Import HKL Channel 5 projects

To import an EBSD acquisition from HKL Channel 5 [1], EBSD-Image requires the project CPR and CTF file. These two files are transformed into EBSD-Image’s HklMMap. From the importer wizard, the user can also convert the diffraction pattern images to a Stacked maps. For a typical map of around 50,000 pixels, the conversion takes about 10 minutes.

Generate a CTF file

  1. Open the HKL Channel 5 Manager hklmanager
  2. Open an EBSD acquisition project (CPR file)
  3. From the Project menu, select Export and as Channel Text File (.CTF)…*.
../../../_images/ctf_manager.png

Wizard

In EBSD-Image, from the Plugins menu, select EBSD and Import from HKL or simply click on button_hkl in the Plugins toolbar.

Start

Select the CPR file to import. The CTF file must have the same filename as the CPR file and be located in the same directory.

Warning

After clicking Next, it may take a few seconds before the next page of the wizard is displayed. During that time, the header containing the information about the EBSD acquisition are loaded.

Microscope configuration

This page is to add and modify the microscope configuration. All the information except the working distance are directly loaded from the CPR/CTF files. The working distance refers to microscope’s working distance used for the EBSD acquisition. This information is optional.

Phases

The phases information (unit cell parameters, atom positions and symmetry) cannot be loaded from the CPR or CTF since the atom positions are missing. Therefore, the user must manually create the phases. The number of phases and their respective name in the CTF is given in the warning section of the wizard page. The list of current phases must match the number of phases in the CTF as well as their order.

For more information on how to create a new phase, please refer to the Create a new phase guide.

Diffraction patterns

This wizard page is to automatically convert the diffraction patterns saved during an HKL acquisition to a Stacked maps file. If this step is skipped, only the information in the CTF file will be converted to an HklMMap. If the diffraction patterns images have not being moved since their acquisition by HKL Flamenco, the wizard can automatically find where the images are located, however it is often easier to manually select the folder containing the images (typically ProjectXXXImages). Be careful not to enter the folder when you are selecting it since the listing of the images files by the operating system is a lengthy process.

Output

Finally, the location where to save the HklMMap and Stacked maps file must be specified. Please note that only the location and name of the HklMMap is required since the Stacked maps file will be saved in the same folder with the same name; only the extension is changed to SMP.

[1]HKL Channel 5 is a trademark of Oxford Instruments plc.