Improved techniques for data acquisition and analysis on X-ray diffraction equipment

Three X-ray powder diffractometers operated by the Microanalysis Group have been fully automated with LSI-11/2-based microcomputer systems. All timing, counting, and diffractometer positioning are controlled by software written in FORTRAN and MACRO running under the RT-11 operating system. The operator may select the optimum scan sequence to fit the type of sample being tested from a variety of scanning options. A DECnet link and a remote graphics terminal have been installed to give remote access to a host computer. A new data reduction has been introduced that combines multiple data analysis techniques for an entire sample scan into one program.