A tool for Diagnostics of Spectral Systems and Making Backups of the Atom Software

Abstract

The aim of this work was to develop a tool for generating and sending diagnostic reports and backup copies of the software for spectral systems based on multichannel analyzers of emission spectra (MAES) controlled by the Atom software. To match the goal, we compiled a list of parameters and characteristics of the spectral system available to the software that can be used for troubleshooting. The information about the characteristics of the installed Atom software and operating system, the settings of the Atom software and all its modules, the settings for recording spectra by the MAES analyzer, the failure reports and auxiliary data that are available in the files with spectral data appeared to be the most useful parameters. In accordance with this list, we developed a new software tool AtomReport for generating reports on the settings and operation of the device, as well as for making backup copies of the software. Diagnostics based on generated reports provided identification of incorrect settings for analysis, recording or mathematical processing of spectra, reproduction and elimination of malfunctions in the software. Practical examples of improving the analytical results using the remote diagnostics of the equipment are presented. The ability of obtaining backup copies of the Atom software increases the stability of the spectral system by offering the possibility of prompt restoring of the operational status of the software after any changes made by the user of the spectral system and allows the diagnostics of malfunctions using a backup copy in a test debugging environment. Moreover, the developed tool can be used to identify malfunctions in the equipment itself using the data stored during recording of the spectra.