Software Reference MAN 0102

Issue1.1

April 1997

©

Malvern Instruments Ltd. 1995, 1997.

Malvern Instruments makes every effort to ensure that this document is correct. However, due to Malvern Instruments policy of continual product development we are unable to guarantee the accuracy of this, or any other document after the date of publication. We therefore disclaim all liability for any changes, errors or omissions after the date of publication. No reproduction or transmission of any part of this publication is allowed without the express written permission of Malvern Instruments Ltd. Head office: Malvern Instruments Ltd. Spring Lane South, Malvern. Worcestershire. WR14 1XZ U.K. Tel + [44] (0) 1684-892456 Fax + [44] (0) 1684-892789

Windows and Excel are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.

Printed in England

CONTENTS

Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction to this manual Systems covered by this manual

1-1

Access to the instrument

1-2

Malvern personnel

1-2

Supervisor

1-2

Operator

1-3

Assumed information

1-3

Windows terms

1-3

Menu commands

1-5

Where to find information

1-5

Getting help

1-6

On-line help

1-6

The F1 function key

1-6

The Help menu

1-6

The Help window

1-7

Jumps and popups

1-7

Status line

1-8

Reporting problems

1-8

Other reading

1-9

Chapter 2 - Introductioon to the Malvern software The Malvern software

2-1

The Mastersizer program group

2-1

Finding your way around the screen

2-2

Modes of operation

2-7

Menu mode

2-7

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page i

S o f t w a r e

R e f e r e n c e

M a n u a l

Easy mode

2-7

Program mode

2-7

Chapter 3 - Windows system menu Introduction to the Windows system menu

3-1

Security

3-2

Security Levels

3-3

The System Controllers Security Access dialogue

3-3

Size Split

3-7

Chapter 4 - File menu Introduction to the File menu

4-1

File - Open Sample File and Load Record

4-1

File - Save Sample

4-8

File - Save Sample As

4-8

File - Load Configuration

4-11

File - Save Configuration As

4-13

File - Process

4-15

File - Print

4-18

File - Printer Setup

4-22

File - Exit

4-24

Chapter 5 - Edit menu

Page ii

Introduction to the Edit menu

5-1

Edit - Copy

5-1

Copy - Data

5-2

Copy - Result

5-2

Copy - Sizes

5-3

Copy - Graph

5-3

M A N

0 1 0 2

CONTENTS Copy - Table

5-3

Edit - Copy Link

5-4

Edit - Paste

5-4

Paste - Data

5-5

Paste - Result

5-5

Edit - Graph Plots

5-6

Edit - Input

5-8

Input - Results

5-8

Input - Sizes

5-10

Input - Points

5-13

Input - Data

5-15

Edit-Generate

5-17

Generate - Results

5-18

Generate - Sizes

5-20

Edit - Shape Factors

5-22

Chapter 6 - Measure menu Introduction to the Measure menu

6-1

Measure - Start Sequence

6-1

Measure - Clean

6-2

Measure - Document

6-3

Measure - Align

6-5

Measure - Background

6-9

Measure - Inspect

6-12

Measure - Sample

6-17

Measure - Calculate Result

6-19

Chapter 7 - View menu Introduction to the View menu

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

7-1

M A N U A L

Page iii

S o f t w a r e

R e f e r e n c e

M a n u a l

View - Result 1 - Analysis Sizes

7-3

View - Result 2 - Histogram Sizes

7-5

View - Result 3 - Derived Diameters

7-6

View - Result 4 and 5 - Sieves

7-8

View - Result 6 - Shape Factor

7-9

View - Data

7-10

View - Fit

7-12

View - Statistics

7-13

View - Parameters

7-15

View - Difference

7-17

View - New Axes

7-20

View - DDE Links

7-20

Chapter 8 - Control menu Introduction to the Control menu

8-1

Control - Record Program

8-1

Control - Run Program

8-3

Control - Edit Program

8-4

Control - Assign Program

8-5

Control - Easy Buttons

8-7

Designing your own buttons

8-9

Control - Remote

8-10

Control - Sample Unit

8-11

Control - Assigned Menu Items

8-11

Chapter 9 - Setup menu

Page iv

Introduction to the Setup menu

9-1

Setup - Measurement Sequence

9-1

Setup - Processing

9-5

M A N

0 1 0 2

CONTENTS Setup - Hardware

9-7

Setup - Analysis

9-11

Setup - Result Modification

9-15

Setup - Presentation

9-22

Request Presentation dialogue

9-25

Define Presentation dialogue

9-28

Setup - Sample Unit

9-31

Setup - Dilution

9-33

Setup - Graph

9-35

Graph setup dialogue for the Data and Fit Graphs

9-39

Graph setup dialogue for the Statistics Graph

9-40

Graph setup dialogue for the Difference Graphs

9-41

Setup - Table

9-42

Setup - Experiment

9-45

Setup - Alarms

9-50

Setup - Messaging

9-54

Setup - Reset Configuration

9-58

Chapter 10 - Help menu Introduction to the Help menu

10-1

Help - Contents

10-1

Help - Menu Command

10-1

Help - Program Language

10-1

Help - Keyboard

10-2

Help - Window

10-2

Help - Help

10-2

Help - About

10-2

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page v

S o f t w a r e

R e f e r e n c e

M a n u a l

Chapter 11 - Filing system The filing system

11-1

File names

11-2

Wild cards

11-2

File extension

11-3

Mastersizer sample files and records

11-4

Record contents

11-4

Chapter 12 - The Windows clipboard Introduction

12-1

The Windows clipboard

12-1

Copying a graph

12-1

Copying the table

12-2

Copying the whole window

12-2

Copying a list of sizes

12-2

Copying the result

12-2

Copying the measured data

12-3

Copying from the program language

12-3

Pasting in new data

12-3

Pasting in a new result

12-4

Dynamic Data Exchange Basic concepts

12-4

Mastersizer and DDE

12-5

Mastersizer server functions

12-5

Mastersizer client functions

12-6

Example of a Hot Link

12-6

Changing the items in the Hot Link

12-7

Creating a multi-column sheet

12-8

Logging

Page vi

12-4

12-9

M A N

0 1 0 2

CONTENTS Logging to a disk file

12-9

Logging to the serial port

12-9

Chapter 13 - Hardware Introduction

13-1

Hardware

13-1

Communications set-up

13-1

Items transferred

13-2

Logging to a remote computer

13-2

Chapter 14 - Using configuration files Using configuration files

14-1

Tables and reports

14-2

Changing the Easy Buttons toolbar

14-2

Changing the Menus

14-2

Changing screen colours and fonts

14-2

Graph colours and fonts

14-2

Table fonts and background colour

14-3

Chapter 15 - The intelligent detector The intelligent detector

15-1

Sequences, experiments, sweeps and triggering.

15-2

Spray measurements

15-4

Pulsed spray synchroniser option

15-6

A typical pulsed spray experiment

15-7

Internally triggered experiment with external start pulse

15-9

Externally triggered experiments

15-10

Sweep triggering

15-11

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page vii

S o f t w a r e

R e f e r e n c e

M a n u a l

Appendix A - Keyboard shortcuts Introduction

A-1

Keyboard shortcuts

A-1

Appendix B - The Input/Output port The Input/Output port

Page viii

B-1

M A N

0 1 0 2

Introduction to this manual

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

CHAPTER 1

Welcome Welcome to the Malvern Mastersizer Software Reference manual. By now you should have installed your system and have an understanding of the operational procedures involved when using the instrument. This manual has been designed to give a detailed description of the commands that are available within the software. It gives details on what each of the commands within the menus does and details on how to do it. Additional chapters at the end of this manual cover additional subjects such as file management, communication between other applications and advanced measurement features that have not been covered elsewhere.

#

Warning You must remember that the Mastersizer or the samples to be measured are potentially dangerous if misused. You must read the Health and safety booklet before operating the system.

Systems covered by this manual Mastersizer is a generic name given to a family of systems. Each system within the family uses the same software and only vary in operation in small areas. For this reason this manual has been written to cover more than one instrument. This manual covers the operation of the long and standard bench versions of the Mastersizer X and S, and the Mastersizer Micro and Microplus. i.e.

Instrument.

Ref. Number.

Mastersizer X standard bench.

MAM 5000

Mastersizer X long bench.

MAM 5002

Mastersizer S standard bench.

MAM 5004

Mastersizer S long bench.

MAM 5005

Mastersizer Micro.

MAF 5000

Mastersizer Microplus.

MAF 5001

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 1.1

CHAPTER 1

Software Reference Manual

Access to the instrument Within this manual reference may be made to the various people that will have access to the instrument. Below is a list of these people and their responsibility:

Malvern personnel Malvern personnel (service engineers, representatives etc.) have full access to the instrument and are authorised to perform all service procedures that may require the removal of the covers.

Supervisor The supervisor is the person responsible for the management/safety of the instrument and of its operation. The supervisor can perform all user maintenance routines identified in the Getting Started manual, including changing the fuses. For supervisors of the Mastersizer X or S it should be noted that you must on no circumstances remove the covers of the transmitter or receiver and should only remove the sample area cover when using the Mastersizer for spray measurements. For supervisors of the Mastersizer Micro or Microplus it should be noted that you must on no circumstances remove any covers of the instrument.

Operator An operator is a person trained in the use of the instrument. The operator can perform all user maintenance routines identified in the Getting Started manual except for changing the fuses. For operators of the Mastersizer X or S it should be noted that the operator must on no circumstances remove the covers of the transmitter or receiver and should only remove the sample area cover when using the Mastersizer for spray measurements. For operators of the Mastersizer Micro or Microplus it should be noted that the operator must on no circumstances remove any covers of the instrument.

Page 1.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 1

#

Warning Failure to follow the above guidelines could result in the emission of laser radiation. Laser radiation can be harmful to the body and can cause permanent eye damage.

Assumed information Within this manual the Mastersizer system will be referred to as the “Mastersizer” or the “system” unless the information given is for a particular instrument.

Windows terms It is important that you understand some Windows terms before reading further. (Note that US spelling is used for some terms for compatibility) Program - The Mastersizer software - it can also mean the Mastersizer Basic program used within the main Mastersizer software. Cursor or Pointer - The graphic - usually a pointer that is moved on the screen by operation of the mouse. Icon - The graphic on the desktop that represents a program. Click - The mouse button is depressed and released. If this is not qualified with a button description then assume it is the left button. ‘Clicking a button’ means click the left mouse button with the cursor over the button Double-click - Press and release the mouse button twice in quick succession. If this is not qualified with a button description then assume it is the left button. Use the Mouse icon in Program Managers Control Panel to change the double-click speed. Dialogue Box - A window containing controls. The OK button accepts changes in the dialogue box. The Cancel button closes the dialogue without accepting the changes. Control - This can mean a graphic on a dialogue like a button, listbox, textbox etc.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 1.3

CHAPTER 1

Software Reference Manual Press or Select - This means click the mouse over a control or use the accelerator key (the underlined letter) or use the Tab key to move the focus to a control then use the Enter key. Menu items can be selected using the cursor keys in the same way.

ILL 1992

Button - This acts like a real-life button. Click to carry out an action. A typical button is shown below.

ILL 1993

Option Button or Radio Button - A series of buttons in a group, selecting one button cancels the others in the group. A radio button is shown below.

ILL 1994

Check Box - A button that can be toggled on and off. A check box is show below.

ILL 1995

Text Box or Edit Box - A box you can type text or values into. A text box is shown below.

ILL 1996

List Box - A box containing a list of options. Some List Boxes allow multiple entries to be selected.

ILL 1997

Combination List Box or Combo Box - A combination of a list box with a text box. A button beside the text box displays or hides the list part of the control. In some cases you can type new values into the text box part, in others the text box just shows the current selection from the list.

Page 1.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 1 Drag - An action with the mouse which involves moving the mouse while holding down the left mouse button. This is used for moving icons or making multiple selections in a list box.

Menu commands Menu commands from the Malvern software are referred to in the form main menu-menu item. As an example, the command File-Save Sample refers to selecting the Save Sample item in the File menu. The same rules apply for sub-menus of sub-menus, so that Edit-Copy-Data refers to the Data item in the Copy sub-menu, which itself is a sub-menu of the Edit menu. Menu commands are always shown in bold text.

Where to find information This manual details the commands that are available within the Malvern software. Each menu from the software has its own chapter within this manual that takes each of the menu items in tern and describes its function and how to use it. Other chapters at the end of the manual gives details on features of the software that have not been covered else where. On-line help can be gained at any point when using the Malvern software. See the section below for more details.

Getting help On-line help Microsoft Windows contains a help program which can give information on using Windows itself and on programs that use Windows. As well as leafing through the manuals to find out how to do something you can also refer to the on-line Help system.

The F1 function key You can get help on using the Mastersizer software at any point by pressing the F1 function key. If the main Mastersizer window is active then the Help Contents page will be shown. If a dialogue box or other Mastersizer window is active then

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 1.5

CHAPTER 1

Software Reference Manual help on using that window will appear. This ability to give help on the operation being carried out is known as ‘context-sensitive help’. To get help on the main Mastersizer window hold down the Shift key and press F1. The mouse cursor then changes from the normal arrow to the Help cursor.

Help Cursor

When the Help cursor is active clicking the left mouse button over a component of the Mastersizer window will show help on that component. If a menu is selected or a button in the toolbar is clicked then help will appear on that command.

The Help menu The far right menu in the Mastersizer menu bar is for Help. This allows you to go directly to specific parts of the Help system. The Help menu items are: Contents - The main list of contents in the Help system. Menu Command - The list of menu commands. Program Language - The contents of the help on using the built-in Mastersizer Basic language (program mode). Keyboard - How to use the keyboard for; commands, moving the splitter bar of the window and changing the scale the graph etc. Window - The list of Mastersizer window components. Help - This command displays the Microsoft Help information on using the Help system. For more information on the commands in the Help menu see chapter 10.

The Help window The Help window is an independent window with its own menu and sizing border. If you have the Mastersizer window maximised (filling the whole screen) you may find it useful to make the help window always stay on top of the Mastersizer window.

$ To set the Help window to be always on top:

. Select the Help menu item from the Help window. . If the Always on Top item does not have a check mark against it then click this item (or press the Enter key with this item highlighted).

Page 1.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 1 The Help window has a row of buttons below the menu for the most used actions: Contents - Pressing this button send you to the main contents page. Search - Selecting this displays the search dialogue - Searching Help.

$ To search for the required information:

. Type the first few letters of the item to search for in the text box. The list box scrolls to show the item. . Double-click the item in the list or press Show Topics. The list box at the bottom of the dialogue shows one or more topics. . Select the topic in the bottom list box. Double-click or press Go To. . The help window changes to the topic. Back - Pressing this button moves you to the last help topic displayed. History - This button displays a window showing a list of help topics visited. Double-click an item to go back to that topic. “” - These are the browse buttons - click these to see related topics to the current one. Glossary - Shows a list of glossary items. Click these to see the descriptions.

Jumps and popups In the Help window you will see text which is underlined with a solid line for example Diffraction. Click this to move to another topic. This is known as a jump. Text that is underlined with a dotted line will show a popup window with extra information when it is clicked with the mouse. Click the mouse in the window to make it disappear. This is known as a popup. When the mouse cursor moves over a jump or popup item it changes to the help jump cursor. Jump cursor

The cursor also changes when it moves over certain graphics and buttons. Clicking these items show more information about them.

Status line When a menu is selected or the mouse cursor moves over a toolbar button the status line at the bottom of the Mastersizer window will show information on the command.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 1.7

CHAPTER 1

Software Reference Manual

Reporting problems Before reporting a problem please check the relevant sections of the user and reference manuals, or any accessory manuals, which may have an answer. If the problem persists try to give as much detail as possible. If there is a problem in the software try to give information that will allow the engineers at Malvern to reproduce the conditions. If the problem is in the measurement or the analysis the Malvern engineers will require a copy of the Data report. A list of the Malvern subsidiaries can be found within the appendices of the Getting Started manual.

$ To print a Data report:

. Change the View menu to Data. . Select a report print in the File - Print dialogue.

Other reading More detail on the subjects within this manual can be found in the following manuals:

Title

Ref. Number

The Getting Started manual:

Page 1.8

Mastersizer Micro & Microplus

MAN 0106

Mastersizer X and S

MAN 0101

The Malvern Basic reference manual.

MAN 0103

M A N

0 1 0 2

Introduction to the Malvern Software

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

2

CHAPTER 2

Introduction to this chapter This chapter sets out to give a brief overview of the features of the Malvern software. The chapter will give details on: . Features of the Malvern screen. . Modes of operation. For clarity and ease of use this chapter has been repeated in the Getting Started manual.

The Malvern software The Malvern software controls all the functions of the optical unit during a measurement and then uses the data collected to calculate the result. The software is Windows based, requiring version 3.1 or greater and has been designed to follow the guidelines laid down by Microsoft regarding the way in which the software is operated and how it co-operates with other Windows programs. Remember that, although the software is often operated using the mouse, all of the measurement functions are accessible by using the keyboard alone. If you are unfamiliar with using the Microsoft Windows environment you should read the Microsoft Windows manual. Running the Microsoft Windows tutorial will allow you to practice your mouse skills.

The Mastersizer program group

ill1867

When the Mastersizer software is installed the Mastersizer program group shown below will appear in the Program Manager window.

There are three program icons within the program group. The first is the main Mastersizer program icon. To start the Mastersizer software, double click on this

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 2.1

CHAPTER 2

Software Reference Manual icon. Note that this icon will change depending on which type of Mastersizer you have. The second icon is the presentation generator program. This is a program that is usually run from the Mastersizer software but can be run independently by double clicking this icon. The presentation generator calculates new “presentations” that are used in the analysis of the measurement data. Presentations are discussed in detail in the Getting Started manual. The final icon is the Bitmap Editor. This program allows you to create your own icon bitmaps for button bar buttons.

Finding your way around the screen Before we explain the software in detail you should familiarise yourself with some of the key features of the screen by using the diagram below.

5

Page 2.2

2

7

3

6

ill 1812

1

4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 2 The main features are:

À Title bar (or caption) This shows the name of the program (Malvern Mastersizer) and, among other things, tells you the name of the current sample file.

Á Menu bar The menu bar contains the main menu headings for all Mastersizer functions. There are several ways to select an item from the menu bar: Using the mouse To select an item from the menu bar use the left mouse button to click once on the menu item. The menu list will drop down. You can then select the item from the menu list by clicking once on the item. Using the keyboard To select an item from the menu bar using the keyboard, hold down the Alt key and press the letter which is underlined in the item required. For example to use the Measure menu hold down Alt and press m. Whenever you use a key in this way it does not matter if you use upper or lower case. M or m would both work. Again a menu list will drop down. To select an item from the list type the letter that is underlined. For example, typing d will select the Document... item to enter sample details. Using keyboard accelerators To the right of a menu item name there may also be a note of the accelerator for this item. This is a key or combination of keys which can be used to by-pass the menus. For example you can press Ctrl and N together to select Measure-Document... without having to use the main menu and drop down menu. The items which end with a row of dots (...) will cause dialogue boxes to appear. Those with no dots will cause an immediate action. For example Document... displays a dialogue for you to enter details but Clean would cause the sample handling unit to begin a cleaning sequence without any further action. Some items are shown in grey. This indicates that the choice is not currently available. For example, the Clean item may be grey because no sample handling unit is installed and the Background, Inspect and Sample items may be grey because these operations may not be performed until the system has been aligned.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 2.3

CHAPTER 2

Software Reference Manual  Button bar

Calculate button

Setup button

The Easy button bar (or toolbar) contains a selection of buttons which you can use to perform the most popular operations. Each button will have its equivalent commands within the menu bar. For example using the calculate button is equivalent to using the Calculate result... menu item from the Measure menu. A button may represent more than one command, for example pressing the setup button will automatically run you through the three Setup menu items; Setup Hardware, Setup - Analysis and Setup - Presentation.

A

B

C

D

E

J

K

F

G

H

I

L

M

N

O

A - Setup

B - Open Sample File

C - Document

D - Align Optics

E - Measure Background

F - Inspect Result

G - Calculate Result

H - Save Record

I - Print

J - Setup Sequence

K - Start Sequence

L - Clear Graph

M - Graph Scale Up

N - Graph Scale Down

O - Exit Mastersizer

Ill1810

The default button bar set when the Mastersizer software is first installed is:

To help you identify a menu button a short description of the action of the button is displayed in the status bar when the cursor is moved over the buttons - (The cursor also changes to a picture of a hand when over a button). As with the menu bar, if a button is not available it will be shown in a lighter colour À to show it is disabled. i.e.:

Page 2.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 2

ILL1811

1

The keyboard can be used to select Easy buttons by using the key combinations which appears underneath each button. Because space is limited some of the text has been abbreviated, for example “A+S+1” means hold down the Alt and Shift key while typing 1. It is possible to customise the button menu to suit your own needs. See Control-Easy Buttons in chapter 8 to change the layout of the buttons and the pictures that are used. You can also hide the key description which appears below the buttons.

à Table pane The table pane is used to show the result information in tabular form. Other information relevant to the measurement will also be shown. The type of information displayed in the table pane is determined by the “view”. The software has a list of standard views that can be easily changed by the user. Custom views can be created by the advanced user. To select a view, either select the View menu item or move the mouse cursor to any part of the table pane and press the right mouse button. This action will display a pop-up menu which shows you the selection of views available. Once selected the table and graph pages will immediately update. See chapter 7 for details of the views available. Double-clicking the left mouse button in the table pane has the effect of temporarily expanding that page to fill the window. Double-click again to restore the split screen. Scroll bars appear on the table pane if the pane is too small to show the whole table.

Ä Graph pane When a different view is selected the graph pane automatically changes to represent the data in the table. The graph pane always shows the same result but there are options to change the way it is displayed, for example the graph can be shown as a histogram, oversize plot, undersize plot, frequency plot or the result can be over-plotted on a graph of previous measurements. The form of each graph may be modified by clicking the right mouse button over the graph pane (or by selecting the Setup-Graph menu item). This produces a

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 2.5

CHAPTER 2

Software Reference Manual dialogue that allows plot styles, axes and colours to be changed. See Setup-Graph in the software reference manual for more information.

Query cursor

If the left mouse button is pressed with the cursor over a graph the query cursor appears. Moving the query cursor over the graph displays information about the graph at the co-ordinates of the cursor. A typical message would be: x = 2.84 µm, y = 11.8% (59.1%). This means at this point of the graph that 59.1% of the sample is below 2.84 microns and that 11.8% of the sample is in that particular size band. Double-clicking the left mouse button in the graph pane has the effect of temporarily expanding that pane to fill the window. Double-click again to restore the split screen. The graph will automatically fit the graph pane.

Å Splitter bar The splitter bar allows you to change the proportions of graph and table panes i.e. to make the graph or table pane bigger or smaller.

Splitter cursor

To move the split between graph and table panes using the mouse, move the cursor onto the splitter bar - the arrow cursor will change to a double-headed arrow. Now, hold down the left mouse button and drag the bar to the new position. Release the mouse button when the desired position is reached. The splitter bar may also be controlled from the keyboard or from the menus.

Æ Status bar The status bar is split into two parts. The left hand section is used to show the status of the software. It usually shows the message Ready - Press F1 for Help. This will change to inform you when the system is loading or saving files, calculating, etc. As a menu is selected or the cursor moves over a toolbar button help information is shown. The right hand part of the status bar shows the instrument status. The instrument status bar shows Instrument Ready if the optical unit is correctly connected and switched on and Instrument NOT READY otherwise. The instrument status bar will also show the progress of a measurement.

Page 2.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 2

Modes of operation The Malvern software has three main modes of operation, Easy, Menu and program mode, which are summarised below.

Menu mode Menu mode is the use of the menu bar and its options to control the Mastersizer. Using the menus gives you access to all functions of the software. Full details of all the options in the menus are detailed later.

Easy mode The Easy button bar (or Toolbar) provides a simple way to select frequently used actions. For most samples a full analysis of a sample can be made by using the buttons. The buttons can be used by relatively inexperienced operators.

Program mode The program mode uses the built-in program language “Malvern Basic” to allow you to build complex measurement sequences with prompts to enter values, perform actions, etc. and detailed checking of error conditions. Such programs may be run individually, assigned to single key operations or set up to run automatically when the software starts. The Malvern basic language is an advanced feature that is usually used by the more experienced user. Full details of programming in the Malvern Basic language are given in the Malvern Basic manual. The three modes above are designed so they can be used in conjunction with each other. You may find that you only need to use the Easy mode buttons or just the menu items but it is possible to use all modes in a single measurement. For example you may align the system by pressing the Align button from the button bar, but then follow by measuring the background by using the menu item Measure-Background.... Always remember, as with most modern Windows programs, there is usually more that one way to operate the software. A function like printing a report for example can be done in several ways; by using the print option in the File menu, pressing the print button in the button bar or using the keyboard by pressing the F11 key.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 2.7

CHAPTER 2

Software Reference Manual Once you have gained experience in the operation of the Mastersizer it will be normal for you to set up automatic sequences of measurements that will automatically go from one procedure to the next, pausing only for you to enter details. To do this you set up a measurement “sequence”. The software also allows manual control of each stage. Even in manual control the system will take you from one stage to the next logical stage using a single key action. The system also locks-out actions that may lead to invalid measurements and gives warnings if measurements are not within accepted limits.

Page 2.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

Windows system menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

3

CHAPTER 3

Introduction to the Windows system menu The Windows System menu is located at the top left of the Malvern screen À. The menu is selected by either pressing the key combination Alt + Space Bar or by clicking the menu box shown below.

ILL 2049

1

ILL 2050

Once selected the menu below will appear.

The system menu contains the usual Windows options to control the position and size of the window and to close the program and switch tasks. Consult the Windows manuals for details on the use of these menu items. Within this menu there are two Mastersizer commands, these are Security and Size Split. These are discussed now.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 3.1

CHAPTER 3

Software Reference Manual

Security The Malvern software is capable of running in a secured environment by utilising its internal security system. The security system allows one person ‘the controller’ to set-up a user database consisting of users with different levels of access to the software. This access is controlled by use of a password entered at the initial start-up of the program. By this means a single instrument can be used by many operators who can have different layers of access. The first time this command is used a dialogue appears to allow the system controller to enter his, or her, name and password. This allows access to the controllers dialogue box. The following is the process by which the security operates at initial start-up: . When the Mastersizer program is run it will check for the existence of a security database file. If the file does not exist then “Security...” will be added to the system menu and all users will be allowed free access to the software. . If the file does exist but security is disabled then, again, “Security...” will be added to the system menu and all users will be allowed free access to the software. . If the file does exist and security is enabled then the user will be asked to enter a password. If the password does not check with one in the file the user is barred from going any further and the Mastersizer program closes down. If the password is accepted then the user will be assigned a pre defined security level and allowed access as outlined below. . If the user is the controller (see later) then he will have free access to the Mastersizer program and Security... will be appended to the system menu. If Security... has been appended to the system menu then there are 2 courses of action when this is selected. . If the security file does not exist the user will be asked to enter the name and password for the controller. The controller has the highest level of security, it is up to him to enter other user names and passwords into the user security database. . If the security file does exist then the user will be asked for a password. This should be the controllers password if it is not then no further action is taken. If the password entered is the controllers then the security controllers view/edit password dialogue is displayed.

Page 3.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 3

Security Levels Each security user has a configuration file. This is loaded once the password has been confirmed. This can be used to further augment the security system by, for example configuring different sets of easy buttons. There are 4 levels of security:Level 0 Controller access level - all operations enabled. Level 1 Same as controller except there is no access to the controllers dialogue. Level 2 The following menus are disabled (greyed) and the accelerators are also disabled where appropriate. File Save configuration Edit - Shape Factors Control - Record Program Control - Run Program Control - Edit Program Control - Assign Program Control - Easy Buttons Control - Remote Setup - Result Modifications Setup - Dilution Setup - Graph Setup - Table Setup - Experiment Setup - Alarms Setup - Reset Configuration Also the Restore menu item is greyed on the system menu. Level 3 The menu is hidden so that only the Easy Button bar is visible. The Mastersizer window is fixed at full screen, the only way the user can move from the Mastersizer is by task switching or closing it down.

The System Controllers Security Access dialogue The System Controllers Security Access dialogue allows the system controller to allocate access levels to individual operators.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 3.3

CHAPTER 3

Software Reference Manual When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

7

8

3

4

5

10

9

6

ILL 2051

2

1

11

À Show Controllers Password Click to display the controllers password in the list.

Á Display Passwords Check the Display Passwords checkbox to show all the passwords in the list. Normally passwords are shown as a series of asterisks.

 User Name The User Name list displays the names of the operators that have been given security access. A new operator can be allocated by filling in the This User edit boxes at the bottom of the screen. There is a maximum of 50 named operators allowed.

Page 3.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 3

à File Name The File Name list displays the file name of the configuration file associated with the operator. This must be less than eight characters and follow normal file naming conventions. Type in a new file name in the edit box at the bottom. Ideally each operator should have their own configuration file.

Ä Access The Access list displays the security access level of each of the operators. This must be one of the following numbers: 0 - Full access - system controller. 1 - Full access except there is no access to the controllers dialogue. 2 - As 1 but commands that can change the configuration are disabled. 3 - The menu bar is hidden so only the easy buttons are visible and the window size is fixed at full screen. See the section above for more details. Type in a new access level in the edit box at the bottom.

Å Password The Password list displays the passwords for each of the operators. The passwords will be displayed as a series of asterisks (******), unless the Display Passwords checkbox is checked. Type in a new password in the edit box at the bottom.

Æ This User The four This User edit boxes are used to add a new user to the user list or to edit an existing user. Each of the edit boxes correspond to the User Name, File Name, Access and Password lists directly above each edit box. All four boxes must be completed before a new user can be accepted. Press the Add button to accept the new user. Up to 50 users may be added. Double clicking on the details of an operator will load their details into the This User edit boxes allowing them to be edited.

Ç Add Pressing the Add button will add the new user set up in the This User edit boxes to the list. Up to 50 users may be added. If an operators details have been amended then pressing the Add button will add the new details to the list but will

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 3.5

CHAPTER 3

Software Reference Manual not over-write the old version. The old version will have to be selected, then deleted using the Delete button.

È Delete Press the Delete button to delete the operator that is currently selected in the This User edit boxes. Double-click an entry in the list of operators to copy the details to the edit boxes.

É Erase Security Press the Erase Security button to delete the security database. All details of the operators, including the system controller, are removed. * Run As The Run as area has two options that enables or disables security. The options are: Secure - Security is enabled. Open - All operators have full use of the system except the controllers view/edit dialogue, which will still need the controllers password to access it.

How to use the “System Controller Security Access” dialogue. $ To add a new user

. Type in the new user’s name, password, configuration file name and access level (1 to 3) in the “This User” edit box. . Click the Add button. . Add any more new users in the same way. . Make sure the Secure button is set. . Click OK and then close down the Mastersizer software. Check that the new users password operates correctly when the Mastersizer is next started.

$ To delete a user

. Double-click the users line in the list box. The user details are copied to the edit boxes at the bottom. . Click the Delete button to delete the user. . Delete any other users in the same way.

Page 3.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 3 . Click OK and then close down the Mastersizer software. Check that the deleted users password does not allow entry when the Mastersizer is next started.

$ To change the System Controller The System Controller’s details can not be changed. All users will have to be removed. . Click the Erase Security button and accept the warning message. . Click OK to exit the security dialogue. . Select the System-Security menu and type in the new controller’s name and password.

$ To disable security

. Click the Open option button. . Click OK to close the dialogue. The next time the Mastersizer is started there will be no request for a password.

Size Split Size Splitter cursor

NOTE' An alternative to

The Size Split allows you to change the proportions of graph and table. The double-headed arrow of the Size Splitter cursor appears on the splitter bar. Use the left and right arrow keys to move the cursor and the Enter key to set the position. The Home key makes the table pane fill the window and the End key does the same for the graph pane. Double-clicking the left mouse button in the graph or table page has the effect of temporarily expanding that page to fill the window. Double-click again to restore the split screen. Scroll bars appear on the table pane if the pane is too small to show the whole table. The graph re-sizes itself to fill the graph plane.

using the Size Split menu item is to press the Atl, Shift and Z keys

To move the split between graph and table using the mouse move the cursor onto the bar - the arrow cursor will change to Size Splitter cursor. Now, hold down the left mouse button and drag the bar to the new position.

simultaneously.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 3.7

CHAPTER 3

Page 3.8

Software Reference Manual

M A N

0 1 0 2

File menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

4

CHAPTER 4

Introduction to the File menu The File menu contains the file handling commands. Using the commands within this menu allows you to: . Open and save records and sample files. . Load and save system configuration files. . Process several sample records etc. . Print files and setup printers. . Exit the program

ILL1895

The File menu is shown below.

Each of the menu items are now described in detail.

File - Open Sample File and Load Record NOTE' Two alternatives to using

Open Sample File and Records menu item is to press the F3 key or select the

the Open Sample File button shown below.

This command allows new and existing sample files to be opened or one or more records to be loaded or processed. There are also the following facilities: . Process multiple records. . File deletion. . Record deletion. . View information on records. . Blend records. . Load a record as a reference.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.1

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 3

1

2

4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13

15

ILL 1890

14

8

À File Name. The File Name edit box displays the sample file that is currently selected. The sample file can be changed by selecting an alternative from the Files list box. Sample files have the extension .SAM which is automatically added when a new file is saved. Once selected click the OK button to open the file or select List Records to list the records within the sample file.

Á Directories. The Directories list box displays the directories on the computer. When the system is first installed the sample files are contained in the Data sub-directory. [..] is the directory up one level in the directory hierarchy. Selecting [-a-] moves

Page 4.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 to files on the A drive (the floppy disk). The current directory is shown below the File Name edit box.

 Files. The Files list box lists the sample files that are available within the currently selected directory.

à List Records. When the List Record button is pressed all records that are in the selected sample file will be displayed in the Records list box. You can also do this by double-clicking on the file name in the Files list.

Ä Space Free. The Space Free indicator displays the amount of free space on the disk drive selected in the Directories list.

Å File Manager. Selecting the File Manager button will start the Windows File Manager program, allowing you to create new directories, format floppy disks etc.

Æ Delete File. Selecting the Delete File button will delete the selected sample file. You will be prompted for confirmation before the file is deleted.

Ç Records. The Records list box lists the records in the current sample file. Use the List Records button to list the records.

È Setup Sequence. The Setup Sequence button is used to set up the options to be carried out when one or more records (selected from the Records list) are processed. When selected the Setup Process Sequence dialogue appears. This dialogue is the same as that used in Setup-Processing menu item. See the chapter on the Setup menu later in this manual for details.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.3

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual É Start Sequence. Selecting the Start Sequence button starts the processing sequence setup using the Setup Sequence button above.

* Information. When the Information button is selected it will show information on the selected record such as sample notes and date and time of the measurement. Only one record should be selected. 6 Set Reference. When the Set Reference button is selected the currently selected record will be made the reference result for the View-Difference result comparisons. 7 Blend Records This allows two results on different ranges to be blended to make a composite result. The button is enabled when two records are selected in the Records list. An error message is issued if the two results are not on different ranges. This button is not available on the Mastersizer Micro and Microplus. 8 Delete Records. The currently selected records are deleted if this button is pressed. You are prompted for confirmation before the records are deleted. 9 Analyse if Result invalid. This box is left checked if you require a record with an invalid result (measured data without a result) to be analysed when loaded.

How to use the “Open Sample File and Select Record” dialogue. $ To create a new sample file

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. . Type in the name of the file in the File Name edit box. You do not need to add the SAM extension. . Click the OK button. You will be advised to confirm creation of a new file. . The new sample file is now ready for saving records in.

Page 4.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4

$ To open an existing sample file ready for saving . . . .

Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. Select the file from the Files list box. Click the OK button. The existing sample file is open for saving records in.

$ To open a file and load a record

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. . Select the sample file from the Files list box. Click the List Records button. . Select one or more records in the Records list box. Select multiple records by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the record. . Click the OK button. If more than one record is selected you will be prompted to allow clearing of the graph axes before loading.

$ To load a record as the reference record

. . . .

You may load a reference record and show the difference between the current result and the reference result. The two results must have the same size range. Select View-Difference to show the difference graph and table. See chapter 7 for details on changing the view. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. Select the sample file from the Files list box. Click the List Records button. Select a record from the Records list box. Click the Set Reference button.

$ To get information on a record

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. . Select the sample file from the Files list box. Click the List Records button. . Select a record from the Records list box. . Click the Information... button. A dialogue appears giving details of the record including sample documentation, the date and time of the measurement and other useful information. Click the OK button to return to the Open file and select record dialogue.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.5

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual

$ To process more than one record

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. . Select the sample file from the Files list box. Click the List Records button. . Select one or more records from the Records list box. Select multiple records by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the records. . Click the Setup Sequence... button to set the actions to be performed on each record. See Setup-Processing in chapter 9 for details of the process dialogue. . Click the Start Sequence button to start the processing. You can stop a sequence if it includes a “calculate” stage by closing the analysis progress window. Measure-Calculate shows you how to do this.

Caution. % If the sequence involves saving the record then the sample is saved to the same record from which is was loaded, over writing the original information.

$ To delete a record

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. . Select the sample file from the Files list box. Click the List Records button. . Select one or more records from the Records list box. Select multiple records by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the records. . Click the Delete Records... button. You are asked for confirmation before the records are deleted.

$ To delete a sample file

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box. . Select the sample file from the Files list box. . Click the Delete File... button. You are asked for confirmation before the file is deleted. . Before proceeding open or create a new file for future sample records.

$ To blend results

. Move to the desired drive and directory by using the Directory list box.

Page 4.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 . Select the sample file from the Files list box. Click the List Records button. . Select the two records to be blended from the Records list. Select the second record by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the record. . Click the Blend Records button to start the blend process. The selected records are checked and an error message is displayed if the two records are of the same range, or the results are not valid.

$ To create a new data directory - File housekeeping

. Click the File Manager... button. The Windows File Manager window appears on top of the Mastersizer window. See the Microsoft Windows manual or File Manager help for more information. . Create a new sub-directory or do any other housekeeping of files and directories. . Close or minimise the File Manager window. If you click on the Mastersizer window while the File Manager window is on the screen the File Manager window will disappear from view. Use the File Manager... button again, or use the Alt+Tab task switch key combination, to move the File Manager window to the top. See chapter 11 for information on Malvern files.

Tips for using the “Open Sample File and Select Record” dialogue The easiest way to select directories, sample files and records from the list boxes is with the mouse. . Double-click on an entry in the Directory list box to open that directory and list the sample files in it. . Double-click on an entry in the Files list box to open that file and list the records in it. . Double-click on an entry in the Records list box to load that record.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Save Sample, File-Save Sample As, ‘Blending Results’ in the Getting Started manual.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.7

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual

Basic Commands: OpenFile Load Record Blend DifferenceRecord Process

File - Save Sample NOTE'

The Save Sample menu item saves the current result (record) at the end of the currently open sample file.

Two alternatives

Save Sample menu to using the

item is to press the

F12 key or

select the Save Sample Record button shown below.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Open Sample File-Save Sample As “Malvern Files and directories” in chapter 11.

Basic Command: Save Record.

File - Save Sample As The Save Sample As menu item saves the current result (record) in a selected sample file and record number. Note that a sample record can be automatically saved at the end of the current sample file by pressing the F12 key. You can save your current result by just pressing OK. Each record is saved sequentially so that each time you save a record the record number is incremented. When the Save Sample As menu item is selected the dialogue on the following page appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 4.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 3

1

2

4 5

ILL1893

6

+ File Name. The File Name edit box gives the name of the currently selected sample file. Type in a new name to save the current result in another file. The SAM extension is automatically added.

, Directories. The Directories list box displays the directories on the computer. When the system is first installed the sample files are contained in the Data sub-directory. [..] is the directory up one level in the directory hierarchy. Selecting [-a-] moves to files on the A drive (the floppy disk). The current directory is shown below the File Name edit box.

- Files. The Files list box lists the sample files that are available within the currently selected directory. Select the file for the current result to be saved in.

. Record Number. The Record Number text box shows the record number that the current result will be saved as. When a sample file is selected from the Files list this box shows the next available record number. Type in a record number or use 0 if you want to use the default record number. You are warned if the record is already in use.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.9

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual / Space Free. The Space Free indicator displays the amount of free space on the disk drive selected in the Directories list.

0 Change Directory. Pressing the Change Directory button will change the directory to the one selected in the Directories list. You can also do this by double-clicking the entry in the Directories list.

How to use the “Save Sample File” dialogue. $ To save a sample as a chosen record number

. Type a record number in the Record Number edit box. . Click the OK button. If the record number is already in use you will be asked to confirm overwriting the record. Only one empty record number is allowed between records. If the new record number is more than one beyond the end of file you will be warned that only one empty record is allowed and the record number will change leaving one empty record.

$ To save a record in another file Sample records are normally saved in the file opened in the Open sample file and select record dialogue. You may also save sample records in an alternative file by typing the file name in the File Name edit box. Use the Directories list box to move to the desired drive and directory. Press the Change Directory button to change drive and directory. See chapter 11 if you do not know how to name a file. Note that typing a file name zeroes the Record Number edit box. If the Record Number, as displayed in the edit box, is zero then the record is automatically saved at the end of the file. The Record Number edit box is only updated with the position of the next record if the file name is chosen from the Files list box.

Basic Command: Save RecordAs.

Page 4.10

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4

File - Load Configuration When the Mastersizer is closed down you are given the option of saving the current configuration. This means that when the Mastersizer software is next started it will be set up the same way as when last closed down, including having the last result record loaded and displayed. The configuration files have a file extension INI and usually reside in the same directory as the main Mastersizer program - SIZER.EXE. There is one special configuration file - SIZER.INI - which is always loaded at start-up. You may save and load your own configuration files that may contain, for example, configurations for particular samples. When the Mastersizer is operating with the in-built security enabled a configuration file is associated with each user of the instrument and this file is loaded when the user logs on to the Mastersizer system. When the Load Configuration menu item is selected the dialogue below appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

3

2

ILL1894

1

4

À File Name. The File Name edit box gives the name of the currently selected configuration file. Type in a new name to save the current configuration under a different name. The INI extension is automatically added.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.11

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual Á Directories. The Directories list box displays the directories on the computer. [..] is the directory up one level in the directory hierarchy. Selecting [-a-] moves to files on the A drive (the floppy disk). The current directory is shown below the File Name edit box.

 Files. The Files list box lists the configuration files that are available within the currently selected directory.

à Space Free. The Space Free indicator displays the amount of free space on the disk drive selected in the Directories list.

How to use the “Load configuration file” dialogue $ To load a configuration file

. Select a file from the Files list box. or . Type a valid file name in the File Name edit box. The file extension will be added automatically. You can also use wild cards as a template for files to be listed in the Files list box. Type *.INI for a list of configuration files. . Select OK.

$ To select a file from a different directory

. Change to a different directory or drive by selecting from the Directories list box. . Select a file from the Files list box. or . Type a valid file name in the File Name edit box. The file extension will be added automatically. You can also use wild cards as a template for files to be listed in the Files list box. Type *.INI for a list of configuration files. . Select OK.

Related information For related information on this subject see:

Page 4.12

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 File - Save Configuration As

Basic Command: Load Configuration

File - Save Configuration As When the Mastersizer is closed down you are given the option of saving the current configuration. This means that when the Mastersizer software is next started it will be set up the same way as when last closed down, including having the last result record loaded and displayed. The configuration files have a file extension INI and usually reside in the same directory as the main Mastersizer program - SIZER.EXE. There is one special configuration file - SIZER.INI - which is always loaded at start-up. The Save Configuration As menu item allows you to save your own configuration files that may contain, for example, configurations for particular samples. When the Save Configuration As menu item is selected the dialogue below appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 3

1

2

4

ILL1896

5

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.13

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual À File Name. The File Name edit box displays the configuration file that is currently selected. A new name for a configuration file can be typed into the File Name edit box. Configuration files have the extension .INI which is automatically added when the file is saved. Type *.INI to see a list of configuration files or use the ? wildcard to refine the list. Once selected click the OK button to open the file. Do not use the file names STD_RI.INI or USR_RI.INI as these are used by the system. SIZER.INI is the standard configuration file always loaded when the Mastersizer system starts.

Á Directories. The Directories list box displays the directories on the computer. [..] is the directory up one level in the directory hierarchy. Selecting [-a-] moves to files on the A drive (the floppy disk). The current directory is shown below the File Name edit box.

 Files. The Files list box lists the configuration files that are available within the currently selected directory.

à Space Free. The Space Free indicator displays the amount of free space on the disk drive selected in the Directories list.

Ä Change Directory. Pressing the Change Directory button will change the directory to the one selected in the Directories list. You can also do this by double-clicking the entry in the Directories list.

How to use the “Save Configuration File” dialogue $ To save a configuration file

. Select a file from the Files box to over-write an existing configuration file. or . Type a valid file name in the File Name box. The file extension will be added automatically. You can also use wild cards as a template for files to be

Page 4.14

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 listed in the Files box. Type *.INI for a list of configuration files. See ‘File Names’ in chapter 11 if you do not know how to name a file. . Select OK.

$ To save a file to a different directory

. Change to a different directory or drive by selecting from the Directories box. If you do not have a mouse use the Change Directory button to change the drive and directory. . Select a file from the Files box to over-write an existing configuration file. or . Type a valid file name in the File Name box. The file extension will be added automatically. You can also use wild cards as a template for files to be listed in the Files box. Type *.INI for a list of configuration files. . Select OK.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File - Load Configuration “Filing system” chapter 11 NOTE' An alternative to using the

F12 keys.

Save Configuration

Process

menu item is to press the

Basic Command:

Ctrl and

File - Process The Process menu item allows the data, either from a sample file or from experiments stored within the optical unit to be processed. When the Process menu item is selected the dialogue below appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.15

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual

1

2 3

4

ill1897

5

6

À Process The Process option buttons allows the source of the data to be processed. There are two choices, firstly data files can be selected from a sample file. Secondly there is an option when making a measurement to temporarily store the data on the detector electronics within the optical unit - using the Instrument option allows you to process this information. In summary the option buttons are:. . File - Allows consecutive records from the current sample file to be selected. . Instrument - Allows measured data stored in the optical unit to be selected.

Á Start The Start edit box shows the record or experiment number that will be the first data item to be processed. This number must be the same as, or less than, the available number shown in the Available text box.

 End The End edit box shows the record or experiment number that will be the last data item to be processed. This number must be the same as, or less than, the available number shown in the Available text box.

à Processing This area shows the record or experiment number currently being processed.

Page 4.16

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4

Ä Available This area shows either the number of records in the current sample file or the number of experiments stored in the optical unit. The number depends on the Process setting.

Å Setup This button displays the Setup-Processing dialogue to allow selection of the processes to be applied to the data. See the Setup-Processing section for details.

How to use the “Process Experiments or File Records” dialogue $ To process experiments from the optical unit

. Select Instrument in the Process area. This selection will be disabled if there is no Mastersizer attached to the computer. The number of experiments stored on the instrument appears in the Available area. . Type in the start and end experiment numbers in the Start and End edit boxes. . Select Setup to show the Setup - Processing dialogue. Select the processing items to be applied to the data. (Remember to always select Calculate as one of the items). See Setup-Processing for more information. . Select OK to start the processing.

$ To process records from a sample file

. Select File in the Process area. The number of records in the current sample file appears in the Available area. . Type in the start and end record numbers in the Start and End edit boxes. . Select Setup to show the Setup - Processing dialogue. Select the processing items to be applied to the record. See Setup-Processing for more information. . Select OK to start the processing.

' Note

.

You may find it more convenient to use the File - Open Sample File and Record dialogue to process sample records. See File - Open Sample File and Load Record for more information.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.17

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual

' Note

.

If the sequence involves saving the record then the sample is saved to the same record from which is was loaded, over writing the original information.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Processing, Setup-Experiment.

Basic Command: Process

File - Print NOTE' Three alternatives to using the

Print

menu item is to

F11 key, F9 (prints a

press the press

The Print menu item allows graphs, tables, reports or the Mastersizer window to be printed. Page margins and page number can also be set. The Setup Printer dialogue can also be accessed. If none of the print options Report, Graph, Table or Window are selected then nothing will be printed but a message will appear to warn you that the print options are retained. This means that you can change the settings for subsequent printing of the Measurement Window.

report directly without using the print dialogue) or select the

Print

When the Print menu is selected the dialogue below appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

button shown below.

Page 4.18

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 5

1 2

10

3

7

4

6

ill1899

8

9

À Report If the Report check box is selected then a report defined for the current View will be printed. If multiple print items are requested the report is printed first.

Á Graph If the Graph check box is selected then a copy of the current graph will be printed. The graph is scaled to the size set by the Graph Size option buttons. If multiple print items are requested the graph is printed after the table.

 Table If the Table check box is selected then a table defined for the current View will be printed. If multiple print items are requested the table is printed after the report.

à Window If the Window check box is selected then a bitmap of the Mastersizer window will be printed. If multiple print items are requested the window is printed last.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.19

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual Ä Graph Size If a graph has been selected to be printed then the Graph Size option buttons allows the size of the graph to be chosen. The options are:: . Full Page - graph fills the page. Use this option if the graph is to be printed in landscape view. See File - Printer Setup. . Half Page - graph fills half the page . Third page - graph fills a third of the page. . Fit to Page - the graph is fitted under the table on the same page. This option is disabled if a table is not to be printed.

Å Page margins The group of page margin edit boxes allows the margins on the printed page to be set. The options are: . Left Set the left page margin in whole number of millimetres - up to 100. . Right Set the right page margin in whole number of millimetres - up to 100. . Top Set the top page margin in whole number of millimetres - up to 100. . Bottom Set the bottom page margin in whole number of millimetres - up to 100. Each page has a footer at the bottom containing details such as the instrument serial number and the current date. If this footer is close to the bottom of the page, or cut off, then increase the bottom margin.

Æ Use Colour Select the Use Colour check box to enable colour printing. This option will only be available if the printer is capable of printing in colour.

Ç Draft Table Quality This option can sometimes decrease the time it takes to print a table by removing any graphic lines and boxes. The font used in the tables is also replaced by the draft font. See Setup - Table for more information on draft fonts.

È Page Numbers If the Page Numbers check box is selected then page numbers are added to the footer. Set the starting page number in the Starting At edit box. The page number is automatically incremented after each print.

Page 4.20

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4

É Setup Printer The Setup Printer dialogue appears if the Setup Printer button is pressed. This allows the page orientation and paper size to be changed as well as selecting the printer to use. See File - Printer Setup for more details.

How to use the “Print” dialogue $ To print a report

. Select the Printer Setup button to change the printer, if required, and the page orientation. Reports are usually designed for portrait orientation. . Select the Report check box. Clear the other print item check boxes. . Set the margins, page number, draft quality and use colour as required. . Select OK to start the print.

$ To print a graph

. Select the Printer Setup button to change the printer, if required, and the page orientation. Graphs are usually designed for portrait orientation unless Full Page is selected, in which case the landscape mode should be used. . Select the Graph check box. Clear the other print item check boxes. . Set the size of the graph by selecting one of the options in Graph Size. . Set the margins, page number, draft quality and use colour as required. . Select OK to start the print.

$ To print a table

. Select the Printer Setup button to change the printer, if required, and the page orientation. Tables are usually designed for portrait orientation. . Select the Table check box. Clear the other print item check boxes. . Set the margins, page number, draft quality and use colour as required. . Select OK to start the print.

$ To print a graph and table

. Select the Printer Setup button to change the printer, if required, and the page orientation. Graphs and tables are usually designed for portrait orientation. . Select the Graph and Tables check boxes item. Clear the other print item check boxes.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.21

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual . Set the size of the graph. The Fit to Page option may not work well for long tables. In this case select another size option so that the graph is printed on the following page. . Set the margins, page number, draft quality and use colour as required. . Select OK to start the print.

$ To print the Mastersizer window

. Select the Printer Setup button to change the printer, if required, and the page orientation. . Change the size of the main window to get the aspect ratio you want. The print routine expands the width of the window to fill the width of the paper, including margins, but keeps the aspect ratio the same as the on-screen window. . Select the Window check box item. . Set the margins, page number, draft quality and use colour as required. . Select OK to start the print.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Printer Setup, ‘Printing’ in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Command: Print

File - Printer Setup This command allows you to select the printer you wish to use. Depending on the printer you have, the dialogue below may have different options in the list of printers, paper size and orientation and paper source. Any changes made in this dialogue will only change the printing options for the Mastersizer. The print options for other Windows programs will not be changed. When the Printer Setup menu item is selected the dialogue below appears. The key features of the dialogue are explained.

Page 4.22

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 4 2

1

3

Ill1900

4

À Printer The Printer options allows you to select the Default Printer or another printer from the Specific Printer list.

Á Orientation The Orientation buttons allow the orientation of the printed page to be changed. For most printing you should select Portrait orientation as reports and tables look best in this format. Only use Landscape orientation if you want to print full page graphs.

 Paper The Paper Combo boxes allows the Source and Size of paper to be selected. Select the paper Size as appropriate to your printer. Note that the reports are designed to fit on A4 size paper, although sizes near to A4 (such as Letter size) may be used with some loss of quality. Select the paper Source as appropriate to your printer.

à Options Pressing the Options... button leads to more dialogues being shown. These dialogues are printer dependent and are used for setting print quality, resolution, etc. Use the Help button for these dialogues to find out how to set the options.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 4.23

CHAPTER 4

Software Reference Manual

How to use the “Print Setup” dialogue $ To select a printer . . . .

Choose the Default Printer or a printer from the Specific Printer list. Choose the Orientation and paper Size and Source. Select Options...to change printer resolution and more advanced options. Select OK to set the printer options for the next print.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Print, ‘Printing’ in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Command: Setup Printer.

File - Exit NOTE( An alternative to using the

Exit menu

item is to press the

Alt and F4 keys

This command exits the Mastersizer program. You will be asked if you want to save the configuration before closing down. If the configuration is saved the Mastersizer program will start up next time with the same configuration as at close down. If the current result is not saved you will asked if you want to save it.

simultaneously.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Save Configuration

Page 4.24

M A N

0 1 0 2

Edit menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

5

CHAPTER 5

Introduction to the Edit menu The Edit menu allows copying and amendment of the result. The menu allows you to: . Copy results, graphs, reports and DDE links to the Windows clipboard. . Paste data and results from the clipboard. . Amend the graphs that are plotted on the accumulated plots. . Edit result data. . Set the number of size bands for histogram graphs. . Edit the measurement data. . Edit shape factors.

ILL1901

The Edit menu is show below.

Each of the menu items are now described in detail.

Edit - Copy When the Copy menu item is selected a pull out menu will appear giving the options of: Data Result Sizes Graph Table

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.1

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual When one of these options is selected it copies that item to the Windows clipboard. Each of these options are now discussed in detail.

Copy - Data Select the Edit-Copy-Data menu item to copy the current measured data to the clipboard as text. The text is formatted so that it should create a column if pasted to a cell in a spreadsheet. The first entry is *DATA* - this is a safety feature to stop unsuitable information being pasted back to the Mastersizer. The second entry is the obscuration (in the range 0 to 1.0) and subsequent entries are the data. A typical operation would involve copying the data from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer.

Basic Command: Copy Data

Copy - Result Select the Edit-Copy-Result menu item to copy the current result to the clipboard as text. The text is formatted so that it should create a column if pasted to a cell in a spreadsheet. The first entry is *RESULT* - this is a safety feature to stop unsuitable information being pasted back to the Mastersizer. Subsequent entries are the percentage result, smallest size first. A typical operation would involve copying the result from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer. Results would normally be associated with a list of sizes transferred using Edit-Copy-Sizes. Note that the sizes are on band boundaries while the results are percentage in-band. Some manipulation in the spreadsheet is required to either create cumulative results that can be associated directly with a size, or to form mid-band sizes that can be associated with the percentage in-band

Basic Command: Copy Result.

Page 5.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

Copy - Sizes Select the Edit-Copy-Sizes menu item to copy the current result sizes to the clipboard as text. The text is formatted so that it should create a column if pasted to a cell in a spreadsheet. The first entry is *SIZES* and subsequent entries are the size band boundaries in microns. A typical operation would be to paste the sizes in the first column of the spreadsheet and then paste one or more columns of result information beside it.

Basic Command: Copy Sizes.

Copy - Graph Select the Edit-Copy-Graph menu item to copy the current graph to the clipboard. The graph must be in view in the Mastersizer window before being copied. The graph is copied in both bitmap and picture (metafile) formats. In the application that is to receive the image of the graph select from the Edit menu the Paste or Paste Special item. In general the Paste item will use the default format and Paste Special will allow a choice between bitmap and picture formats. If there is a choice always select the picture format as this will allow the image to be re-sized without loss of resolution. If the image is pasted into an application such as Microsoft Word you can double-click on the image and edit it using the built-in graphics editor. This will allow you to change the colours of the curves, change the fill styles or text sizes etc.

Basic Command: Copy Graph.

Copy - Table Select the Edit-Copy-Table menu item to copy the current table to the clipboard. The table does not need to be in view in the Mastersizer window before being copied. The table is copied in picture (metafile) format. In the application that is to receive the image of the table select from the Edit menu the Paste item. The pasted table should then be re-sized so that the text is readable and the columns do not run into each other.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.3

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual If the image is pasted into an application such as Microsoft Word you can double-click on the image and edit it using the built-in graphics editor. This will allow you to change the colours of the blocks, change the font styles or sizes, remove unwanted sections of information, etc.

Basic Command: Copy Table.

Edit - Copy Link This menu item copies a string containing the application name, the topic of conversation and the item for a Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) link to the clipboard. The string is fixed. . The application name (or service name) is: Malvern Sizer. . The topic is: data. . The item is: prog. This string is usually picked up by another application with a command Edit Paste Link or Edit - Paste Special which initiates a DDE hot link. In a link of this type, whenever the result or data changes, the partner application will be informed of the change via the DDE link.

Basic Command: Copy Link.

Related information For related information on this subject see: ‘Dynamic Data Exchange’ in chapter 12 , Setup-Messaging.

Edit - Paste When the Edit-Paste menu item is selected a pull out menu will appear giving the options of: Data Result

Page 5.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5 When one of these options is selected it pastes that item from the Windows clipboard. Each of these options are now discussed in detail.

Paste - Data A Data copied to the clipboard may also be pasted back to the Mastersizer. The Edit-Paste-Data menu item carries out the operation. The information on the clipboard must be in the correct format, must have the header *DATA* and must have at least the correct number of items with a carriage return separator between each item. A typical operation would involve copying the data from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it, and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer. In this way the conformance to the formatting requirements are assured. Pasted data over writes the existing data and therefore is assumed to be for the current focal range.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Edit-Copy-Data

Paste - Result Results copied to the clipboard may also be pasted back to the Mastersizer. The Edit-Paste-Result menu item carries out the operation. The information on the clipboard must be in the correct format, must have the header *RESULT* and must have at least the correct number of items with a carriage return separator between each item. A typical operation would involve copying the result from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it, and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer. In this way the conformance to the formatting requirements are assured. Pasted result values over writes the existing result and therefore is assumed to be for the current size values.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Edit-Copy-Result

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.5

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual

Edit - Graph Plots This menu item allows editing of the plots on the accumulated result and data graphs. Plots may be deleted from the graph or the key label changed. A title may also be added to the graph. The Mastersizer maintains an internal database of up to 8 result plots. Each time a new result is calculated, loaded from disc, input or generated, a graph plot is added to the database. When more than 8 results have been included the first result is lost and the new result added at the end. As part of the database there is a key label associated with each result. This is normally the sample identifier and run number of the sample. This key is shown on the plot if you choose to have a key displayed. When the Edit-Graph Plots menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

4

1

2

ILL1902

5

3

À Key Labels The Key Label list box lists the labels for all graphs within the plot. The labels will be used when a key has been requested to be plotted with the graph. A plot label has to be selected by clicking with the mouse before you can change the label name or delete the plot from the graph.

Page 5.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

Á New Label The New Label edit box is used to change the name of the currently selected label. Type in new label for the selected plot then click Change Key Label.

 Graph Title The Graph Title edit box allows a new title of the graph page to be entered. Type in a new title for the graph page and then check the Include Graph Title checkbox.

à Remove Plot Pressing the Remove Plot button will remove the selected plot from the Key Labels list and therefore remove the plot from the graph.

Ä Change Key Label When a label is changed using the New Label edit box the Change Key Label button has to be pressed for the change to take effect.

How to use the “Edit Graph Key” dialogue. $ To change a key label . . . .

Select one of the labels in the Key Labels list. Type the new label in the New Label box. Select Change Key Label. Select OK.

$ To remove a plot

. Select one of the labels in the Key Labels list. . Select Remove Plot. . Select OK.

$ To add a title to the graph

. Change the text in the Graph Title box. . Check Include Graph Title. . Select OK.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.7

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual

Basic Command: Edit Plots.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Graph.

Edit - Input When the Input menu item is selected a pull out menu will appear giving the options of: Result Sizes Points Data These options will allow you to enter alternative values for results, size bands etc. Each of these options are now discussed in detail.

Input - Results This command is used to enter a result as a set of relative percentage-in-band values. When all the edits have been accepted by selecting the OK button the result is re-normalised to a sum of 100%. The result to edit is based on the Range of the current result. To input a result on a different range use Setup-Hardware to change the range then Edit-Generate-Result to make a new result on this range. This result can then be modified using Edit-Input-Result. This is not necessary for single range instruments i.e. the Micro and Microplus. Using the Edit-Input-Results menu item automatically invalidates the data, therefore selecting View Data or Measure -Calculate will produce a “No Data” warning. When the Edit- Input-Results menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 5.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

1

4

ILL1903

3

2

À Results The Results list box lists the current volume result including the size band values.

Á Edit Result The Edit Result edit box allows you to enter a new value for the selected volume result. Type in a value, between 0 and 100, then click Replace or press the Enter key.

 Replace Once a result has been changed within the Edit Result edit box the Replace button must be pressed for the result to be accepted.

à Zero Result Pressing the Zero Result button will change all volume results in the Results list box to zero. You will not be able to leave the dialogue until at least one result channel has a non-zero value.

How to use the “Edit Result” dialogue.

$ To enter a result . . . .

If you want to enter a completely new result select the Zero Result button. Select the result entry you want to change in the Results list box. Edit the item by entering a number in the Edit Result box. Click the Replace button or press the Enter key to transfer the value from the Edit Result box to the list.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.9

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual . Repeat 2nd to 4th steps for all items required. . Select OK to accept the results entered and replace the current result.

Basic Command: Edit Result.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Graph.

Input - Sizes The Edit-Input-Sizes command is used to enter a set of custom size bands used for the display of histogram graphs and the histogram, or user, size tables. This command is similar to the Edit-Generate-Sizes described later in this section. When the Edit- Input-Sizes menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

7

1

2

3

5

6

ILL1904

4

8

À Sizes The Sizes list box lists the boundaries of the current histogram, or user, size classes.

Á Edit The Edit edit box allows you to alter the currently selected size class boundary. Type in a value, between 0.01 microns and 10,000 microns and press the Replace button to change the value.

Page 5.10

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

 Replace Press the Replace button to replace the value selected in the Sizes list with the value in Edit box.

à Add Press the Add button to add the value in Edit box to the Sizes list. Up to 101 sizes can be used.

Ä Delete Press the Delete button to remove the selected item from the Sizes list. You will not be able to exit the dialogue box unless there are at least two sizes in the list.

Å Clear All Select the Clear All button to remove all items from the Sizes list. You will not be able to exit the dialogue box until at least two sizes are added to the list.

Æ Load

ILL1905

Selecting the Load button will show the Load Histogram Sizes dialogue shown below.

This dialogue allows a previously saved custom histogram size band file to be loaded.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.11

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual Ç Save

ILL1906

Selecting the Save button will show the Save Histogram Sizes dialogue shown below.

This dialogue allows you to save the histogram sizes currently in the Edit Sizes dialogue as a custom file that will allow you to load the values at a future date.

How to use the “Edit Sizes” dialogue.

$ To change the histogram sizes

. Select the item to change from the Sizes list box. . Edit the item by entering a number in the Edit box then click Replace or press the Enter key. Make sure the new value entered follows the sequence of increasing sizes and does not duplicate an existing size. . Repeat 1st and 2nd steps for all sizes required. . Select OK to accept the sizes entered and replace the current sizes.

$ To create new histogram sizes

. Select Clear All to remove all the size entries. . Add a new size by entering a number in the Edit box then click the Add button. The new size will be added at the position in the Sizes list to keep the sequence of increasing size values. . Repeat the 2nd step for all items required. Up to 101 sizes can be used. . Select OK to accept the sizes entered and replace the current sizes.

Page 5.12

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

$ To load a set of sizes from file

. Select Load. The Load Histogram Sizes dialogue shown above appears. . Enter the name of the size file in the File Name box. or . Select a file name using the Files and Directories lists. . Select OK to load the selected file and replace the current sizes. . Select OK or Close in the Edit-Sizes dialogue box.

$ To save a set of sizes to file

. Select the Save button. The Save Histogram Sizes dialogue shown above appears. . Select a directory using the Directories box and Change Directory button. By default Size files are kept in the same directory as the Mastersizer program. . Enter the name of the size file in the File Name box. or . Select an existing file and directory using Files and Directories lists and Change Directory button. . Select OK to save the sizes in the selected file. . Select OK or Close in the Edit-Sizes dialogue box.

Basic Command: Edit Sizes.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Edit-Generate-Sizes

Input - Points This command allows you to enter percentile points used in the tables and graphs. When the Edit- Input-Points menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.13

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual 3

2

5

4

ILL1907

1

6

À Points The Points list box lists the current percentile values.

Á Edit The Edit edit box allows you to type in a new or replacement percentile value. Type in a value, between 0 and 100, for the new percentile point.

 Replace Pressing the Replace button replaces the value selected in the Points list with the value in Edit box.

à Add Pressing the Add button adds the value in Edit box to the Points list. Up to 20 percentile points may be used.

Ä Delete Pressing the Delete button removes the selected percentile point from the Points list.

Å Clear All Pressing the Clear All button removes all items from the Points list.

Page 5.14

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

How to use the “Edit Points” dialogue.

$ To change the percentile points

. Select the percentile point to change in the points list. . Edit the point by entering a number in the Edit box. Select Replace or press the Enter key. Make sure the new value entered follows the sequence of increasing percentiles and does not duplicate an existing point. . Repeat 1st and 2nd steps for all points required. . Select OK to accept the points entered and replace the current points.

$ To create a new list of percentile points

. Select Clear All to remove all the point entries. . Add a new point by entering a number in the Edit box then click the Add button. The new point will be added at the position in the Points list to keep the sequence of increasing percentile values. . Repeat 2ndstep for all items required. Up to 20 points can be used. . Select OK to accept the points entered and replace the current points.

Basic Command: Edit Points.

Input - Data This command is used to enter scattered light (measurement) data. The data to edit is based on the Range of the current data and result. To input data on a different range use Setup-Hardware to change the range then check the Use System Focus checkbox. The Focus Range area shows the range of the current data and result and the system range - that set in the Setup-Hardware dialogue box. When the System Focus checkbox is set a message box appears warning you that the data will be reset to zero if the range is changed. You will have the option of not accepting the change. The Range controls are not present on single range systems i.e. the Micro and Microplus. Using the Edit-Input-Data command automatically invalidates the result, therefore selecting any View Result will produce a “No Result” warning. When the Edit- Input-Data menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.15

Software Reference Manual 1

3

5

2

ILL1908

CHAPTER 5

4

À Data The Data list box lists the scattered light data values for each of the data channels. Detector zero is the central detector and its value is the obscuration in the range 0 to 1.

Á Edit Data The Edit Data edit box is used to enter a new value for the selected data channel. Detector zero (the obscuration) must be in the range 0 to 1. Once the new value has been entered the Replace button has to be pressed for the change to take place.

 Replace Pressing the Replace button replaces the value selected in the Data list with the value in Edit Data box.

à Zero Pressing the Zero button will zero the data in all the detector channels. You will not be able to accept the data using the OK button until at least one channel has data in it.

Ä Use System Focus Selecting the Use System Focus check box allows you to enter data on the current system range - set by Setup Hardware - rather than that of the current result. The Focus Range box shows the data and system ranges.

Page 5.16

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5

How to use the “Edit Data” dialogue.

$ To change the data

. Select the data channel to change in the Data list. . Edit the data channel by entering a number in the Edit Data box. Click the Replace button or press the Enter key. . Repeat 1st and 2nd steps for all data channels required. . Select OK to accept the data channel data entered and replace the current data.

$ To enter new data

. Select Setup-Hardware and set the correct range. . Select Edit-Input-Data. . If the Use System Focus is disabled select Zero to clear the existing data, else set Use System Focus. . Select the data channel to change in the Data list. . Edit a data channel by entering a number in the Edit Data box. Click the Replace button or press the Enter key. . Repeat 4th and 5th steps for all data channels required. . Select OK to accept the data channel data entered and replace the current data.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Hardware

Basic Command: Edit Data

Edit-Generate When the Generate menu item is selected a pull out menu will appear giving the options of: Result Sizes

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.17

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual These options allow you to generate custom results and histogram size bands. These commands are similar to Edit-Input-Result and Edit-Input-Sizes menu items discussed above except the Generate-Results and Sizes commands automatically generate results and size bands within custom set limits. Each of the above options are now discussed in detail.

Generate - Results This command is used to generate a result (the relative percentage of particle in each size interval) based on standard distribution models. The distribution is defined by two parameters X and N. The X parameter is a size parameter which can be associated with the mean of the distribution and N defines the width of the distribution. X must be within the size limits of the current system range. N can take values according to the table below.

Model

Range of N

Rosin Rammler

0.11 - 22.5

Log-Normal

1.01 - 3.6

Normal

0.01 - X/3

The result may be generated based on a volume, surface area, length or number distribution. With no result transformation set in Setup-Result Modification the generated result is transformed to a volume distribution. Therefore to see a generated number distribution as a number distribution the result modifications must be set to transform the result to number. By using the Add option the generated result may be added to an existing result. Results are generated based on the system focal range An error message is issued if you attempt to add a result to an existing result on a different range. A generated result automatically invalidates the data, therefore selecting View Data or Measure -Calculate will produce a “No Data” warning. When the Edit- Generate-Result menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 5.18

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5 1

2

3

4

ILL1909

5

6

À Size (X) The Size (X) edit box allows you to enter the mean size or X parameter of the result (in microns).

Á Width (N) The Width (N) edit box allows you to enter a parameter defining the width of the distribution.

 Model The Model buttons allow you to choose the distribution type from: . Rosin-Rammler . Log-Normal . Normal

à Result Type The Result Type buttons allow the choice of the generated result type from: . Volume . Surface Area . Length . Number

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.19

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual Ä Mode The Mode section have two button choices: . Replace - Replaces the current result with the generated result. . Add - Adds the generated result to the existing result with a proportion based on the value in the Proportion edit box.

Å Proportion The Proportion edit box is used with the Add button described above. A percentage value is entered (between 0 and 100) of the proportion of the new generated result to add to the existing result. If this is 100 then the new result and the existing result will have equal weight in the resultant.

How to use the “Generate Result” dialogue.

$ To generate a result

. Select the required Model (Log-Normal, Normal or Rosin-Rammler). . Select the distribution Result Type (Volume, Surface Area, Length or Number). . Enter the X parameter and N parameter. . Select Replace to replace the current result with the generated result or, if you are building a composite distribution, select Add and enter the Proportion to add as a percentage of the current distribution. . Select OK to generate the result and replace the current result.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Edit-Input-Result, Setup - Result Modifications.

Basic Command: Generate Result.

Generate - Sizes This command is used to generate a set of size bands used for the display of histograms graphs and the histogram, or user, size tables.

Page 5.20

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5 The default option is to have the Automatic Scaling checkbox set so that the size range over which sizes are generated changes with range. On systems that support result blending the sizes will automatically range across the blended result. On single range systems i.e. the Micro and Microplus, only extending the result will change the size range for automatic scaling. When the Edit- Generate-Sizes menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 1

2

3

4

ILL1910

5

À Start Size The Start Size edit box is used to set the lowest size limit (in microns) for the set of sizes.

Á End Size The End Size edit box is used to set the highest size limit (in microns) for the set of sizes.

 Number of Bands The Number of Bands edit box enables the number of size intervals that is to be generated to be entered. This must be in the range 2 to 100.

à Automatic Scaling The Automatic Scaling check box is selected to generate a set of size bands the limits of which change with the range setting. The spacing is always logarithmic.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.21

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual Ä Spacing The Spacing buttons give a choice for the spacing of the size bands. The choices are: . Logarithmic size intervals. . Linear size intervals.

How to use the “Generate Histogram Sizes” dialogue.

$ To generate a set of size bands

. Select the Start Size in microns. This is the smallest size in the required range. . Select the End Size in microns. This should be larger than the starting size. If you enter a smaller value the two values will be exchanged. . Select the Number of bands (at least 2 and up to 100). . Select either Logarithmic or Linear spacing. . Select OK to accept the settings and replace the current sizes.

$ To generate an auto ranging set of size bands

. Set the Automatic Scaling option. . Select the Number of bands (at least 2 and up to 100). . Select OK. to accept the settings and replace the current sizes.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Edit-Input-Sizes

Basic Command: Generate Sizes.

Edit - Shape Factors This command allows you to edit the shape factors used in result modifications. The Edit Shape Factors dialogue may be opened from the Edit menu or from the Setup-Result Modification dialogue. If it is opened from the Edit menu, new shape files for the current system size range can be created and existing shape files can be loaded and edited. Editing the shape file from the Edit menu does not

Page 5.22

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5 set the shape file for result modification. If the dialogue is called from the Setup Result Modification dialogue, the shape file selected for shape correction modification can be edited. In this case the Load button is disabled and the edited shape file can only be saved under its original name. These factors are used to change the interpretation of the size bands for the result. This is indicated by the equation shown at the top of the shape factor editing dialogue. In this equation Dc[i] = A[i] * Dm[i] + B[i] for each size class i, Dm[i] is the original size, Dc[i] is the corrected size and A[i] and B[i] are the multiplier and offset entered in the table of shape factors. When the values of A and B are entered it is important that the values of corrected size Dc[i] remain in an increasing sequence. When the Edit- Shape-Factors menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 2

2

2

5

4

6 Ill1911

1

3

À Shape factor list The Shape factor list box lists the shape factor settings for the current file. The columns represent: i is a sequential number identifying the size class boundaries. A and B columns give the multiplier and offset values for each size class.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.23

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual Dm gives the original size for the size class boundary. Dc gives the corrected size for the size class boundary.

Á i, A and B edit boxes The three edit boxes allow alternative values to be entered for the selected size class.

 Replace When the Replace button is pressed the currently selected values in the shape factor list will be replaced with the values in the i, A and B edit boxes.

à Default Pressing the Default button will change the values of A for all channels to 1.0 and the values of B to 0.0.

Ä Load When the Load button is pressed a dialogue appears that allows you to load a shape factors file for the current range. This button is not available if the Edit Shape Factors dialogue is called from the Setup - Result Modifications dialogue.

Å Save When the Save button is pressed a dialogue appears that allows you to save a shape factors file. Shape factor files should be saved in the same directory as the data to which they are applied.

How to use the “Edit shape factors” dialogue. $ To enter shape factors

. Click the Default button to set A and B values to 1 and 0 respectively. . Select the item in the list of sizes and factors. The numbers will appear in the three boxes above the table. or . Enter the index i of the size band to edit in the left hand box. . Enter values for the A and B factors in the centre and right hand boxes.

Page 5.24

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 5 . Select Replace. The values will be entered in the table and the next size band will be selected. Ensure that the sizes in the Dc column of the list box remain in increasing sequence. . To use the same values of A and B in the next size band just select Replace again. . Repeat stages 2 to 5 until all the shape factors are entered. . Select OK to accept the changes to the shape factors.

$ To save the set of factors in a file

. Select Save. The File Save dialogue appears. . Select a directory using the Directories box and Change Directory button. Shape factor files are kept in the same directory as the data to which they are to be applied. . Enter the name of the shape file in the File Name box. or . Select an existing file and directory using Files and Directories lists and Change Directory button. . Select OK to save the shape factors in the selected file. . Select OK or Close in the Edit-Shape Factors dialogue box.

$ To load a set of factors from a disc file . . . . .

If the Edit Shape Factors dialogue is called from the Setup - Result Modifications dialogue then it is not possible to load a shape factor file. Select Load. The File Load dialogue appears. Enter the name of the shape factor file in the File Name box. or Select a file name using the Files and Directories lists. Select OK to load the selected file. An error will be issued if the shape factors are not appropriate for the current range. Select OK or Close in the Edit-Shape Factors dialogue box

Basic Command: Edit Shape

Related information For related information on this subject see:

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 5.25

CHAPTER 5

Software Reference Manual Setup-Result Modifications “Shape Correction” in the Getting Started manual.

Page 5.26

M A N

0 1 0 2

Measure menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

6

CHAPTER 6

Introduction to the Measure menu The Measure menu controls the measurement of the sample. The menu allows you to: . Start a sequence of measurements. . Initiate a cleaning sequence on the Automated Sample Handling Unit (if supported). . Document a measurement. . Align the optical unit. . Take a background measurement. . Add the sample and inspect its concentration. . Measure the sample. . Calculate the result.

ILL1912

The Measure menu is shown below.

Each of the menu items are now described in detail.

Measure - Start Sequence This command starts the sequence of measurements defined by the Setup Measurement Sequence command. This allows for a number of repeated measurements at pre-determined intervals each including optional cleaning, documentation changes, alignment, background measurement, concentration adjustment, sample measurement, calculation and various post calculation options.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.1

CHAPTER 6 NOTE' Two alternatives to

Start Sequence menu item is to press the F4 key using the

or select the Start Sequence button shown below.

Software Reference Manual When a sequence is in operation the icon appears in the status bar. The sequence can be terminated early by: . Selecting Close in the measure window . Closing the analysis progress window. . Selecting the Abort Sequence button in the measurement timer dialogue. . Canceling a print. . Selecting Stop from the main menu.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Measure Sequence Setup - Processing

Basic Command: Sequence Start.

Measure - Clean This command initiates cleaning of the Automated Sample Handling Unit. The cleaning may take several minutes. Unless there is a request for another operation with the sample handling unit other commands will continue to operate. NOTE

'

This command will be disabled if an Automated Sample Handling Unit is not in use. The Micro and Microplus do not support external automatic sample units.

Two alternatives to using the

Clean

menu item is to press the

Ctrl and C

keys simultaneously or select the Clean button shown below.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Sample Unit Setup-Hardware Setup - Measure Sequence

Basic Command: Sampler Clean

Page 6.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6 NOTE' Two alternatives to using the

Document menu item is to press the

Ctrl and N

keys simultaneously or select

Measure - Document This command allows information concerning the sample and sample preparation to be attached to a measurement. This information is stored with the result and can be saved to file or re-loaded along with the result information. When the Measure - Document menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

the Document

1

button shown

3

2

5

4

7

ILL 1917

below.

6

À Sample Name The Sample Name edit box is used to enter the primary identifier of the sample that can include such details as batch number or quality code (Maximum 20 characters allowed). It is the Sample Name and Run Number which is used to identify a record saved in a sample file.

Á Run Number The Run Number edit box is used to show the measurement run number in, for example, multiple measurements of the same sample. The Run Number is incremented automatically so that in an automated measurement sequence it uniquely identifies each measurement. Note that the Run Number is separate to the record number, which is the position the record is saved in the sample file.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.3

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual  Notes The Notes edit box allows up to four lines (Maximum of 60 characters in each line) of notes concerning the sample, sample preparation and general nature of the measurement to be entered.

à Increment Run Number On The Increment Run Number On buttons determines when the run number is to be incremented. There are two options: . Analysis - Use this option if the results are not to be saved to file. . Saving - Use this option if only results saved to file are to have unique numbers.

Ä Clear Selecting the Clear button clears the sample name and notes and sets the run number to 1.

Å Copy to Current Sample When the Copy to Current Sample check box is selected the displayed sample details are copied to the current sample result when OK is pressed. This allows you to change the sample documentation after the measurement has been made. The sample details are normally bound to the result just after the Measure Sample stage.

Æ Copy from Sample Select the Copy from Sample button to copy the current sample details to the edit boxes in the Document Sample Details dialogue. This allows the sample details for the current result to be a template for the next measurement.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Measure Sequence. ‘Making Measurements’ in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Command: Document

Page 6.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6

Measure - Align NOTE' Two alternatives to using the

Align

menu item is to press the

Ctrl and A

The Align menu item aligns the detector so that the laser is striking it centrally. The measure align stage is usually the first stage of a measurement. You will not be able to move onto any other stage without completing this stage. Make sure that the instrument has a clean cell and windows before you start your measurements.

key simultaneously or select the Align button shown below.

The caption of the Align Window shows the range (for Mastersizer systems that have more than one range) selected in the Setup - Hardware dialogue box. Before starting an alignment make sure you have the correct range lens installed. Removing the cell or the windows for cleaning will upset the optical alignment. Therefore always perform an alignment after these operations.

NOTE'

When the Measure - Align menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 9

Instead of manually

5

6

7

8

13

10

11

12

doing an alignment you may chose to enable the

Intelligent Align control in the Set Alarm Limits dialogue. This automatically performs an alignment before each background measurement if it senses that the alignment has degraded. A good alignment must still

manually at the start

3

4

2

1

ILL1919

be performed

of the session or whenever a cell/lens is changed.

À Live Display The Live Display contains the live output of the detector and shows the scattered light distribution.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.5

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual Á Central Detector Display The central vertical display shows the output from the centre detector, channel 0. The Laser Power output at the bottom left of the window is linked to the central detector display. A value of over 75 shows the system is aligned. If the value is below 50 (there is only red showing on the centre detector display) when the system is aligned then there may be a fault - call your Malvern representative.

 Laser Power The Laser Power output is linked to the Central Detector Display. See Central Detector Display above for details.

à Alignment detectors The Alignment detectors display shows the output from the two internal alignment detectors. The two vertical displays give an indications on how well the detector is aligned. The objective is to see the two displays level when the system is aligned.

Ä Start/Stop Select the Start button to start the alignment of the instrument. The button changes to Stop during the alignment. Select again to stop the alignment. You can also use the space bar to start and stop the alignment. When the button changes back to Start automatically the system has been aligned.

Å Close Select the Close button to close the measure window.

Æ Next Pressing the Next button will move you onto the measure background stage. This button will only be enabled after a successful alignment. You can also use the space bar to continue on to the next stage.

Ç Previous The Previous button is always disabled as there is no measurement stage before alignment. This button is hidden during a measurement sequence.

Page 6.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6

È Pause at each stage If the Pause at each stage checkbox is cleared the system will continue automatically to the next stage, Measure Background, after the alignment has completed. This control is disabled if the alignment is part of a Measure Sequence.

É Auto Scale Checking the Auto Scale check box will enable automatic scaling of the live display. During manual scaling the Up and Down buttons are used to set the scale. Selecting the Up and Down buttons disables automatic scaling. 5 Up Pressing the Up button reduces the scale of the live data display to enable you to see low level information. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 6 Down Pressing the Down button increase the scale of the live data display to enable you to see information lost above the top of the live display. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 7 Options When the Options button is pressed a popup menu appears giving the options: Options - Auto Select to enable automatic alignment. Options - Manual Select to enable manual alignment. Options - Steps This menu entry produces a second level of menus to allow the number of steps to be chosen (between 2 and 128 steps). The stepper motors that control the detector alignment move this number of steps each time a cursor key is pressed. This option is only available during manual alignment. Options - Print Select to print the live measurement window. Options - Align target in Select to move the align target into position. This option is only available during manual alignment.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.7

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual

How to use the “Measure - Align” dialogue. $ To automatically align the optics

. Click Options to get the popup menu and make sure Auto has a tick mark against it. . Check Pause at each stage if you want to inspect the alignment display before moving on to start a background measurement. . Check that the correct range lens is installed (Mastersizer X and S only) and the cell (if used) is clean. . Click Start or press the space bar to start the alignment. Messages will appear on the right hand status line to show the progress of the alignment. . The alignment is complete when the Stop button changes back to Start and the message in the bottom left hand of the measure window changes to ‘Press Space Bar to Continue’. . If the Pause at each stage checkbox is set select Next or press the space bar to go on to the Measure Background stage.

$ To manually align the optics ' Note

. . . . . .

Page 6.8

.

Manual alignment is only necessary in exceptional circumstances. If you think the automatic alignment is not optimal first check that the system is clean and the cell is free of bubbles.

The following assumes you have done an automatic alignment first to centre the detector but want to try manual alignment to try to improve the result. Click Options to get the popup menu and make sure Manual has a tick mark against it. Check Pause at each stage if you want to inspect the alignment display before moving on to start a background measurement. Click Start to start the alignment. Click Options and select Steps. A sub-menu appears allowing selection of step size. Select 4 steps. Make sure the Align Target In does not have a tick against it. Use the cursor keys to the right of the main keyboard to move the detector. If there is no signal in the central detector display then you may have to increase the step size. Aim to maximise the signal in the central channel. Select Options and Align Target In so that a tick appears against the menu item. You should hear the align target driving into position.

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6 . Use the cursor keys to make the distribution on the live display as smooth as possible and with the two alignment displays near equal. After optimising with 4 steps selected as the steps moved per key press, change to 2 steps to fine-tune the alignment. . Click Stop to stop the alignment. Click Next (or press the space bar) to move onto the next stage.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Measure Sequence. Setup-Experiment. “Making Measurements” in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Commands: Measure Align LiveDisplay

Measure - Background NOTE' Two alternatives to using the

Background menu item is to press the

Ctrl and B key simultaneously or select the Background button shown below.

Measuring the background is usually the second stage of a measurement after the instrument has been optically aligned. This stage actually comprises of two parts. In the first part the electrical background is measured (the laser shutter is closed during this stage) and in the second part the optical background is measured. The electrical background is the electrical offset of the detector amplifiers. These stages are normally automatic and require no additional input from the user. If the Intelligent Align feature is enabled a short measurement is made before the background. If this indicates that the alignment has degraded then the system is automatically re-aligned. Intelligent Align is controlled from the Set Alarm Limits dialogue. When the measurement has completed the live display changes colour and shows the static integrated measurement. When the Measure - Background menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.9

Software Reference Manual 8

4

5

3

6

7

2

12

9

10

11

ILL1921

CHAPTER 6

1

À Live Display The Live Display contains the live output of the detector and shows the scattered light distribution.

Á Central Detector Display The central vertical display shows the output from the centre detector, channel 0. The Laser Power output at the bottom left of the window is linked to the central detector display.

 Laser Power The Laser Power output is linked to the Central Detector Display.

à Start/Stop Select the Start button to start the background measurement. The button changes to Stop during the measurement. Select again to stop the measurement. You can also use the space bar to start and stop the measurement.

Ä Close Pressing the Close button will close the measure window.

Page 6.10

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6

Å Next Selecting the Next button will move you onto the measure inspect stage. This button will only be enabled after a successful background measurement. You can also use the space bar to continue on to the next stage.

Æ Previous Selecting the Previous button will move you back to the alignment stage. This button is hidden during a measurement sequence.

Ç Pause at each stage Clearing the Pause at each stage checkbox will allow the system to continue automatically to the next stage, Measure Inspect, after the measurement has completed. This control is disabled if the background is part of a Measure Sequence.

È Auto Scale Checking the Auto Scale check box will enable automatic scaling of the live display. During manual scaling the Up and Down buttons are used to set the scale. Selecting the Up and Down buttons disables automatic scaling.

É Up Pressing the Up button reduces the scale of the live data display to enable you to see low level information. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 5 Down Pressing the Down button increase the scale of the live data display to enable you to see information lost above the top of the live display. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 6 Options When the Options button is pressed a popup menu appears giving the options: Electrical Background. Print. These options are now discussed. Options - Electrical Background This item has a tick against it when the electrical background is to be measured as

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.11

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual the first stage of the background measurement. The electrical background should only be disabled during exceptional circumstances - for example, when making spray measurements on a Mastersizer X or S in a room that can not be adequately darkened. Options - Print Select the Print option to print the live measurement window.

How to use the “Measure - Background” dialogue. $ To measure the background

. Check Pause at each stage if you want to inspect the background display before moving on to the inspect stage. . Click Start or press the space bar to start the measurement. Messages will appear on the right hand status line to show the progress of the measurement. . The measurement is complete when the Stop button changes back to Start and the message in the bottom left hand of the measure window changes to “Press Space Bar to Continue”. . If the Pause at each stage checkbox is set select Next or press the space bar to go on to the Measure Inspect stage.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Measure Sequence. Setup-Experiment. “Making Measurements” in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Commands: Measure Background LiveDisplay

Measure - Inspect This stage is normally the third stage in a measurement. At this stage you should prepare the sample to be measured. This stage allows you to adjust the concentration of the sample prior to the measure sample stage.

Page 6.12

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6 The objective of the inspect stage is to add enough sample so that obscuration is in the correct range. The table below shows the obscuration ranges, the colour of the obscuration graph bar and advice on adding sample or dispersant.

Obscuration range %

Obscuration graph colour

Notes

< 5

Red

Add more sample.

5 - 10

Orange

Low but usable with a good signal to background ratio. Try adding more sample.

10 - 30

Green

30 - 50

Orange

Ideal Usable but try adding more dispersant. Possibility of multiple scattering.

> 50

Red

Too high.

The preparation of the sample before it is added to the dispersant tank can be critical. Read the chapter on sample preparation in the Getting Started manual before adding the sample. NOTE'

When the Measure - Inspect menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Two alternatives to using the

inspect menu item is Ctrl and I

to press the

key simultaneously or select the Measure Inspect button shown below.

À Live Display The Live Display contains the live output of the detector and shows the scattered light distribution.

Á Obscuration Display Bar The central vertical display shows the output from the centre detector, channel 0. The reading is converted to show the obscuration of the sample and dispersant as a series of coloured bars. Red indicates the obscuration is out of range. Orange indicates the obscuration is approaching the correct range. Green indicates that the obscuration is in range. The Obscuration reading at the bottom left of the window is linked to the display bar. The reading gives the exact value of the obscuration.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.13

Software Reference Manual 9

4

5

6

3

7

8

13

2

10

11

12

ill1923

CHAPTER 6

1

 Result display The result display shows a result distribution based on the current light energy data. This uses a very rough calculation and may have extra small modes which will not appear when the full analysis is carried out.

à Obscuration reading The Obscuration reading is linked to the Obscuration Display bar. The reading gives the exact value of the obscuration.

Ä Start/Stop The Start button is only enabled if Auto or Manual dilution/metering have been set in the Options menu. Select to start the automatic or manual dilution/metering. The button changes to Stop. Select again to stop the dilution/metering.

Å Close Select the Close button to close the measure window.

Æ Next The Next button move you onto the measure sample stage. You can also use the space bar to continue on to the next stage.

Page 6.14

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6

Ç Previous Select the Previous button to move back to the measure background stage. This button is hidden during a measurement sequence.

È Pause at each stage Clearing the Pause at each stage checkbox allows the system to continue automatically to the next stage, Measure Sample, after the inspect stage has been completed. This control is disabled if the inspect is part of a Measure Sequence.

É Auto Scale Checking the Auto Scale check box will enable automatic scaling of the live display. During manual scaling the Up and Down buttons are used to set the scale. Selecting the Up and Down buttons disables automatic scaling. 5 Up Pressing the Up button reduces the scale of the live data display to enable you to see low level information. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 6 Down Pressing the Down button increase the scale of the live data display to enable you to see information lost above the top of the live display. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 7 Options When the Options button is pressed a popup menu appears giving the options: Options - Sample Unit Select to show the Setup - Sample Unit dialogue box. This option is only enabled if an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit is connected and selected in the Setup - Hardware dialogue box. Options - Auto Dilution Select to enable automatic sample dilution. Select the Start button to start the auto dilution. Auto dilution and Manual dilution are mutually exclusive. This option is only available if an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit or Automated Dry Powder Feeder unit is connected Options - Manual Dilution Select to enable manual sample dilution. Select the Start button to start the manual dilution. Auto dilution and Manual dilution are mutually exclusive.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.15

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual This option is only available if an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit is connected. Options - Live Result Display Select to toggle the live result display. When the live result display is active the data display is slowed down and it is possible to miss large fluctuations in the data caused by agglomerated particles or bubbles. Options - Document Select to display the Measure - Document dialogue box so that changes may be made to the documentation - such as sample preparation information - before the sample is measured. Options - Kill Data Select to display the Kill Data Channels dialogue box so that detector channels may be marked to be removed from the calculation of the result after the sample is measured. Select the data channels to be killed from the two lists in the dialogue. The killed detectors are shown in red in the live data display. Killing data channels does not change the live result display. Options - Print Select to print the live measurement window.

How to use the “Measure - inspect” dialogue. $ To add sample manually to a wet dispersion system If you are not using an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit then the sample must be added manually. . Set the pump/stirrer to the required values. . Add sample, a little at a time, to the dispersion tank. Watch the obscuration display as you add the sample. Stop adding sample when the required obscuration is obtained. If necessary (and it is available) use ultrasound to aid dispersion. . When the obscuration is stable click the Next button or press the space bar to continue to the Measure Sample stage.

Related information For related information on this subject see:

Page 6.16

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6 Setup-Measure Sequence. Setup-Experiment. Setup-Sample Unit. Setup-Dilution. “Making Measurements” in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Commands: Measure Inspect LiveDisplay

Measure - Sample NOTE' Two alternatives to using the

Sample

menu item is to press the

This stage allows measurement of the sample. To reach this stage you must have at least made an alignment and background measurement. When the Measure - Sample menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Ctrl and S keys

8

4

5

6

7

12

9

10

11

simultaneously or select the Measure Sample button shown

3

2

ILL1925

below.

1

À Live Display The Live Display contains the live output of the detector and shows the scattered light distribution.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.17

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual Á Obscuration Display Bar The central vertical display shows the output from the centre detector, channel 0. The reading is converted to show the obscuration of the sample and dispersant as a series of coloured bars. Red indicates the obscuration is out of range. Orange indicates the obscuration is approaching the correct range. Green indicates that the obscuration is in range. The Obscuration reading at the bottom left of the window is linked to the display bar. The reading gives the exact value of the obscuration.

 Obscuration reading The Obscuration reading is linked to the Obscuration Display bar. The reading gives the exact value of the obscuration.

à Start/Stop Select the Start button to start the sample measurement. The button changes to Stop. Select again to stop the measurement. You can also use the space bar to start and stop the measurement.

Ä Close Select the Close button to close the measure window.

Å Next Select the Next button to move onto the calculate stage. You can also use the space bar to continue on to the next stage.

Æ Previous Select the Previous button to move back to the measure inspect stage. This button is hidden during a measurement sequence.

Ç Pause at each stage Clear the Pause at each stage checkbox to allow the system to continue automatically to the next stage, Measure Calculate, after the measurement has completed. This control is disabled if the alignment is part of a Measure Sequence.

Page 6.18

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 6

È Auto Scale Checking the Auto Scale check box will enable automatic scaling of the live display. During manual scaling the Up and Down buttons are used to set the scale. Selecting the Up and Down buttons disables automatic scaling.

É Up Pressing the Up button reduces the scale of the live data display to enable you to see low level information. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 5 Down Pressing the Down button increase the scale of the live data display to enable you to see information lost above the top of the live display. The scale is shown to the left of the button. 6 Options When the Options button is pressed a popup menu appears giving a print option that allows you to print the live measurement window.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Measure Sequence Setup-Experiment “Making Measurements” in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Commands Measure Sample LiveDisplay

Measure - Calculate Result This command is used to calculate a particle size distribution from the measured data according to the options set up in the Setup-Analysis and Setup-Presentation dialogues. The calculate stage is also known as analysing the data. While the analysis takes place the progress window shown below appears.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 6.19

CHAPTER 6

Software Reference Manual

ILL1927

NOTE' Two alternatives to using the

Calculate

menu item is to press the

Ctrl and L

keys simultaneously or select the Calculate button shown below.

The progress window gives the analysis model and the presentation being used. During the progress of the analysis the current residual value is shown in the window. If you want to terminate the analysis close the progress window using the system menu (the button at the top left corner). No new result will be created. If the residual is 1% then check that you are using the most appropriate presentation and analysis model. Looking at the View-Fit page may give you evidence of a systematic difference between the data and the fit. If the differences are random with detector number then the poor residual must be due to a poor measurement. If the fit and data curves show systematic differences, particularly at high detector numbers, then this is evidence of an incorrect presentation or analysis model. If you are using the monomodal analysis model then you may get high residual values. This is because secondary modes have been eliminated from the result and is therefore normal behaviour for this analysis model.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Analysis, Setup-Presentation, “Making a Measurement” in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Command: Calculate

Page 6.20

M A N

0 1 0 2

View menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

7

CHAPTER 7

Introduction to the View menu The View menu allows you to change the way the data is displayed by giving you a list of standard views. Changing the View will only change the way the data is displayed - it will not change any of the data values.

ILL1934

The information you have generated by analysing the measurement data is displayed on the screen. The data can be displayed in various formats - each format is known as a view. Malvern provides 11 standard views that can be quickly selected by opening the View menu. The View menu is shown below.

The first five views display the result data in different ways, for example some views display the data in a “% under” format (i.e. 15% of the sample is under 1.5 microns etc.) and other views display the data in a “% within size band” format (i.e. 5% of the sample is between 1.2 and 1.6 microns etc.). Other views arrange the data to be displayed within custom size bands so that the information measured on the Mastersizer can be compared to various standards. The ASTM E11:61 and BS410:1986 views for sieves, for example, display the data in a format that can be compared directly with these two sieve standards.

' Note

.

It should be noted that the result data is never changed - it is only displayed in a different way.

The sixth result view shows the current shape correction table. See the Getting Started manual on shape correction.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.1

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual As well as these first six standard views there are five other views available within the view menu. These last five views help you to inspect and compare the data and results. For example the Data view displays the measurement data before it has been analysed. The Fit view allows you to view how well the analysed data has been fitted to the measurement data. The Statistics and Difference views allow you to compare one result with another etc. The Parameters view shows the current settings for the instrument. There is no graph associated with this view. Most (but not all) views are separated into a table and a graph. The graph can be made to display the information in different ways by altering the settings within the Setup-Graph dialogue box. This dialogue gives you options on the way the graph is drawn. See the Graph setup command. Any changes made to the graph is reflected in the table pane. For example, if the graph is changed from plotting an undersize plot to a histogram plot then the table pane will change from displaying the data in an “% under” to “% in band” format automatically. If the result is modified by using some of the advanced analysis features discussed in the Getting Started manual the results in the table pane are colour coded to highlight the data that is affected. The colours used are:

Colour

Represents

Black

Normal data and results

Dark Red

Killed data and results

Green

Blended results

Magenta

Shape corrected results

Dark Blue

Extended results

Light Blue

Transformed results

Each view is produced using the Malvern “page description language” which is a sub-set of the Mastersizer Basic language. It is possible for the advanced user to create their own views to display the information in a format specific to their own requirement. New views can be assigned to the View menu - see Setup-Table in the software reference manual for details. Each of the standard views that is provided by Malvern has a corresponding print report that will allow you to print the data within the view. Each report is designed to suit A4 size paper. The report contains the same information as in the table and graph panes except that extra sample documentation is also included in the report.

Page 7.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 As with the table pane above, any result modification will be colour coded on the printed report using the same colour codes as above. If you are an advanced user you can also customise the report to display the information to suit you own needs using the Mastersizer Basic language. See the Malvern Basic manual for more information. The following section gives an overview of the views available in the standard View menu.

View - Result 1 - Analysis Sizes The Analysis Sizes view displays the calculated size distribution as in-band, under-size or over-size distributions. A number of distribution characteristics derived from the distribution results are also displayed. If you are using some of the advanced features, such as result modification, then the modified results are displayed. Result: Analysis Table

1

ID: Sample D File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

2

Range: 1000 mm Beam: 2.40 mm Sampler: None Presentation: 3$$D Analysis: Polydisperse Modifications: None

3

Conc. = 0.3827 %Vol Distribution: Volume D(v, 0.1) = 211.47 um Span = 0.43 Volume In % 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1 3

Measured: 9/08/94 14:52 Analysed: 9/08/94 14:54 Source: Analysed

Density = 1.000 g/cm^3 D[4, 3] = 260.14 um D(v, 0.5) = 253.18 um Uniformity = 0.14

Size (um) 22.49 26.20 30.53 35.56 41.43 48.27 56.23 65.51 76.32 88.91 103.58 120.67

Volume In % 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Size (um) 120.67 140.58 163.77 190.80 222.28 258.95 301.68 351.46 409.45 477.01 555.71 647.41

Obs': 10.3 % Residual: 0.617 %

S.S.A.= 0.0238 m^2/g D[3, 2] = 252.31 um D(v, 0.9) = 319.36 um

Volume In % 0.07 0.47 2.71 14.15 38.71 29.50 9.89 3.39 0.96 0.15 0.00

Size Volume In % (um) 647.41 0.00 754.23 0.00 878.67 0.00 1023.66 0.00 1192.56 0.00 1389.33 0.00 1618.57 0.00 1885.64 0.00 2196.77 0.00 2559.23 0.00 2981.51 0.00 3473.45 ILL1936

4

Size (um) 4.19 4.88 5.69 6.63 7.72 9.00 10.48 12.21 14.22 16.57 19.31 22.49

Run No: Rec. No:

There are 4 sections in this table:

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.3

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual . The first section À contains sample information. If the result has been saved the sample file and record information is displayed. The “source” item indicates the state and origin of the result. . The second section Á shows the system setup for the measured data, the laser beam obscuration, the analysis mode and the presentation used in the analysis. The residual of the analysis is displayed. If any form of result modification is applied, the details of the modification is displayed. . The third section  contains a number of derived diameters and distribution statistics. The type of the distribution is displayed (in the above example the result is volume based). . The fourth section à is the list of default size band values and their distribution result values. Depending on the form of the distribution being displayed in the graph pane, the values of the distribution listed can be in-band, undersize or oversize values. Changing the plot type on the graph pane will automatically change the table pane to correspond. The distribution result is also shown in a graph alongside the table: Volume % 40

100 90 80

30 70 60 20

50 40 30

10 20 10 0

0 1000.0

ILL1937

100.0 Particle Diameter (µm.)

The scale on the left of the result graph is for the in-band distribution and the scale on the right is for under-size or over-size distributions.

Page 7.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7

View - Result 2 - Histogram Sizes The Histogram Sizes view shows the same information as in the Analysis Sizes view, except that the listed distribution results are classified in user defined size bands. The user defined size bands can be set using Edit-Input Sizes or Edit-Generate Sizes commands.The Histogram Sizes result pane is shown below. Result: Histogram Table Run No: Rec. No:

8 9

Measured: 9/08/94 15:34 Analysed: 9/08/94 15:35 Source: Analysed

Range: 1000 mm Beam: 2.40 mm Sampler: None Presentation: 3$$D Analysis: Polydisperse Modifications: None Conc. = 0.4433 %Vol Distribution: Volume D(v, 0.1) = 252.84 um Span = 1.24 Size (um) 50.00 52.97 56.11 59.44 62.96 66.70 70.66 74.85 79.29 84.00 88.98 94.26 99.85 105.78 112.05 118.70 125.74

Volume In % 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01

Density = 1.000 g/cm^3 D[4, 3] = 517.44 um D(v, 0.5) = 475.47 um Uniformity = 0.39

Size (um) 125.74 133.20 141.11 149.48 158.35 167.74 177.70 188.24 199.41 211.24 223.77 237.05 251.11 266.01 281.80 298.52 316.23

Volume In % 0.03 0.05 0.14 0.26 0.39 0.54 0.73 0.96 1.21 1.50 1.80 2.10 2.39 2.70 2.97 3.24

Size (um) 316.23 334.99 354.87 375.92 398.23 421.85 446.88 473.40 501.48 531.24 562.76 596.15 631.52 668.99 708.68 750.73 795.27

Obs': 7.3 % Residual: 0.883 %

S.S.A.= 0.0142 m^2/g D[3, 2] = 421.33 um D(v, 0.9) = 844.76 um

Volume In % 3.50 3.73 3.94 4.13 4.30 4.45 4.56 4.63 4.66 4.62 4.52 4.36 4.12 3.84 3.52 3.16

Size Volume (um) In % 795.27 2.79 842.46 2.41 892.44 2.04 945.39 1.67 1001.48 1.32 1060.90 1.01 1123.85 0.76 1190.53 0.53 1261.17 0.31 1336.00 0.08 1415.26 0.00 1499.23 0.00 1588.19 0.00 1682.42 0.00 1782.24 0.00 1887.98 0.00 2000.00

ILL1938

ID: NBS 1018a File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

In the example above the distribution results are displayed in 64 size bands from 50 microns to 2000 microns in logarithmic scale. By altering the settings within the Edit-Generate-Sizes dialogue box you can easily change the result to display, for example, 100 size bands from 100 to 1000 microns, to suit your own requirements. The histogram graph is shown alongside the table - a typical example is shown below. It should be noted that a histogram plot is read using the left hand scale, while other plots use the right hand scale.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.5

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual Volume %

10

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

100.0

1000.0

10000.0 ILL 1939

0 10.0

Particle Diameter (µm.)

Depending on the number of size bands used in generating the sizes, there may not be enough space to place the graph in the report. In such a case the graph will not be included in the report. A separate graph sheet must be printed.

View - Result 3 - Derived Diameters The Derived Diameters view is used to show the statistics that have been derived from the distribution results. The statistics are represented by a number of mean diameters, standard deviations, skewness and kurtosis. There are 7 sections in the table and report: . The first two sections are identical to those of the Analysis sizes view. . Section  shows the distribution type, particle density and volume concentration, specific surface area, span and uniformity of the distribution. . Section à displays the A.S.T.M (BS2955:1993) mean diameters D[4,3] to D[1,0]. . Section Ä displays the distribution moments including mean diameter, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis values for Volume, Surface, Length and Number distributions. . Section Å shows the distribution percentile diameters for the current distribution type as displayed in the Analysis Result table. The number of percentile points are set using Edit - Input Points command.

Page 7.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 . Section Æ lists the sizes of peaks within the distribution in descending order of height. Up to 6 mode sizes may be listed. A typical Derived Diameter table is shown below. Result: Derived Diameters Table

1

ID: NBS 1018a File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

2

Range: 1000 mm Beam: 2.40 mm Sampler: None Presentation: 3$$D Analysis: Polydisperse Modifications: None

3

Conc. = 0.4433 %Vol Distribution: Volume

5

6

7

Percentile 10.0 % 20.0 % 50.0 % Mode 1

S O F T W A R E

Measured: 9/08/94 15:34 Analysed: 9/08/94 15:35 Source: Analysed Obs': 7.3 % Residual: 0.883 %

Density = 1.000 g/cm^3 Span = 1.24

S.S.A.= 0.0142 m^2/g Uniformity = 0.39

A.S.T.M Derived Diameters (um) 3 2 1 517.44 466.92 421.46 421.33 380.37 343.39

Mean Volume Surface Length Number

8 9

517.44 421.33 343.39 286.17

Distribution Moments Stan. Dev. Skewness 233.082 201.232 163.601 127.960

0.8424 1.1929 1.5530 1.8665

0 382.58 345.95 313.48 286.17 Kurtosis 0.3737 1.4963 3.1653 5.1885

Distribution Percentiles (um) -- Volume Size Percentile Size 252.84 80.0 % 704.21 310.60 90.0 % 844.76 475.47 Distribution Modal Sizes (um) Size Mode 513.24

R E F E R E N C E

Size

M A N U A L

ILL 1940

4

N D[4, N] D[3, N] D[2, N] D[1, N]

Run No: Rec. No:

Page 7.7

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual

View - Result 4 and 5 - Sieves There are two views that have been designed to view the result data in a form that can be directly compared to the ASTM E11:61 and BS410:1986 / ISO 565:1990 sieve standards. A typical table is shown below. Result: Sieve ASTM E11:61 Table

1

ID: NBS 1018a File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

2

Range: 1000 mm Beam: 2.40 mm Sampler: None Presentation: 3$$D Analysis: Polydisperse Modifications: None

3

Conc. = 0.4433 %Vol Distribution: Volume D(v, 0.1) = 252.84 um Span = 1.24

8 9

Measured: 9/08/94 15:34 Analysed: 9/08/94 15:35 Source: Analysed

Density = 1.000 g/cm^3 D[4, 3] = 517.44 um D(v, 0.5) = 475.47 um Uniformity = 0.39

Aperture Volume um In% 2000 0.00 1680 0.00 1410 0.92 1190 3.12 1000 6.15 841 9.55 707 12.32 595 13.89 500 13.73 420 12.20 354 10.59 297 7.96 250

Volume Below% 100.00 100.00 100.00 99.08 95.95 89.80 80.25 67.94 54.04 40.31 28.11 17.52 9.56

Mesh No 60 70 80 100 120 140 170 200 230 270 325 400

Obs': 7.3 % Residual: 0.883 %

S.S.A.= 0.0142 m^2/g D[3, 2] = 421.33 um D(v, 0.9) = 844.76 um

Aperture Volume um In% 250 5.36 210 2.82 177 1.17 149 0.21 125 0.01 105 0.00 88 0.00 74 0.00 63 0.00 53 0.00 44 0.00 37

Volume Below% 9.56 4.20 1.39 0.22 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 ILL 1941

4

Mesh No 10 12 14 16 18 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60

Run No: Rec. No:

There are 4 sections in the table and report: . The first 3 sections are identical to those of the Analysis sizes view. . Section à lists the distribution results classified in the selected sieve aperture diameter bands. For aperture diameter values beyond the current Mastersizer size bands, the values are shown in dark red colour.

Page 7.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7

View - Result 6 - Shape Factor The Shape Factor view displays the shape factors used to modify the subsequent measurement results. Shape factor is part of the advanced result modification features of the Malvern software. See the Getting Started manual for details. Shape Factors Table System ShapeFilename: sha300 Correction Equation: dc = A * d + B (um) Current Status: OFF A 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001

B 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002

dc 0.50 0.58 0.67 0.78 0.91 1.06 1.24 1.44 1.68 1.96 2.28 2.66 3.09 3.60 4.20 4.89 5.70 6.64 7.73 9.01 10.49 12.22 14.24 16.59 19.33 22.52

1

d 26.20 30.53 35.56 41.43 48.27 56.23 65.51 76.32 88.91 103.58 120.67 140.58 163.77 190.80 222.28 258.95 301.68 351.46 409.45 477.01 555.71 647.41 754.23 878.67

A 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001 1.001

B 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002

dc 26.23 30.56 35.60 41.47 48.32 56.29 65.57 76.39 89.00 103.68 120.79 140.72 163.94 190.99 222.50 259.21 301.98 351.81 409.86 477.49 556.27 648.06 754.98 879.56

2

ILL 1855

d 0.49 0.58 0.67 0.78 0.91 1.06 1.24 1.44 1.68 1.95 2.28 2.65 3.09 3.60 4.19 4.88 5.69 6.63 7.72 9.00 10.48 12.21 14.22 16.57 19.31 22.49

System Range: 300 mm

There are 2 sections in the table and report: . Section À shows the shape file name, the current system range and the status of the shape correction modification. . The second section Á lists the Mastersizer size bands, shape factors A and B, and the corrected size band values. The Shape Factor Report also includes a graph of default Mastersizer size bands and the shape corrected size bands.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.9

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual

View - Data The Data view displays the measurement data, showing the background signal and sample signal. The table for the Data view is shown below. Data Table ID: Sample D File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

2

Background Measured: 9 Aug 1994 14:52 Sample Measured: 9 Aug 1994 14:52 Range: 1000 mm Beam: 2.40 mm Centre Detector Reading: ( 10598) 9502 Triggers: Internal Experiment, Internal Sweep Killed Data Channels: Low 0; High 0

3

No B' Ground 1 319.49 2 193.39 3 151.23 4 95.44 5 91.22 6 87.83 7 77.30 8 70.54 9 74.54 10 67.21 11 54.11 12 57.49 13 56.08 14 51.33 15 49.27 16 50.53

Signal 1293.59 1327.43 1521.99 1715.99 1953.31 2221.66 2500.17 2767.18 3001.41 3197.77 3112.08 3013.41 2459.88 1798.58 953.43 364.63

Run No: Rec. No:

Data 1007.15 1154.05 1386.41 1630.42 1871.52 2142.92 2430.87 2703.94 2934.58 3137.52 3063.57 2961.87 2409.61 1752.56 909.27 319.34

1 3

No 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Measured: 9/08/94 14:52 Analysed: 9/08/94 14:54 Source: Measured

Sampler: None Obscuration: 10.3 % Sample Sweeps: 2000 Configuration File: SIZER B' Ground 44.75 37.59 35.43 34.42 34.60 33.21 30.60 27.01 25.12 24.41 21.71 19.96 18.97 16.21 13.40 11.71

Signal 162.27 279.09 276.56 114.37 120.86 91.34 74.26 54.98 47.16 40.05 33.02 27.97 25.08 21.18 17.26 15.19

Data 122.14 245.40 244.79 83.51 89.84 61.57 46.83 30.76 24.64 18.16 13.56 10.08 8.07 6.65 5.24 4.69

ILL 1943

1

The table is divided into 3 sections: . The first section À contains sample information. If the result has been saved the sample file and record information is also displayed. The “source” item states the data origin. . The second section Á displays the measurement details of the current sample. The information includes measurement time, how the system is setup, the centre diode readings before (in brackets) and after the introduction of the sample and the laser beam obscuration. . The third section  is the list of measurement data from each of the detectors. The first column gives the detector number. The second column gives the reading from each of the detectors when the background measurement was taken.

Page 7.10

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 The third column gives the reading from each of the detectors when the sample was measured. Finally the fourth column displays the final measurement data for each detector. The measurement data is the data from the second column (signal data) with the effects of the second column (background data) subtracted. Note that this is not a straight subtraction of the two values. The Data view has a graph that is viewed alongside the table. The graph is shown below. 5000

Obscuration = 10.3 %

Data

Background

4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 8

16

24

32

40 ILL 1944

Detector Number

In the above example the graph shows the data from the sample measurement as a histogram and the data from the background measurement as a line.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup - Table

Basic Command View Data

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.11

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual

View - Fit The Data Fit view shows the analysis data, the fitted data and the difference between the two. Data Fit Table

1

ID: NBS 1018a File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

2

Background Measured: 9 Aug1994 15:33 Sample Measured: 9 Aug1994 15:34 Range: 1000 mm Beam: 2.40 mm Centre Detector Reading:( 10621) 9846 Triggers: Internal Experiment,Internal Sweep Killed Data Channels: Low 0; High 0

3

Presentation: 3$$D

4

No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Fit 1973.43 2388.93 2674.41 2926.18 3107.44 3179.46 3112.51 2899.74 2562.65 2146.60 1701.86 1276.01 904.89 605.89 385.96 241.28

8 9

Measured: 9/08/94 15:34 Analysed: 9/08/94 15:35 Source: Measured

Sampler: None Obscuration: 7.3 % Sample Sweeps: 28288 Configuration File: SIZER

Analysis: Polydisperse Diff. -60.00 -70.08 -65.45 18.07 -57.52 95.51 -19.26 133.76 -86.91 33.86 -98.23 93.51 52.67 85.03 -24.45 -29.16

No 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Data 133.75 101.75 88.43 63.32 36.59 31.56 21.14 15.64 11.34 8.39 6.33 4.76 4.09 3.36 2.88 2.66

Residual: 0.883 % Fit 155.86 108.21 79.27 58.07 41.27 28.68 20.06 14.28 10.01 7.03 4.96 3.50 2.45 1.69 1.18 0.80

Diff. -22.11 -6.46 9.16 5.24 -4.68 2.88 1.08 1.36 1.32 1.35 1.38 1.26 1.64 1.67 1.70 1.86 ILL 1945

Data 1913.42 2318.85 2608.96 2944.25 3049.92 3274.98 3093.25 3033.51 2475.73 2180.46 1603.63 1369.52 957.56 690.92 361.52 212.12

Run No: Rec. No:

There are 4 sections in the table and report: . The first 2 sections are identical to those of the Data table. . Section  shows the analysis mode, the presentation used in the analysis and the analysis residual. . Section à lists the analysis data, the fitted data and the difference between the two for all data channels. If you are using the advanced feature of “kill data” then the killed data channels are shown in a dark red colour. The fit information is provided for diagnostic purposes. The analysis residual is a summary of the fit quality. Inspecting the fit difference in individual data channels helps to reveal errors in the choice of analysis presentation. In general, for a good fit one would expect the differences in all channels to be relatively

Page 7.12

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 small and distributed randomly with positive and negative signs. When very large differences are present or when the differences have a pattern, for example all negative values are at the low angles and all positive values at larger angles, there would be a suspicion that the data may have been incorrectly measured or analysed with an incorrect presentation. The Data Fit graph is shown alongside the table: 5000

Residual = 0.883 %

Data

Fit

4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 16

24

32

40

ILL 1946

8

Detector Number

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup - Table

Basic Command View Fit

View - Statistics The Statistics view shows the comparative error in each result channel for a selected number of result records. These statistics may be used to show the variations of measured results over a period of time intervals. The statistic values calculated for each result channel are the mean value, standard deviation, the minimum and the maximum values. Depending on the options

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.13

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual selected to display the statistics graph, the mean value and the standard deviation, or the minimum and maximum values are listed in the table. Result: Statistics Table Distribution: Volume No

2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Size (um) Mean In% 4.19 0.00 4.88 0.00 5.69 0.00 6.63 0.00 7.72 0.00 9.00 0.00 10.48 0.00 12.21 0.00 14.22 0.00 16.57 0.00 19.31 0.00 22.49 0.00 26.20 0.00 30.53 0.00 35.56 0.00 41.43 0.00 48.27 0.00 56.23 0.00 65.51 0.00 76.32 0.00 88.91 0.00 103.58 0.00 120.67

No. of Results In Statistics: 1*S.D. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02

No 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

Size (um) Mean In% 120.67 0.01 140.58 0.02 163.77 0.02 190.80 0.02 222.28 0.01 258.95 0.00 301.68 0.13 351.46 0.80 409.45 2.69 477.01 6.36 555.71 11.29 647.41 14.98 754.23 15.64 878.67 14.68 1023.66 11.71 1192.56 8.00 1389.33 5.16 1618.57 3.25 1885.64 2.27 2196.77 1.59 2559.23 0.99 2981.51 0.39 3473.45

20 1*S.D. 0.05 0.07 0.09 0.07 0.03 0.01 0.24 1.04 2.69 5.53 7.92 7.37 3.70 5.90 6.79 5.59 4.14 2.84 2.28 2.01 1.44 0.68

ILL 1947

1

There are 2 sections in the table: . The first section À shows the type of distribution results and the number of result records used in the statistics calculation. . The second section Á lists the size bands values and the statistics values depending on the selected Statistics Bars option when in the Setup-Graph dialogue. If the Standard Deviation option is selected the mean and the standard deviation values are listed; if the Maximum/Minimum option is selected the maximum and the minimum values for each result channel are listed. The statistics graph is shown alongside the table. On the illustration that follows À represents a statistics bar and Á shows the mean value.

Page 7.14

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 30

Volume %, 20 Results. Stats: 1 * S.D.

100 90 80

1

70

20

60 50 40 10

30 20

2

10 0 1000.0

10000.0 ILL 1948

0 100.0

Particle Diameter (µm.)

In the Statistics report all statistics values are listed.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup - Table, Setup-Processing

Basic Command View Statistics

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.15

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual

View - Parameters The Parameter view displays the information about the Mastersizer system, current system configuration and parameters used in data and result modification. This information is essential for diagnosing the current status of the Mastersizer system. System Parameters Table

1

Model: MasterSizer S Det_1: nnnnnn System ROM: V1.20 (15 Feb 1993)

2

Range: 300 mm

3

Alignment Mode: Auto Trigger Mode: External Experiment, External Sweep Alignment: Invalid Last Aligned: 12 Aug 1994 15:26 Last Measured: 12 Aug 1994 15:56 Background: Invalid Last Measured: 12 Aug 1994 15:55 Elec. B’ground Source:Measured Sampling Sweeps: 2000 Dilution/Metering: OFF

4

Presentation: 3NAD Analysis Model: Polydisperse R.I. Values: [Particle R.I. = ( 1.4564, 0.0000); Dispersant R.I. = 1.3300] System Particle: Olive Oil ( 1.4700, 0.0000) System Dispersant: Water ( 1.3300) No. of Data Channels: 32 Killed Data Channels: Low = 0, High = 0

5

Distribution Type: Volume No. of Default Result Channels: 49 Default Size Range: 0.49 -- 878.67 um Kill Result: OFF Killed Result Channels: Low = 0, High = 0 Shape Correction: ON Shape File: sha300 Blend Records: OFF Extend Low: OFF Size: 0.00 (um) Volume: 0.00 % Extend High: ON No. of Extended High Channels: 3 Size 850 1000 1200 98.5 99.5 100 Vol %

6

Current Sample File: MSSTEST No. of Records in File: 117 Current Record No.: 112 Data Valid: YES Result Valid: YES Current Sample Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\ Configuration File: C:\SIZERS\SIZER.INI

Serial No.: xxxxxx Linearity: 05 Aug 1994 10:30 Software Version: 2.01 Sampler: None

ILL 1949

Beam Length: 2.40 mm

The table has 6 sections: . The first section À contains the Mastersizer model, system serial number, detector serial number, detector linearisation date and system firmware and software version numbers. . The second section Á displays the current system optical setup. It contains the system range lens, beam length and sample accessory name. . Section  contains the current status of the measurement setup. The information includes the alignment mode, alignment status, background measurement status, trigger mode and sampling mode. . Section à reports the setups for the data analysis. The information includes the analysis mode, presentation code, property of the presentation, name

Page 7.16

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 and optical property of the particle and dispersant concerned, number of data channels and the status of data modification. . Section Ä contains information on the advanced result modification setups for the subsequent measurement results. It includes the number of default result channels and default size range, kill result status and setup, shape correction status and setup, blend record status, extend result status and setup, and the distribution type. . Section Å contains brief information on the current result including sample file name, number of records in file, current result record number, current data and result status, sample file path and the system configuration file name. The Parameter report contains all the information in the Parameter table plus the detailed information on the current sample record, including system hardware and software, system configuration, experiment setup, analysis setup and result modification setup. There is no corresponding graph for the Parameter table.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup - Table

Basic Command View Parameters

View - Difference The difference view reports the difference between each result channel between two results. Before viewing the table or print the report, a “reference” result must be selected from the Open Sample File and Record dialogue.

$ To set a reference result:

. Select the Open Sample File and Record item from the File menu. The dialogue below will appear.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 7.17

Software Reference Manual

ILL 1950

CHAPTER 7

. Select the record you wish to set as the reference file. . Select the “Set Reference” button. There are 5 sections in the table and report: . The first section is identical to that of the Analysis Sizes view. The displayed information is for the current result. . Section Á displays the system setup, obscuration, presentation, analysis mode and analysis residual for the current result. . Section  shows the distribution type, particle density and concentration, specific surface area and mean diameters D[4,3] and D[3,2] of the current result. . Section à is the file name and record number of the reference result. Section Ä lists the current distribution result and the difference between the current and the reference results.

Page 7.18

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 7 A Difference table is shown below. Result: Difference Table

2

Range: 1000 mm Presentation: 3$$D

3

Conc. = 0.3273 %Vol Distribution: Volume

4

Reference SampleFile: MSSTEST.SAM Size (um) 4.19 4.88 5.69 6.63 7.72 9.00 10.48 12.21 14.22 16.57 19.31 22.49 26.20 30.53 35.56 41.43 48.27 56.23 65.51 76.32 88.91 103.58 120.67

5

Run No: 3 Rec. No: 112

Measured: 11/08/94 11:02 Analysed: 11/08/94 11:03 Source: Analysed

Beam: 2.40 mm Sampler: None Analysis: Polydisperse

Curr In% 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Density = 1.000 g/cm^3 D[4, 3] = 258.90 um

Diff % 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Obs': 9.1 % Residual: 3.962 % S.S.A.= 0.0242 m^2/g D[3, 2] = 247.62 um Record No: 115

Size (um) 120.67 140.58 163.77 190.80 222.28 258.95 301.68 351.46 409.45 477.01 555.71 647.41 754.23 878.67 1023.66 1192.56 1389.33 1618.57 1885.64 2196.77 2559.23 2981.51 3473.45

Curr In %

Diff %

0.25 1.67 6.20 17.26 30.15 25.73 12.59 4.79 1.22 0.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

-0.04 -0.14 -0.32 -0.48 -0.11 0.43 0.38 0.20 0.07 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

ILL 1951

1

ID: Sample D File: MSSTEST Path: C:\SIZERS\DATA\

The Difference graph is shown alongside the table: 10

Volume %, MSSTEST (112) - MSSTEST (115)

-10 100.0

1000.0 Particle Diameter (µm.)

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

ILL 1952

0

Page 7.19

CHAPTER 7

Software Reference Manual

View - New Axes NOTE' An alternative to using the

This command does not change the table. The graph axes are cleared if the graph is in accumulated plots mode. This has no effect if the graph page is in current mode.

New-Axis

command from the View menu is to press the new axis button

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Graph

Basic Command Axes

View - DDE Links This command shows a list of the currently active Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) conversations. The information shown is: . The Mastersizer status in the link - server (source) or client (destination). . The name of the partner (for example ‘Excel’) . The type of link - hot (automatic) or warm (advise). . The topic and item as defined in the Mastersizer software.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Edit-Copy Link Setup-Messaging

Page 7.20

M A N

0 1 0 2

Control menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

8

CHAPTER 8

Introduction to the Control menu The Control menu contains commands that allow you to run and control Malvern Basic programs and to control the instrument from remote positions. Using the commands within this menu allows you to: . Record a Malvern Basic program. . Run a Malvern Basic program. . Edit a Malvern Basic program. . Assign a Malvern Basic program to the control menu or to a function key. . Change the Easy buttons. . Control the instrument from a remote position. . Control the instrument from an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit.

ILL 1928

The Control menu is shown below.

Each of the menu items are now described in detail.

Control - Record Program The Record Program menu item is used to record a Malvern Mastersizer Basic control program. When the program is in record mode the record icon line and the menu entry changes to Stop Recording.

appears in the status

When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 8.1

CHAPTER 8

Software Reference Manual

ILL 1929

1

2

À Name The Name edit box is used to enter a name for the program. This becomes the file name for the program.

Á Fill in dialogue boxes The Fill in dialogue boxes checkbox is checked if you want to record the values and responses set in the dialogue boxes during recording. When the program is run the dialogue boxes will not appear. If this checkbox is clear then dialogue boxes will not appear when recording, but will when the program is run.

How to use the “Record Program” dialogue. $ To record a program . . . . . .

Type in a Name for the program. Select Fill in dialogue boxes as required. Select OK. Carry out the commands to be recorded. Select Control - Stop Recording. The Save Program dialogue box appears. Select OK to save the program named earlier.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Save Sample Control-Edit Program

Page 8.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 8 Control-Run Program Control-Assign Program “Malvern Basic” manual

Control - Run Program This command runs a Malvern Mastersizer Basic program. The program may be produced by recording menu commands or by using the program editor. When the Run Program menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

1 3

2 ILL 1930

4

À Run The Run button will run the currently loaded program when pressed. The program currently loaded is named to the left of the button. The button is disabled if no program name is currently set - the label reads . In this case a new program must be loaded using the Load button.

Á Load When the Load button is pressed the Load dialogue will appear, allowing you to load a program. When a program file is selected it is run immediately.

 Exclusive The Exclusive checkbox is set if you want the program to run without being interrupted. The program will not be terminated by the Stop menu item or button but will respond to the Cancel button in Print Dialog or InputBox$ dialogue boxes. This option will be overridden by a RunMode command within the program.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 8.3

CHAPTER 8

Software Reference Manual à Display Warnings Set this checkbox if you want any errors to produce a warning message box in the same way as the equivalent menu command would do. If this checkbox is clear then errors are reported using the Error Basic variable. In this way full unattended operation is possible. This option will be overridden by a RunMode command within the program.

How to use the “Run Program” dialogue. $ To run the current program

. Set the Exclusive and Display Warnings as required. . Select Run.

$ To load and run a different program

. Set the Exclusive and Display Warnings as required. . Select Load. . From the Load Program dialogue box select the Directory and File Name of a program (.BSC file) on disc. . Select OK to load and run the program.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Control - Edit Program. Control - Record Program. Control-Assign Program. “Malvern Basic” manual.

Basic commands Run RunMode

Page 8.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 8

Control - Edit Program The Edit Program command is used to edit a Malvern Basic control program. The program editing window appears which allows programs to be loaded, edited, saved and run. See the Malvern Basic manual for details.

Control - Assign Program The Assign Program command allows up to 16 Malvern Mastersizer Basic programs to be assigned to entries in the Control menu and to function keys. When the Assign Program menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

5

2

4

6

3

S O F T W A R E

ILL 1931

1

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 8.5

CHAPTER 8

Software Reference Manual À Program Name List The Program Names List box lists the names of the Basic programs (file extension BSC) available to assign to the Control menu and function key. The programs must have been saved in the PROGRAMS sub-directory.

Á 1 to 16 Option buttons The option buttons shows the function keys that can be assigned. The function keys assigned are shown in parentheses.

 Auto Run Select the Auto Run radio button to assign a program which is run when the Mastersizer program is started. The configuration must be saved when the Mastersizer is closed down.

à Menu Label A menu label can be typed in for the assigned program. Use an ampersand (&) before any character you want to assign as an accelerator key - this should not be a character that is already used in the Control menu. The function key assignment is automatically added.

Ä Assign Click the Assign button to assign the program selected in the Program Name List to the chosen function key.

Å Program Name The Program Name list show the names of the programs assigned to the function keys and Control menu.

How to use the “Assign Program to Menu” dialogue. $ To assign a program to a function key

. Select a program from the Program Name List. . Select one of the option buttons according to the function key combination (F5, F6 ..., Alt + F8) which you wish to use. . Select Assign. The program name will appear in the box next to the selected button within the Program Name list.

Page 8.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 8 . Enter a Menu Label to appear in the Control menu. The function key assignment is automatically added. . Select OK.

$ To remove an assigned program

. Delete the name from the appropriate Program Name box. . Delete the Menu Label to avoid confusion. . Select OK.

$ To assign a program to run at startup

. Select a program from the Program Name List. . Select the Auto Run option. . Select Assign. The program name will appear in the box next to the Auto Run button. . Select OK. The configuration must be saved when the Mastersizer is closed down. The Auto Run program will run when the Mastersizer program is next started.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Control - Run Program Control - Record Program Control - Edit Program Control - Assigned Menu Items Mastersizer Basic manual

Basic command: Assign

Control - Easy Buttons The Easy Buttons menu item allows the Easy - or toolbar - buttons to be changed. In the configuration originally supplied, the selection defines a range of operations which are frequently performed in making a measurement and analysis.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 8.7

CHAPTER 8

Software Reference Manual When the Easy Button menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

3

2

1

6

7

ILL 1932

4

5

À Button List The Button List shows a representation of the buttons as they appear below the menu bar. Up to eighteen buttons are available. Select the button to be changed.

Á Available Buttons The Available Buttons list box lists all available buttons. Each button is a Windows bitmap (file extension BMP) and must be in the PROGRAMS sub-directory.

 Menu Label The Menu Label list box is a list of menu items and other commands that can be assigned to a button. The menu hierarchy is shown with ‘->’ between the levels. The **SPACE** option allows a separator to be inserted between buttons.

à Status Line Message The Status Line Message edit box allows you to type in the message that will appear in the status line as the mouse cursor is moved over the button. By default this is the same message used by the assigned menu item.

Page 8.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 8

Ä Change Button Select Change Button to change the button in the Button List with the selection in Available Buttons, Menu Label and Status Line Message.

Å Hide Easy Buttons Selecting the Hide Easy Buttons checkbox allows the button toolbar to be removed from the Mastersizer window.

Æ Hide Easy Button Accelerator Text Selecting the Hide Easy Button Accelerator Text checkbox removes the line below the buttons which show the accelerator keys for each button. The accelerator keys are still operational when the text labels are hidden.

Designing your own buttons The bitmaps provided with your software include all the default buttons together with a number of alternative designs. There is also a “blank” button called TEMPLATE.BMP which is a bitmap of the correct size for the Easy bar with a standard grey background. You can load this bitmap into Microsoft Paintbrush, or use the Paint program supplied with the Mastersizer and use it to design your own button. Save the new design under a different name for inclusion in the Easy bar. The new button must be saved in the Programs directory.

How to use the “Select Easy Buttons” dialogue. $ To assign a command to a button . . . . . .

Select the button in Button List to change. Select from the list of Available Buttons a new bitmap picture. Select from Menu Label the command to be assigned to the button. Make any changes to the Status Line Message. Select Change Button. Select OK to close the dialogue.

$ To change a button to a separator

. Select the button in Button List to be changed to a separator.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 8.9

CHAPTER 8

Software Reference Manual . Select from the list of Available Buttons the bitmap of the space. This is a grey rectangle without the 3D look of the other buttons and is named SPACE.BMP. . Select Change Button. . Select OK to close the dialogue.

$ To add a new bitmap to the list of available buttons . Start the Bitmap Editor program using the icon from the Mastersizer program group in Program Manager. (This program is supplied free by Malvern and is not supported in the same way as the main software). Alternatively you may prefer to use Windows Paintbrush. . Load the file TEMPLATE.BMP from the PROGRAMS sub-directory (example: C:\SIZERS\PROGRAMS). . Using the painting tools create the new button picture. Retain the border of the bitmap which gives the button the 3D appearance. (If you are using Paintbrush use the View - Zoom In command to allow better precision in editing) . Save the new button bitmap in a new file in the PROGRAMS directory. Be careful not to overwrite TEMPLATE.BMP. . Return to the Mastersizer program and use Control - Easy Buttons to assign the new button to a command.

Basic command: Buttons

Control - Remote Use this command to place the instrument under remote control. In this mode all control of the instrument is transferred to a remote device sending commands via an RS232 port. The only active control is the menu item Stop which breaks the remote control and restores full control from menu commands, buttons and keys.

Related information For related information on this subject see:

Page 8.10

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 8 Setup-Hardware. Setup-Messaging.

Basic commands: Remote Comms

Control - Sample Unit The Control-Sample Unit menu item places the instrument under the control of the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit. All menu commands, Easy buttons and function keys are disabled except the Stop menu command. In this mode the measurement is controlled from the sample unit keypad using the four buttons “Clean”, “Zero”, “Concentration” and “Measure”. The sample unit will prevent you performing these steps in the wrong order. Only when Zero has been selected and a valid background has been recorded will the Concentration button be enabled. Once this button is pressed the concentration will be monitored and reported by the coloured lights on the sample unit panel. You will be prevented from operating the Measure button until a suitable combination of lights is shown. Any combination which contains the central green light is acceptable. If “Measure” is selected, after the measurement is performed any actions defined in the post-measurement sequence will be automatically executed. This allows data saving and report printing to be included with the measurement. This mode of operation, as well as being particularly simple, is useful when the optical unit and sample unit need to be sited at some distance from the computer. The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus do not support any automated sample presentation units.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Hardware. Setup-Sample Unit.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 8.11

CHAPTER 8

Software Reference Manual

Control - Assigned Menu Items These command are assigned by the user using the Control - Assign Program command and can also be actioned using function keys. The system, when delivered, has an assigned program which sequences through the main setup dialogues.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Control-Assign Program

Basic commands: FunctionKey

Page 8.12

M A N

0 1 0 2

Setup menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

9

CHAPTER 9

Introduction to the Setup menu The Setup menu contains the commands that allow you to setup and configure your software. The commands within this menu allow you to: . Setup a measurement sequence. . Setup the hardware and software configuration. . Setup result modification procedures. . Control the Automated Sample Dispersion unit. . Setup alarms and messaging.

ILL 1953

The File menu is shown below.

Each of the menu items are now described in detail.

Setup - Measurement Sequence This command sets up a sequence of measurement stages and result analysis. The sequence consists of two parts. The first stage concerns the measuring of the data and the second with analysis and reporting of the result - the Process Sequence. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.1

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual 2

NOTE'

1

4

5

Two alternatives to using the

Measurement Sequence menu item is to press the

F2 key or select the Setup Measurement Sequence button shown below.

6

7

ILL 1955

3

8

À Number of Measurements NOTE'

Use the Number of measurements edit box to enter the number of cycles of the sequence to carry out - enter between 1 and 9999.

The Clean, Enable

logging after analysis, Inspect mode - Auto and Inspect mode Manual check buttons are not available for the Mastersizer Micro and Microplus.

Á Measurement Sequence The Measurement Sequence area lists the options available for each measurement sequence. Each of the choices is enabled by checking its check box. Each of the options are detailed below. Clean Set to enable cleaning of the sample unit. This option is disabled if an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit is not connected. This button is not available on Mastersizer Micro and Microplus. Document Set to include the stage of adding documentation using the Measure Document dialogue. Do not include this option if the measurement sequence is to be unattended. Align Set to include a detector alignment. If the system is re-aligned a background should also be measured. The system must have a valid alignment before further measurements are allowed. You may align the system once before the sequence begins.

Page 9.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 Background Set to include a background measurement. You must have a valid background measurement before you can go to sample inspection and measurement. This can be recorded once before the sequence begins if you intend measuring the same sample many times. Inspect Set to include the inspect phase. Use the Inspect Mode setting to control what happens during this stage. Sample Set to include a sample measurement.

 Pause between Stages If this box is clear then the stages of the measurement will follow on from each other automatically. The only exception is after the Inspect stage with either Auto or Manual Dilution - in this case the operator must initiate the start of the sample measurement stage.

à Setup - Process Sequence Selecting the Process Sequence Setup button will bring up a dialogue that will allow you to set up the post measurement sequence (analysing the measurement data). See the section on Setup - Processing for details.

Ä Align Mode - Auto When an alignment is requested from the Measurement sequence list check the Auto check box to allow automatic alignment. The Auto check box is only un-checked when using other instruments not covered by this manual. This option must be enabled if Intelligent Align is to be used.

Å Inspect Mode The Inspect Mode check boxes are used to determine the mode of operation when an Inspect procedure is selected from the Measurement Sequence area. These buttons are not available on Mastersizer Micro and Microplus. The two choices are: Auto - Set to enable automatic sample dilution using the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit or automatic sample metering using the Automated Dry Powder Feeder.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.3

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual Manual- Set to enable manual dilution using the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit. An operator must be present during this stage. Clear both these boxes if the sample is to be added by the operator.

Æ Enable logging after analysis Check the Enable logging after analysis check box to enable logging of the result to a file after the calculation stage. This control is equivalent to the Log to File - Enable checkbox in the Setup - Messaging dialogue. This button is not available on Mastersizer Micro and Microplus.

Ç Delay between Measurements Type in the delay between the start of each measurement cycle. Times can be between 0 and 99 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds. If the delay is shorter than the time for a cycle then the next cycle starts straight away. During the delay period a dialogue appears that counts down the time remaining. Buttons in this dialogue allow the time delay or sequence to be terminated. Having a delay between measurements is useful for studying time-varying phenomena such as dispersion, crystallisation and dissolution.

How to use the “Setup Measurement Sequence” dialogue. $ To set up a measurement sequence

. Type in the number of measurements to make. . Set the items in the Measurement Sequence area that define the sequence. . Click Process Sequence Setup and select the options to be carried out after the measurements. . Set the optional Align and Inspect Modes. . Set the optional Pause between stages and Enable logging after analysis checkboxes. . Set an optional delay between measurements.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Measure-Start Sequence. Setup-Processing.

Page 9.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

Basic Command Sequence

Setup - Processing The Processing menu item allows selection of the processes to be applied to measurement data either as part of a measurement sequence or loaded from file. The process sequence dialogue is also produced by pressing the Process Sequence - Setup button in the Setup - Measurement Sequence dialogue or by pressing the Setup Sequence button in the File - Open File and Load Record and File - Process dialogues. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 1

4

2

ILL 1956

3

À Process sequence The Process Sequence area lists the options available for each process sequence. Each of the choices is enabled by checking its check box. Each of the options are detailed below. Calculate Result Set to calculate the result according to the options selected in the Setup Analysis dialogue. You may choose to postpone the calculation to a later time and gather data as rapidly as possible

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.5

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual Save Result/Data Set to save a sample record. If you have also selected Calculate, the data and result will both be valid. If not, the data will be saved but the result section of the record will be invalid. The sample record is saved at the end of the current sample file. Print Set to print according to the settings in the Setup Print dialogue and the page currently in view. Add to Statistics Set to add the result to the statistics accumulator.

Á Statistics The Statistics area gives options on the generation of statistics. There are two options available: Zero at Start of Sequence Set to clear all statistical analyses before the start of the sequence. Copy Average to Current at End Set to replace the last calculated result with the average of the results added to the statistics accumulator at the completion of the full measurement sequence.

 Loading Records from File The Loading Records from File area has the single check box “Disable Adding Plot to Graph”. Select this check box to load records in a processing sequence without having the graph plotted automatically. This is useful if the loaded result is to be re-calculated and you do not want the original result to be added to the accumulated graphs. This option is only available if the Process sequence dialogue is called from the File - Open File and Load Record or File - Process dialogues for processing sample file records.

 Setup Print Select to setup the items to be printed if the Print checkbox is set. When the Setup Print button is selected the Print dialogue appears - this dialogue is identical to the File - Print dialogue. See the File - Print section for details.

Page 9.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

How to use the “Setup Process Sequence” dialogue. $ To setup a process sequence

. Select the options from the Process Sequence area. . If multiple measurements are to be made then, optionally, select the Zero Statistics and Add to Statistics options. . If a print is required select the Setup Print button and set the items to print. . If processing records from a sample file and the Calculate option is set then you may want to set Disable Adding Plot to Graph.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Measure-Start Sequence Setup-Measure Sequence File-Open File and Load Record File-Process File-Print

Basic Command Sequence

Setup - Hardware NOTE' An alternative to

This command allows you to set up the Mastersizer range and indicate which sample unit is in use. It should be noted that the dialogue box on the Mastersizer X and S is different to the Micro and Microplus. Any differences are described.

using the

Hardware menu item is to press the

Shift key and F2 key simultaneously.

There is also an option to set up the RS232 communications port for the Mastersizer instrument and a second port for remote operation. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.7

Software Reference Manual 1

4

2

3

ILL 1957

CHAPTER 9

5

À Range This option is not available on the Mastersizer Micro and Microplus. The Range list box lists the range lens used on the optical unit. This setting controls the range of particle sizes which can be measured. The message in the Advice section gives information on fitting the lens and a sample cell if used. The icon to the left of the range lens name also gives information on fitting the lens. If the icon is by a range lens then the lens must be mounted on the flow cell. If the icon is then the back scatter cable on the lens must also be plugged into the receiver socket. (Mastersizer S only) If the icon is the lens is mounted to the receiver first and the cell mounted on the lens. This is also the configuration to use for measuring sprays. The 1000mm range lens requires a long bench optical unit with the lens mounted on the bulkhead near the transmitter.

Á Active Beam Length The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus have a fixed cell beam length of 2.0mm. Therefore, this option is not available on the Mastersizer Micro and Microplus.

Page 9.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 The Active Beam Length list box allows you to select a beam length appropriate for the sample cell in use. For spray measurements type in a value for the length of the analyser beam which passes through the spray. The Active Beam Length is only used in calculation of the concentration and has no effect on other result statistics. Use the following table to select the beam lengths.

Cell

Beam length (mm)

Standard flow cell

2.4

Small volume stirred cell

14.3

Dry powder feeder cell

10

 Sample Unit The Sample Unit list box lists the sample units that can be used for a measurement. If the name of a sample unit has a icon then the unit has automatic features which can be controlled from the Mastersizer software. Connect the sample unit to the ‘Aux. Comms.’ socket on the receiver end of the optical bed if you want to use these features. See the manuals for the accessories for details. The

icon shows that the sample unit is controlled manually.

The short name of the sample unit is included in many of the standard reports and tables to identify the type of unit used for the measurement. Select ‘Internal’ for the built-in sample unit of the Micro and Microplus.

à Instrument Port By default the software expects the instrument to be on the COM1 serial port. If that port is already in use an alternative can be selected from the Instruments Ports buttons. An error will be issued if the port is not available.

Ä Remote Select the Remote button to produce the Setup Remote dialogue box. This allows the settings to be changed of the serial port to be used for remote operation or reporting. The Setup Remote port dialogue is shown below.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.9

Software Reference Manual

ILL 1963

CHAPTER 9

How to use the “Setup - Hardware” dialogue. $ To set up the instrument

. Select the Range. This governs the particle size range which can be analysed. (Not applicable for Micro or Microplus users). . Select or enter the Active Beam Length appropriate to your sample cell or spray. (Not applicable for Micro or Microplus users). . Select the Sample Unit. If you are not using a specific Malvern sample unit then select None. . Follow the Advice section to mount the range lens and cell and connect the sample unit. (Not applicable for Micro or Microplus users). . Select OK.

$ To set the instrument comms port

. Select the Instrument Port number. . Make sure the Mastersizer is connected to the selected port and is switched on. . Select OK. . After a few seconds the right hand of the status bar should show “Instrument Ready”

$ To set the Remote comms port . Select Remote.

Page 9.10

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 . Set Port number, Baud Rate, Parity, Word Length, Stop Bits, Handshake, Time-Out, Receive and Transmit buffer sizes and Echo Mode to suit your requirements and to match the device with which you are communicating. . Select OK to accept the changes or Cancel to ignore them. . Select OK on the Setup - Hardware dialogue. . Select Control - Remote to enable remote control operation. - or . Select Setup - Messaging to enable Remote logging.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setting the Hardware in the Getting Started manual. ‘Remote Operation’ in chapter 13.

Basic Commands Hardware Focus Beam.

Setup - Analysis NOTE'

This command allows the selection of the Analysis model to be used. For the majority of cases the Polydisperse model will be used.

An alternative to using the

Analysis menu item is to press

You may also select any Data Channels to be killed. The detectors are numbered from each end of the range. You may find it more convenient to use the Kill cursors on the Current Data graph.

the Ctrl key and

F2 key

In addition the density of the particle material to be measured can be entered. This is only used in the specific surface area calculation. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. It should be noted that the dialogue box on the Mastersizer X and S is different to the Micro and Microplus. Any differences are described.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.11

Software Reference Manual 1

2

5

3

4

ILL 1964

CHAPTER 9

À Analysis Model Select the analysis model from: . Very Polydisperse - This option is only available for Mastersizer X only. This analysis is similar to the version in early Mastersizers. . Polydisperse - Standard analysis for most samples. . Multimodal - For use with one or more narrow size distributions. . Monomodal - As Multimodal but selects only one mode - better at rejecting noise on data. . Compressed range analysis has a reduced upper size limit and is meant for use with dry powder and spray measurements. (for Mastersizer S only.)

Á Kill Data Channels Select from the Low and High lists the number of channels from each end of the detector range to remove from the analysis. The Apply to Current checkbox must be set to apply the kill data settings to the current result.

 Active Beam Length This option is not available on the Micro and Microplus. Use the Active Beam Length edit box to select a beam length appropriate for the sample cell in use. For spray measurements type in a value for the length of analyser beam that passes through the spray. The Apply to Current checkbox must be set to apply the beam length setting to the current result.

Page 9.12

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 The active beam length is only used in the calculation of the concentration and has no effect on other result statistics.

à Particle Density The Particle Density list box allows you to type in the density of the particle material. This entry is required only for the specific surface area calculation. If you do not know the density enter 1.0 - the specific surface area can then be read as square metres per ml. (instead of square metres per gram). The Apply to Current checkbox must be set to apply the particle density setting to the current result.

Ä Apply to Current Data Set this option if the Kill Data, Active Beam Length and Particle Density are to be applied to the current data. These three parameters are attributes of the measurement and if the Apply to Current Data checkbox is clear then these parameters only take effect at the next measurement. The Analysis Model parameters is applied at the next analysis regardless of the setting of the Apply to Current Data checkbox.

How to use the “Setup Analysis” dialogue. $ To change the analysis model

. Select the Analysis Model to be used. . Select OK to accept the change. . Select Measure - Calculate to analyse the current data with the new analysis model. This model will be used for all subsequent calculations until changed.

$ To change the Kill Data settings

. Select the detector channels to kill using the Low and High list boxes. . If the channels in the current measured data are to be killed set the Apply to Current Data checkbox. . Select OK. If Apply to Current Data is set a new result is calculated with the new Kill Data parameters applied.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.13

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

' Note

.

The kill data parameters can also be set during the Inspect phase of the measurement - Measure - Inspect - or using the Kill Cursors on the Current Data graph.

$ To change the Active Beam Length setting

. Select or enter the Active Beam Length appropriate to your sample cell or spray. . If the new beam length is to be used with the current data set the Apply to Current Data checkbox. You may need to do this with spray measurements, when the beam length will not be know until after the measurement . Select OK. If Apply to Current Data is set a new result is calculated with the new beam length parameter applied.

' Note

.

The beam length can also be changed in the Setup - Hardware dialogue box.

$ To change the Particle Density setting

. Enter the Particle Density value appropriate for the particle material. . If the new particle density is to be applied to the current data set the Apply to Current Data checkbox. . Select OK. If Apply to Current Data is set a new result is calculated with the new particle density parameter applied.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setting the analysis options in the Getting started manual.

Basic Commands Analysis KillData Beam Density

Page 9.14

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

Setup - Result Modification This command is used to setup result modifications and apply the modifications to the current result or to subsequent measurement results. The modifications that can be setup using this command are: . Kill Result Channels - that is set them to zero. Killed result channels are removed from the result. You may need to use this function if spurious peaks are produced by noise or to find information on a particular mode of the distribution. Result channels added by Result Extension cannot be killed. . Shape Correction - change the size calibration. Use a transfer function to make a result agree with that from another method of size distribution measurement. Shape correction only applies to the measurements made by the Mastersizer - extended result channels cannot be corrected. . Extend Result - add results outside the Mastersizer range. Extend the result by adding in volume and size information. Typically this would be used to add results beyond the capabilities of the Mastersizer to make a composite result. For example, soil samples may need sieving before measurement on some Mastersizer ranges. The size of the material caught by the sieves may be added using this facility. . Transform Result - from a volume distribution. Transform the volume result to surface, length or number distribution. Results added by Result Extension are also transformed.

' NOTE

.

If the system range is changed after setting up the modification, all setup intended for the subsequent measurement result will be cleared.

You can also use this dialogue to change or remove the modifications to a result loaded from disk. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.15

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual 1

3

2 4 5 6 9 7

8

10 11

ILL 1965

12

13

À For Subsequent Results / For Current Result Only Select the For Current Result Only button if the result modification setup will only apply to the current result. The OK button changes to Apply to show that the modification will be applied immediately. Select the For Subsequent Results button if the modifications are to be applied to subsequent measurement results. In this case, if the current result range is the same as the system range, the current result will also be modified, otherwise it is not affected by the modification setup. A message on the top-right corner of the dialogue box shows whether the current result and the system are of the same range. A message box confirming the target of the modification is displayed before the dialogue is closed.

Page 9.16

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

Á Kill Result Select the Kill Results check box to enable the killing of result channels set in the High and Low list boxes. The checkbox is disabled when both the Low and High list boxes are set to “None”.

 Size Range The Size Range area shows the original size range for the result to be modified using Kill results.

à Low The Low list box allows you to select the point at the lower end of the size range at which the size channels are removed. The number of size bands killed is shown to the left of the list of sizes. All the sizes from the smallest to the size shown in the list will be coloured red in the result tables to show they are killed.

Ä High The High list box allows you to select the point at the upper end of the size range at which the size channels are removed. The number of size bands killed is shown to the left of the list. All the sizes from the largest to the size shown in the list will be coloured red in the result tables to show they are killed.

Å Shape Select the Shape check box to enable shape correction of the result using the file selected in the Shape File list box. This checkbox will be disabled if there are no valid shape correction files available.

Æ Shape File Use the Shape File list box to select a shape correction file. Only the files appropriate for the selected range will be shown. The list will show “(none)” if no valid shape files are available.

Ç Edit Selecting the Edit button will display the Edit Shape Factors dialogue, enabling you to create new shape correction files. See the Edit-Shape Factors menu item for details on how to use this dialogue box.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.17

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual È Modified Range The Modified Range box shows the shape corrected size range with the killed result channels removed if the Kill Results modification is enabled.

É Extend High/Low Select the Extend - Low check box to enable the extended result that replaces the measured value in the lowest measurement size band. Select the Extend - High check box to enable the extended results in the sizes above the upper measurement size band. These checkboxes are disabled if the current extend size and result values are invalid. The size range before extension, but after Kill Data and Shape Correction, is shown on the Current Range box. The size range after the result extension in the Extended Range box. 5 Edit (extend) Selecting the Edit button will invoke the Edit Extended Range dialogue box. This allows the result in the lowest size band to be changed and extra results to be added above the normal measurement range. This dialogue can only be accessed from the Edit button in the Extend Result area of the Setup - Result Modifications dialogue. The values shown in the size lists will depend on the range selected in the Setup - Result Modifications dialogue. If the For Current Result Only option button is set then the size values will be for the current result otherwise the size values will be for the system range. If the kill result and shape correction parameters are altered after changing the extended result stage, the extend values may become invalid. In this case they have to be edited again. When the Edit button is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 9.18

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 B

C

D

E

ILL1966

A

F

> Extend Low Type in the % Vol. Under edit box the Extend Low result. This is the result below the size value shown in the box to the left of the edit box and is the upper edge size for the smallest size band of the range selected. ? Extend High Type in the % Vol. Under edit box the cumulative result under the extended size, which should be typed in the Size edit box. @ Extend List Double-click an entry in the list to copy the values into the two edit boxes for re-editing. The Extended High Channels shows the number of entries in the list - up to 8 are allowed. A Add Select to add the values in the edit boxes to the list of extended high channels. B Delete Click to delete the selected entry in the list of extended high channels.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.19

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual C Default Click to remove all entries in the list and reset the edit boxes to show 100% below the top measurement size limit of the range. 6 Transform Check the Transform check box to enable transformation of the result from volume distribution to the distribution type selected from the Volume To buttons. 7 Volume To Use the Volume To buttons to select the distribution type to transform the result to. The Transform check box must be checked to enable the transformation.

How to use the “Result Modification” dialogue. $ To kill result channels

. If the modifications are to be automatically applied to subsequent measurements on this range set the For Subsequent Results option button, otherwise set the For Current Result Only option. . Choose from the lists the result channels to be killed. Select ‘(None)’ if all channels are to be used. . Check the Kill Result check box. . Click the Apply button to create a new result based on a modification of the current result. This button is OK if subsequent results on the system range will have channels killed. As an alternative you may find it more convenient to use the kill cursors on the Current Result graph.

$ To Shape Correct a result The shape files for the target result size range from the current data directory are listed in the Shape File list box. If no shape file for the required size range is available ‘(None)’ is shown in the box and all controls in this section are disabled. Use Edit - Shape Factors command from the main menu to create a shape file for the required range.

Page 9.20

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 . If the modifications are to be automatically applied to subsequent measurements on this range set the For Subsequent Results option button, otherwise set the For Current Result Only option. . Select the required shape file from the Shape File list. This list may be different according to the setting of the For Current Result Only check box. . If the shape factors are to be modified, or you want to study the values before applying the correction, select the Edit button in the Shape section of the Setup Result Modification dialogue. The Edit Shape Factors dialogue appears for modification and saving of the correction values. . Check the Shape check box to enable the modification. . Select the Apply button to create a new result based on a modification of the current result. This button is OK if the shape correction is to be applied to subsequent measurements on the system range.

$ To Extend the Result

. If the modifications are to be automatically applied to subsequent measurements on this range set the For Subsequent Results option button, otherwise set the For Current Result Only option. . Click the Edit button in the Extend section of the dialogue. The Edit Extended Result dialogue will appear. . Enter the size and volume percentage below the size in the appropriate edit boxes. Click the Add button to add these values to the list. Up to 8 entries can be added. Select an entry in the list box and use the Delete button to correct mistakes. At least one entry must be within the measurement range of the Mastersizer and the largest size value must have 100% Volume Under that size. . In rare cases you may want to modify the value of percentage of volume below the smallest size of the range. Add the value in the appropriate edit box. . Click the OK button. You will be returned to the Setup - Result Modifications dialogue. . If you have added results above the range of the Mastersizer check the Extend Upper check box. If you have extended the lower limit check the Extend Lower check box. . Select the Apply button to create a new result based on a modification of the current result. This button is OK if subsequent measurements on the system range are to be extended with the same values.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.21

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

$ To Transform the Result

. If the modifications are to be automatically applied to subsequent measurements on this range set the For Subsequent Results option button, otherwise set the For Current Result Only option. . Check the Transform check box. . Select the result form required; Surface Area, Length or Number from the options buttons. . Select the Apply button to create a new result based on a modification of the current result. This button is OK if subsequent measurements on the system range are to be transformed.

Related information For related information on this subject see: ‘Advanced Result Processing’ - in the Getting Started manual. Edit-Shape Factors. Edit Extended Range.

Basic Commands Setup Modifications KillResult Shape ExtendLow ExtendHigh Transform.

Setup - Presentation The Presentation command allows the particle presentation model to be selection that will be used for subsequent result calculations. The selection of the presentation is controlled by three dialogue boxes, namely: . Setup Presentation.- This dialogue is accessed by selecting the Presentation menu item from the Setup menu. . Request Presentation. - This dialogue is accessed by pressing the Request button in the above dialogue. . Define Dialogue. - This dialogue is accessed by pressing the Define button in the above dialogue.

Page 9.22

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 Each of these dialogues are now explained.

Setup Presentation dialogue The Setup Presentation dialogue box is the top level presentation selection dialogue. It has two sections. On the left is a group of four presentations that are provided as system presentations. These are: . Fraunhofer . Standard - Wet . Standard - Dry (Not available for Micro or Microplus) . Reference Reticle Generally, when the optical property, i.e. the refractive index, of the scattering media is not known exactly, Fraunhofer or Standard -Wet/Dry presentations may be used for initial analysis. The Reference Reticle presentation is provided for verification of the Mastersizer system using a Malvern Diffraction Reference Reticle. For more information on the reference Reticle please contact Malvern Instruments. The right hand section contains a group of four user-defined presentations, labelled in terms of the particle and dispersant names. These user-defined presentations may be assigned from a list of existing presentations or new presentations may be generated to suit. An alternative is to chose the presentation by the code name.

' Note

.

Presentation information is kept in the file STD_RI.INI and USR_RI.INI. Do not change or delete these files. Information for new presentations to be generated is kept in files MALVERN.PIQ and SMG0.JOB. Deleting these files will remove the current presentations being generated.

When the Presentation menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.23

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual 1

3

ILL 1967

4

2

À System The System buttons allow you to select one of the four system presentations. Use Standard for particles of unknown optical properties in either liquids (Standard - Wet) or dry dispersion (Standard - Dry). Use Reference Reticle when using the Malvern Reticle. Use Fraunhofer to compare with measurements from older diffraction particle sizers. The presentation codes are shown to the right of the options.

Á Select by Code The Select by Code list box allows you to select a presentation by name. Click the Select by Code list box and then select the presentation by the code name (the code name is the same as the file name of the presentation). The optical properties are shown against the code, in the form: Code = PartReal, PartImag in Disp where Code is the presentation code name, PartReal and PartImag are the real and imaginary part of the particle refractive index, and Disp is the refractive index of the dispersant.

 Custom The Custom area of the dialogue allows you to select from the list of four user-defined presentations. Information about the selected custom presentation is shown in the General Information area. The material and dispersant optical

Page 9.24

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 properties are shown along with the optical properties corresponding to the selected presentation. These may not be the same if an existing presentation is chosen which is not an exact match for the required optical properties. The four custom presentations can be changed by selecting the Request button.

à Request Select the Request button to change one of the list of custom presentations. Displays the Request Presentation dialogue box. The Request Presentation dialogue is explained next.

Request Presentation dialogue This is a dialogue box produced by pressing the Request button in the Setup Presentation dialogue box. A presentation to be placed in the list of four custom presentations in the Setup Presentation dialogue can be selected from the list of Custom Presentations. This is a list of previously defined particle/dispersant combinations. New custom presentation definitions can be generated by selecting a new particle/dispersant combination from the Particles Name and Dispersant Name listboxes. If the particle/dispersant pair has not been used previously, the Select button label is changed to Define, and the button can be used to open the Define Presentation dialogue. Un-used custom presentation definitions can be removed from the custom presentation list by using the Delete button in the Custom Presentations box. Custom presentations already in use in the Setup - Presentation dialogue box can not be deleted or selected. Similarly, particles and dispersant can be added or removed from their respective lists. When the Request button is pressed in the Setup presentation dialogue the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.25

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual 1

4

2

9

10

3

5

8

6

11

ILL 1968

7

À Particles - Name The Name list box in the Particles section of the dialogue lists the currently available particles names. Select a particle name from the list box. The refractive index values change to show the corresponding values. To add a new particle type in the name in the edit part of the combination list box.

Á Particles - Refractive Index The Refractive Index section of the dialogue displays the refractive index values for the selected particle. If you have entered a new particle name in the Name list box, change the Refractive Index edit boxes to the new value.

 Particles - Add Select the Add button to add a new particle with name set in Particles - Name and optical properties set in Particles - Refractive Index.

à Particles - Remove Select the Remove button to delete the name selected in Particles - Name. A name can not be removed if it is in use.

Page 9.26

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

Ä Dispersant - Name The Name list box in the Dispersant section of the dialogue lists the currently available dispersant names. Select a particle name from the list box. The refractive index values change to show the corresponding values. To add a new dispersant type in the name in the edit part of the combination list box.

Å Dispersant - Refractive Index The Refractive Index section of the dialogue displays the refractive index values for the selected dispersant. If you have entered a new dispersant name in the Name list box, change the Refractive Index edit boxes to the new value.

Æ Dispersant - Add Select the Add button to add a new dispersant with name set in Dispersant Name and refractive index in Dispersant - Refractive Index.

Ç Remove Select to delete the name set in Dispersant- Name. A name can not be removed if it is in use.

È Custom Presentations The Custom Presentations list box lists the custom presentations currently available. Select from the list the custom presentation to be used in the Setup Presentation dialogue box. Items marked with a ‘!’ are default presentations.

É Custom Presentations - Delete Click the Delete button to delete the selected custom presentations from the list. If the selection is marked with a ‘!’ or a ‘*’ then the Delete button will be disabled as these presentations are in use. 5 Select / Define Click Select to choose the selected custom presentation for the Setup Presentation custom list. This button becomes Define if the presentation for a new particle and dispersant combination is to be assigned. If the Define button is pressed the Define Presentation dialogue appears. See the next section for details on this dialogue.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.27

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

$ To add a new particle type or dispersant

. Type in the name of the particle material or dispersant in the edit box part of the relevant list. . Type in the refractive index values in the relevant edit boxes. . Click the associated Add button. Use the Delete button to correct any mistakes.

$ To select a new custom presentation

. Select the particle and dispersant names from the lists. . If the combination already exists the item is selected in the presentations list. Click Select to assign this presentation to the custom option in the Setup-Presentation dialogue. or . Click the Define... button to set up a new presentation for this selection.

Define Presentation dialogue This is a dialogue box produced by pressing the Define button in the Request Presentation dialogue box. The Request Presentation dialogue is itself produced by using the Request button in the Setup - Presentation dialogue box. There are three options in associating a presentation with a request. . Select a near presentation that already exists. . Generate a presentation on the nearest Malvern defined grid position. The name of the presentation is assigned automatically. . Generate a presentation using the exact refractive indices. You will be prompted to name the new presentation. When the Define button in the Request Presentation dialogue is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 9.28

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

2

3

4

6

5

ILL 1969

1

À Requested values The Requested Values area of the screen displays the requested: . Real refractive index of the particle. . Imaginary refractive index of the particle. . Real refractive index of the dispersant. . The presentation code for the requested values, if available.

Á Force Click the Force button to force the generation of a presentation using the exact refractive index values. You will be asked to give a name to the new presentation. The details are added to the list for the presentation generator.

 Nearest Grid values The Nearest Grid Values area of the screen displays the nearest values on the Malvern presentation grid to the requested values. The Available label is greyed out if the suggested nearest grid presentation code is not currently on disc. If it is not available then it can be generated using the Generate button.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.29

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual à Generate Press the Generate button to generate a presentation at the nearest grid position. The message above the button reports if the presentation already exists. The details are added to the list for the presentation generator.

Ä Accept Select the Accept button to accept the currently selected presentation from the Nearest Available Presentations list to satisfy the request.

Å Neighbouring Available Presentations The Neighbouring Available Presentations list box lists the presentations that are currently on disc that are closest to the requested values.

$ To generate a grid presentation

. If the grid presentation is not available click the Generate button. The refractive index value are added to the presentation generator list. . The Presentation generation takes some time. You may wish to select a nearest neighbour presentation as an interim measure. . Click Done to return to the Request Presentation dialogue. If it is not already running the Presentation Generator will start when you exit the Setup Presentation dialogue.

$ To generate an exact presentation . Click the Force button.

ILL 1970

A dialogue appears requesting a name for the new presentation. The first two characters of the file name are chosen by the system. Use file naming conventions to fill in the (up to) six remaining characters.

. Click OK. The refractive index value are added to the presentation generator list. . The Presentation generation takes some time. You may wish to select a nearest neighbour presentation as an interim measure.

Page 9.30

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 . Click Done to return to the Request Presentation dialogue. If it is not already running the Presentation Generator will start when you exit the Setup Presentation dialogue.

Related information For related information on this subject see: ‘Selecting the Presentation’ in the Getting Started manual.

Basic Command: Presentation

Setup - Sample Unit This command allows control of an automatic sample preparation unit. The sample preparation unit is selected in the Setup - Hardware dialogue box and the menu item is disabled if an automatic sample unit has not been selected. If an automatic sample unit is selected but not connected there will be a communications error shortly after the sample unit dialogue opens. When the menu item is selected a control dialogue box appears that mimics the controls on the font panel of the sample unit. There are two versions for the two automatic sample preparation units available - the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit (ASDU) and the Automated Dry Powder Feeder (ADPF). An external automated sample unit is not available for the Micro or Microplus.

If the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit is installed you will be able to: . Set the pump, stirrer and ultrasonic level using slider controls. The settings are shown at the bottom of each slider. . Clean, empty or fill the tank. A cross in the box next to any operation shows that it has been requested. . Control the sample inlet, dispersant inlet and drain valves individually. Valve status is shown by a cross in the box if the valve is open. Remember that you can also change settings on the sample unit front panel, but while you are using this Setup - Sampler Unit display the unit remains under computer control and the sample unit front panel is disabled.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.31

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

ILL 1971

When the menu item is selected and an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit is connected the following dialogue appears. See the accessory manual for details of the button functions.

If the Automated Dry Powder Feeder is installed you will be able to: . Set up the feed rate using a slider control. The feed rate is shown at the bottom of the slider. . Select the mode (Air on, Sample feed, Empty or Off). The current mode is indicated by a box beside the button. . Check the status of the Error light, Vacuum sensor and Air flow sensor.

ILL 1972

When the menu item is selected and an Automated Dry Powder Feeder is connected the following dialogue appears. See the accessory manual for details of the button functions.

Page 9.32

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

Related information For related information on this subject see: Setup-Hardware. Setup-Dilution.

Basic Command Sampler

Setup - Dilution This command is used to set up the options which will be used to control automatic sample dilution or metering. The choices will depend on the Malvern sample handling unit which is installed. Note that an external automatic sample unit is not available for the Micro or Microplus.

With the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit installed you can select: . . . .

The length of time for which to add the initial dose of sample. The obscuration limits. The pump, stirrer and ultrasonic settings to use during the dilution. The time to pause for sample preparation after each addition.

ILL 1973

The dialogue that appears when the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit is installed is shown below.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.33

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual A typical use for the above dialogue will be to: . Injection of an initial, timed, volume of sample. . Pausing for sample treatment at predetermined settings of the pump, stirrer and ultrasonic. . Checking the sample obscuration against allowed upper and lower limits. . Adding a calculated dose of sample or dispersant. . Repeating 2nd to 4th steps as required to bring the obscuration within the acceptable range.

With the Automated Dry Powder Feeder installed you can select: . . . .

The initial setting of the feed rate. The obscuration limits. The steps in which feed rate adjustments are made during the dilution. The time to pause for sample dispersion after each adjustment.

ILL 1974

The dialogue that appears when the Automated Dry Powder Feeder is installed is shown below.

A typical use for the above dialogue will be to: . Starting the sample feed at a predetermined rate. . Pausing for sample dispersion. . Checking the sample obscuration against allowed upper and lower limits.

Page 9.34

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 . Adjusting the feed rate up or down by a definable step. . Repeating steps 2 to 4 as required to bring the obscuration within the acceptable range. If no Malvern sampling unit is installed you will be informed.

Setup - Graph This command allows the current graph options to be changed. The dialogue is different for each view selected by the View menu. This section explains the standard features of a Result Graph Options dialogue and then describes any differences for individual views.

Graph setup dialogue for the Result type views The Result Graph Options dialogue shown below is displayed whenever one of the result types (Result 1 to Result 7) are selected for the table page. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 1

2

5 6 7

8

4

S O F T W A R E

ILL 1975

9

3

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.35

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual À X - Axis The X-Axis area of the dialogue allows you to control the x axis start cycle (0.01 -100 microns), number of cycles (1-5) and whether the scale is increasing to the right or decreasing. The options are: Start Size The Start Size list box gives you the start size (in microns) for the X axis. The points gives are the log cycle positions (0.01 -100 microns). Cycles The Cycles list box list the number of log cycles to be displayed on the graph (1-5). Increasing / Decreasing The Increasing / Decreasing buttons gives the options on whether the scale is increasing to the right or decreasing.

Á Y-Axis The Y-Axis area of the dialogue allows you to control the Y axis scale. The options are: Scale The Scale list box allows you to select either Auto scaling, in which case the peak of the frequency curve will fall within the graph, or a percentage scale in the range 10 to 100. An option button selects the type of scale from Linear, Probability or Rosin-Rammler. The Probability and Rosin-Rammler scales require that a plot type of either oversize, undersize or points is selected.

 Plot Types This is the main section of the dialogue that changes depending on the type of view selected. See the sub-sections that follow to find the differences. For the 7 result type views the Plot Type check buttons allow you to choose one of seven types of graphs from Frequency, Filled Frequency, Oversize, Undersize, Histogram or Points. The frequency graph can be either filled or line drawn by checking the Filled Frequency check box. Histogram plots can be either the 100 histogram size bands or the analysis size bands depending on whether the Analysis check box is ticked. The same operation occurs with points in that if Points is selected but Analysis is not then just the percentage points are plotted. If Analysis as well as Points is checked then the points will be plotted on analysis size band data.

Page 9.36

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 See the Getting Started manual for details of the type of plot types. Changes to these graph options are reflected in the table.

à Result The Result option buttons allows you can choose to have the current result as a graph by selecting Current or show up to the last eight graphs by choosing Accumulated. After the eighth result the oldest result is replaced with the latest result. Use the New Axes button to clear the accumulated plots.

Ä New Axes Click the Key button to clear the axes when in accumulated plot mode.

Å Key Selecting the Key check box will annotate the graph page with a key with the first line of the sample details and the colour of the plot. See the Edit- Graph plots menu item for details on changing the plot key. This is only available in accumulated plot mode.

Æ Grid Lines Selecting the Grid Lines check box will add the scale grid lines on the graph.

Ç Colours... Selecting this button produces the Graph Colours dialogue. This dialogue allows you to change the colours of the graph page including the graph fill, line, grid , border and background. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.37

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual A

E

B B B C

D

B

ILL 1976

B

B

> Plot styles The Plot styles list box displays the current plot styles selected. The first plot on a graph will use the first plot style in the list. Accumulated plots will use the next plot type from the list for each graph plotted. A plot style can be changed by selecting the plot style from the list and altering the settings from nine style list boxes below. To accept any change to a plot style the Update button must be pressed. ? Style and colour list boxes. The nine style and colour list boxes allows you to change the line, colour and fill attributes for the selected plot style. Note that the Graph Border colour is only used on the screen - the print always has a white border. @ Transparent Fill Check the Transparent Fill check box to make hatched filled frequency curves and histograms transparent. Normally the space between the hatched lines is filled with the graph background colour. A Use Line Styles only on Monochrome Devices On colour screens and printers the graph curves can be differentiated by colour. On monochrome printers the line style is used to differentiate the curves. Clear this checkbox if line styles are also required on the screen and colour printers.

Page 9.38

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 B Update The Update button must be pressed to enable any changes made to the Plot Style list.

Ç Font Pressing the Font button enables the Graph Font dialogue. This dialogue allows the font used in graph axes labels and key table to be changed.

ILL 1977

The Graph Font dialogue is shown below.

Select a font name from the Font list. A TrueType font will give the best appearance on the screen and the printer. TrueType fonts have a symbol beside their name. Select the Font Style and the Size - the size is in points (approximately 1/72 of a inch). A sample of the font appearance is shown in the Sample box. Note that the list of fonts may be different on your computer. As you change the position of the window split bar the graph is scaled to fit in the area of the graph page. If the Scale Size with Graph checkbox is clear then the font will be the size selected and not scale with the rest of the graph. By checking the Scale Size with Graph checkbox the selected size of the font is ignored and the size varies with the size of the graph.

Graph setup dialogue for the Data and Fit Graphs If Data or Fit are the current page in view then a different dialogue is produced. The differences between these and the result graph dialogue are explained here. The x-axis cannot be changed but the y-axis scaling is changed in the same way as the Result Graph dialogue. The Data curves can be accumulated in the same way as the Result graphs, but the background data curves are then not shown.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.39

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

ILL 1978

You can select the styles of the data and background curves using the checkboxes shown below. If both are cleared then data and background are both curves. The data takes the colour of style 1 in the Graph Colour dialogue and the background takes style 2.

The legend at the top of the data graph shows the obscuration with a key showing the styles of the data and background curves.

ILL 1979

The Fit Graph dialogue only shows the fit for the current result. The data has the colour of style 1 and the fit data has the colour of style 2. Data is normally plotted as a histogram and fit as a curve. By checking the checkbox, shown below, both data and fit are plotted as curves.

The legend at the top of the fit graph shows the residual fit with a key showing the styles of the data and fit curves.

Graph setup dialogue for the Statistics Graph If Statistics is the current page in view then a different dialogue is produced. The differences between these and the result graph dialogue are explained here.

ILL 1980

The type of statistics graph can be changed using the controls illustrated in the figure below:

Page 9.40

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 The graph type can be changed between histogram (on analysis size channels) or cumulative curves, both based on the averaged result. Vertical bars on the mid-size line of the histograms or the analysis sizes of the cumulative curves show characteristic ‘widths’ of the accumulated statistics. The Statistic Bars can be changed between one or two standard deviations or the maximum and minimum limits of the accumulated values. Changes to the graph options are reflected in the table.

Graph setup dialogue for the Difference Graphs If Difference is the current page in view then a different dialogue is produced. The differences between these and the result graph dialogue are explained here.

ILL 1981

The axes are changed in the same way as the result graph dialogue. The name of the reference sample file and the reference record are shown in the dialogue as illustrated below. You use the Set Reference button in the Open File dialogue to change the reference sample file name and record number.

The graph always shows a histogram display based on analysis sizes and with the style of the current result graph. The y-axis has zero on the mid-line so if a scale of 10% is chosen in the Y-Axis Scale list box then the graph scale is from -10% to 10%. The maximum available scale is 50%. The legend at the top of the graph shows the name and record number of the reference file and record and the current file and record in the format: Current_Result_File(Record) - Reference_Result_File(Record) Note that if the current result is not saved on disk then the record number in the legend is shown as 0.

Basic Command: Setup Graph

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.41

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

Setup - Table This command allows page description programs to be assigned to the tables and reports selected by the View menu command. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained. 1

5

6

7

2

3

8

9

ILL 1982

4

À File List The File List list box lists the page files available.

Á Assign The Assign button assigns the currently selected page file from File List to the currently selected view radio button. An alternative to using the Assign button is to double click the page file in the File List list box.

Page 9.42

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

 Edit When the Edit button is pressed the selected page file or report file from the File List is loaded into the Malvern editor that allows you to edit the code for the file. The edit button will load the page or report file depending on whether the Screen or Printer radio button is pressed, i.e.: . If the Screen option button is set then the page file (the one with file extension PAG) is loaded into the program editor. . If the Printer option is selected then the report file, (file extension REP) with the same root name as the page, is edited.

à Info The Info button gives more information on the page or report file selected by displaying the entry that will appear in the View menu. The information will appear above the Fonts area.

Ä “View” buttons The “View” buttons list the menu items that will appear in the View menu. A radio button has to be selected to assign a page and report file to that menu item.

Å File Name The File Name area lists the files that have been assigned to the “View” buttons.

Æ Background Colour The Background Colour list box enables you to change the background colour of the table. This colour is not used when printing a table.

Ç Fonts The font option buttons show examples (at fixed size) of the four fonts that can be used in tables and reports plus the default font used in the page footers and draft quality printing. Click the Setup Font button to change the selected font.

È Setup Font The Setup Font button will display the Table font dialogue shown below that will allow you to change the settings for the selected font in the Fonts list above.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.43

Software Reference Manual

ILL 1984

CHAPTER 9

Select a font name from the Font list. A TrueType font will give the best appearance on the screen and the printer. TrueType fonts have a symbol beside their name. Select the Font Style and the Size - the size is in points (approximately 1/72 of a inch). A sample of the font appearance is shown in the Sample box. Note that the list of fonts may be different on your computer. Select Underline if the font is to have an underline.

' Note

.

The Font command used in Page and Report Basic programs may override the size selected in the Table Font dialogue.

For use with a VGA resolution screen (640 x 480) the size of font 1 should be set to 7 point to prevent text on the table running into each other.

How to use the “Setup Table” dialogue. $ To assign a program to a View

. Select the required view from the option buttons. . Select the page program from the File List. . Click the Assign button.

$ To remove a View Only Result views may be deleted from the View menu. . Highlight the Result View File Name. . Press the Delete key to remove the name. The edit box should be blank.

Page 9.44

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

$ To edit a page or report program

. Select a page to be edited from the File List. (You should select a file even if you want to start a completely new file). . Select Printer or Screen to, respectively, edit the report or page file. . Click the Edit button. The Basic editor appears and covers the area used by the graph pane.

$ To assign fonts

. Select the Font (1, 2, 3, 4 or Draft). . Select Setup Font. The Setup Fonts dialogue appears. . Try to only select TrueType fonts (those marked with a ) as these fonts will scale properly if the table is copied to the clipboard. . After the font, and font size and style, is selected click OK to return to the Setup Table dialogue.

Setup - Experiment The Experiment command is used to configure the type of experiment the instrument will use when making measurements. A measurement can consist of a number of experiments. Each experiment can hold an independent set of data as an accumulation of a number of sweeps. Both the start of each experiment and sweep can be triggered internally by the instrument or by some external device. Triggering the sweep and experiment is the means by which the instrument is activated to read the detector values. Under normal circumstances both the sweep and experiment triggering are internal. For more advanced triggering sequences and a greater explanation of this dialogue see the Advanced measurement techniques section see (chapter 15). When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.45

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual 1

2

5

3

7

4

8 9 10

ILL 1985

11

6

À Sweep Trigger The sweep trigger is normally set to Internal. External triggering is enabled by selecting External and attaching an external trigger source to the BNC connector marked SWEEP TRIGGER on the instrument. The status display at the bottom right of the Mastersizer screen will indicate the instruments response (for example, waiting sweep trigger etc.). The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus can only use internal triggering.

Á Experiment Trigger The experiment trigger is normally set to Internal. External triggering is enabled by selecting External and attaching an external trigger source to the BNC connector marked EXP TRIGGER on the instrument. The status display at the bottom right of the Mastersizer screen will indicate the instruments response (for example, waiting experiment trigger etc.). The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus can only use internal triggering.

Page 9.46

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

 Sweeps The number of sweeps can be changed for both the Background and Sample measurement. Normally you would set the number of background sweeps to be the same as the sample sweeps, typically 2000 for wet measurements. The number of sweeps can be set from 1 to 65535 for both data and background measurements. You can also enter the length of time of the sample data gathering period, from 2ms to 131.1 seconds in 2ms steps. (a sweep takes about 2ms, hence 65535 sweeps is approximately 131.1 seconds in length).

à Number of Experiments Under normal circumstances the number of experiments is set to 1. However the instrument is capable of storing up to 100. This is useful in the case of, for example, spray measurements where you might want to sample a pulsed spray at the same point in the spray cycle for up to 100 pulses. Use the File - Process command to process the experiments stored on the instrument.

Ä Sweep Obscuration Limits With this enabled the instrument will only accept sweeps whilst the obscuration is within set limits. Use the Upper and Lower edit boxes to set the limits from 0-100% in 1% steps. A time-out time can be set so that if the required number of sweeps are not accumulated by this time the measurement is terminated. Use the hrs. , mins. and secs. edit boxes to set the time-out time. The obscuration limit can be enabled for the First only sweep or All sweeps. If enabled for the first sweep, the instrument will trigger off the first sweep which has an obscuration within the set limits and then continue with the rest of the sweeps regardless of obscuration. If enabled for all sweeps then the instrument will only accept sweeps within the range entered. Set Disable to disable obscuration triggering. The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus do not use obscuration triggering.

Å Disable saturation warning Set this checkbox to disable saturation warnings. Saturation occurs when the signal from a detector reaches the maximum possible value. Normally saturation warnings are enabled to warn you to reduce the particle concentration. With the warning enabled you can either accept the warning or terminate the measurement.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.47

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual Æ Advanced The advanced options section is only enabled if you have the Spray Synchroniser Delay Unit add-on board fitted to the instrument. If you have, then clicking on the Advanced >> button will display the advanced section of the Setup-Experiment dialogue. This section allows you to further manipulate the sweep and experiment timing, for example in triggered spray measurements. Only a brief explanation is given here, for further examples of how to use the advanced options read the section on advanced measurement techniques. The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus can not perform spray measurements, therefore the Advanced button is not functional.

Ç Experiment delay (Advanced) Entering a value into this edit box will delay the start of the experiment from 1 to 6500ms in steps of 1ms. Selecting First or All will delay either the first experiment or all of them.

È Output Pulse (Advanced) The output pulse edit box allows you to utilise one of the digital outputs of the instrument. Digital output 12 is designated for the pulse output when used in conjunction with the Spray Trigger (pin 35 on the 37 way socket marked “Digital IO” on the instrument). Whenever an experiment is started the output pulse output will be active for the length of time entered in this edit box. The time interval can be any value in the range 0 to 327 seconds in increments of 5ms. A value less than 5ms will be taken as 0. The First and All radio buttons allow you to have the pulse activated on the first experiment or all experiments.

É Sweep Interval (Advanced) Normally the inter-sweep time is as fast as possible, about 2ms. Entering a time in this edit box allows for extended intervals of between 3 and 6500ms in 1ms intervals. 5 Experiment Interval (Advanced) The experiment interval is normally about 4ms, entering values in this edit box allows you to extend this time from 5 to 6500ms in 1ms intervals.

Page 9.48

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

How to use the “Experiment Setup” dialogue. $ To set up an experiment

. Select the Sweep Trigger mode. Selecting external triggering with no external trigger source will cause the system to lock up. . Select the Experiment Trigger mode. . Select the Number of Sweeps for each experiment. This must be in the range 1 to 65535. or . Select the Time for Sweeps. . Select the Number of Experiments in the range 1 to 100. . Select the Time between Experiments in the range 0 to 65535 milliseconds.

$ To set up a dry powder experiment . . . . . . .

Dry powder measurements are best performed using the obscuration trigger feature. Fill in the Number of Sweeps. Set the triggers to Internal. Set the Number of Experiments to 1. Set the Obscuration Limits. Set the Measurement Timeout Time. Set the obscuration trigger to All. Click OK. When the measurement is carried out only sweeps with obscuration between the limits will be integrated.

$ To set up an integrated spray measurement

. . . . . .

If time resolved information on the spray size is not required the obscuration triggering facility can be used to aid triggering of the measurement. Fill in the Number of Sweeps. Set the triggers to Internal. Set the Number of Experiments to 1. Set the Obscuration Limits. The lower value will determine when in the development of the spray the measurement will start. Leave the Measurement Timeout Time at a long time. Set the obscuration trigger to First.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.49

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual . Click OK. When the measurement is carried out, starting the spray will trigger the start of the measurement.

Related information For related information on this subject see: ‘Advanced Measurement Features’ in chapter 15. File-Process.

Basic command: Experiment

Setup - Alarms Alarms are generated during the stages of the measurement and after the analysis if conditions are outside pre-set ranges. When an alarm is triggered a small window appears at the bottom right hand of the screen. This window remains on screen until the Accept button is pressed. Note that you have to use the mouse to click this button. There are 4 alarms: Align, Background, Concentration and Diameters. . The Align alarm is checked before the Measure Background stage. . The Background alarm is checked after the Measure Background stage. . The Concentration alarm is checked after the Measure Inspect stage and after the Measure Sample stage. . The Diameters alarm is checked after the Calculate stage.

ILL 1986

When an alarm is triggered a window - similar to the one shown below - appears.

This window stays on the screen until the Accept button is clicked. Each alarm type has its own window with a different message - the example above is for the Diameters Alarm. All the alarms can be cleared by selecting the Accept All Alarms button in the Set Alarms dialogue.

Page 9.50

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9 When the Alarms menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

1 2 3

6

ILL 1987

4

5

À Alignment Set to enable the alignment alarm. The align alarm is checked at the end of each alignment and at the end of each background measurement. If the Intelligent Align feature is enabled in the Set Alarm Limits dialogue the alarm is not raised. Instead the system is automatically re-aligned before the background measurement. The alarms is set if any of the following occur: 1. Any of the detectors are saturated. 2. The central (laser power) detector has a value below a set reference (default is 50%). 3. Detectors 1, 3 and 5 are summed to So, detectors 2, 4 and 6 are summed to Se. The alarm is set if:

100

So − Se > Reference So + Se

where Reference has a default of 50%. 4. The maximum of detectors 1 and 2 is dm and value of detector 3 is d3.The alarm is set if:

100

d m − d3 > Reference d3

where Reference has a default of 50%.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.51

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual The reference values may be changed by the user. The defaults work well with liquid dispersant measurements in systems with average cleanliness. In other conditions you may need to adjust the reference value used in tests 3 and 4. In the Set Alarm Limits dialogue this reference is called ‘Inner Detectors’ - increasing the value will allow worse alignments.

Á Background Set to enable the background alarm. The alarm will be triggered if the values for this alarm is outside those set using the Set Alarm Limits button. The default is 200.

 Concentration Set to enable the concentration alarm. The alarm will be triggered if the values for this alarm is outside those set using the Set Alarm Limits button.

à Diameter Set to enable the diameters alarm on the median values set in the Upper and Lower edit boxes. The alarm is set if the d(v, 0.5) falls outside the limits.

Ä Accept All Alarms Click the Accept All Alarms button to accept all the alarms. All active alarm windows will be removed from the screen. This option should be used if you are not using a mouse as the alarm window only temporarily gets the focus from the keyboard.

Å Set Alarm Limits Click to show the Set Alarm Limits dialogue for customisation of the alarm limits. In most cases the default parameters for the alarm trigger levels will be sufficient. When the Set Alarm Limits button is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 9.52

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

A D

B

ILL 1988

C

> Alignment The alignment area of the screen has two options: Tolerance - Adjust this value to control when the alarm is triggered. The value is the percentage change in the inner detectors since the last alignment. Increasing the value will allow worse alignments and a value of zero will always trigger the alarm Use values in the range 0 to 100. The default is 25. Intelligent Align -With this option enabled the align alarm is never triggered. Instead the system is automatically re-aligned before the background measurement. This only works when automatic alignment is enabled in the options menu of the Measure-Align Window or, for a measure sequence, in the Setup-Measurement Sequence dialogue. The setting of Intelligent Align overrides the setting of the Align Alarm. Intelligent Aligning will take place even with the Align alarm checkbox cleared in the Setup-Alarms dialogue. The default value is to enable this option. (Automatic and Intelligent Alignment are not available for the Mastersize ? Background The Peak Detector edit box allows the maximum value in the background measurement to be set. Adjust this value according to a typical background measurement you make with a clean system (values must be in the range 0 to 2000). The default value is 200.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.53

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual @ Concentration Adjust the Lower and Upper limits if you want to narrow the range for acceptable values of obscuration. A Defaults Select the Defaults button to return all the entries in the edit boxes to their pre-set values.

Related information For related information on this subject see: Set Alarm Limits.

Basic Command Alarm

Setup - Messaging This command allows you to select the Mastersizer Basic programs which govern the way in which results will be reported to a text log file or over the serial port. The program which is involved in an automatic Dynamic Data Exchange link can also be selected. The programs to be involved in logging can not be selected until the appropriate Enable check box is set. Type in the name of the log file to use in the System Log File text box. The header programs will generally write the headings for column formatted information. The line programs then format the information from a result to fall into the columns. When the menu item is selected the following dialogue appears. The key features of the dialogue are identified and explained.

Page 9.54

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

5

1

2

4

3

9

7

8

10

11 ILL 1989

6

Items 1 o 5 belong to the Log to File Programs group. This group controls the selection of log files and programs.

À Header Use the Header list box to select the program that will write the header to the log file.

Á Log Line(s) Use the Log Line(s) list box to select the program that will write a line of log information to the log file after a result calculation.

 System Log File Name Use the System Log File Name edit box to type in the name of the log file to be used. This file will be saved in the current data directory.

à Enable Select the Enable checkbox to enable logging to file.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.55

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual Ä Write Header Press the Write Header button to run the log file header program. This will generally create a new log file. Items 6 to 9 belong to the Log to Remote Programs group. This group controls the selection of log files and programs that will be written to the remote port.

Å Header Use the Header list box to select the program that will write the header to the remote port.

Æ Log Line(s) Use the Log Line(s) list box to select the program that will write a line of log information after a result calculation.

Ç Enable Select the Enable checkbox to enable logging to the remote port.

È Write Header Pressing the Write Header button will run the selected log remote header program. Items 10 and 11 belong to the DDE Link Programme group. This group controls the selection of DDE control programs.

É DDE Link Use the DDE Link list box to select the program that will be run during a Dynamic Data Exchange automatic link. If a link is active this program is run when the data or result is changed. 5 Update Link Click the Update Link button to update the current Dynamic Data Exchange automatic link. This button is disabled if there is no link active.

Page 9.56

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 9

How to use the “Setup Messages” dialogue. $ To setup logging to a log file . . . . .

If necessary write logging programs using the Basic editor accessed through the Control-Edit Program command. Set the Enable check box in the Log to File area. Select the logging Header and Log Line programs. Type in a name for the log file in the System Log File box. Click the Write Header button in the Log to File area. This will run the program set in the Header combo box. This program will generally start a new log file with the name typed in the System Log File box. Click OK. The program set in the Log Line will be run after subsequent result calculations to add information to the log file.

$ To setup logging to the remote port . . . .

If necessary write logging programs using the Basic editor accessed through the Control-Edit Program command. Set the Enable check box in the Log to Remote area. Select the logging Header and Log Line programs. Click the Write Header button in the Log to Remote area. This will run the program set in the Header combo box. Click OK. The program set in the Log Line will be run after subsequent result calculations to send information to the remote port.

$ To setup a Dynamic Data Exchange Automatic Link If necessary write logging programs using the Basic editor accessed through the Control-Edit Program command. . Select the program from the DDE Link Program combo box. . Click OK to leave the Setup-Messaging dialogue box. Use the CopyLink command in the Mastersizer and the paste command in the partner application program to start the link. . The link will be updated automatically when the result changes. Return to the Setup-Messaging dialogue box and use Update Link button to update the link for any other reason.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 9.57

CHAPTER 9

Software Reference Manual

Related information For related information on this subject see: ‘Linking with other applications’ - chapter 12. View-DDE Links. Edit-Copy Link.

Basic Commands Log, Copy Link

Setup - Reset Configuration Selecting this item resets ALL user configurable items to a default state except for the current data, results and sample documentation. You may wish to do this if you have been experimenting with the table or button assignments and wish to discard your changes. You will be asked to confirm that you really wish to reset before changes are applied.

Related information For related information on this subject see: File-Load Configuration

Basic Command Reset Configuration.

Page 9.58

M A N

0 1 0 2

Help menu

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

0

CHAPTER 10

Introduction to the Help menu

ILL 1990

The Help menu contains the commands that allow you to use the on - line help. The Help menu is shown below.

Each of the menu items are now described in detail.

Help - Contents Selecting this item takes you to the main contents of the Mastersizer Help system. More information on using the Help menu can be found in chapter 1.

Help - Menu Command Selecting this item takes you to the index of menu commands in the Mastersizer Help system. More information on using the Help menu can be found in chapter 1.

Help - Program Language Selecting this item takes you to the index for the Malvern Basic Programming Language in the Mastersizer Help system. More information on using the Help menu can be found in chapter 1.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 10.1

CHAPTER 10

Software Reference Manual

Help - Keyboard Selecting this item takes you to the Mastersizer Help topic on keyboard commands. More information on using the Help menu can be found in chapter 1.

Help - Window Selecting this gives you information on the various components of the Mastersizer window. More information on using the Help menu can be found in chapter 1.

Help - Help Selecting this item gives you help on using the Help system.

Help - About Selecting this item shows you the About box. As well as showing the program name this box informs you of the instrument type and software version number. The box also tells you if the instrument is connected, if a arithmetic co-processor is installed and notes the amount of memory free. If the memory shown is small compared with the amount of memory installed on your system, you may have a number of other programs loaded. The response of the system may be slow and there may be considerable disc activity as you switch between applications. You might consider closing down some of the applications. If you click the Instrument connected checkbox a dialogue is shown with technical information on the instrument. Malvern Instruments engineers may need this information to diagnose faults on the instrument. More information on using the Help menu can be found in chapter 1.

Page 10.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 10

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 10.3

Malvern files and directories

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

1

CHAPTER 11

The filing system

ILL 1999

The Mastersizer program is installed in a directory structure as shown:-

The main directory \sizer? contains the main program file and a number of other files needed to run the system. The ? character in the sizer? directory name represents the instrument type:

? character

Instrument

Blank

For the Mastersizer X.

s

For the Mastersizer S.

mu

For the Mastersizer Micro.

mp

For the Mastersizer Microplus.

The sub-directory \data is where your sample data will normally be stored. Other files which you create within the Mastersizer software such as size files, shape correction files and text files, etc. are also stored here. The sub-directory \pages contains the files which describe the table pages and report forms. If you create new tables and reports you should store them here. The sub-directory \present contains the Malvern presentation matrices for use in analysis. If you generate new presentations they should be stored here. The sub-directory \programs contains the Malvern Basic programs. If you write programs of your own they should be stored here. The bitmaps for the Easy button pictures are also stored in this directory and again, if you create your own they should be placed here.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 11.1

CHAPTER 11

Software Reference Manual

File names A file is the basic unit of storage on the disc. Files are distinguished by their names which consist of a stem of up to 8 characters followed by an optional 3 character extension. Windows uses the DOS filename conventions. The extension is often used to emphasise the type of file, for example .SIZ to indicate a file of sizes. The DOS filename convention states that a name must start with a letter or a number and cannot contain any of the following characters:

Character

Character name

.

Period

“

Quotation

/

Slash

\

Backslash

[ ]

Brackets

:

Colon

|

Vertical bar

=

Equals

,

Comma

The following cannot be used as names: CON, AUX, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, PRN and NUL.

Wild cards A wild card is a character which represents other characters. In file names the character * represents any character or characters which might match that position in other filenames. For example *.SAM represents all filenames which end in the extension .SAM. This would find the files MYDATA.SAM, MYDAT.SAM, ANOTHER.SAM, etc. if they exist. The character ? represents a single character which might match that position. For example MYDATA?.SAM would find files MYDATA1.SAM, MYDATA2.SAM, etc. but not MYDATA12.SAM or MYDATA.SAM.

Page 11.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 11

File extension The file extension can consist of 1, 2 or 3 characters or be omitted completely. If no extension is given some applications may need the final period (.) in order to recognise the file. Some file extensions are used to indicate special types of files. For example the extension .SAM is used by Malvern for sample record files, the extension .BMP refers to a Windows Bitmap file. Such special extensions are used to present you with appropriate file choices when loading and saving files. The following extensions are used in the Mastersizer software:

File extension

Description

.BSC

A Malvern Basic program.

.BMP

A bitmap or button image.

.DD AND .SD

Internal Malvern files.

.INI

An initialisation or configuration file.

.PAG

A page description file.

.PM

A presentation matrix.

.REP

A report description file.

.SAM

A sample file.

.SHA

A file of shape correction factors.

.SIZ

A file of user defined size bands.

.WMF

A Windows Metafile or picture.

Of these the .BSC, .INI, .PAG, .REP, .SHA and .SIZ files are ASCII text files. The others have special formats and cannot be viewed or edited using Notepad or other simple text editors. In particular, the format of the Malvern .SAM sample files is random access. These files are discussed in the next section.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 11.3

CHAPTER 11

Software Reference Manual

Mastersizer sample files and records The data and results of size measurements are stored in files. Each file consists of a series of records which, for example, group samples of a similar type or those measured on a particular day. The management of sample records is normally achieved by using the File-Open Sample File and Load Record... menu item. This lists the records in the file together with the sample identifiers and run numbers. You are strongly advised always to enter some form of sample identifier so that the information in this dialogue is useful. To obtain more information on a record, highlight the record and use the Information button. You can also use this dialogue to delete selected records. Before starting a group of measurements open a new or existing sample file using the File-Open Sample File and Load Record... command. When a suitable result has been calculated save the result to the open file using File-Save Sample. File-Save Sample always saves the record at the end of the current sample file. If you want to save the result in a different file or in an another record of the current file use the File-Save Sample As... command. You will be warned if you try to save a record in a position which is already occupied. The format of the files is such that you cannot read the contents using a simple text editor. This should prove no problem since all the parts of a record are accessible using Malvern Basic functions.

Record contents The sample record contains a complete list of all information to allow the sample measurement to be re-loaded and re-calculated. A number of other items are saved to allow accurate traceability. For completeness a summary of these items is given below. Data items:Background Date & time of background measurement Data Date & time of sample measurement Number of sweeps

Page 11.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 11 Obscuration Data source Hardware items:Focal length Instrument name Beam length Diode name Sample unit Trigger settings Result items:Result in bands Result source Result type Sizes Residual Concentration Analysis items:Kill data values Kill result values Presentation Refractive indices Analysis model Date & time of analysis Density Blending and extending information Documentation:Sample identifier Sample notes User identifier Run number Date & time of saving record Instrument serial number Software version number Instrument version number Configuration file name

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 11.5

CHAPTER 11

Software Reference Manual Flags:Data validity Result validity Background validity When you load a sample record all the information listed above is loaded so that the tables, graphs and reports refer specifically to the same set of information. There are two examples of Mastersizer Basic programs which perform some file management in the Malvern Basic manual. The first - Transferring Result Records - extracts a few selected records from a file and places them in a new file. The second - Averaging Results - reads a file, performs averages of groups of records and stores the averaged result in a new file. See the Mastersizer Basic reference manual for details.

Page 11.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

Linking with other applications

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

2

CHAPTER 12

Introduction The Mastersizer software supports various standard methods for linking data to other programs. The other application is normally a spreadsheet, data gathering program or document preparation program (word processing). For clarity the examples within this chapter will refer to linking to Microsoft Excel. Certain items will, therefore, be specific to this use. To use another software packages you will need to refer to the manuals for that software. Items can be transferred to other applications in a number of ways - as a simple, once only, copy and paste, as a link which is updated on request or as an automatic (hot) link which is updated every time the item changes.

The Windows clipboard The simplest transfer of information uses the Windows clipboard - commonly called “copy” and “paste”. All the Mastersizer commands that communicate with the clipboard can be found on the Edit menu. See chapter 5 for more information. Use the Windows program Clipboard Viewer (called Clipbook Viewer in Windows for Workgroups) to preview any items copied to the clipboard. The clipboard viewer program is usually found in the ‘Main’ group in Program Manager.

Copying a graph Select the Edit-Copy-Graph command to copy the current graph to the clipboard. The graph must be in view in the Mastersizer window before being copied. The graph is copied in both bitmap and picture (metafile) formats. In the application that is to receive the image of the graph select from the Edit menu the Paste or Paste Special item. In general the Paste item will use the default format and Paste Special will allow a choice between bitmap and picture formats. If there is a choice always select the picture format as this will allow the image to be re-sized without loss of resolution. If the image is pasted into an application such as Microsoft Word you can double-click on the image and edit it using the built-in graphics editor - Draw. This will allow you to change the colours of the curves, change the fill styles or text sizes etc.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 12.1

CHAPTER 12

Software Reference Manual

Copying the table Select the Edit-Copy-Table command to copy the current table to the clipboard. The table does not need to be in view in the Mastersizer window before being copied. The table is copied in picture (metafile) format. In the application that is to receive the image of the table select from the Edit menu the Paste item. The pasted table should then be re-sized so that the text is readable and the columns do not run into each other. If the image is pasted into an application such as Microsoft Word you can double-click on the image and edit it using the built-in graphics editor - Draw. This will allow you to change the colours of the blocks, change the font styles or sizes, remove unwanted sections of information, etc.

Copying the whole window You can copy the whole of the Mastersizer window using the standard windows key sequence of holding down the Alt key and press the Print Screen key. The current window is then copied to the clipboard as a bitmap. Use the same operation to copy any of Mastersizer’s own windows or dialogue boxes.

Copying a list of sizes Select the Edit-Copy-Sizes command to copy the current result sizes to the clipboard as text. The text is formatted so that it should create a column if pasted to a cell in a spreadsheet. The first entry is *SIZES* and subsequent entries are the size band boundaries in microns. A typical operation would be to paste the sizes in the first column of the spreadsheet and then paste one or more columns of result information beside it.

Copying the result Select the Edit-Copy-Result command to copy the current result to the clipboard as text. The text is formatted so that it should create a column if pasted to a cell in a spreadsheet. The first entry is *RESULT* - this is a safety feature to stop unsuitable information being pasted back to the Mastersizer. Subsequent entries are the percentage result - smallest size first. A typical operation would involve copying the result from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it, and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer. Results would normally be associated with a list of sizes transferred using Edit-Copy-Sizes.

Page 12.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 12 Note that the sizes are on band boundaries while the results are percentage in-band. Some manipulation in the spreadsheet is required to either create cumulative results that can be associated directly with a size, or to form mid-band sizes that can be associated with the percentage in-band.

Copying the measured data Select the Edit-Copy-Data command to copy the current measured data to the clipboard as text. The text is formatted so that it should create a column if pasted to a cell in a spreadsheet. The first entry is *DATA* - this is a safety feature to stop unsuitable information being pasted back to the Mastersizer. The second entry is the obscuration and subsequent entries are the data. A typical operation would involve copying the data from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it, and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer.

Copying from the program language Commands are available in the Mastersizer Basic language to copy graphs, tables, sizes, results and data. In addition a user defined string of text may be copied. See Copy String in the Malvern Basic manual for more information. The Print String command is used to build the string which can contain values from internal functions and expressions. For example you could copy the percentile points or the derived diameters

Pasting in new data Data copied to the clipboard may also be pasted back to the Mastersizer. The Edit-Paste-Data command carries out this operation. The information on the clipboard must be in the correct format, must have the header *DATA* and must have at least the correct number of items with a carriage return separator between each item. A typical operation would involve copying the data from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it, and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer. In this way the conformance to the formatting requirements are assured. Pasted data over writes the existing data and therefore is assumed to be for the current focal range.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 12.3

CHAPTER 12

Software Reference Manual

Pasting in a new result A result copied to the clipboard may also be pasted back to the Mastersizer. The Edit-Paste-Result command carries out this operation. The information on the clipboard must be in the correct format, must have the header *RESULT* and must have at least the correct number of items with a carriage return separator between each item. A typical operation would involve copying the result from the Mastersizer to a spreadsheet, performing some operations on it, and then pasting the new information back to the Mastersizer. In this way the conformance to the formatting requirements are assured. Pasted result values over writes the existing result and therefore is assumed to be for the current size values.

Dynamic Data Exchange Basic concepts Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) is a protocol which allows applications to exchange data on a real time basis. To perform such exchange, the two participating applications first have to engage in a DDE conversation. The application which initiates the conversation is known as the client application, and the application responding to the client is known as the server. A given application can be engaged in several conversations at the same time and can act as the client in some of them and as the server in others. Information transferred between applications using DDE can be formatted in a number of ways. Some applications may not support all of the formats available. DDE uses the three-level hierarchy application, topic, item to identify a unit of data uniquely. Application is the name of the DDE server. Item is a data object which can be passed in a DDE data exchange. Topic defines the subject of the conversation. After a conversation has started the client application interacts with the server by issuing transactions. When issuing a transaction, the client asks the server to perform a given action. There are six types of transactions: request, advise, unadvise (hot / warm links), poke, execute and terminate. These are permitted only within an initiated conversation. DDE conversations are one-way. The client application is always the one which issues the transactions. If the server wants to issue a transaction to the client, the server is expected to initiate a new

Page 12.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 12 conversation for that purpose. The server becomes the client in the new conversation. (The only exception to the one way rule is the terminate transaction, which can be issued by either the client or the server).

Mastersizer and DDE DDE allows the Mastersizer to communicate with other Windows applications. This can either be in the form of a single communication or an on-going conversation in which the Mastersizer program updates another application after each analysis (known as an advise loop, automatic or hot link). The Mastersizer application can be either client or server. However, certain limitations are imposed in some situations where it is not appropriate for one or other of the functions. The state of any DDE links can be displayed using the menu item View -DDE Links.

Mastersizer server functions As a server the Mastersizer will respond to DDE on terminate, request, execute and connect. Sizer topics are:- data, command, system

Terminate If the Mastersizer receives a DDE terminate command the link with the DDE partner on that channel will be cancelled.

Request Mastersizer items for request are ‘prog’ and any Basic system function. If any of the arrays; Background, Data, MeasureSize, MeasureVolumeIn, are requested without brackets the Mastersizer will yield the whole array. Several special items in conjunction with the topic of “system” will provide, in a DDE request, information on the Mastersizer’s DDE format, topics and items. Item “Topics” will provide a list of available topics. Item “Systems” will provide a list of available system items. ‘Formats’ provides a list of available Mastersizer supported formats. ‘TopicItemList’ will provide a list of supported system items.

Execute If the Mastersizer receives a DDE execute command it will interpret the data sent as a Basic command string.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 12.5

CHAPTER 12

Software Reference Manual Copy Link When Copy Link is selected from the Edit menu the string “’Malvern Sizer’|data!prog” is copied to the clipboard in TEXT format (the Mastersizer application only understands TEXT format). This allows any other application with DDE capability to establish an automatic (hot) or manual (warm) link with the Mastersizer. The topic is always data and the item is always “prog”. In a link of this type the Mastersizer is always the server application. Once a link has been established the Mastersizer will tell any partners that are linked in this way when the data has changed. It is then up to the other application to take the data in a hot link or request it in a warm link. This is generally done via the Paste Link command from the client’s Edit menu. At the end of the analysis in a link of this type a Basic program (by default this is DDELINK.BSC) is run. It is this program which specifies what data is sent across the link. The way this is done is by use of a special string only used for DDE. Anything written to this string is used for data via the DDE.

Mastersizer client functions As a client the Mastersizer uses the DDE Basic commands to control the conversation. For full details of the syntax of these commands please see the DDE command in the Malvern Basic manual. There are four DDE commands available:. DDE Connect This command is used to make the initial connection to another application. The Mastersizer application allows up to 5 conversations at any one time. . DDE Terminate This command allows the Mastersizer application to terminate a DDE conversation. . DDE Poke This command allows the Mastersizer program to send data to the server. . DDE Execute This command is used to send a command to the server.

Example of a Hot Link A hot link was set up between the Malvern program and Microsoft Excel as follows:-

Page 12.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 12 . . . . . .

In Excel select a cell where the information is to be copied. In Mastersizer select Edit. Select Copy Link. In Excel Select Edit. Select Paste Link. In the Mastersizer Software perform an analysis.

When the analysis is complete the spreadsheet will show a column of values. Performing an analysis on a different set of data will update the link automatically and replace the items in the selected cells.

Changing the items in the Hot Link When you use the Mastersizer Copy Link facility this signals that the software should automatically update the hot link at the end of each analysis. It does this by running a Mastersizer Basic program. You are able to change both the name and contents of this program. To select a different program name use the Setup-Messaging... command. In the lowest listbox you can select the program name. By default, the system will use the program DDELINK.BSC supplied with your original software. To change the items in the link you need to understand the contents of this program. The DDELINK program is shown below. It can also be found in Malvern Basic manual. ‘ Program DDELINK.BSC ‘ To print data to Basic string for use with DDE links. ‘ First make sure string is empty Delete String ‘ Copy volume array to string For i = 1 To ResultChannels Print String Using, “#####.#####\r\n”, MeasureVolumeIn ( i ) Next

Link uses a special string to transfer data. It is this string which the program updates. To ensure that only new information is transferred and not new information added to the end of the old, the command Delete String is used first. A new string is then constructed. Each item is added to the string in the format specified. The control characters \r\n are added to produce a CR/LF to separate the items into a column of cells. The items selected are the elements of the MeasureVolumeIn (i) array which represent the percentage volume in bands as analysed by the Mastersizer software.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 12.7

CHAPTER 12

Software Reference Manual Suppose we want to export only d(v, 0.5) and specific surface area and we want to place them in the same row. The items needed are the Malvern functions Percentile (50) and SpecificSurfaceArea. The essential parts of the program become:Delete String Print String, Using, “#####.#####\t”, Percentile (50) Print String, Using, “#####.#####\t”, SpecificSurfaceArea

The control character \t represents a tab and is recognised by Excel to move to the next horizontal cell. For further details of the items which you can select to export, consult the list of Malvern functions in Malvern Basic manual.

Creating a multi-column sheet Dynamic Data Exchange may be used to create multi-column spreadsheets where each column contains the result from a single measurement. This arrangement could be used to do automatic logging of results. (The Mastersizer can also log result directly to a log file on disc or to a remote computer - see the Setup-Messaging command). Information can be inserted directly in a spreadsheet cell using the DDE Poke command. First a link must be started. The following starts a conversation to sheet1 of Excel (which must already have been started). DDE Connect, 1, “Excel”, “Sheet1"

Cells can be inserted with labels for the column headings: Delete String Print String “Record No.” X$="R1C1" DDE Poke, 1, X$

The string “Record No.” is inserted in cell R1C1. Multiple results can then be loaded into a row of cells. Row 1 has the record number and row 2 has the d(v, 0.5) values. For i=1 to N_Results Load Record, i Delete String Print String, Using, “#####\r\n”, i X$ = “r” + Str$ ( 1 ) + “c” + Str$ ( i + 1 ) Dde Poke, 1, X$ Delete String Print String, Using, “#####.###\r\n”, Percentile ( 10 ) X$ = “r” + Str$ ( 2 ) + “c” + Str$ ( i + 1 )

Page 12.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 12 Dde Poke, 1, X$ Next

A complete listing of this program can be found in ‘Creating a Multi-Column Spreadsheet’ in the Malvern Basic manual.

Logging After the calculation of a new result there is an option to call a Basic program to log the results to either a disk file or through a second serial port to a remote computer. The control of logging is through the Setup-Messaging command.

Logging to a disk file The logging programs always create a text file for the log output. This log file is located in the current Data sub-directory. The Setup-Messaging dialogue allows the name of the log file to be changed so that log files may be retained between sessions. When logging to a disk file is started a Basic program is run to create one or more header lines. These headers will generally form the headings for columns of information. The header program is run using the Write Header button on the Setup-Messaging dialogue. After each analysis the log line program is run to add a ‘row’ of information to the log file. At the end of each line there would generally be a carriage return and line feed character and it is normal to use commas or tab characters to separate the ‘columns’ of information. Examples of the default log programs are given in the Malvern Basic manual.

Logging to the serial port Logging to the serial port is similar to logging to a disk file except that there is no named file to write to. In the same way, a header program is run using the Write Header button in the Setup-Messaging dialogue and a line program is run after each result calculation. Logging to the serial port is normally associated with remote control by a second computer. See ‘Remote Operation’ in chapter 13 for more information. Examples of the default log programs are given in the Malvern Basic manual.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 12.9

CHAPTER 12

Page 12.10

Software Reference Manual

M A N

0 1 0 2

Remote operation

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

3

CHAPTER 13

Introduction To select remote control for the Mastersizer simply requires you to use the menu item Control-Remote. There are however some requirements before you do this.

Hardware You will need to communicate with another computer or terminal using a Comms port. The built in Comms port (COM1:) on your Mastersizer computer will normally be allocated to run the optical unit. You will, therefore, need an additional Comms. port. For the sake of this example we will assume it is designated COM2:. If you are using COM3: or COM4: you should modify the following instructions accordingly. If the Comms hardware you are using has switches or jumpers to select address and interrupt settings you should make sure that you have set these correctly. The address setting 278 hexadecimal (632 decimal) is normal. For use with Windows you should select interrupt IRQ 3.

Communications set-up You need to tell the program what settings to use. These may be, to some extent, dictated by the remote computer. See Setup-Hardware for details of setting up the second communications port. The following subjects should be addressed. The handshake mode should match. Using XON / XOFF mode causes the exchange of characters which are used to signal when the unit is ready to accept more data and can be achieved with a two wire connection. Using Hardware handshake requires the handshake lines (DTR / RTS) to be connected. Using no handshaking can result in problems if larger amounts of data are exchanged because the receiving program may be still processing while more data arrives resulting in loss of characters. The Transmit and Receive buffer sizes can normally be left at the default settings. Selecting Echo mode On will send each character back from the Mastersizer program when it is received. You may want this feature to allow checking. If you display the characters on a screen you may prefer to switch echo off. When all settings have been entered select OK.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 13.1

CHAPTER 13

Software Reference Manual

Items transferred While in remote mode the Mastersizer program will not respond to any keyboard or mouse operations on the Malvern computer except the Stop! item in the menu. This will end the remote operation, return to full menu operation and send the message to the remote computer. The program command Remote Abort has exactly the same effect. While in remote mode the Mastersizer program will respond to all request from the remote computer in one of four ways:. For a valid command the system executes the command and then returns the ready message (see below). The delay before the ready message depends on the command requested. For a measurement this can be 30 seconds or more. In an extreme case the command could request a Mastersizer program to run which could take hours! . For an invalid command the Mastersizer returns the message Error (0) :followed by a further explanation. The ready message is then sent. . If the command Print-Remote... is sent the system sends the specified message back and then the ready message. If a program is run containing Print-Remote... or Print-Remote Using... the message will depend on the specific items selected. . If the command Remote Abort is sent the system returns the message and reverts to menu control. To re-establish the link you must select Control Remote again from the Mastersizer. The Ready message may be selected to suit your needs. To set this you need to edit the file SIZER.INI in the Mastersizer main (SIZER) directory. At the end of the [Remote] section you will find the items Header string = Tail string = \013->

You may change these to a message of your own. To enter characters which cannot be typed put the backslash \ followed by the three character ASCII code as in the example above where the Carriage Return character is used.

Logging to a remote computer You can enable automatic logging of a line of results via the RS232 port at the end of a calculation. To do this select the Setup-Messaging item and check the box Enable logging after analysis.

Page 13.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 13 The logging of results is controlled by programs. The two program names shown are for the header which appears in the log file each time logging is enabled and for the content of the logged line which is written after calculation. The programs logfileh and logfilel are standard routines for logging to file. The programs logremh and logreml are standard for logging to remote. You can, of course make copies of these and edit them to change the contents of either log. See section Setup-Messaging for more information on logging and the Mastersizer Basic manual - logging header and logging line - for a listing of the programs.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 13.3

CHAPTER 13

Page 13.4

Software Reference Manual

M A N

0 1 0 2

Customising the software

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

4

CHAPTER 14

Using configuration files The full configuration of the Mastersizer software is stored in an initialisation file (file extension .INI). When supplied this is set to the default file SIZER.INI. If you close down the software and elect to save changes the current configuration will overwrite this original file. You may change this file if you wish. The menu item File-Save Configuration As... allows you to save the current configuration to a file of your choice. Using File-Load Configuration allows you to load a named configuration file from disc. The item Setup-Reset Configuration allows you to recover the Malvern default configuration even if you have over-written SIZER.INI. All these operations leave the current data and result set unaffected. These configuration files may be particularly useful if you operate the Mastersizer in a number of different ways or if it is used by a number of different people. The many choices of hardware and software settings mean that it is quite easy (and annoying) to find that you have made measurements with incorrect settings. At worst you may have to repeat the measurements and even re-printing all the reports with your own choice of formats is time-consuming. To avoid this make the selection of all parameters which you wish to change and then use File-Save Configuration As... to save the whole set-up. Re-loading this configuration will allow you to be sure that all the settings are restored.

Caution. % When you have saved a configuration in this way do not save the configuration again when you close down or your file will become the default and may be overwritten by another user. As an example you may set up one configuration file for use with an Automated Sample Dispersion Unit and a specific presentation for use with liquid suspension measurements and another with a dry powder feeder and a Standard presentation. If you need to keep configuration files for different users you may consider using the security features - see the Security section in chapter 3 for details.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 14.1

CHAPTER 14

Software Reference Manual

Tables and reports The tables, which are displayed in the right hand pane of the Malvern Mastersizer window and which are printed, are each produced by a page description language program. This is a “script” which allows selection of the items to display, text, graphics and the style and size of text. The same language is used to describe the formats of the single page reports. A number of these program are provided with your system and these produce the standard form tables, for example the table of derived diameters, sieves, etc. A description of the items included in these pages is given in chapter 7. You can design your own pages by editing programs yourself. See the Malvern Basic manual for more information.

Changing the Easy Buttons toolbar The buttons in the toolbar below the main menu bar may be changed by the user. This is done using the Control-Easy Buttons command. For more information on changing the buttons see in chapter 8.

Changing the Menus Only two menus can be changed by the user. These are the Control menu and the View menu. With the Control menu you can add items to the end of the menu to run user defined Mastersizer Basic programs. This is done using the Control-Assign Program command. For more information on assigned programs see chapter 8. The View menu can be changed by assigning different page files to the menu. This is done using the Setup-Table command. See chapter 9 for details.

Changing screen colours and fonts Graph colours and fonts The colours used in the graphs may be changed using the Colours button in the Setup-Graph dialogue.

Page 14.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 14 These colours are also used when the graph is printed, so experiment with the colours to make sure they appear correctly on your printer. There is an option in the Graph Colours dialogue which will only show styled graph curves on monochrome printers - Use Line Styles only on Monochrome Devices. Using this option allows solid coloured lines to be used on screen graphs and dotted or dashed lines on the printer. The Setup-Graph dialogue has a Font button which allows the font used on the graph to be changed. This font is used on all axis labels and key labels. A bold version is used for the graph title. See the Edit-Graph Plots command for information on changing the title and key. The Graph Font dialogue also has an option to scale the size of the font - Scale Size with Graph. When this option is set the size of the font will scale with the size of the graph, so if you reduce the size of the Mastersizer window the text on the graph will also reduce in size. Note that the graph copied to the clipboard always has this option set.

Table fonts and background colour Up to four font types may be used in the tables. These are set by using the Setup Font button in the Setup-Table dialogue. See chapter 9 for more information. The same fonts are used on the screen and for printing but the size of the characters may be modified by commands in the page description programs. The background colour for the table window is set in the Setup-Table dialogue. This colour is not used in printing, the printed tables and reports have a white background (assuming you use white paper).

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 14.3

CHAPTER 14

Page 14.4

Software Reference Manual

M A N

0 1 0 2

Advanced measurement features

C

H

A

P

T

E

R

1

5

CHAPTER 15

The intelligent detector In order to understand the powerful advanced features to be described it is necessary, first of all, to introduce the functions of the Intelligent High Speed Detector (IHSD) which manages the measurements in the optical unit. This is shown in the following block diagram. Ch. 0 Amplifier

RS232 Memory

Ch. 1

RS232 RS485 Fibre Optic

Sample & Hold

Processor

I/O Decode Amplifier

Power up Reset

Sample

Signal Select

& Hold MUX

Abort &

ADC

Detectors

Detect Triggers Align Motors

ILL 2001

Input/Output

Signals from the scattered light detectors are captured by the sample and hold circuits. This provides a “snapshot” of the scattered light. This data is converted to a 14 bit digital number. It is then stored in the on-board memory. The data may then be requested by the programme on the main computer for use in a live display or for analysis. Normally such a single sweep of data is not used alone. Instead, a number of sweeps are accumulated in the on-board memory. The timing of the successive sweeps may be generated automatically or may be synchronised to external trigger sources. The data capture, conversion, timing and storage are managed locally by a microprocessor on the IHSD. This microprocessor also controls the motors which adjust the position of the detector. In addition, if one of the Malvern automated sample handling units is installed, the flow of messages to that unit is managed by the microprocessor via the auxiliary COM port. There are also digital I/O lines provided to enable you to control external devices. These may be set and read using commands in the main computer software. See Appendix B for more details of the digital I/O port.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 15.1

CHAPTER 15

Software Reference Manual The Mastersizer Micro and Microplus do not need the external trigger capability and do not have the auxiliary COM port or digital I/O port.

Sequences, experiments, sweeps and triggering. The unit of data collection is the sweep which consists of the single “snapshot” of all detector values. A sweep may be triggered internally by the computer or externally by a sweep trigger signal. A number of sweeps form an experiment. An experiment provides the data for analysis. Experiment #1 Sweep Trigger Sweep #1 Sweep #2

ILL 2002

Sweep #N

The Mastersizer program makes a measurement which usually consists of a single experiment but may be more. Each experiment may be triggered internally by the computer or externally by an experiment trigger signal. (Mastersizer S or X only) Measurement #1 Experiment Trigger Experiment #1 Sweep Trigger Sweep #1 Sweep #2

Sweep #N

ILL 2003

Experiment #2

Experiment #E

Page 15.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 15 Up to 100 experiments may be stored in the IHSD memory. When the measurement consists of a single experiment it is this “first” experiment data in memory which is processed. When multiple experiments have been stored the successive sets of data are handled using the File-Process command. Finally, a sequence of measurements may be set up. This sequence consists not only of the measurement of the data, but also analysis, filing, printing and other post-measurement options. The timing of a measurement sequence is controlled from the main computer software. Measurement Sequence Measurement #1 Experiment Trigger Experiment #1 Sweep Trigger Sweep #1 Sweep #2

Sweep #N

Experiment #2

Experiment #E

Measurement #2

ILL 2004

Measurement #M

Normally a measurement sequence containing a single measurement or repeated measurements and set up from the Setup-Measurement Sequence menu item, is used to perform measurements where timing is not critical, for example when measuring a stable suspension. A repeated sequence, for example following a crystallisation process, where a relatively long time scale change is expected can also be studied in this way. The measurement sequence allows timing to be controlled to the nearest second over periods of many hours. Where fast processes are to be studied, for example in transient spray measurements, the triggered experiments and sweep capabilities of the IHSD allow you to synchronise the measurements to an external source with an accuracy of about 5ms.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 15.3

CHAPTER 15

Software Reference Manual

Spray measurements Continuous sprays with relatively stable time behaviour may be measured in much the same way as stable suspensions. When transient, rapidly changing sprays are used as in, for example, medical sprays and nebulisers or diesel injectors, pulsed spray techniques are more appropriate. To assist with the triggered synchronisation of this type of measurement Malvern supplies a range of pulsed spray accessories. As an example of a spray measurement, consider a measurement requiring 10 droplet size measurements at equal time intervals of 10ms. We require 10 individual sample points in time for our measurement. This means that one experiment is not enough. We could try taking 10 measurements with one experiment per measurement but this would be much too slow. The simplest solution is to split our measurement into 10 experiments with one sweep per experiment. The experiments are externally triggered and the sweeps are internally triggered. This means that we only require one trigger input to the instrument, although it would be perfectly feasible to externally trigger the sweeps as well. The spray and experiments now need to be synchronised so that the spray is triggered first and then after a suitable delay the experiments can be burst triggered. The delayed experiment trigger is connected to a burst pulse generator which has its burst of pulses in this case 10 set to 10ms intervals. With the hardware connected we are ready to make some measurements. The experiment details are entered using the Setup-Experiment dialogue. That is 10 experiments, 1 sweep per experiment. The internal time delay between experiments is not used as we are externally triggering. The measurement window will show a live display until the Start button is pressed. Then a message will appear in the instrument status window indicating that the instrument is waiting for an external trigger. It will also tell us how many experiments it has done. As the instrument receives each experiment trigger the instrument will automatically do 1 sweep and re-prime for the next until it has received 10 such pulses at which point the measurement will cease. As the measurement proceeds the instrument status will be updated with the number of experiments completed. In this case, because the whole measurement only takes 100ms, this is too fast to see. Any more pulses received after the 10th. will have no effect. On completion of the measurement the instrument will have saved the data from the 10 experiments.

Page 15.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 15 The instrument has two external triggered inputs for experiments and sweeps. A third input is an abort signal which can be used to abort a measurement which is externally triggered. There are four output signals associated with the experiment / sweep triggering. These are experiment ready [EREADY], experiment busy [EBUSY], sweep ready [SREADY] and sweep busy [SBUSY]. The EREADY signal enables the experiment trigger input and signals when the instrument can accept an experiment trigger. The EBUSY signal shows when an experiment is taking place. Likewise the SREADY signal enables the sweep trigger and signifies when the instrument will accept a sweep trigger. The SBUSY signals shows when sweeps are taking place. All four signals can be used in conjunction with the trigger outputs to synchronise complex measurements. This example does not use the output signals. The inputs are all open collector, pulled up to 5V and require a negative edge trigger [>10ms]. The output signals are all open collector which may be pulled up to provide a maximum of 30V and are negative true. The relevant pin numbers on the 37 way digital input / output port are:-

Function

Pin number

EREADY

pin 11

EBUSY

pin 30

SREADY

pin 12

SBUSY

pin 31

GND

pin 1

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 15.5

CHAPTER 15

Software Reference Manual

ILL 2006

As another example of a spray measurement using the IHSD see the diagram below.

This shows the results of 34 experiments at intervals of 30ms using a nasal spray. The experiments were burst triggered, as above, and subsequently processed by a Mastersizer Basic program which analysed each experiment and transferred the result to a spreadsheet. The 3-D plot illustrates the time evolution of the droplets. The mean size increases as they coalesce and the total concentration falls due to evaporation.

Pulsed spray synchroniser option The facilities described in this section use the special spray triggering accessory fitted inside the instrument. This facility uses internal timers to make triggered spray measurements. The experiment and sweep intervals may be accurately timed without the aid of external pulse generators. Experiments may also be delayed from the start of a trigger pulse. The digital output capability of the instrument has also been utilised to allow a synchronised pulsed output for use in triggering sprays with pulsed spray measurements. Digital output number 12 has been designated for this purpose. This section describes how to use these functions and in particular leads you through a typical pulsed spray experiment. It also describes various other combinations of experiment settings to help you devise your own measurements.

Page 15.6

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 15 These facilities are utilised by selecting the advanced button in the Setup Experiment dialogue. In this dialogue you will see four edit boxes labelled Experiment delay, Output Pulse, Sweep Interval and Experiment Interval. The Experiment delay allows experiments to be delayed by up to 7280ms in 1 ms increments. The delay may be applied to either the first experiment trigger or all experiments by selecting one of the radio buttons to the right of the Experiment delay box labelled First only and All. The Output Pulse allows the control of sprays to within 5 ms with any time from 0 to 327 seconds. This may also be applied to the first experiment trigger or all experiments by the two radio buttons to the right of the Output Pulse box labelled First only and All. The Sweep and Experiment Interval boxes allow the user to enter any time interval from 0 to 7280 ms in 1ms intervals. A warning is given if the total sweep interval time exceeds the experiment interval. An experiment interval of 4ms or less results in the internal timers being disabled. The instrument will run as fast as possible at about 4ms per experiment. The same will occur to the sweep interval if a time of 2ms or less is entered. The sweep will run at approximately 2ms intervals.

A typical pulsed spray experiment There are several types of experiments which can be performed using the internal timers. The type described here is typically used for a single shot spray where measurements are taken after a delay from the initial trigger and then at equal time intervals from then on. The diagram below shows the pulsed spray measurement set-up. D Laser Beam

Spray Nozzle

Spray Envelope

ILL 2007

S

Let us suppose that we intend to make a measurement to investigate the front edge of a pulsed spray. Referring to the diagram, a spray nozzle is directed at the

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 15.7

CHAPTER 15

Software Reference Manual laser beam. If the spray is pulsed it travels the distance D and the front edge reaches the laser beam in time t1. The length of the spray is S and is pulsed for time t2. Since we do not know when the spray reaches the laser beam we will start taking measurements at the same time as the spray is started. From then on we can sample periodically to take ‘snap-shots’ of the spray to find the front edge. We can use the multiple experiment capability of the instrument to do this. We now return to the computer to set-up the instrument experiment parameters. To do this we select Experiment from the Setup menu. This displays the experiment set-up dialogue which is used to enter all the parameters required to make a measurement. In this measurement we are not using external triggering so both the sweep trigger and experiment trigger are set to internal. For this measurement we will sample every 5 ms for 100 experiments from the start of the spray. In this time frame we will only have 1 sweep per experiment as to have more would invalidate the ‘snap shot’ sample effect we are trying to achieve. For this we enter 1 for the number of sample sweeps and leave the background number as the default value. We also enter 100 in the number of experiments. In this case we are not using obscuration checking so this is disabled. For the rest of the parameters we now select the Advanced button. This displays the advanced section. We will be sampling the spray from the start and so we set the experiment delay to zero. We will find the start of the spray by sampling every 5 ms. To do this we enter 5 in the experiment interval box. Since we only have one sweep per experiment we set the sweep interval to 0. In our measurement our spray will be operated by an electronic solenoid valve. To operate this we can use the pulsed output from the instrument (bit 12 of the digital outputs). We enter 0.1 into the Output Pulse box and select ‘First only’ as the type of output. This ensures that we only get one spray at the start of the measurement which will be 100ms long. We are now ready to make the measurement. Refer to the diagram for the timing of this experiment. In our example t2 = 0. First we must go through the usual alignment and background measurement stages, then do the measure sample stage which should take approximately half a second as we have 100 experiments of 5 ms. The data is now held on the instrument and requires processing. At this stage we do not want to save the data but just to look through each experiment for the rising edge of the spray. To do this we select process from the file menu. Selecting set-up we tick only the calculate box (remembering to have previously set the correct presentation). The view display is set to view data with the graph page occupying the whole Mastersizer window. This ensures a quick redraw of the window after each calculation. The diagram below shows the triggering of an externally triggered experiment.

Page 15.8

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 15 t1 Pulse Output t2

t3

Experiment Trigger

ILL 2008

t1 = Pulse output duration t2 = Experiment delay from trigger t3 = Experiment interval time

When we select instrument in the process dialogue the instrument reports 100 experiments available. We select 1 to 20 experiments to process as we are only interested in the front edge of the spray. Selecting OK we watch as each experiments data is displayed. The first three experiments show nothing. However, by the 4th experiment, the spray is starting to show itself and more data appears by the 5th. By the 6th, the spray has stabilised and from then on we are into the full body of the spray. This shows us that the edge of the spray starts at about 15ms and develops into the full spray by about 20 to 25ms. For this particular measurement the sample rate was rather coarse. Should we require a shorter sample interval between experiments we will have to use a different measurement method. One such method uses a Mastersizer Basic program. An example of this is given in chapter 19 - Advanced Experiment. This is supplied on your hard disc in the PROGRAMS directory. In this programme all the experiment parameters are set up using Basic commands. The difference between this measurement and the last is that only one experiment is used. This is achieved by using a program loop where a measurement has its experiment delay time increased by 1ms each time the loop is executed. After each measurement the result is saved on disc for subsequent calculation.

Internally triggered experiment with external start pulse An internally triggered measurement can be started by an external pulse (Mastersizer S or X only). If external experiment trigger is selected in the Setup Experiment dialogue and an experiment interval greater than 4ms is entered the instrument will wait for an external pulse on the external experiment trigger before starting the measurement. Note that the actual experiment start can still be delayed from the start of the external pulse.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page 15.9

CHAPTER 15

Software Reference Manual The diagram below shows an internally triggered experiment with external start. External Experiment Trigger Pulse t2

t2

t2

t1 = Delay from start of external experiment trigger t2 = Internally generated experiment interval

ILL 2009

t2

t1

Internal Experiment Trigger

Externally triggered experiments The advanced options may also be used in measurements where there are only external triggers (Mastersizer S or X only). The experiment trigger is input and an experiment delay used to offset the actual experiment to some time within a pulsed spray. To do this the experiment trigger is enabled by selecting the external experiment trigger radio button in the Setup Experiment dialogue and 0 is entered in the experiment interval box. Failure to write 0 will result in the first experiment being externally triggered whilst the rest will be internally triggered. The pulse output and experiment delay are enabled for all experiments by selecting the ALL radio button for both. With this method having 100 experiments with one sweep per experiment results in 100 sweeps measured at the same time within 100 pulses of spray. The diagram below shows an externally triggered experiment. External Trigger Pulse t1

t1

t1

t1

Pulse Output

Experiment Trigger

t2

t2

t2

t2

Sweep Trigger

Page 15.10

ILL 2010

t1 = Pulse output time t2 = Experiment delay from trigger

M A N

0 1 0 2

CHAPTER 15

Sweep triggering Sweep triggering, like experiment triggering, can be external or internal. (Mastersizer S or X only) An example of an internally sweep triggered measurement timing diagram is given below. The experiment is internally triggered and has time interval t1. The sweep is also internally triggered and has time interval t2. Note that the condition (n - 1) t2 < t1 must always be true where n is the number of sweeps. The diagram below shows internally triggered sweeps. t1 Experiment Trigger t2 Sweep Trigger

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

ILL 2011

t1 =Experiment interval time t2 = Sweep interval time

M A N U A L

Page 15.11

CHAPTER 15

Page 15.12

Software Reference Manual

M A N

0 1 0 2

Keyboard shortcuts

A

P

P

E

N

D

I

X

A

APPENDIX A

Introduction This appendix lists the keyboard shortcuts that can be used as alternatives to using the Tool Bar buttons or menu items. In the following table the abbreviations below apply. Alt = Alt key. Shift = Shift key. Ctrl = Control key. A ‘+’ sign means that the keys should be pressed together. (The Alt and Ctrl keys act like a shift key in that this key is pressed first and kept depressed while the second key is pressed). Function keys are shown as, for example, F1. Use of the arrow cursor keys to change the graph scaling are shown with the following abbreviations: LArr RArr UArr DArr

= left arrow. = right arrow. = up arrow. = down arrow.

Items in parentheses are default items which may be changed by the user.

Keyboard shortcuts Key

Action

F1

Help Contents.

Shift+F1

Help on next item selected by the mouse.

Alt+F1

Show the Help About dialogue.

F2

Show Setup Measurement Sequence dialogue.

Ctrl+F2

Show Setup Analysis dialogue

Shift+F2

Show Setup Hardware dialogue.

Ctrl+Shift+F2

Show Setup Presentation dialogue.

F3

Show Open File dialogue

Ctrl+F3

Show File Process dialogue.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page A.1

APPENDIX A

Page A.2

Software Reference Manual F4

Start a Measure Sequence.

F5 to F8

Run assigned programs 1 to 4 (Program 1 = Setup All).

Shift+F5 to Shift+F8

Run assigned programs 5 to 8.

Ctrl+F5 to Ctrl+F8

Run assigned programs 9 to 12.

Alt+F5 to Alt+F8

Run assigned programs 13 to 16.

F9

Print a Report.

F11

Show Print dialogue.

F12

Save the Sample in the next record.

Ctrl+C

Clean the Automated Sample Dispersion Unit.

Ctrl+N

Show Documentation dialogue.

Ctrl+A

Measure Align.

Ctrl+B

Measure Background.

Ctrl+I

Measure Inspect.

Ctrl+S

Measure Sample.

Ctrl+L

Calculate Result.

Ctrl+1

Change View to Result 1 (Analysis Result).

Ctrl+2

Change View to Result 2 (Histogram Result).

Ctrl+3

Change View to Result 3 (Derived Diameters).

Ctrl+4

Change View to Result 4 (ASTM E11:61 Sieve Sizes).

Ctrl+5

Change View to Result 5 (BS410:1986 Sieve Sizes).

Ctrl+6

Change View to Result 6 (ISO Sieve Sizes).

Ctrl+7

Change View to Result 7 (Shape Factor correction).

Ctrl+8

Change View to Result 8.

Ctrl+D

Change View to Data.

Ctrl+F

Change View to Fit.

Ctrl+P

Change View to Parameters.

Ctrl+T

Change View to Statistics.

Ctrl+X

Clear the Graph Axes.

M A N

0 1 0 2

APPENDIX A Alt+Shift+G

Show current Setup Graph dialogue.

Alt+Shift+T

Show menu of Table Views.

Alt+Shift+Z

Allow cursor control of the Graph/Table split.

Shift+LArr and Shift+RArr

Move the result size axes.

Ctrl+LArr and Ctrl+RArr

Change the number of cycles in the result size axes.

Ctrl+UArr and Ctrl+DArr

Change the scaling of the Y axis of the graphs.

To Scroll the table page using the keyboard. UArr and Page Up

Scroll the table page up.

DArr and Page Down

Scroll the table page down.

LArr

Scroll the page left.

RArr

Scroll the page right.

When the Basic language table editor is active the table page may be scrolled using the following keys (the arrow keys control the position of the cursor in the editor window). F5

Scroll the page left.

F6

Scroll the page right.

F7

Scroll the table page up.

F8

Scroll the table page down.

When the Size Split option is chosen from the System menu the keyboard may be used to move the window splitter bar. LArr

Move the split position left.

RArr

Move the split position right.

Home

Move the split to the far left (full window table).

End

Move the split to the far right (full window graph).

Enter

End the move of the split position and re-draw the graph and table.

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page A.3

APPENDIX A

Software Reference Manual The Easy Buttons can be controlled from the keyboard using the combination of the Alt and Shift keys with a number. The left-most button is Alt+1 continuing through Alt+9 to Alt+0; the next button, the eleventh, is Alt+Shift+1 and the last button is Alt+Shift+8. If there are no labels below the Easy Buttons turn them on using the Control-Easy Buttons dialogue box.

Page A.4

M A N

0 1 0 2

The Input/Output port

A

P

P

E

N

D

I

X

B

APPENDIX B

The Input/Output port The receiver of the Mastersizer S and X instruments has a 37-way D-type connector on the end panel. Some of the pins of this connector are used for experiment and sweep triggering as explained in ‘Spray Measurements’ in chapter 15. The other pins may be used as a general purpose input/output port. The use of this port is configured by the user and can be accessed using the Basic programming language. The InPort function returns a number controlled by the state of the 16 input lines. The number can be between 0 and 65535. The OutPort command controls the state of the 12 output lines. The command parameter takes values between 0 and 4095. The following table shows the pin connection for the socket.

Output

Pin

Input

Pin

Ground

0

13

0

2

1

1

32

1

21

10

2

14

2

3

19

3

33

3

22

20

4

15

4

4

29

5

34

5

23

6

16

6

5

7

35

7

24

8

17

8

6

9

36

9

25

10

18

10

7

11

37

11

26

12

8

13

27

14

9

15

28

S O F T W A R E

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

Page B.1

APPENDIX B

Software Reference Manual The electrical circuit for a single input and output line is shown below to aid the design of interface electronics. An interface system (MAM2113) is available from Malvern Instruments to buffer the outputs and provide opto-isolated inputs. Output SN7407

+5 V 2K2

HCT245

ILL 2013

Input

Page B.2

M A N

0 1 0 2

Index

INDEX A Access to the instrument Malvern personnel 1-2 Operator 1-3 Supervisor 1-2 Advanced measurement features Intelligent detector 15-1 Sequences, experiments, sweeps and triggering 15-2 Spray measurements 15-4 Alarms 9-50 Align 6-5 Intelligent Align 6-9,9-3, 9-51 Analysis 9-11 Assign Program 8-5 Assigned Menu Items 8-11 Assumed information 1-3 B Background Bitmap Editor Button bar Designing your own buttons C Calculate Result Clean Clipboard Colours Communications set-up Configuration files Control menu Assign Program Assigned Menu Items Record Program Remote Run Program Sample Unit Copy - Data Copy - Graph Copy - Result Copy - Sizes Copy - Table

6-9 2-2 2-4 8-9 6-19 6-2 12-1 14-2 13-1 14-1 8-1 8-5 8-11 8-1 8-10 8-3 8-11 5-2 5-3 5-2 5-3 5-3

S O F T W A R E

Copy Link Copying Table Whole window Graph List of sizes Measured data Program language Result Customising the software Tables and reports D Data DDE Links Derived Diameters Difference Dilution Document Dynamic Data Exchange Basic concepts Hot Link Mastersizer and DDE Mastersizer client functions Mastersizer server functions E Easy Buttons Designing your own buttons Easy mode Edit menu Copy - Data Copy - Graph Copy - Result Copy - Sizes Copy - Table Generate - Results Generate - Sizes Graph Plots Input - Data Input - Points Input - Results Input - Sizes

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

5-4 12-2 12-2 12-1 12-2 12-3 12-3 12-2 14-2 7-10 7-20 7-6 7-17 9-33 6-3 12-4 12-6 12-5 12-6 12-5 8-7 8-9 2-7 5-1 5-2 5-3 5-2 5-3 5-3 5-18 5-20 5-6 5-15 5-13 5-8 5-10

Page 1

INDEX

Software Reference Manual

Paste - Data Paste - Result Shape Factors Edit Program Exit Experiment - setup Experiments Extend a result

5-5 5-5 5-22 8-4 4-24 9-45 15-2 9-21

Presentation generator Input - Data Input - Points Input - Results Input - Sizes Input/Output port Inspect Intelligent Align Intelligent detector

2-2 5-15 5-13 5-8 5-10 B-1 6-12 6-9 15-1

11-3 4-1 4-24 4-11

K Keyboard shortcuts Kill result

A-1 9-20

F File extension File menu Exit Load Configuration Open Sample File and Load Record Print Printer Setup Process Save Configuration As Save Sample Save Sample As File names Filing system Fit

4-1 4-18 4-22 4-15 4-13 4-8 4-8 11-2 11-1 7-12

G Generate - Results Generate - Sizes Graph - setup Data and Fit Graphs Difference Graphs Statistics Graph Graph Plots

5-18 5-20 9-35 9-39 9-41 9-40 5-6

H Hardware Help Help menu Histogram Sizes

9-7 1-6 10-1 7-5

I Icons Bitmap Editor Mastersizer program icon

Page 2

2-2 2-1

L Load Configuration Logging Logging to a disk file Logging to a remote computer Logging to the serial port M Mastersizer program icon Mastersizer screen SEE Screen Measure menu Align Background Calculate Result Clean Document Inspect Sample Start Sequence Measurement Sequence Menu bar Menu commands Menu mode Messaging Modes of operation Easy mode Menu mode Program mode

4-11 12-9 13-2 12-9 2-1

6-1 6-5 6-9 6-19 6-2 6-3 6-12 6-17 6-1 9-1 2-3 1-5 2-7 9-54 2-7 2-7 2-7

M A N

0 1 0 2

INDEX N New Axes

7-20

O Obscuration Open Sample File and Load Record Other reading Output/Input port

6-13 4-1 1-9 B-1

P Parameters Paste - Data Paste - Result Pasting New data New result Presentation Presentation generator Print Printer Setup Problems Process Processing Program group Program mode

12-3 12-4 9-22 2-2 4-18 4-22 1-8 4-15 9-5 2-1 2-7

R Record contents Record Program Remote Reset Configuration Result Modification Run Program

11-4 8-1 8-10 9-58 9-15 8-3

S Sample Sample files and records Sample Unit Save Configuration As Save Sample Save Sample As Screen Splitter bar Button bar

7-15 5-5 5-5

6-17 11-4 8-11, 9-31 4-13 4-8 4-8 2-2 2-6 2-4

S O F T W A R E

Graph pane Menu bar Status bar Table pane Security Levels Sequences Setup menu Alarms Analysis Dilution Experiment Graph Hardware Measurement Sequence Presentation Reset Configuration Sample Unit Table Shape correction Shape Factors Sieves Software Introduction Software screen SEE Screen Splitter bar Spray measurements Externally triggered experiments Internally triggered experiment with external start pulse Pulsed spray synchroniser option Sweep triggering Typical pulsed spray experiment Start Sequence Statistics Sweeps System Controllers Security Access dialogue Systems covered

R E F E R E N C E

M A N U A L

2-5 2-3 2-6 2-5 3-2 3-3 15-2 9-1 9-50 9-11 9-33 9-45 9-35 9-7 9-1 9-22 9-58 9-31 9-42 9-20 5-22 7-8 2-1

2-6, 3-7 15-10 15-9 15-6 15-11 15-7 6-1 7-13 15-2 3-3 1-1

Page 3

INDEX

Software Reference Manual

T Table - setup Table pane Title bar (or caption) Transform a result Triggering

9-42 2-5 2-3 9-21 15-2

V View - Data View - DDE Links View - Difference View - Fit View - New Axes View - Parameters View - Result 1 - Analysis Sizes View - Result 2 - Histogram Sizes View - Result 3 - Derived Diameters View - Result 4 and 5 - Sieves View - Result 6 - Shape Factor View - Statistics View menu Analysis Sizes Data DDE Links Derived Diameters Difference Fit Histogram Sizes Parameters Shape Factor Sieves Statistics

7-10 7-20 7-17 7-12 7-20 7-15 7-3 7-5 7-6 7-8 7-9 7-13 7-1 7-3 7-10 7-20 7-6 7-17 7-12 7-5 7-15 7-9 7-8 7-13

W Where to find information Wild cards Windows clipboard Windows system menu Windows terms

1-5 11-2 12-1 3-1 1-3

Page 4

M A N

0 1 0 2