Prepare the Column
1. Select Analysis mode in the Column SetUp window. The working distance should be
12 mm, the default position. 
2. Set the accelerating voltage to achieve at least 2x over-voltage, usually 20 kV.
3. Remember to turn OFF the infrared chamber camera.
4. Insert the EDS detector into the chamber at 4.5 mm.
5. Focus properly and be sure to avoid cracks and contamination. Increase the magnification to 500,000 times.
Collect the Spectrum
The software and icons refer to the 4pi Revolution® software for Mac. Click the toolbar above for a larger view.
1. Open the Revolution software on the Macintosh computer.
2. Select File> New Catalog. This creates a "file drawer" for all of the spectra you wish to collect for a sample or specific condition.
3. Before collecting a spectrum, make sure that the Accelerating Voltage is correct.
4. Choose a Dwell Time of at least 60 seconds.
5. Select Acquire > Acquire Start or select the camera icon to begin collection. 
6. Make sure the Dead Time is 25%–30%. Dead Time can be adjusted by using the Condenser Lens 1 setting in the Column SetUp menu.
7. Restart the acquisition by selecting the Clear (clr) icon. 
8. To manually identify elements, right-click in the spectrum area and select "Open KLMs".
X-ray Spectra KLMs.
9. To stop spectrum acquisition, select Acquire > Acquire Stop or select the camera
icon.
10. Select Edit Manual to force the quant program to use only the elements in your spectrum.
11. Select the Quant (qnt) icon to perform quantitative analysis. 
Save the Data
1. To give your spectrum a name, right-click on the spectrum and select "Rename Spectrum" or select Options > Rename Spectrum from the toolbar.
2. To retrieve your spectrum and quant data, select File > Export and choose the file format, usually JPG or TIF.
3. Turn off quant by deselecting the icon before acquiring a new spectrum. To collect
a new spectrum, select File > New.
4. To add a new subdirectory, open the "temporary user files" folder on the desktop and select the asterisk-like icon. Choose New Folder and make a folder entitled with your first and last names.
New Folder.
5. To save your spectra, select File > Save As. Navigate to your folder by selecting Desktop > temporary user files > your name and select Save.
6. To view all of your collected spectra, use the scroll menu at the top right of the spectrum window.