Canberra iMatic Automatic LB User manual

iMatic™
Automatic LB
System
9239221
K V1.26 User’s Manual

Copyright 2017, Mirion Technologies (Canberra), Inc .
All rights reserved.
The material in this document, including all information, pictures,
graphics and text, is the property of Mirion Technologies (Canberra),
Inc. and is protected by U.S. copyright laws and international copyright
conventions.
Mirion Technologies (Canberra) expressly grants the purchaser of this
product the right to copy any material in this document for the
purchaser’s own use, including as part of a submission to regulatory or
legal authorities pursuant to the purchaser’s legitimate business needs.
No material in this document may be copied by any third party, or used
for any commercial purpose or for any use other than that granted to the
purchaser without the written permission of Mirion Technologies
(Canberra), Inc.
Mirion Technologies (Canberra), Inc., 800 Research Parkway, Meriden,
CT 06450 Tel: [phone] FAX: [phone]
http://www.canberra.com/.
The information in this document describes the product as accurately as
possible, but is subject to change without notice.
Printed in the United States of America.
For technical assistance, call our Customer Service Hotline at
1-800-255-6370 or email [e-mail].
iMatic, iLink and iSeries are trademark of Mirion Technologies, Inc.
and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.
PIPS is a registered trademark Mirion Technologies, Inc. and/or its
affiliates in the United States and/or other countries

Table of Contents
1. Introduction .................................................................................... 1
About this Manual..........................................................................................................................1
Typographic Conventions...............................................................................................................2
2. Getting Started ............................................................................... 3
Turning on the iMatic.....................................................................................................................3
Power ON Options.....................................................................................................................3
Demo/Troubleshooting Mode.........................................................................................................4
Front Panel Controls.......................................................................................................................6
Power and Battery Indicators.....................................................................................................7
Display.......................................................................................................................................8
View...........................................................................................................................................8
Print............................................................................................................................................8
Arrow Keys................................................................................................................................9
Numeric Keypad......................................................................................................................11
Enter, Cancel, and Setup Keys.................................................................................................11
Sample Changer Control Keys.................................................................................................11
Count Key (Count/Pause/Resume) ..........................................................................................12
Halt...........................................................................................................................................12
Rear Panel Controls and Connectors............................................................................................13
Sample Changer............................................................................................................................14
Loading Sample Carriers..........................................................................................................15
Uninterruptible Power Supply......................................................................................................16
3. Setup Menu................................................................................... 17
Delete Data...................................................................................................................................18
Set Security Level.........................................................................................................................18
Define Procedure..........................................................................................................................20
Procedure Name.......................................................................................................................
21
Select Calibration.....................................................................................................................22
Unk Sample Diameter..............................................................................................................22
Select Report............................................................................................................................23
Count Time ..............................................................................................................................24
Sample Iterations......................................................................................................................24
Count Presets............................................................................................................................25
Activity Units...........................................................................................................................26
Action Limits ...........................................................................................................................27
Method Blank Enable...............................................................................................................28
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K i

Group Iterations .......................................................................................................................29
System Information ......................................................................................................................30
Unit ID .....................................................................................................................................30
Unit Serial Number..................................................................................................................31
Display All Unique IDs............................................................................................................31
Display MAC Address.............................................................................................................32
View DAQ BD Parameters......................................................................................................33
Version Information.................................................................................................................33
Setup Printer.................................................................................................................................34
Character/Line..........................................................................................................................34
Left Margin..............................................................................................................................35
Lines/Pages ..............................................................................................................................35
Top Margin ..............................................................................................................................36
Bottom Margin.........................................................................................................................36
LPT Timeout............................................................................................................................37
Define Report ...............................................................................................................................37
Edit Title ..................................................................................................................................41
Select Field...............................................................................................................................41
Clear Last.................................................................................................................................42
Print..........................................................................................................................................43
Group Summary.......................................................................................................................43
Print Header .............................................................................................................................44
Define Std Source.........................................................................................................................44
Select User Source ...................................................................................................................45
Half-life (Days)........................................................................................................................46
Source Calibration Date...........................................................................................................46
Source Calibration Month ................................................................................................47
Source Calibration Day ....................................................................................................47
Source Calibration Year ...................................................................................................48
Source Calibration Time..........................................................................................................48
Source Calibration Hour...................................................................................................48
Source Calibration Minute................................................................................................49
Source Calibration Second ...............................................................................................49
Detector Parameters......................................................................................................................50
Guard Det HV..........................................................................................................................50
Guard Det Threshold................................................................................................................51
Guard Det Serial Number.........................................................................................................52
Sample Det HV........................................................................................................................52
Sample Det Threshold..............................................................................................................53
Sample Det Serial Number.......................................................................................................54
Sample Det Gain Proc..............................................................................................................54
ii iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Define Calibrations.......................................................................................................................55
Edit Cal Name..........................................................................................................................57
Bkg Cal Parameters..................................................................................................................58
αEff Cal Parameters................................................................................................................59
βEff Cal Parameters................................................................................................................60
Auto Cal Sequence Start ..........................................................................................................60
Define QC Procedures..................................................................................................................61
Select QC Reference................................................................................................................62
Daily Bkg Parameters ..............................................................................................................62
Daily αEff Parameters ............................................................................................................63
Daily βEff Parameters.............................................................................................................64
Set Date/Time...............................................................................................................................65
Set Day (of Week)....................................................................................................................65
Set Month.................................................................................................................................65
Set Year....................................................................................................................................66
Set Hour ...................................................................................................................................66
Set Minute................................................................................................................................66
Set Second................................................................................................................................67
Define Users.................................................................................................................................67
Auto - restack ...............................................................................................................................68
Timed Count.................................................................................................................................68
Clear QC Log ...............................................................................................................................69
Data Output Setup ........................................................................................................................70
Output Modes...........................................................................................................................70
Output Configuration...............................................................................................................71
Printer Enable...........................................................................................................................
72
Set Analysis Parameters ...............................................................................................................72
Setup Test Pulser..........................................................................................................................73
Pulser Amplitude......................................................................................................................73
Pulser On/Off...........................................................................................................................74
4. Display Menu................................................................................ 75
5. View Menu .................................................................................... 76
Sample Data..................................................................................................................................76
Calibration Data............................................................................................................................78
QC Data Display...........................................................................................................................79
6. Print Menu .................................................................................... 80
Print Most Recent Group..............................................................................................................80
Print All Groups ...........................................................................................................................81
Print Selected Group/Report.........................................................................................................81
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K iii

Print System Reports....................................................................................................................82
A. Calibrating the System ................................................................ 84
Entering Calibration Source Information .....................................................................................85
Selecting Output Mode.................................................................................................................86
Modifying Calibration Procedures ...............................................................................................86
Measuring Alpha and Beta Backgrounds and Efficiencies ..........................................................88
B. Counting Samples........................................................................ 90
C. System QC Charts ....................................................................... 91
QC Chart Reference......................................................................................................................91
QC Warnings................................................................................................................................91
QC Lockout ..................................................................................................................................92
D. Optimizing the CANBERRA iSERIES for Air Sample Counting 93
iSERIES Algorithm......................................................................................................................93
Testing the Algorithm..............................................................................................................94
Potential Problems ...................................................................................................................94
Firmware Versions...................................................................................................................94
Gain Calibration ...............................................................................................................95
Analysis Calibrations........................................................................................................97
Sample Distance...............................................................................................................98
Sample Analysis Delay.....................................................................................................99
Count Time.......................................................................................................................99
Sample Collection Time.................................................................................................100
Filter Media Selection ....................................................................................................102
Regions...........................................................................................................................104
Uncertainty of the Measurement ....................................................................................104
Manual Gain Adjust .......................................................................................................105
Radon Stripping Verification Tests................................................................................112
E. Updating iMatic Firmware.......................................................... 113
Setting Up HyperTerminal .........................................................................................................113
Using the Flash Loader Utility ...................................................................................................115
F. System Installation .................................................................... 119
Items Required............................................................................................................................119
Site Selection..............................................................................................................................120
Physical Requirements...........................................................................................................120
AC Power Source...................................................................................................................121
Preparation..................................................................................................................................121
Installation of Unit......................................................................................................................122
Mounting the System .............................................................................................................122
iv iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Installing the Sample Mast.....................................................................................................124
Installing the Lead Shield.......................................................................................................124
Installing the Detector............................................................................................................129
Installing the Cabinets............................................................................................................133
Installing the Monitor Support Arm.......................................................................................134
Installing the Batteries............................................................................................................136
Installing the Printer Shelf .....................................................................................................137
Connecting the System...............................................................................................................138
AC Voltage ............................................................................................................................138
AC Power Connection............................................................................................................138
G. Technical Reference .................................................................. 139
Cleaning the PIPS Detector........................................................................................................139
Battery Care................................................................................................................................140
Nickel Metal Hydride Battery................................................................................................140
Memory Backup Battery........................................................................................................140
Protected Memory Corruption....................................................................................................141
iLink ...........................................................................................................................................142
Barcode Reader ..........................................................................................................................142
H. Specifications............................................................................. 143
Performance................................................................................................................................143
Physical.......................................................................................................................................144
Environmental ............................................................................................................................144
Rear Panel Connections..............................................................................................................145
Accessories Supplied..................................................................................................................145
I. Installation Considerations ....................................................... 146
J. FCC Notice ................................................................................. 147
Index ................................................................................................. 149
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K v

Important Safety Considerations
Read Carefully
General Safety
Indicates warning of mains or high voltage present at output labeled HV.
Risk of electrical shock if covers are removed.
Caution – risk of danger. Refer to documentation for detailed explanation of caution
symbol wherever marked.
Earth tree symbol – indicates the connection point for the primary earth (ground)
supply.
Product complies with appropriate current EU directives.
Product complies with appropriate current FCC (UL)/CSA 61010-1 directives.
Mechanical Safety: Caution – risk of injury due to moving parts.
Personal Safety: Protective gear is required.
Environmental Safety: Caution surfaces hot/cold.
Manufacturer's Address
Mirion Technologies (Canberra), Inc.
800 Research Parkway
Meriden, CT. 06450
vi iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

About this Manual
1. Introduction
A traditional approach for determining the activity of
long-lived radionuclides
present in air is based on sampling a
measured volume of air through a filter, thus collecting
radioactive dust particulate, and measuring the filter at a later
time with an alpha spectrometer. The natural presence of
Radon (222Rn) and Thoron (220Rn) gas in the atmosphere
represents a significant problem when trying to rapidly
quantify such an activity (e.g. without waiting for the
Radon/Thoron signatures to decay). Alpha particles resulting
from the decay of the daughters of the Radon/Thoron
isotopes down scatter into the lower energy region of the
spectrum where signals indicative of the presence of
long-lived radionuclides would be detected. It is this
interference that must be determined and corrected for. The
Canberra iMatic instrument is an automated single-detector
counting system for the measurement of low-level alpha and
beta radiation. The system utilizes a series of algorithms to
evaluate the Radon/Thoron contributions to the spectrum to
dramatically improve the signal to noise ratio of the
long-lived alpha emitting radionuclides.
Figure 1 iMatic Automatic LBCS
About this Manual
This manual contains the following chapters and appendices:
Chapters
The Chapters are divided into the following arrangement.
Chapter 1, Introduction, (this chapter) is an introduction to the manual.
Chapter 2, Quick Start, gives a brief introduction to the iMatic front and rear
panel controls.
Chapters 3 through 6 describe in detail how to use the Setup, Display, View, and
Print menus.
Appendices
The appendices offer useful information not usually needed in day-to-day operation.
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K 1

Chapter 1 Introduction
Typographic Conventions
Names of Keys on the Keyboard
The names of keyboard keys as they usually appear on the keyboard and are seen in
small capital letters (for example, ENTER or ESCAPE).
User Entries
Text you are expected to type in is shown in Courier New (monospaced style)
type.
File Names/Path Names
Names of files and directory path names are shown in Arial (C:\GENIE2K).
Soft Keys/Buttons
Soft keys/buttons are shown in Special Bold type.
Titles
Titles of books and of manual chapters and section are shown in italics.
Emphasis of Text
Italics is used to emphasize text.
Notes
Note: Indicates supplementary information that may be of interest.
Reference Designators
Letters that appear within square brackets [] refer to reference designators on the
assembly drawings.
2 iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Turning on the iMatic
2. Getting Started
This chapter covers how to turn on the iMatic as well as a brief overview of the front
and rear panel controls, and the function of the automated sample changer.
Turning on the iMatic
The iMatic’s power switch (1/0) controls power to the instrument. Power is enabled
when the switch is in the “1” position and disabled when the switch is in the “0”
position. The power switch is located on the lower-right rear of the system. The Power
LED glows when the instrument is powered.
Power ON Options
You can choose from three power on options upon initialization of the unit. To access
the power on options, you must hold the Cancel key and cycle power on. A System
Initialization menu is displayed with the following choices:
1 Cancel
2 System Reset
3 System Master Clear
At this point you must move the cursor to the desired selection (or leave it at the
default) and then press Enter. Note that pressing the Cancel key has no effect at this
point. The only way to continue is to press Enter after making a selection.
Cancel
This selection will allow the iMatic to boot up normally, without clearing any data or
resetting any procedure definitions. This selection effectively cancels the system
initialization process as if the Cancel key was not pressed during power up.
System Reset
A confirmation screen will be presented allowing you a choice between executing the
system reset or continuing the power on process with no system reset. This selection
sets all calibration, procedure, user, report, and source definitions to their defaults. All
previous user entered definitions will be lost. All calibration, sample, and quality
control data will be cleared. This selection should be executed after all firmware
downloads or in the event of a system failure. Amplifier gain, sample and guard
detector parameters, and parameter unique IDs will be retained. A confirmation screen
follows this selection.
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K 3

Chapter 2 Getting Started
System Master Clear
This selection clears or resets all of the items as described in the system reset, and the
following parameters:
Detector gain is cleared requiring the detector auto gain procedure to be run before
any data may be taken.
Sample and guard detector voltages are reset to 0 volts.
All system unique ID values are reset. Care should be taken after executing a
System Master Clear on an iMatic used in conjunction with iLink™, since there
may now be duplicate keys used to identify procedures, calibrations, data samples,
etc. in iLink.
The date and time of day are reset to 12:00 am, January 1, 2000.
A confirmation screen follows this menu selection allowing you an opportunity to
abort. The system will default to the System Master Clear reset without providing the
System Initialization menu if the battery backed up RAM is corrupted or if the RAM
battery has failed or is removed.
Demo/Troubleshooting Mode
The iMatic contains a statistically random pulser that can be used to test and train users
on the system without the use of radioactive sources. The demo mode is entered by
turning the main power switch off and then turning the power back on while holding
the Count button down. The front panel display will indicate that the system is in
Demo mode. When in this mode, all sample counts are generated by the pulser.
Background, efficiency, and user procedures can all be run as though there were real
samples in the system. The Demo mode is exited by turning the main power switch off
and then back on.
Background Calibrations and Daily Background QC Checks
When in the demo mode and performing a Background Calibration or Daily
Background QC Check, the pulser produces a spectrum with a statistical distribution
similar to that of an actual background measurement.
α
Efficiency Calibrations and
α
Daily Efficiency QC Checks
When in the demo mode and performing an αEfficiency Calibration or αDaily
Efficiency QC Check, the pulser produces a spectrum with a statistical distribution
similar to that of an actual 241Am efficiency measurement and a counting rate of 35% of
the decay-corrected rate of the selected calibration source.
4 iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Demo/Troubleshooting Mode
β
Efficiency Calibrations and
β
Daily Efficiency QC Checks
When in the demo mode and performing a βEfficiency Calibration or βDaily
Efficiency QC Check, the pulser produces a spectrum with a statistical distribution
similar to that of an actual Sr/90Y efficiency measurement and a counting rate of 25%
of the decay-corrected rate of the selected calibration source.
User Procedure
When in the demo mode and performing a User Procedure measurement, the pulser
produces a spectrum with the following statistical distributions and counting rates:
Procedure A
Procedure A produces a 235U spectrum at a typical counting rate of 1000 cpm.
Procedure B
Procedure B produces a spectrum consisting of 235U with a typical counting rate of
100 cpm mixed a Radon/Thoron background with a typical counting rate of 1000
cpm.
Procedure C
Procedure C produces a 210Pu spectrum at a typical counting rate of 1000 cpm.
Procedure D
Procedure D produces a spectrum consisting of 210Pu with a typical counting rate
of 100 cpm mixed a Radon/Thoron background with a typical counting rate of
1000 cpm.
Procedure E
Procedure E produces a AmCm spectrum at a typical counting rate of 1000 cpm.
Procedure F
Procedure F produces a spectrum consisting of AmCm with a typical counting rate
of 100 cpm mixed a Radon/Thoron background with a typical counting rate of
1000 cpm.
Procedure G
Procedure G produces a spectrum consisting of 235U with a typical counting rate of
1000 cpm mixed a Radon/Thoron background with a typical counting rate of 1000
cpm.
Procedure H
Procedure H produces a spectrum consisting of 210Pu with a typical counting rate
of 1000 cpm mixed a Radon/Thoron background with a typical counting rate of
1000 cpm.
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K 5

Chapter 2 Getting Started
Procedure I
Procedure I produces a spectrum consisting of AmCm with a typical counting rate
of 1000 cpm mixed a Radon/Thoron background with a typical counting rate of
1000 cpm.
Procedure J
Procedure J produces a Radon/Thoron background spectrum with a typical
counting rate of 1000 cpm.
Front Panel Controls
The iMatic is completely controlled via front panel keys and a liquid crystal display
(LCD). The keys are color-coded and logically grouped. Count data is displayed on the
LCD. See Figure 2.
Figure 2 iMatic Front Panel and Display
6 iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Front Panel Controls
When you first turn on the unit the iMatic’s home screen is displayed:
19Jan2005 09:50:32
Press <Setup>
or
Press <Count> to Begin
Automatic Operation
Power and Battery Indicators
The Power and Battery LEDs are used to indicate the power source and battery status.
When batteries are present, the LCD Battery Indicator shows the charge state of the
batteries.
External DC power and charged batteries:
•Power LED is green
•Battery LED is off
•LCD Battery indicator is solid and non-flashing
External DC power is absent:
•Power LED is yellow
•Battery LED is green until the battery level discharges to the low power
battery threshold at which time the Battery LED flashes yellow.
•The LCD Battery indicator is solid and non-flashing with fully charged
batteries, and progressively shows lower battery charge as the batteries
discharge.
External DC power is applied and discharged batteries are being charged:
•Power LED is green
•Battery LED is off
•LCD Battery Indicator flashes showing battery charge level. When batteries
are fully charged, the LCD Battery Indicator becomes a ‘fully charged’ battery
that is not flashing.
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K 7

Chapter 2 Getting Started
LCD Battery Indicator
The LCD Battery indicator shows the state of the charged battery from having a low
charge to being fully charged as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 Battery Indicator
The batteries are notfully charged until the battery indicator stops flashing. Full charge
takes about 12 hours and typical battery life is 6 to 8 hours. The batteries are always
being charged when the unit is powered from external power and the charge time is not
dependent on whether or not the unit is operating.
The unit can be operated from external DC power without batteries installed, however
the unit does not indicate the absence of batteries.
Display
The Display key is used to adjust the display contrast and viewing angle for the best
visibility. The Display key is only active when the iMatic system is idle. See the
chapter Display Menu starting on page 75 for more details.
View
The View key is used to view the calibration, QC, and sample data. See the chapter
View Menu starting on page 76 for more details.
Print
From the Print key, the system provides several print functions. These allow you to
print a report from the most recent group, all groups, select a specific group and report,
and system and procedure reports. See the chapter Print Menu starting on page 80 for
more details.
8 iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Front Panel Controls
Arrow Keys
The arrow keys are located to the right of the LCD display. The arrow keys provide a
means to navigate through the menu system. These keys also allowselection of display
information during a sample count and alphanumeric characters.
Selecting Alphanumeric Characters
During the operation of the iMatic, there are locations where alphanumeric characters
can be entered. The procedure name, standard name, reports name, and activity units
are some of the user definable information that may require special alphanumeric
identification. Each field is initialized with factory default information that may be
modified by you to customize the system to satisfy specific requirements.
Entering an Alphanumeric Name
1. When the text field is displayed, the cursor “_” will be located under the first
character in the field.
2. Each character may be modified independently. To modify a particular
character, press the Right/Left arrow keys to position the cursor under the
character to modify.
3. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to scroll through the lower case and upper case
alphabetical characters, special characters, and numerals. See Table 1.
4. When the desired character is located, release the arrow key.
5. Repeat this process for eachcharacter until the desired text has been displayed.
6. Press the Enter key to accept.
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K 9

Chapter 2 Getting Started
Table 1 Alphanumeric Characters
A a -
B b /
C c α
D d δ
E e β
F f Σ
G g 0
H h 1
I
l
2
J
j
3
K
k
4
L
l
5
M m 6
N n 7
O o 8
P p 9
Q q
R r
S s
T t
U u
V v
W
w
X
x
Y
y
Z z
10 iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K

Front Panel Controls
Numeric Keypad
An 11-key numeric keypad is used to provide data entry.
Enter, Cancel, and Setup Keys
Special function keys to confirm data entry and to cancel an operation are provided. A
special key that allows you to enter the System Setup is located on the front control
panel.
Special key function
Enter
The Enter key allows you to confirm data entry. In Procedure definition, this key
serves to enter the defined or new data and automatically advance to the next
question. The Enter key is disabled during counting.
Cancel
The Cancel key has several different functions. During counting, the Cancel key
stops counting. You can choose to delete or store data.
When used during system programming or data entry, the Cancel key allows you
to return to the previous menu of a submenu.
Setup
The Setup key allows you to enter into the main system menu. The Setup menu
provides access to many other functions including; editing count procedures,
security, printer setup, data entry of calibration standards, and other functions.
Sample Changer Control Keys
The Sample Changer Control Keys allow manual control of the system’s sample
changer movement. The Sample Changer Control Keys are only functional when the
system is in the static state, which is indicated by the home screen on page 7 being
displayed on the LCD screen.
In
The In key allows the sample slide to be manually inserted into the lead shield
assembly. The In key is disabled during counting or system setup.
Out
The Out key allows the sample slide to be manually extracted from the lead shield
assembly. The Out key is disabled during counting or system setup.
iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K 11

Chapter 2 Getting Started
Next
The Next key advances the sample changer to the next sample. The Next key is
disabled during counting or system setup.
Previous
The Previous key reverses the sample changer to the previous sample. The Previous
key is disabled during counting or system setup.
Group
The Group key advances the sample changer to the next counting group. The Group
key is disabled during counting or system setup.
Restack
The Restack key causes the sample changer to move all of the sample carriers to the
right-hand “send” stack. The Restack key is disabled during counting or system setup.
Count Key (Count/Pause/Resume)
The Count key initiates the automated counting of the samples. The sample changer
advances until the first Group Plate is encountered and then begins counting the
samples based on the Group Plate procedure. The Count key also serves as a
count/pause key. Once the sample is counting, pressing the Count key will pause the
count. Press the Count key to resume the count without resetting the system.
Halt
The Halt key immediately stops any movement of the system’s sample changer. It is
the only key that will be recognized while the changer is moving during execution of
an automatic procedure (for example, locating a carrier for a calibration or QC
procedure, or locating the next carrier in a user procedure). The system will prompt the
user to press a key to acknowledge the Halt key. Depending on the operation, the user
may then be prompted to press keys that will allow the procedure to be canceled or
continued.
During a Restack or Group operation, the user may use the menu system while the
changer is moving. Pressing the Halt key will stop the changer but will not prompt for
an acknowledgment.
12 iMatic Automatic Counting System User's Manual - 9239221K