Malvern Instruments Spraytec, User Manual

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Troubleshooting
Errors and warnings are reported in the message bar, in dialogue boxes or in the
Measurement Parameters view. This section lists the possible messages and
explains what causes them. Two symbols are used:
.
!!! – indicates an error. If a measurement is in error no result is calculated.
.
! – indicates a warning. If a measurement produces a warning, the result is
calculated but may need checking.
Warnings or errors in background measurements
Dark background:
.
Signal outlier (Bd) – excessive stray light is entering the Receiver lens.
.
High background signal (Bd) – as above but there may be a problem
with the electronics offset.
Light background:
.
High background signal (Bl) – windows dirty or system not aligned.
.
Signal outlier (Bl) – as above or problem with reflections in the optics.
.
Low laser power (Bl) – the laser is faulty or has not warmed up.
.
Low light transmission(Bl) – system not aligned or windows obscured.
Warnings or errors in spray measurements
The possible messages are as follows:
.
Empty record- no data available – the record could not be analysed as
no scattering data was measured.
.
Low scattering signal – the scattering signal is too low to measure. If pos-
sible, increase the spray concentration.
.
Low light transmission – sample concentration is too high, the windows
are obscured, or the system is not aligned.
.
Signal outlier – the system is not aligned, there is excessive stray light
reaching the Receiver, or there’s a problem with reflections in the optics.
.
Low laser power – the laser is faulty or has not warmed up.
.
Signal saturation – system is not aligned or there’s too much stray light.
.
Insufficient signal above the scattering threshold
– the spray concen-
tration is too low or the threshold is set too high.
.
There is no scattering data within the size limits selected – the size
limits are too restrictive or the spray concentration is too low.
C H A P T E R 8
S p r a y t e c
P a g e 8 . 4
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