IMPULSE version announcements

[Sesselmann]

Impulse v2.2.8 Released today

• Fixed serial communication issues affecting ATOM and GS Max devices

• Fixed issue where .csv failed to export when filename exists.

Get the latest version here..., and remember to report all bugs.

https://github.com/ssesselmann/impulse/releases

[Rob Tayloe]

Steven,
Impulse 2.2.8 was downloaded, installed on a macbook pro and win 11 pc, and successfully used with a GS-MAX-8000 and NaI detector with several sources. The high voltage could be easily changed to the desired setting.

I would also like to offer some further observations, comments, and suggestions regarding Impulse.
My personal preference is for Impulse settings and saved data to be located in a user specified location. At present csv files are located in the downloads folder along with screen captures; this is my preferred location as a temporary storage folder. Impulse creates several other folders upon execution. One of these contains spectra data and settings and a folder "i" with archival spectra; these data are in the user area under "impulse_data_2.0". My preference is to have data in a user specified folder. I would prefer the archival spectra to be made available as a user option (or not). One of the Impulse created folders is in a hidden location. A user must allow hidden folders to be viewed to delete this information. The hidden folder is created (in my case) in C:\Users\rob\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI46362\assets . My preference is for this folder to be located in a user specified location. Information in the AppData location is typically hidden in Windows.

In the command window opened upon execution of Impulse on a pc a number of script commands are shown. A number of these appear to result in error messages (see attachment). I do not know if these messages are significant as Impulse appears to operate successfully.

When executing Impulse on a pc with the GS-MAX-8000 the set-up is somewhat different than for the GS-USB-Pro. For the GS-MAX-8000, I selected the "com3" device rather than the USB audio as would be the case for the GS-USB-Pro. For the GS-USB-Pro I typically select a high sample rate, high sample size, higher number of pulses to sample, and higher buffer size than the default. It is unclear as to the necessity of altering these settings (other than device) for the GS-MAX-8000. For the GS-MAX-8000 one has the opportunity to "input commands to device". This is where I set the high voltage on the GS-MAX-8000 via the "-Uxxx" command; this is an iterative process as one can not directly set a voltage, but rather uses a three digit integer from 000 to 255. At this time it is unclear as to best values to select for other commands; I left the default values alone and was able to acquire spectra. Selected screen capture images follow.

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[Sesselmann]

My personal preference is for Impulse settings and saved data to be located in a user specified location. At present csv files are located in the downloads folder along with screen captures; this is my preferred location as a temporary storage folder. Impulse creates several other folders upon execution. One of these contains spectra data and settings and a folder "i" with archival spectra; these data are in the user area under "impulse_data_2.0". My preference is to have data in a user specified folder.

This is correct, Impulse currently creates a directory called "impulse_data_2.0" in your home directory, inside this directory are a couple of subdirectories containing the isotope libraries. This is the only directory created by impulse.

The other directory you referred to "assets" is a temporary python dash-plotly directory containing css files for rendering the text and images correctly in the browser.

In the current version I have defaulted the data directory to the users home directory, because it is consistent across all platforms, however it is certainly possible to add a user defined path field to the settings.

I would prefer the archival spectra to be made available as a user option (or not).

The spectrum archive lives on the web, not on your pc. and it is already optional, none of your spectra are shared on the public server unless you specifically apply for and obtain an API and after this you still have to click "PUBLISH" and agree to share your spectrum. This public database will become valuable for researchers who may want to study a spectrum of an isotope they don't have access to. I also see a possibility that this data can be used to train A.I.

One of the Impulse created folders is in a hidden location. A user must allow hidden folders to be viewed to delete this information. The hidden folder is created (in my case) in C:\Users\rob\AppData\Local\Temp\_MEI46362\assets . My preference is for this folder to be located in a user specified location. Information in the AppData location is typically hidden in Windows.

As mentioned above this is a necessary python system folder, it is in a tmp directory and I have no control over it.

In the command window opened upon execution of Impulse on a pc a number of script commands are shown. A number of these appear to result in error messages (see attachment). I do not know if these messages are significant as Impulse appears to operate successfully.

The command line window is only visible when running impulse on Windows, for all intents and purposes you can just minimise it and ignore it, however it can be useful for identifying an error. Occasionally it will display some warnings, these are mostly non fatal errors that appear if the program tries to do something it can't. There are more graceful ways to handle this in the code and it will improve in future versions.

When executing Impulse on a pc with the GS-MAX-8000 the set-up is somewhat different than for the GS-USB-Pro. For the GS-MAX-8000, I selected the "com3" device rather than the USB audio as would be the case for the GS-USB-Pro. For the GS-USB-Pro I typically select a high sample rate, high sample size, higher number of pulses to sample, and higher buffer size than the default.

Yes that's correct, Impulse works with both audio and serial devices, so there are a bunch of inputs and text which is specific to the device. The way this works is, all audio ports are assigned numbers < 100 and all serial ports are assigned a number >= 100, so when you select an audio port and refresh your browser, only audio device fields become visible, serial device fields are simply hidden, and obviously vice versa. This includes the manual on tab6, only text relevant to your selected device is shown.

It is unclear as to the necessity of altering these settings (other than device) for the GS-MAX-8000. For the GS-MAX-8000 one has the opportunity to "input commands to device". This is where I set the high voltage on the GS-MAX-8000 via the "-Uxxx" command; this is an iterative process as one can not directly set a voltage, but rather uses a three digit integer from 000 to 255. At this time it is unclear as to best values to select for other commands; I left the default values alone and was able to acquire spectra. Selected screen capture images follow.

The GS-MAX-8000 is not the only device compatible with Impulse, so it is therefore not straight forward to add a simple voltage slider or dial. That said it should be simple to adjust the voltage, just remember that for the GS-MAX-8000 one voltage step is around 8 Volts.

-U000 ~ 400V
-U010 ~ 480V
-U020 ~ 560V
etc...
-U255 ~2500V

[Rob Tayloe]

Steven,

Thank you for providing clarifications to Impulse's use. I am enjoying experimenting with this program and I look forward to the continued improvements.

[Sesselmann]

Impulse MCA v2.3.0

Okay...okay...okay, I hear you, v2.2.9 was a dudd 👎

For those of you who wasted time quitting or restarting because the darn program froze.... I'm sorry 😢

The sun 🌞 is shining and we have Impulse v2.3.0 released today... 👍

https://github.com/ssesselmann/impulse/releases

Please keep me posted on bugs and suggestions for improvements and I shall get on to it..

Steven

[Sesselmann]

Impulse version 2.3.2

3D SPECTRUM
In this version I fixed an issue where the 3D spectrum would eventually become too large and take too long to load into the browser. I modified the program to only show a window with the last 250 rows. All the data is still saved to file, it just doesn't update on the screen. I did add a switch to override it.

AUTO TEMPERATURE CALIBRATION (GS-MAX-8000)
Scintillation detectors with PMTs or SiPMs are susceptible to temperature drift. The GS-MAX and ATOM range of spectrometers include an optional temperature compensation function. When properly calibrated, this feature helps stabilise peak positions. Follow the instructions below to calibrate your detector.

Temperature calibration typically requires many hours of waiting for the detector temperature to stabilise between recordings. Impulse now provides an easy-to-use automated calibration process. The idea is to start from a low temperature and let the detector slowly warm up. You can create a simple calibration chamber using an insulated cooler bag. Place the detector inside along with pre-chilled metal bars wrapped in a towel. Any dense, heat-conductive material will do. If you don't have gold bars handy, exercise dumbbells work well too — just put them in the freezer overnight and wrap them in a towel before placing them alongside your detector.

Once the temperature in the cooler bag has stabilised, you can begin the automatic calibration process.

Setting the Calibration Options
On Tab 1, you can set the number of calibration points and the temperature step (∆C˚) between each point. To modify the advanced parameters, open the _settings.json file directly:

{
"tempcal_stability_tolerance": 0.2,
"tempcal_stability_window_sec": 60,
"tempcal_poll_interval_sec": 10,
"tempcal_spectrum_duration_sec": 60,
"tempcal_smoothing_sigma": 2.0,
"tempcal_peak_search_range": [1500, 6000],
"tempcal_cancelled": false,
"tempcal_base_value": 18300
}
Step-by-Step Procedure

• Attach the temperature probe to the side of your detector (near the crystal) with masking tape.

• Tape a calibration source (e.g., Cs-137) to the front of the detector.

• Place the detector in the cooler bag with the chilled metal bars.

• Allow the temperature to stabilise at the coldest point (e.g., 0°C).

• Estimate your calibration steps (e.g., from 0°C to 30°C in 10 steps of 3°C).

• Start the Automatic Calibration process and wait.

• If needed, place the cooler bag near a heater to reach the final temperature.

• The program will finish automatically when all calibration steps are complete.

• Your spectrometer is now calibrated.

Note: You can turn temperature compensation off or on at any time using the commands `-tc off` or `-tc on`.

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