The X-Ray image thread by Aurora - various electronics via X-Ray imaging

[bugs]

I'm just guessing...

Item 1: mercury switch
Item 2: fuse

[kony]

My guess would be that first item is full of cadmium and mercury compounds, thrus should have measured about 1,01V at its terminals, when/if not depleted beyond its usable lifespan.

[Fraser]

@ Bugs,

1. Incorrect 

2. Incorrect 

@Kony

You know what it is  Correct 

Its too old to be usable now.

[eliocor]

item #2, a quartz resonator/oscillator?

[Fraser]

@Eliocor

Correct  Its a very old style Quartz Crystal in a Bakelite case. You can see the Bakelite has differences in its density throughout the material....seen as flecks in the image. The image shows that the large lump of Quartz Crystal is held in place between two sprung arms that act as the two contacts. The crystal has been dropped and has moved within the sprung contact arms.

Mystery item 1 is a Weston Standard Cell that was used as an accurate Voltage reference in a 1970's Solartron Bench Voltmeter. Its chemistry still produces a reasonably accurate voltage but it is no longer a reliable reference source.

https://electronicspani.com/standard-cell/

I attach pictures of the two Mystery items

[Fraser]

A low density DUT now.

I imaged an old used self seal bag.

The MX-20 is good enough to show the difference in density between areas that are just plain polythene and those that have had the writing strips 'painted' on.

The blobs in the bag are detritus contained within and holes in the plastic. Not defects in the imaging array. The noise in the image is due to the small ADU window span that I selected to pull out the detail of the low density bag.

I had to crop this image somewhat as I forgot to reduce its file size before saving it.

[IanB]

One aspect of the Faxitron Digital imaging system that is worthy of note is its amazing pixel data depth. The MX-20 cameras have an ADU spec of 16000 as they produce 14 bit pixel value data. That is to say, they can capture 16000 different shades (or tones) of grey. The computer monitor and human eye cannot cope with such excellent data depth, but using the software it is possible to view a window of variable width and centring within the captured ADU range.A nominal human eye can only differentiate between 30  720 shades of grey. I normally set it to 8000 ADU's per image as that is plenty of range for most tasks. This is an advantage over film as it is possible to pull out subtle hidden detail that may otherwise be missed.

I suspect the situation with film is not quite as hopeless as your last sentence suggests. I am not a photographer, but I understand from reading about photography that darkroom techniques exist to pull out hidden detail, for example by means of higher or lower contrast papers and varying exposure times. Also by shading various parts of the image to adjust the exposure in different places. Techniques widely exploited by B&W photographers in the days when the darkroom was where the magic happened rather than the computer.

[Fraser]

@IanB,

Indeed a photographic picture can be 'pushed' and 'pulled' during transfer from negative to paper print.

I think the situation is a little different with X-Ray film as that is the negative that is used for viewing. It can be duplicated and the duplicate exposure changed. Paper based X-Ray imaging techniques use the image from the fluorescent scintillator plate and the exposure is set by the X-Ray illumination duration that builds the image. It is difficult to extract additional detail out of the final print if the exposure is wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I love analogue film. It wipes the floor with Digital in many cases BUT it does not offer the convenience of post exposure manipulation that Digital captures provide. CR plates are a hybrid that captures the image in the analogue domain and is translated to the digital domain by the laser scanner reader and its ADC circuits. That technology MAY offer the best of both worlds, but sadly the reports that I have received from users in Industry say that Film is still the best media for high resolution quality imaging. An example of such demanding applications is X-Ray imaging of gas turbine engine blades, looking for defects in the metals structure. Sometimes the old methods are still the best, if a little less convenient to the user.

There is also the issue of cost. As Industry knows, X-Ray film is expensive stuff and Digital methods have a high initial cost but the images are almost free after that. I say almost because most companies have an annual support contract cost to consider. This is why Dentists are moving over to the likes of the Gendex digital X-Ray sensors. Such sensors offer inferior performance to the film based images, but they are seen as modern, cost less long term, and convenient.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Some more X-Ray images.

First, my car digital air pressure gauge

Fraser

[Fraser]

SIL DC to DC converter

[Fraser]

FLIR Thermal Camera External battery charger bay.

Note, although expensive as a spare part, it contains no electronics. It is just a plug pack connection socket and battery connectors. Presumably the charge management is either in the plug pack or the battery itself.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Hybrid RF amplifier on Ceramic substrate

[Fraser]

The well known OM345 Hybrid RF amplifier

[Fraser]

MAR8 MMIC in its ESD package

[Fraser]

MC3362P RF IC

I was trying to image the actual Die and the bond wire landing points. The second image got me what I wanted

Image was captures using 31kVp at the tube.

[Fraser]

Plessey SL series RF IC in round plastic encapsulation. Die is visible in the second image.

[Fraser]

RF transistor. BFR90

[Mr.B]

Fascinating stuff Fraser.
Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Fraser]

Geiger Muller radiation probe.

This very nicely made Geiger Muller probe contains the head end electronics and high voltage DC-DC converter.
It requires a 5V supply and outputs TTL level pulses and an audio click in time with the counts.

The unit appears sealed and I wanted to find out how it can be taken apart and the likely identity of the GM tube.

I immediately recognised the GM tube shape and I could also see how the probe is constructed. A hidden grub screw secures the thread of the threaded end cap. Once the grub screw is removed, the rear of the probe is easily unscrewed providing access to the PCB's and GM tube.

The MX-20 is great for unravelling the secrets of case securing systems such as clips and hidden screws.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Inside a plastic cased Power Bank USB emergency charging unit.

Sadly the steel USB connector obscures most of the PCB.

[Fraser]

Another Power Bank. Thsi one made by K.I.T and consists of an aluminium cylinder. The USB end appeared to have a joint but this turns out to be cosmetic only. To access the internal parts, a lower screw fit cap needs to be removed.

The MX-20 coped with the aluminium OK as it is a low density material, unlike steel.

Fraser

[Fraser]

An Apple !

[Fraser]

Audi key

[Fraser]

Audi key Responder - note the small ferrite inductor used to couple with the halo inductor around the key barrel.

The component above the inductor is an LED.

[Fraser]

To help understand teh Audi key X-Ray images, I attach pictures of the dismantled Audi B7 key taken from www.audizine.com.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/199643-B7-Key-Fob-for-B6-DIY

The Responder is located under a small grey cover and resembles an RFID 'chip' commonly used in dogs and cats. This component is independent of the keys main PCB or power supply.

Fraser