Quantum Design ACMS Option Version 1.0.9 build 14 About This File This file is intended to provide preliminary information and documentation regarding the ACMS Option Release. Table of Contents 1. Installation 2. Release Notes 3. Features 1. Installation Insert the ACMS Option CD. From the start menu select Run... and enter the file name: D:\Acms\Disk1\Setup Press OK to start the installation process. Note 1: PPMS MultiVu must be installed prior to installation of the ACMS Option. Installation produces and error and exits. Note 2: this installation will replace any existing installation of the ACMS Option software without regard to creation date or version. Note 3: this installation will not replace any existing configuration or calibration files. You will be warned if the installation detects configuration or calibration files on the installation CD. Note 4: Upgrade from Acdc-mag. This installation will copy the following files from C:\Acms\System if versions do not already exist in C:\QdPpms\Acms a) acdc-mag.ini to C:\QdPpms\Acms\System\Acms.ini b) *.cal to C:\QdPpms\Acms\Configuration\*.cal c) *.cfg to C:\QdPpms\Acms\Configuration\*.cfg 2. Release Notes RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 14 Fixed: 1) Sequence file does not continue after a Locate/MoveTo command. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 13 Fixed: 1) Problem opening an existing default datafile. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 12 Fixed: 1) Sequence commands will wait indefinitely for servo to reconnect or the sequence to be stopped. Added: 1) Support magnetoresistance correction of the coilset thermometer. 2) DC Extraction calculated center position added to datafile. 3) Servo is homed prior to a Locate to re-establish the motor origin. Changed: 1) DC Extraction sequence command scan count default is 5. 2) DC Extraction analysis mode default is linear; 3) Sequence commands will wait for manual measurements to complete. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 11 Fixed: 1) Change the HOLDOFF time for advisories to one week to prevent sequence restart after a problem. 2) Give a better message if one of the AC Measurement Dialog lists is empty. 3) Fix the bad value error message when DC Mag Dialog not have the focus. 4) The first AC measurement after a Locate would sometimes not display the status message. 5) Stop the servo from doing all scans when a DC measurement is canceled. 6) Improved error recovery for servo. 7) Allow servo to disconect/reconnect after a failure to connect. Added: 1) Add Comment to Datafile as a pulldown measurement. 2) Disable OK button on Datafile Comment when no file has been selected. 3) Show Hivac status codes in the PPMS status window. Changed: 1) Add 1mm offset from top of servo to prevent slamming. 2) Display configuration file names on startup. 3) Show the configuration serial numbers in the About dialog. 4) Validate the configuration files based on the file name and the first line in the file. 5) Use Thrm-xxx.cfg (same xxx as coil-xxx.cfg) if it exists; otherwise create Thrm-xxx.cfg from Dc-therm.cal file as part of ACMS startup. 6) Use default configuration and calibration settings for simulation mode. 7) Backup configuration files instead of overwriting during installation. 8) Make non-iterative regression the default for DC measurements. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 10 Fixed: 1) Three point measurement gives wrong results. Added: 1) Create a new datafile when a datafile is deleted or renamed during a measurement. Changed: 1) Converted to Delphi 5. 2) Give a better warning when starting a sequence and no datafile has been specified. 3) Disable the measure Save buttons if no datafile has been specified. 4) Put the measured moment into the input box for the DC calibration. 5) Suppress the duplicate "Measure 1" status message. 6) Remove duplicate "servo" in servo-off message. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 9 Fixed: 1) AC One-point measure was inaccurate. 2) Skip the first AC reading after a centering to reduce noise. Added: 1) Better line synchronization for measuring small samples near 60Hz (50Hz) excitation. Changed: 1) When no data file is specified when starting a sequence, ask the user if it is OK to use a default datafile. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 8 Fixed: 1) AC Center would not autorange after a fixed gain AC measure. 2) The first AC measure after an AC center would have artifacts. Added: 1) Check box for AC phase reporting in Config tab (-180-+180 or 0-360). 2) Line synchronization for AC measurements. Changed: 2) Scale raw wave display to better fit the waveform graph. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 7 Added: 1) Selection box for DC analysis type (linear regression or iterative). RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 6 Fixed: 1) Random crash when processing a small DC signal. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 5 Fixed: 1) Invalid and missing data in the raw file. 2) Made sticky gain a bit stickier. Added: 1) Detect coilset thermometer not reading correctly due to wrong dc-therm.cfg or hardware problem. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 4 Added: 1) Additional servo-controller error detection and recovery. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 3 Added: 1) Sample center auto-correction for DC extractions reduces error in moment for small errors in sample center (<1cm). Changed: 1) Show ACMS sequence commands indented. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.9 build 2 Fixed: 1) Unpredictable behavior of INI files when option is deactivated and reactivated. 2) Occational divide by zero if a very bad AC signal is read. 3) Use correct file version in datafile. Added: 1) Help About ACMS in the MultiVu Help pulldown. 2) A Reload Calibration files on the ACMS Control Center / Advanced tab. 3) ACMS version is saved in the datafile in the APPNAME record. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.8 Fixed: 1) ACMS Log messages will not be written to the log file if ACMS is deactivated and reactivated. 2) Log a warning message if the User Thermometer stops functioning. 3) Some problems loading some versions of dc-therm.cal. 4) Random floating point error when sequence locate dialog is closed. 5) Unable to save new calibration data 6) Limit the User Thermometer voltage to 10mV instead of factory default. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.7 Added: 1) The differential sample position is recorded to the raw datafile. Fixed: 1) Problem with changing from fixed range to sticky range. 2) Log a message to the ACMS log file if an ACMS sequence measure cannot be started (these were previously only logged in the MultiVu log file). 3) The 1,2,3 point AC measures will have a wrong value if the calibration was done at a different excitation field than the moment measurement. 4) Invalid moments (typically zero) were written to the datafile if an error occured during a measurement. 5) Better error detection and correction for the DSP and Servo. 6) Display of the count in the DC measurement dialog never matched the product of the requency and duration. 7) Software would sometimes hang if the servo was malfunctioning. 8) The calibration coil moment was reported incorrectly in the datafile. 9) Set the servo transport to simulation mode if the DSP fails to initialize. 10) The 1,2,3 point AC measures will report the wrong temperature and field. 11) Occasional ranging error when changing from autorange to sticky range. Changed: 1) The default ranging for all measurements except Locate has been changed to sticky. 2) Turn on the display of the user thermometer on the 6000 front panel. 3) Write the actual gain to the datafile rather than the hardware gain code. RELEASE VERSION 1.0.6 Fixed: 1) Occasional problems with autoranging selecting the wrong range. 2) Sticky autorange would rerange during amplitude/frequency scan. 3) Self test on startup checked did not stay checked when ACMS option is deactivated. 4) Computation of estimated time for AC measurement. 5) Occasional problems with starting the servo controller. 6) Servo error modal dialog could fall behind ACMS control center resulting is a stuck system. 7) Four point AC measurement would produce incorrect results. 8) Random crash if ACMS option is deactivated during a measurement. 9) Sequence would restart in the middle of a very long amplitude and frequency scan. Added: 1) On-line help now allows the user to view the ACMS manual interactively and in response to the Help button or F1 key. 2) Support for ACMS board in the Model 6500 Option Controller. 3. Features a. Running the ACMS Option The ACMS Option can only be run from PPMS MultiVu. To Activate the ACMS Option please start PPMS MultiVu then 1) select Utilities > Activate Option... 2) in the Option Manager dialog select ACMS 3) then click Activate-->> Upon startup, the ACMS Option will display the ACMS Control Center and the ACMS Log. b. ACMS Control Center The ACMS Control Center consists of five tabs (Datafile, Sample, Properties, Waveforms and Advanced), three measure buttons (AC Measure, DC Measure and Locate Sample), and a status bar. The ACMS Control Center cannot be closed, only minimized. The three measure options are also available from the PPMS MultiVu Measure pulldown. 1) The Datafile tab allows the user to select a new or existing datafile for recording the measurement data. Two additional dialogs will be presented to gather information if a new datafile is being created. The first dialog will ask for a file title and the number of harmonics to record. The second dialog will present a spread sheet for enter the sample properties and values. This information cannot be changed after the file is created. 2) The Sample tab displays the chamber status and allows the user to insert and remove a sample in the manner of the old ACDC-Mag software. The sample center location is also displayed in this tab. The sample center location is reset to zero whenever a sample is inserted or removed. For delicate samples it may be desirable to the disable the vent and purge/seal operation for the sample removal or installation. A check box provides this option. 3) The Properties tab displays the sample properties for the current datafile. This is in the form of a spread sheet listing the parameter name and the parameter value. 4) The Waveforms tab displays the waveforms of the last measurement and the maximum voltage produced by the sample. 5) The Advanced tab allows the user to do some of the more advanced operations. a) move the transport to a specified location b) disconnect and reconnect the transport (useful for transport failures when the transport power needs to be recycled. c) test the transport by moving to the maximum positions d) recalibrate the DC measurement by saving the current measure as the standard. e) other miscellaneous things that are rarely done. f) activate a diagnostic menu (password required) intended for service personal (and has little on it at this point). 6) The status bar displays an ongoing trace of the ACMS informational, status, warnings and error messages. Messages deemed "important" are also posted to the ACMS Log dialog and Log file. These messages reflect that status of the measurement and may be useful later for determining whether a measurement was successful or not (after an overnight sequence run). Messages deemed "serious" are also posted to the MultiVu error log file. These messages are typically only generated by a serious hardware problem. c. The ACMS Log will display an ongoing status report of any notable activity by the software including error messages. These messages are also logged to a file C:\QdPpms\Acms\LogFiles\AcmsLog.txt. This file can grow very large over time but is useful for diagnosing some problems. This file will probably become optional in the final release. The ACMS Log display can be closed at an time and reopened by selected the View > ACMS Status Log entry in the PPMS MultiVu command bar. d. AC Measure dialog The AC Measure dialog allows the user to measure AC magnetization based on an AC Field (Oe) excitation. The user enters the field amplitude, frequency of excitation, and either the duration of the measure or the number of readings to accumulate. These values may be adjusted to meet hardware requirements. The DSP Ranging can be set to three options (see DSP Ranging). The Measure button starts the measurement and will cancel a measurement in progress. The Save button saves the result of the last measurement to the current datafile. The Control Center Waveform tab displays the recorded waveform and amplitude. The user can select one of five Measurement Modes. The default is the 5-Point measurement which does five measurements: 1) sample at bottom (B), 2) sample at top (T), 3) repeat sample at bottom (B), 4) calibration coil+ (C), and 5) calibration coil- (C). The 5-Point produces the greatest accuracy for the AC measurement. The 4-Point measurement eliminates the repeated sample at the bottom measurement (which can produce some error due to temperature drift). The 1-Point, 2-Point and 3-Point measurements do NOT take a calibration measurement, rather they use the last calibration value recorded from the last 5-Point or 4-Point measurement. This is useful for temperature or field sweeps in looking for major anomolies, however, the magnitudes of the moments recorded are typically wrong. e. DC Measure dialog The DC Measure dialog allows the user to measure a DC Extraction based on jerking the sample through the sense coils. The user enters the number of jerks to average. The DSP Ranging can be set to three options (see DSP Ranging). The Measure button starts the measurement and will cancel a measurement in progress. The Save button saves the result of the last measurement to the current datafile. The Control Center Waveform tab displays the recorded waveform and amplitude. f. Locate Sample dialog The Locate Sample dialog allows the user to locate the sample center by one of three methods; AC Extraction, DC Extraction or manually. A precise sample center location can improve the reliability of measurements. For AC Extraction the user specifies the amplitude and frequency of for the signal. For DC Extraction the user specifies the number of Jerks to average. If the user knows the sample center by other means, this value can be entered manually. The sample center is display in the Control Center Waveform tab along with the measured waveform. No ranging options are available for this meaurement. g. DSP Ranging options The DSP Ranging can be set to any of three options, Autorange, Sticky Autorange or Fixed Range. Autorange always starts at the lowest gain and increases the gain until a good signal is detected. Sticky Autorange starts at the last gain used and attempts a measurement. If the signal did not over-range or under-range, the measurement is accepted and the gain is unchanged. Fixed Range locks in the desired gain for the measurement and no adjustments are made for an over-range or under-range condition. This mode is particularly useful in eliminating measurement offsets due to gain changes in the DSP, however, the gain must be chosen carefully. h. Sequence file commands Five ACMS commands are added to the list of Measurement Commands in the PPMS MultiVu Sequence Commands dialog. Three of these are AC Magnetization, DC Extraction, and Locate Sample which correspond to the interactive measurement commands and also include a PPMS tab to record other system data to the Datafile. The other two commands are the New Datafile and Datafile Comment commands. 1) AC Magnetization has the same input as the interactive measure except that a range of excitation amplitudes and frequencies can be specified. A Generate Scan tool can be used to automatically create a list of values using a predifined method (such as linear, log, etc.). A More button and an Advanced button will open tabs to allow additional settings. 2) DC Extraction has the same input as the interactive measure. 3) Locate Sample has the same input as the interactive measure. Additionally, the user has the option to move the sample to a specified location without resetting the sample center. 4) New Datafile allows the user to change the Datafile in the middle of a sequence run. The options available are a) Create New File/Version - creates a new file if none exists or creates a new version of the file already exists. New versions are created using the file naming scheme: _nnnnn.dat where is the original file name without extenstion or version and nnnnn is the version. Examples, a new version of abc.dat would be abc_00001.dat, A new version of xyz_00100.dat would be xyz_00101.dat. b) Append to File - creates a new file if none exists or appends to the file if it already exists. For new files, the user is expected to enter the Datafile and Sample properties when editing the Sequence Command. A Raw Data check box allows the user to enable or disable Raw Data recording for subsequence writes to the Datafile. This could be useful when going through a transition region; the Raw Data could be enabled at the start of the transition region and disabled at the end of the transition region thus providing the raw waveform data for analysis in the region of interest. 5) Datafile Comment allows the user to enter a meaningful comment into the datafile. The comment is the first field in the Datafile line so that it is easily recognization when browsing the Datafile in Notepad, Excel, or some other application. The comment includes the PPMS time stamp at which time the comment was written to the Datafile. 6) PPMS Tab allows the user to record any PPMS system data to the Datafile on the same line as the measurement data. Some fields are used by the ACMS Option and are not selectable. i. Field and temperature sweep and relaxation measurements Using certain options, the time between measurements can be reduced to facilitate these types of measurements. An AC Magnetization measurement can be completed approximately every 4-5 seconds for a 1-Point measurement and a Sticky Autorange or Fixed Range. An initial 5-Point measurement MUST be made to establish a calibration reference. Note that the calibration reference will become inaccurate if the temperature and field move from the point of calibration. A DC Extraction measurement can be completed approximately every 3-4 seconds by using 1 Jerk and a Sticky Autorange or Fixed Range. Note that a 1 Jerk measurement has no averaging and will normally be noisier than a many Jerk measurement. j. Image Effect Compensation The Image Effect is a reduction in the absolute value of the reported sample moment due to eddy currents in the copper sample chamber as the magnetic field alternates (for AC measurements) or as the dipole moment of the sample is jerked through the detection coils (DC measurements). The ACMS software attempts to correct for this effect, which is dependent on temperature, magnetic field, and frequency. There may also be a small dependence on the magnitude of the moment being measured, but at this time we do not have enough data to clearly define the effect, so no attempt has been made to compensate. QD will make further measurements to verify that the data remains within specifications for samples with moments of different magnitudes. QD customers encountered an anomaly in the corrected DC measurement data at cold temperatures (2-50K). The anomaly caused the sample's reported moment to be in error by up to 3 or 4 percent compared to MPMS data. We discovered that the corrective error is caused by assuming that the DC measurement was similar to a 40Hz AC measurement, which is not the case. The transient effects caused by the DC jerk measurement do not fall neatly within the AC correction. In the 32-bit software we have managed to reduce the measurement error to less than 1 percent (compared with MPMS data) by assuming a frequency of 11Hz for the DC measurement. The data is still not perfectly clean, but it does meet our normal spec. for agreement with MPMS data (less than 2% difference).