This is a feature that has existed for a while but I've fleshed it out a bit after Karsten Goemann suggested some changes, and it works quite well now. Basically one can acquire analog signal images along with the automated sample acquisition from the Automate! window in Probe for EPMA, either before the sample acquisition, after the sample acquisition, or acquire images before *and* after the sample acquisition.
The recent changes allow one to specify different column conditions for the automated image acquisition than the conditions utilized for the sample acquisition. Currently the imaging magnification, keV and beam current can be specified independently for analog signal acquisition with automated sample acquisition.
The first step is to "turn on" automated imaging acquisiiton from the Acquisition Options dialog from the Acquire! window as seen here:
(https://smf.probesoftware.com/gallery/1_18_03_17_2_17_32.png)
Note that the Use Sample Mag, keV and nA for Automated Imaging checkbox is checked. If you hover the mouse over the checkbox you will see that the "sample" it is speaking of is the *position* sample conditions as specified in the Automate! window as seen here:
(https://smf.probesoftware.com/gallery/1_18_03_17_2_17_47.png)
Next you simply specify the desired imaging conditions (mag, keV and/or nA) and assign those to the position sample.
Finally, and this is the critical step, you should change the "new sample basis" in the lower right corner of the Automate! window to utilize the sample conditions or setups that you want for the actual sample x-ray acquisitions. That might be "Use Last Unknown Sample" or "Use Digitized Sample Setups" but unless you want the analog images acquired using the same column conditions as a sample acquisition, you should change it to another new sample basis.
As I mentioned already, right now only the imaging magnification (not the default magnification!), kilovolts and beam current parameters affect automated imaging acquisition, but I could add other column conditions as well if necessary.
Let me know what you all think...
john
This is a great feature which we use a lot now - run the automated image acquisition at "digitised" conditions (e.g. 15kV 10nA) and the measurements themselves using last unknown or sample setups, which usually means higher beam current. This way users get BSE images showing point locations with texture and context for all of their probe data for very little additional automation time, and spend less time manually acquiring BSE images during point programming.
Is it somehow possible to set this up in a way that the image title (image name) is the name of the sample as shown in Automate? Currently it is always using the last unknown in Acquire as image name (so all images basically get the same name within an Automate run), and using the "Match Image Names" function in the image display window works the other way round (it reassigns all images to that last unknown sample).
Quote from: Karsten Goemann on August 01, 2017, 11:56:34 PM
This is a great feature which we use a lot now - run the automated image acquisition at "digitised" conditions (e.g. 15kV 10nA) and the measurements themselves using last unknown or sample setups, which usually means higher beam current. This way users get BSE images showing point locations with texture and context for all of their probe data for very little additional automation time, and spend less time manually acquiring BSE images during point programming.
Is it somehow possible to set this up in a way that the image title (image name) is the name of the sample as shown in Automate? Currently it is always using the last unknown in Acquire as image name (so all images basically get the same name within an Automate run), and using the "Match Image Names" function in the image display window works the other way round (it reassigns all images to that last unknown sample).
Hi Karsten,
Good idea. That should be possible. I will look at this later this week.
john
Quote from: John Donovan on August 02, 2017, 08:04:51 AM
Quote from: Karsten Goemann on August 01, 2017, 11:56:34 PM
This is a great feature which we use a lot now - run the automated image acquisition at "digitised" conditions (e.g. 15kV 10nA) and the measurements themselves using last unknown or sample setups, which usually means higher beam current. This way users get BSE images showing point locations with texture and context for all of their probe data for very little additional automation time, and spend less time manually acquiring BSE images during point programming.
Is it somehow possible to set this up in a way that the image title (image name) is the name of the sample as shown in Automate? Currently it is always using the last unknown in Acquire as image name (so all images basically get the same name within an Automate run), and using the "Match Image Names" function in the image display window works the other way round (it reassigns all images to that last unknown sample).
Hi Karsten,
Good idea. That should be possible. I will look at this later this week.
john
Hi Karsten,
Actually it's funny.
I took a quick look at the code tonight and saw that what you request is exactly what I thought I'd implemented, but due to a subtle misordering of one line of code, it didn't do what it should have been doing. :'(
So anyway, I fixed it and uploaded a new version of PFE, so you can update to v. 11.9.6 using the Help menu, and it should use the position sample name as the image name as expected.
john
Hello,
Following are some brief instructions for Automated Image Acquisition and Output of the BMP images - although this may be already known to many users, I wish that I had realized them some time ago!
Using the option "Acquire Automated Images on Unknowns" in the Automated Image Acquisition section of the Acquisition Options window of Acquire! is great.
One can get a BSE image for every point, showing its context.
However, before outputting all of these BSE images (by using Output | Save Images to BMP Files),
first go to Run | Display, Annotate and Export Analog Signal Images
and select the various options (Sample Positions, Line Numbers, Scale Bar) that you want on the image:
(https://smf.probesoftware.com/gallery/406_14_08_19_9_45_04.jpeg)
After having made your selections, then Ouput | Save Images to BMP Files.
Cheers, Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for pointing this out. It's a nice feature but not known to all as you mentioned.
Another alternative option, if one wants to see all the points on that image, is to select the All Positions" option.
Sometimes users only want BSE images (e.g., zircon grains) - with no quantitative analyses.
To acquire automatically a considerable number of BSE images, at the same contrast and the same magnification, one can:
1) For each grain or area, set a point at its middle in Automate!
2) Adjust the magnification, and grayscale. Go to Imaging: set the Scan Rate, and the Image Size.
3) in Acquisition Options: go to Automate Image Acquisition, select Acquire Automated Images on Unknowns, and Confirm Only.
4) in Automate!, select the points of interest, select Confirm Unknown Positions, set Automate Confirm Delay (sec) to 1, and Run Selected Samples.
The instrument should then drive to the first point, count down 1 second, and acquire and save a BSE image at a fixed magnification, and then repeat this sequence for the succeeding points.
Finally, prior to exporting the BSE images, go to Display Analog Signal Image Data, and select the options of interest (Plot Sample Name, Use Image Name, Plot Scale Bar, etc.).
A Word document with screen captures is attached.
Quote from: AndrewLocock on January 06, 2026, 09:20:14 AMSometimes users only want BSE images (e.g., zircon grains) - with no quantitative analyses.
Thanks Andrew, I think many will find this information useful.
I don't know about JEOL BSE imaging, but on the Cameca one must use a fixed brightness and contrast values, or the electronics will automatically adjust them during the frame acquisition.
This is normally not a problem when acquiring a bunch of images on samples with similar average Zs, but might be in other circumstances.