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An Inexpensive Upgrade of Older Liquid Scintillation Equipment for Radiocarbon Dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

David C Steinke
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
Robert M Kalin
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
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Abstract

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We have replaced the original control electronics and added remote computer control to our Packard Instrument Tri-Carb 460C LSC. The total cost of materials to achieve this was <$1200; ca 200 hr were spent on design and programming, and installation was complete in 30 min. Our system has spectral analysis in 1/2 Kev resolution utilizing the existing 4096 channel multi-channel analyzer, and user-friendly error checking for the mechanical systems. The computer collects spectral information, saves two channels of raw data, plots spectral information and produces data files of the standards, backgrounds and samples used in LOTUS to calculate the age of the sample.

Type
I. Sample Preparation and Measurement Techniques
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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