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MCA8000A Multichannel Analyzer Software

All Amptek software available on this page is free.

Compatibility: The MCA8000A in RS232 mode (not using the USB adapter) is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7, both 32 and 64-bit. The RS232/USB converter that ships from Amptek runs correctly on 32-bit operating systems. On 64-bit operating systems the USB coverter runs slowly and is not recommended.

Windows 7 Note

If you are having difficulty using the MCA8000A with the USB adapter on Windows 7, please download this driver pacakge. It is a different version of the USB adapter driver and a specific version of ADMCA that performs better on Windows 7 (especially 64-bit).

1. Make sure the USB adapter is NOT plugged into the PC.
2. Download the mca8000a_win7usb.zip pacakge.
3. Uninstall the current USB driver pacakge (prolific USB driver from Programs and Features)
4. Run the executable in the Prolific directory by right-clicking on the file and selecting Run as administrator.
5. Follow the instructions to install.
6. Plug in the USB adapter and it should now load the correct driver.
7. Copy the version of ADMCA included in this pacakge into your ADMCA directory. Just overwrite your current ADMCA.
8. Make sure to check in Device Manager the COM Port number assigned to the USB adapter so that you can enter it in the View menu->Preferences->MCA tab in ADMCA.

ADMCA 2.0.0.6 Display and Acquisition Software

The ADMCA program is the main display and acquisition software. All users should download this software.

Click here for a description of the capabilities ADMCA.

There is no paper manual for the software. The manual is the help file. To install the software unzip the contents of the file to your computer. Then run the ADMCA executable in the ADMCA directory. The software cannot be run from a CD. It must be copied to your local drive and you must have read/write access to the directory.

admca_mca.zip (6 MB)

MCA8000A Application Programming Interface (API)

The MCA8000A can be controlled through an API interface using the PmcaDll.dll Dynamic Linked Library. There are Visual Basic, Visual C++, and LabWindows CVI examples of how to use the libraries. Read the Programmer's guide enclosed before trying using them. MCA8000A units SN#3660 and higher are RS232 to USB converter compatible. Serial numbers below 3660 can be upgraded. This is a firmware change that must be done at the factory. New units will not be compatible with custom code written with the previous DLL. The new DLL can control all versions. Download the new version and view the document describing the small change that needs to be made to your code.

mcadll.zip (3MB)

Communication Protocol for Non-Windows Programming

The MCA8000A Communication protocol has been adapted by many people for platforms other than Windows. Because of this, Amptek includes the source code of the Windows DLL to facilitate the programmer's task in adapting the MCA8000A to other operating systems. Between the DLL source code and the Data Transfer Protocol, the programmer should find it much easier to adapt the MCA8000A for use on other platforms.

Amptek does not support the source code of the dll.

MCA8000A Dlls compiled for Win CE Everex A-20 PalmPC (Executive Model)

Author: Jon Paschal, Applied Physics Institute, Western Kentucky University
Beta Testers: P. C. Womble, Applied Physics Institute, WKU and C. Campbell, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University.

Notes: Changes to be compatible with CE 2.0

1. CE 2.0 doesn't support the CHAR variable type, CE only supports the Unicode variant of this type which is wchar. So all references to char have to be replaced with wchar.
2. CE 2.0 doesn't support the use of the semaphore synchronization object. Any references to these have to be replaced with a counting mechanism and a waiting while loop.
3. CE 2.0 doesn't support the C runtime libraries completely. It instead only supports a small subset of them. Time and date functions used in request.cpp were not part of this subset so they have to be replaced with windows / MFC functions that work similarly.

Everex A-20 Source Code (116k)

Revised March 7, 2013