheet #12 · Quality Assurance
NIST SRM Standard Count Rate Drift
What it actually means: Did the spectrometer lose sensitivity since last year's certification? Measure your reference monitor disk (e.g. SRM 1155a Stainless Steel) and check percentage change against baseline.
Drift% = ((I_current - I_baseline) ÷ I_baseline) × 100
Tolerance: ≤ ±2.0% for major elements (Fe, Cr, Ni, Cu).
What it actually means: Pump down to 3 Pa, close the main valve, start a stopwatch for 10 minutes, and write down how many Pascals the pressure climbed. If it rises faster than 0.5 Pa per minute, you have a leaking seal.
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OFFICIAL FACTORY SPEC:
Rate must be ≤ 0.50 Pa / min. Axios optical chamber internal volume is 28 Liters.
What it actually means: The number of P10 gas molecules inside your flow detector must remain strictly constant so pulse heights don't wander. When ambient temperature rises, the GDS bellows must increase pressure proportionally.
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KELVIN CONVERSION:
Always add 273.15 to convert Celsius into absolute Kelvin! Never do gas calculations in °C directly!
What it actually means: When an incoming X-ray strikes an Argon or Xenon atom inside your counter, it kicks out an inner electron. The gas atom radiates its own fluorescent X-ray which escapes the detector without getting measured. You see a ghost peak at exactly (Incident Energy - Gas Energy).
Field Example: Measuring Iron (Fe Kα = 6.40 keV) on flow counter.
E_escape = 6.40 - 2.96 = 3.44 keV. Don't mistake this ghost peak for Potassium or Calcium!
📋 Pen & Paper Field Worksheet
Element Line & Energy (E_inc):
[ ] keV
Detector Gas Energy (E_gas):
[ 2.96 keV for Ar / 4.10 keV for Xe ]
Escape Peak Energy:
E_inc - E_gas = [ ] keV
Worksheet #16 · Tube Protection
Cooling Water Heat Dissipation & Flow
What it actually means: Your 4 kW X-ray tube converts 99% of its power into heat. If the cooling water doesn't remove it, the anode melts in seconds. This checks if your chiller is removing the kilowatts you're putting into it.
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MINIMUM FLOW LIMIT:
Cathode cooling flow must NEVER drop below 3.5 L/min at full power. If ΔT exceeds 15°C across the tube, your heat exchanger is clogged with algae or mineral scale!
VERDICT: [ ] PASS (ΔT normal < 15°C) [ ] WARN (Flush heat exchanger / service chiller)
Worksheet #17 · Optical Filters
Primary Beam Filter Transmission %
What it actually means: How much X-ray flux actually gets through a 300 µm Aluminum or 100 µm Brass tube filter according to Beer-Lambert's absorption law.
Transmission% = 100 × e^(-(μ/ρ) × ρ × x)
μ/ρ = mass attenuation coefficient (cm²/g) · ρ = density (g/cm³) · x = thickness (cm)
📋 Pen & Paper Field Worksheet
Mass Attenuation (μ/ρ):
[ ] cm²/g
Filter Density (ρ):
[ ] g/cm³
Thickness (x):
[ ] cm (e.g. 100 µm = 0.010 cm)
Exponent (μ/ρ × ρ × x):
[ ]
Transmission Result:
100 × e^(-Exp) = [ ] %
Worksheet #18 · Analytical Chemistry
Minimum Detectable Concentration (MDC / LOD)
What it actually means: What is the absolute lowest concentration in parts per million (ppm) your spectrometer can legally prove is present above background noise? Standard 3-sigma Currie detection limit.
What it actually means: If you measure a tiny leak of 2.5 µSv/h right touching the shutter shield (10 cm away), how much dose is hitting an operator standing 1 meter away? Double the distance, cut the dose to one-fourth!
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LEGAL RADIATION LIMIT:
Dose rate must be strictly < 1.0 µSv/h (0.1 mrem/h) at 10 cm from ANY accessible surface of the cabinet with X-ray tube at maximum 4.0 kW output!
I2 = I1 × ( d1 ÷ d2 )²
Pocket Example: I1 = 2.5 µSv/h at d1 = 10 cm (0.1 m). Operator standing at d2 = 100 cm (1.0 m).
(10 ÷ 100)² = (0.1)² = 0.01 → 2.5 × 0.01 = 0.025 µSv/h (Totally safe background level).
What it actually means: Because radioactive X-ray emission is purely random Poisson decay, you can never get a 'perfect' count. The more counts N you collect, the smaller your percentage uncertainty.
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THE SQUARE ROOT RULE:
For N total counts, uncertainty is √N. Relative Standard Deviation is 100% ÷ √N.
• 10,000 counts → 1.0% RSD • 100,000 counts → 0.32% RSD • 1,000,000 counts → 0.10% RSD.
Standard Deviation (σ) = √N Relative Error (RSD%) = ( √N ÷ N ) × 100 = 100 ÷ √N
📋 Pen & Paper Field Worksheet
Total Counts Collected (N):
[ ] counts
Standard Deviation (√N):
√[ ] = [ ] counts
Relative Error (RSD%):
100 ÷ √N = [ ] %
Worksheet #21 · Hardware Protection
X-Ray Tube Power & Filament Burn Factor
What it actually means: Are you exceeding the tube's maximum continuous wattage? And how fast are you boiling away the tungsten filament? Running at maximum 160 mA burns tungsten 8 times faster than running at 80 mA due to cubic thermal evaporation!
Power [kW] = ( kV × mA ) ÷ 1000 (Limit: ≤ 4.0 kW or 3.0 kW per unit spec) Filament Burn Stress Factor = ( mA ÷ 80 mA )³
Pocket Example: Running 60 kV at 66 mA → (60 × 66) ÷ 1000 = 3.96 kW (Safe, < 4.0 kW).
Running at 160 mA → (160 ÷ 80)³ = 2³ = 8× filament wear rate compared to standard 80 mA!
Has your Zetium locked up with communication timeout errors or rapid NIOS LED blinking? Communication drops usually mean the Single Board Computer (SBC) or the NIOS board has halted. While the OEM quotes complete board replacement with weeks of crippling downtime, RDS can fix both the SBC and NIOS board! We provide low-level unbricking utilities to revive non-communicating systems on-site, plus tested SBCs, NIOS boards, and Spectrometer Cards in stock for same-day dispatch.
Instant lookup from Error Codes XRF.chm and Firmware 7.5B
1,836 Codes Available
Error Code
Subsystem / Category
System Message & Root Cause
Prescribed Corrective Action
📚 Official Technical Bulletins & Circular Messages (1,916 Documents in Axios Folder)
Instant registry & path lookup for 981 Circular Messages (CM), 710 X-Ray Actions (XRA), and 226 User/Service Guides located in C:\Users\Jon\Documents\Axios
1,916 Docs
Doc Identifier
Type / Domain
Title / Subject
Relative Path in Axios Folder
📋 Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) & Field Service Certification Report
Generates official PANalytical Installation & Operational Qualification (IQ/OQ) Report combining all actual test measurements, tolerances, PM sign-off, and safety certifications.