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#x-rayfluorescence#teardown#appliedscience

Demo and teardown of an X-ray fluorescence gun (measures chemical composition)

Applied Science

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YouTube
  • Recommended by 2 people: 2 on Hacker News.
  • Presented by Ben Krasnow

Intermediate. Assumes working knowledge.

369K views6 years ago2 recommendations

HardwareElectronics

Ben Krasnow demonstrates and tears down an X-ray fluorescence gun used to measure chemical composition, explaining its internal electronics and physics.

I show how an X-ray fluorescence gun works, do a teardown and failure analysis, and discuss a new kind of XRF tech now "available" on eBay. The XRF data can be transferred from the gun to a PC, and analyzed with pymca.sourceforge.net/ I did this for several materials, but ran out of time in this video to show the software usage, which is quite involved. Good overall description of XRF: phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/University_Physics/Book%3A_U…(OpenStax)/Map%3A_University_Physics_III_-_Optics_and_Modern_Physics_(OpenStax)/08%3A_Atomic_Structure/8.06%3A_Atomic_Spectra_and_X-rays Electron shell shielding described via roller derby ?! courses.lumenlearning.com/cheminter/chapter/electron-shieldi… XRF supplies: amptek.com/ MightyOhm geiger counter: mightyohm.com/blog/products/geiger-counter/ The two XRF guns in this video were generously donated by one of my viewers. Thank you! The Tribogenics tape-peel XRF gun on eBay: ebay.com/itm/New-Watson-XRF-Handheld-Metal-Alloy-Analyzer/12… Applied Science on Patreon: patreon.com/AppliedScience

Why it's here

2 people recommend this

What people say. Highly recommended for its fascinating teardown of complex scientific instrumentation and X-ray technology.

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I would like to add a video on XRF from Applied Science, as the device is not very well known (at least in .cz, I have learned about it only recently). link to this video
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It's easy enough to generate x-rays, for better or worse, but the devil's in the details. The x-rays apparently need to be monochromatic, or nearly so, so you can't just apply HV to any old random radio tube that's lying around. And then you need a beryllium exit window on the tube and another one at the detector entrance. Fascinating teardown on one of these things at Ben Krasnow's channel link to this video .
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On “Researchers show how to transform materials using a finely shaped laser pulse”

I believe manganese does naturally, but only with a UV laser: link to this video Artificially, one that works with probably most/all lasers would be an active phosphor display(I forget the specific cocktail it's composed of), like the kind from an oscilloscope
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For what its worth they did make the tape based xray florescence machines, I saw them on applied science link to this video
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Applied Science did a video playing with one. link to this video There are some significant limits on what it can analyze, but it's terrific for learning about metal alloys.
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There are no hand held devices which will tell you if the soil you're vaguely near has heavy metals in it, nor how much. Well, technically, there are, but now you're back in the ionizing-radiation business: link to this video
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