Latest version changes for Probe for EPMA (and CalcImage) v. 14.1.2

[John Donovan]

PROBE for EPMA XP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11 Xtreme Edition Version Software Changes

User names (in parentheses) indicate grateful attribution for the preceding bug report or suggestion. Users "rule"!

03/15/25    Implement new direct read of beam current code.
v. 14.1.2

03/13/25    Add check for valid date/time string in Base64ReaderInput for corrupted PrbImg files (Allaz).

03/11/25    Add error trap for user not seleting either PHA or peaking scan in Peaking dialog (Boroughs).
03/07/25    More work on MEC stage and column code.
v. 14.1.1
        Modify scan unfreeze delay code to make it more consistent between demo and JEOL
        EDS video (8230/8530) modes. Modify insert Faraday after image acquisition
        to not use delay.

03/06/25    Fix Unfreeze command in TestRemoteImaging.  More work on MEC stage and column commands.
v. 14.0.9    Add UseMECStageColumnInterface keyword to Probewin.ini file (disabled for now).
       
        Update Remote dcoumentation and help file.

03/05/25    Fix Flank TDI output as intercepts and integrated intensities were swapped (Buse).
v. 14.0.8
        Work on MEC stage and column code.
       
        Add Unfreeze command to Remote (imaging) interface (Ruscitto).

03/04/25    Add calls for direct read of Faraday cup, but leave commented out until tested.

03/04/25    Update some doc files.
v. 14.0.7

03/02/25    Add pixel intensity to image cursor in FormIMAGEDISPLAY.

        Fix Bragg boundary pixel coordinate calculation for all orientations

02/28/25    Fix comment in misc Probewin.ini files for ForceNegativeKratiosToZero flag.

        Add JeolGetFaraday3 code to obtain probe current directly from instrument (not tested yet).

02/22/25    Add Bragg intensity smmoothing code to Bragg defocus correction
v. 14.0.6
        Add Borisova reference, fix SF boundary output in TypeResults.

02/21/25    Remove "dead" procedures and code. Fix problem in GridCheckGRD when no image
v. 14.0.5    assigned to element by adding filename and also setting disable quant flag in
        CalcImageAnalysisImage to avoid over correction by MAN on zero intensities (Carpenter).

02/20/25    Add string selection control to FormPOSITION (Ruth).
v. 14.0.4

02/19/25    Add check for material and geometry file names that are too long in PENEPMA create
        input file code.
       
        Add check for EDS element in Bragg defocus correction dialog.

02/15/25    Improve display of points in secondary boundary fluporescence correction forms.
v. 14.0.3

02/11/25    Do not ask user whether to get net intensitis during automation if using EDS
        simulation mode (PENEPMA).

02/08/25    Remove some unused parameters and procedures.
v. 14.0.2

02/07/25    More work on Bragg defocus correction (Moy).
v. 14.0.1
        Fix Bruker throughput parameter order (needs to be low to high, e.g., 60,
        90, 130, 275, 400, 600, 1000, etc) (Boesenberg)

02/04/25    Update additional standard databases (dhz, dana, srm, etc.) and .dat export example files (Buse).

        Work on Bragg defocus correction code (Moy).

01/30/25    Fix Flank output code if no TDI data is available (Buse).

        Work on Bruker get/set max energy and throughput parameters (with von der Handt).

01/26/25    Add Bragg order (in Roman numerals) to on/off/net count labels in user speciied
v.13.9.8    output (Ruth).

        Modify energy and throughput parameter loading from Probewin.ini and InitData.

01/15/25    Fix combined keV sample setups bug when combining standard sample (Boroughs).

01/14/25    Fix get TC in JEOL MEC EDS (McAleer).

01/11/25    Modify dead time value format from 2 to to 3 decimal places (Boesenberg).
       
        Add Bragg defocus parameters to TypeCounts.

01-09-25    Update Probewin pdf and Helpfile.

01/08/25    Update Remote.pdf.

01/04/25    Finish dynamic oxygen by stoichiometry code. Add boundary fit coeffients for Bragg defocus
        correction (Moy).

12/31/24    Add crude test of dynamic stoichiometric oxygen (Poirier).  Need to implement in GUI now.
       
        Fix Classify DAT output bug where extra tab was being added after "NK" column label!

12/22/24    Add new StartAcquire.bat batch file for custom execution of apps from PFE (Fellowes).

12/21/24    Add counting time out check to demo code (for testing purposes only).
v. 13.9.7

12/20/24    Modify motor complete status code for JEOL.  Add counting complete timeout for JEOL (Allaz).
        Add code to remind user to uncheck Insert PCD for JEOL MEC EDS interface.
       
        Modify estimated automation code at completion.

12/18/24    Remove check for beam scan mode for JEOL MEC EDS interface in Acquire (McAleer).

12/16/24    Improve debug logging for EDS and Faraday cup (McAleer).

12/14/24    Minor tweak for Output menu enables.

12/12/24    Fix blank output code for user specified output (Buse).

12/11/24    Tweak acquisition time estimates again (Mitchell).

        Modify JEOL MEC EDS interface code to not get spectrum until acquisition is complete. Getting the
        spectrum before the EDS acquisition is complete seems to cause various problems, either
        an Error 5 is returned from the MECW_EDSLoadEdsAnalysisData call and/or one gets an error message
        in the JEOL control PC: "communication error, reboot OPE and control software".

12/10/24    Teak to GetElmAll2 code for updating MPB off peak background type if no data present.

        Fix GetElm bug for setting enables in FormSETUP and FormSETUPSAM. Tweak time
        estimates (Mitchell).

12/09/24    Fix JEOL EDS acquisition bug (Neill and McAleer).

12/05/24    Modify AcquireChangeAssignments and AcquireChangeElements code
v.13.9.6    in Acquire2.bas to use main GetElm and GetStd code.

        Update user reference manual and help file for 3 sigma = 99.7% confidence (Buse).

12/04/24    Work (again) on std assign bug (Neill).

12/03/24    Modify check std assignments code in Acquire2.bas! Work on AdvancedEPMA dialog.

12/02/24    Enable AdvancedEPMA floating window. Add more Help buttons.

        FIx GetStd standard assignments bug when user just clicks OK (Neill).

12/01/24    Improve GetStd code, update Help context IDs.

11/30/24    Split out std assignment code and controls from GetElm.bas and FormGETELM
v. 13.9.5    into GetStd.bas and FormGETSTD.

11/28/24    Add Help menu for YouTube video tutorial for CalcImage quant mapping.
        Disable string selection in Automate! window when running automated
        samples (Boroughs).

11/21/24    Change maximum number of MAN/Interf/TDI/APF iterations to handle pathological
        "self interfering" overlaps, e.g., Pb La and As Ka (Locock).

11/20/24    Add display of Faraday wait and wait out times to Faraday.exe app.

11/18/24    Add more "interactive" Help buttons that connect to relevant topics on our EPMA user forum.

11/17/24    Work more on BRagg defocus correction.
v. 13.9.4
        Add more Run table globals to InitData.

11/15/24    Finish(?) secondary boundary fluorescence code in PFE and CalcZAF!

11/14/24    Modify Automation code to perform YIncrement of non standards if using
        MultipleSampleSetups (Buse).

11/13/24    Work on modifying secondary SF code to correct for more than one element by
        using SecondarySample() in Secondary.bas.

11/12/24    Fix CalcZAF output format bug in PFE.
v. 13.9.3

11/08/24    Add new procedure to check instrument type when loading file setups. See
        new procedure DataCheckProbeType.

11/07/24    Fix boundary display for non-graphical boundary methods in PFE.

11/06/24    Tweak DataGetStagePositions and DataGetStagePositions3 codes.

11/05/24    Improve speed of DataGetStagePositions and DataGetStagePositions3 (for PictureSnap)
        for loading beam sizes for overlay on images when there are lots of samples.

11/04/24    Modify DataGetStagePositions to run faster for large numbers of points (Nachlas)

        More work on BRagg defocus correction (and boundary correction).

10/31/24    Add magnification calculation to Cameca beam scans in ConvertToPrbImg.

        Implement boundary secondary fluorescence code in CalcImage (not tested yet).

10/26/24    Add Bragg defocus for SF boundary correction parameters per element.
v. 13.9.2

[John Donovan]

The ProbeForEPMA.msi installer now updates the Standard.exe app properly!
john

[John Donovan]

Added Thermo support files for spectrum image (SI) file access to ProbeForEPMA.msi installer (v.10.1.6).

Everyone who wants to use the new Hyper-Imaging feature in CalcImage, as described here:

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=83.0

will need to run the ProbeForEPMA.msi installer again (no need to un-install PFE first).

[John Donovan]

New versions (and updated documentation) are now available for the Matrix and Remote COM servers (v. 10.1.7)

https://probesoftware.com/Update.htm

[John Donovan]

The ProbeforEPMA.msi installer now automatically installs the Thermo spectrum Image (SI) DLLs for the CalcImage "Hyper-Imaging" feature, which automatically integrates WDS quantitative x-ray maps with EDS (hyper-cube) spectrum images.

Apologies for attaching a brochure from the EMAS 2013 meeting to this post, but it does already provide a nice overview of these new CalcImage features- and I'm just too lazy to re-format it!   

I should add, though current users of Probe for EPMA already know, all users may obtain new features for free, by simply clicking the Help | Update Probe for EPMA menu! 

[John Donovan]

The current version of Probe for EPMA, with all the latest software and features updates and a current copy of the Probe Software user forum (i.e., this user forum), are now available from Probe Software through our DVD subscription service.

If your laboratory computer running Probe for EPMA is not connected to the Internet for security or other reasons, please contact Probe Software to find out about our automatic DVD subscription service.  With this service you will be able to update your Probe for EPMA software and browse our user forum from your probe computer even if it is not connected to the Internet!

Please contact Barbara at Probe Software for more information:

barbara@probesoftware.com
541-343-3400

[John Donovan]

Check out this new "self documenting" feature for manual acquisition now available in v. 10.2.3 of Probe for EPMA:

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=71.msg649#msg649

[John Donovan]

I should have done this a long time ago, but the latest v. 10.2.4 now automatically loads all EDS spectra that are associated with standard samples if you select to have standard intensities loaded when performing a Load File Setup in Probe for EPMA.

[John Donovan]

All PFE apps and installers beginning with v. 10.2.5 are now digitally "signed":

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=42.msg744#msg744

[John Donovan]

Add ImageShiftPresent and ImageShiftType keywords to INI file.

For JEOL 8900/8200/8500 and Cameca SX100/SXFive this keyword will default to true, but for the 8230/8530 the keyword has to be added and edited manually in the [hardware] section of the Probewin.ini file.

[John Donovan]

Add ImageShiftPresent and ImageShiftType keywords to INI file.

For JEOL 8900/8200/8500 and Cameca SX100/SXFive this keyword will default to true, but for the 8230/8530 the keyword has to be added and edited manually in the [hardware] section of the Probewin.ini file.

Just wondering if any 8230/8530 operators have edited their Probewin.ini file and tested this set image shift code for the new JEOL instruments that Philippe Pinard sent us.

[John Donovan]

No bump in the version number, but the latest v. 10.3.3 now has modified the TDI acquisition code for combined condition samples. This should significantly reduce the delay between the Faraday cup out and the TDI counting start.

Try a TDI acquisition with a combined condition sample and let me know what you think!

[Richard Walshaw]

A nice simple question for you:

will PFE run on windows 8?

Richard

[John Donovan]

A nice simple question for you: will PFE run on windows 8?

Gareth Seward can answer this best. See this thread also:

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=105.0

[John Donovan]

The latest list of pre-calculated binaries for fast Monte-Carlo matrix corrections is found here:

https://www.probesoftware.com/download/Calculated%20Alpha%20Binaries.txt