FAQ

• Ship directly to Metrolab with all freight charges prepaid. Goods will be shipped back to your office with collect charges.
• After first tests, we will send you a formal quotation for the calibration.
• Your Purchase Order and prepayment will signal your approval of the quotation and shipping instructions.

We very much appreciate the confidence implicit in this question, but the answer is no. Every magnetometer is different, and our procedures and equipment are only set up to handle our own instruments.

• Extended magnetic field strength measurement range : 0.03 T to over 25 T (1.1 GHz) for the MFC2046 compared to 0.2 T to 7 T for the MFC3045.
• Extended magnet geometries: the MFC2046 accommodates 2 probe-array geometries to map any magnet ranging from 40mm-wide bores (MFC9146) used in NMR spectroscopy to 500 mm DSV (MFC9046) used in pre-clinical, extremities or whole-body MRI. The MFC3045 is limited to a 220 mm – 500 mm DSV.
• Extended flexibility: The MFC2046 can be used for single-point measurements or multiple-point mapping. A wide-range probe (like 1326 probes) can be included at the center of the MFC9046 probe array for field ramping. The MFC3045 is limited to multiple-point mapping.
• All this with modern software and connections.

They both use the same pulsed-NMR technology; the main difference lies in the geometry of the arrays. The MFC9146 has been designed to map NMR-spectroscopy magnets; the probes are positioned to report a cylindrical magnetic field map after a 360° rotation of the array. The magnet bore can be as small as 40 mm. In the MFC9046, the probes are arranged in a semi-circular array, allowing the large DSV (Diameter of Spherical Volume – up to 500 mm) of an MRI magnet to be measured in a single 360° rotation of the array.

The new probe design can handle at least 1’000 ppm/cm. Using signal averaging, the probes can manage up to 3’000 ppm/cm; this technique can only be used for constant fields, and the cost will obviously be a slower measurement. The older generation of cameras (MFC3045) is limited to 600 ppm/cm. Note: it is not easy to specify tolerance to field gradients, as they depend to a large extent on the gradient direction(s) and linearity.

Short answer, no – not yet! The current version, v10 of the MFCTool software is not compatible with the MFC3045, but it will be in a future version. However, the MFC2046 low-level interface is in no way compatible with that of the MFC3045.

Yes, the MFC2046 uses rubber samples (protons). D2O samples (deuterons) are not used in the MFC2046, as the PT2026 Main Unit supports proton samples up to 1.1 GHz (25 T), and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio of rubber is much better than with D2O.

Same as the PT2026, the Main Unit has two possible interfaces, USB or Ethernet. You can use either of these two solutions to connect the main unit to a PC. The remote control now connects to the FCA box, via a LEMO connector; it will no longer go to the PC. Consequently, you only need one PC connection, either USB (USB2) or Ethernet.

Yes, it is possible to control the MFC2046 system (PT2026 + FCA7046 + MFC9046 or MFC9146) using your own software. 

Here is what you need to know:

1. We provide a “C++ instrument catalog” interface to simplify and optimize the development of your code, avoiding using low-level instrument command. (The “C++ instrument catalog” is available in the downloads page)

1. Please do not use SCPI command set from the PT2026 user’s manual. SCPI command set is not optimized for the PT2026 in camera mode.
2. If you only need to monitor and collect instrument status and measurement results automatically and don’t need to control the MFC system with your software, we offer in the MFCToolV10 application a way to collect all measurements and instrument status through a DLL. (see MFCToolV10 User’s Manual).

If you want to develop a software for the MFC2046 camera system, you must not use de PT2026 SCPI command set. Operating the PT2026 as a camera system requires specialized knowledge and commands that we implemented into the “C++ Instrument Catalog”.

Yes, You can automatically export measurement results from MFCToolV10 by developing your DLL. See MFCToolV10 user’s manual for more details.

Yes! It’s shipping. And we’re quite proud of it, thank you. Check out the web page.

Please read this technical note.

Bad news: there is none. Having said that, we may be able to help you out with an undocumented, unsupported and unpretty LabVIEW driver that we use internally. Please contact us.

• The micro-switches should be set to 000100100, the baud rate to 2400 (center jumper on the 14-pin header) and no flow control (= “no handshake”, right-hand jumper on the two four-pin headers).
• The stickiest problem is often the RS232 cable. Pin-out specifications for both DB-9 and DB-25 connectors are in Section 6.2 of the the PT2025 manual, “Connecting the RS 232 C Interface.” If you’re not using flow control, as suggested above, the only relevant pins are 2 and 3: pin 2 on the DB-9 should be connected to pin 2 on the DB-25, and likewise pin 3 -> pin 3. Please take the time to check your cable.
• Use a terminal emulator such as TerraTerm to test basic communication. A few simple commands for initial tests are: Ctrl+E : should return the displayed field value S1, S2, S3 or S4 : should return the various status registers R : lights the “REM/SEARCH” light (In REMOTE mode) D0 and D1 : should toggle the display from MHz to Tesla and back

Probably because you did not purchase the IEEE-488 option. All PT2025s have the GPIB connector; what’s missing are the interface chips, because they are becoming rare. We can, however, easily retrofit your instrument; please contact us for an offer.

Probably because the ampule containing the heavy-water NMR sample is broken. Probe ranges 1-5 use robust rubber (hydrogen, or proton) samples, but ranges 6-8 use a glass ampule with heavy water (deuterium). This ampule can break if subjected to shock or freezing. Please contact us for a repair offer.

Probably because you have selected the incorrect field polarity. After finding the NMR signal, the PT2025 starts regulating the frequency to precisely track the NMR signal. This regulation diverges if the field polarity is incorrect. After a few such failures, the PT2025 tries switching the field polarity on its own, but this trial-and-error process takes time. Try switching the field polarity, and the instrument should lock onto the signal immediately.

We have identified an issue whereby the Windows tablet included in the THM1176/TFM1186 Handheld Kit would not recharge. The manufacturer has been able to identify the problem and has issued a BIOS upgrade to avoid any recurrence.

If you are measuring small field values, you are probably seeing the effects of auto-ranging: the first measurement uses the highest range, with a very large error, and then the instrument progressively reduces the range setting, until it arrives at the lowest range, where the readings stabilize. To avoid this behavior, you should manually select the lowest field range, instead of “Auto”.

Yes, but you may have to configure Windows to install an older version of Microsoft’s .NET Framework.

We have a Technical Note that details how to configure the THM1176 software for the most common usage scenarios. Please check this note, and if you still cannot figure out how to perform your measurement, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We have a Technical Note that details the most common problems encountered with the THM1176, TFM1186, THM1176 software, and THM1176-PDA. Please consult this note, and if it does not cover your problem, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Are you using an MFC3045 with the optional built-in USB interface (“MFC3045-USB”), or are you using a USB-to-RS232 adapter? If so, you may well be experiencing a common timing problem. Please set the “Wr/Rd delay” in the WinMFC-9 software to 400ms. This option is available from the “Options” – “Serial Port” menu.

Please read this technical note.

Changing the gain changes the input impedance, which changes the input bandwidth. Depending on your coil impedance and signal spectrum, this can significantly change your results. Please see Section 5-3 of the FDI User’s Manual, “Input Adaptation”.

Good question! Yes. You can either short-circuit your coil (IN+ to IN-), or you can ground them, which will short-circuit them internally.

A common cause is that the battery that maintains the date/time of the crate controller (the embedded Windows PC) is depleted. When the date/time is invalid, the boot process hangs with a BIOS prompt. Attach a keyboard and monitor to the crate controller to verify that this is the problem. If so, replace the battery (type CR2032), reset the date/time, and continue booting. If all is well, you can disconnect the keyboard and monitor and boot normally.

The PM1055 was originally designed for our PT2025 NMR Precision Teslameter, so the field gradients must be less than about 1400 ppm/cm – otherwise the PT2025 would not be able to measure (see Section “Magnetic Environment” in Section 2.2 of the PT2025 manual). In reality, the gradients are much lower; for example, the field map of PM1055 S/N 008 shows gradients at the center of less than 140 ppm/cm. Generally, remember that the PM1055 is intended to be used as a reference magnet, not for NMR spectroscopy or MR imaging.

As explained on the web page, the PM1055 contains an auxiliary coil to be able to offset temperature drift, or otherwise modulate the field. The Lemo connector connects to that coil.