Classes: P5, P14, P16, P19
This equipment is quite old and the targets are becoming burned out, but it's still possible to get a good pattern if one is patient. There are three targets that will create a simple set of concentric rings, and one target using a graphite crystal which produces a beautiful multi-sided pattern with dots at each vertex. Unfortunately, all the currently manufactured devices do not include this form of a graphite target, so we're unable to replace it with a new one. Please be very careful with it!
Setup: there are many degrees of freedom with this device, making it a little challenging to set up. On the power supply there are knobs for x position, y position, intensity of the beam, velocity of the beam, focus of the beam, what else? First get the beam to be visible and fairly strong, but don't over-do it as we don't want to burn out the rest of the crystal. Then play with the x-y knobs moving around in a systematic search pattern until you find a spot where you get good diffraction. You can get in the general vicinity by aiming the beam at the part of the screen where you can see the phosphors have been somewhat burned out. Once you have the aim set, adjust the focus -- it's a three dimensional crystal, and sometimes it works better to adjust what depth the beam is focused to. Finally, you can adjust the intensity of the beam; in general you'll see more with more intensity, but again, we're trying not to burn anything out, so be judicious!
More photos to come soon.
