I want this blog to be an informal collection of information related to my research lab and so I'll start it about as informally as possible.
The reason I am able to post right now is because I have made a large mistake with the machine. I failed to connect the peristaltic pump tube correctly (specifically the outlet, or red, tube). This caused the spray chamber to be filled with liquid which eventually (thankfully) extinguished the plasma. I was in the room the entire time, ignoring everything that was going wrong. I will have to see if I can set the software to make a loud sound when things go wrong.
To recover, I started the pump back up on "flush" mode (which is simply a fast pumping mode) and waited for it to drain. When it finished draining, I started the plasma back up. The plasma extinguished quickly after igniting, but I was able to reignite it and it has (as of writing) been lit for about 10 minutes. When 30 minutes has passed, I'll start to align the plasma, calibrate, and run my new "Mix" series of samples.
(Note: Relevant page of notebook is 35.)
