**Data Acquisition and Processing on BL11.3.1**

**Last Updated April 2005, S. Fakra**

> **[How to acquire XRD data]{.underline}**

1.  Start Database by double clicking on the Database shortcut icon on
    the desktop

2.  Start APEX2 software by double clicking on the APEX2 shortcut icon
    on the desktop.

3.  Logon as user: guest, Pwd: guest. The APEX main window appears.

4.  Select from the menu: Instrument -\> Connect, a Host name IP# will
    appear, just click on connect.

5.  Select file-\> new and type the title of your experiment and/or your
    name and date

6.  Click on the 'Collect' tab located on the bottom left side of the
    window and then click on the Experiment button on the top left side
    of the window

7.  A window 'Set up experiment' appears. Enter a filename for your
    sample

8.  Check the box 'attenuate if topped' (should be on by default)

9.  Check the box 'Correlate Frames' for long exposures (\>10s)

10. Uncheck the box 'Generate new Dark Images'

11. Enter a default time: that will be the exposure time you want

12. Go to 'Operation' column on the 1^st^ row and select from the pull
    down menu 'wavelength' and the wavelength is then loaded, typically
    0.73Å (17keV).

13. Go to the 2^nd^ row and select from the pull down menu 'Still'

14. Go under the omega column and set it to -90 and under the phi column
    set it to 0, 2theta should be set to 0.

15. Click on validate (only once at the beginning of your run)

16. Click on 'Execute'

17. After few seconds the 'Monitor Experiment' window will appear and
    the frame will be displayed when the acquisition/processing is
    finished.

18. DO NOT OVERWRITE THE FILE NAME, as you'll get no answer if you do
    so.

19. USE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING EXPOSUES TIMES. The pre-recorded dark
    frames are for exposure times for the 1024x 1024 bining mode of: 0,
    1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 20, 24, 27, 29, 30, 40, 45,47,48, 49,
    50, 52, 55, 60, 70, 73, 80, 84,90, 100, 110, 120, 240, 300, 600, 800
    seconds. If you use a different exposure time than those, expect a
    large delay (several minutes to more) as the software will start to
    record automatically a Dark frame by doing 9 exposures!

20. **When you're done with 11.3.1 XRD data acquisition**, exit the
    APEX2 program, click on the menu: file-\> exit and save the changes
    you made since you saved your session the last time.

21. Then double-click on the "Stop Database" shortcut icon on the
    desktop, to close the database.

> **[Analysis of data with Fit2D:]{.underline}**

22. To access your data, go the analysis computer (BL1131-diff), and
    double click on the shortcut "1131data".

23. You need to import your data on the C:\\Users\\your name directory
    on the BL1131-diff computer.

24. You then need to convert your .sfrm data into a bruker format. To do
    so:

-   Double click on the "FrmUtility" shortcut icon on the desktop.

-   Browse for the file you want to convert

-   Enter a filename for the converted frame in the output box (usually
    copy/paste the core name of your original .sfrm file) and end it
    with a .000 extension, so that Fit2D can recognize it directly as a
    Bruker file.

-   Select "Bruker format"

-   Click on 'convert'. A pop-up window will appear showing that the
    file has been converted successfully.

25. Double click on the Fit 2d icon on the desktop and then click on "I
    accept"

26. Choose X dimension=Y dimension= 1024 typically, then click on Ok.

27. Click on Powder Diffraction (2-D) and then click on imput. Click on
    UPDIR until you get to your data folder.

28. Open your converted frames. Don't forget to apply a spatial
    distorsion correction and to load the "SpatialOct04.spline" file to
    do so. Then you can mask the beamstop and corners (using the mask
    and comparison options typically) and integrate directly your data.
    The integration results are generally saved as a .chi file (2D txt
    file).

**[Analysis of data with XMAS:]{.underline}**

-   Copy the spatial distorsion correction file NewAppLabXXX.\_ix into
    your data directory.

-   Double click on FrmUtility icon on the desktop of BL1131-diff
    computer.

-   Browse for the file you want to unwarp.

-   Click on the 'Unwarp frame' tab

-   From the pulldown menu select "36.231" for PixelsPerCM and "0.726
    for CMTo Grid

-   Then select in the pulldown menu the Spatial distorsion correction
    file and press load

-   Click on Unwarp: the Unwarped frame is saved over the original file.
    The original file XXX.sfrm is saved a XXX.sfrm.bak.

-   Double click on the XMAS icon on the desktop of the BL1131-diff
    computer. XMAS reads directly .sfrm files, so no need to convert.

-   Click on file-\> set directories. 1^st^ directory line should be
    C:\\analysis\\parameters. The 2^nd^ directory line could be:
    C:\\Users\\your name\\datadate\\Xmasanalysis

-   Then click on file-\>open image.

-   Then click on image and rotate it twice, so that to get the beamstop
    location at the bottom of the image.

-   Proceed with analysis of the frame.