Auto Melt

Thor v1.04 now has the functionality to carry out a fully automated melting point measurement.

Follow the steps below to perform your own AutoMelt.


Check Camera Settings

Make sure that the auto exposure and auto white balance are manual/off. Remember to press the 'Send to Camera' button to send your new settings to the camera.

Also make sure your image is nice and bright.

See here for more details
http://mpdbailey.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/thor-camera-controls.html



Check Regions of Interest Settings

Make sure the regions of interest rectangles are similar to above, remember to press SAVE button to store the settings.

See here for more details:
http://mpdbailey.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/region-of-interest.html



Open Automelt

Press the Thor icon to open the navigation panel. On the navigation panel press Auto Melt.




Melt Settings

Salicylic acid melts around 160°C, best go 5°C either side, so set the start to 155°C and the end to 165°C. This means the measurement will begin at 155 and stop at 165°C.

If you check the 'Check to automatically stop when melted' box, there is no need to specify the end temperature as the software will automatically stop for you.

Press 'Start Melt'


Heat Stage

The heater will automatically begin to heat to your start temperature.

Press stop to stop the heater.



Plateau Temperature

The heater will settle around your start temperature for several minutes



Measurement Stage

The heater begins to ramp, video recording and image analysis begins.

Note if any tube is 'Undetected' check your region of interest settings (and remember to press SAVE!)



Melting

The image algorithm will know when the chemical begins to melt due to changes in the light levels inside each of the region of interest rectangles.



Liquid 

When liquid the image inside the region of interest rectangle is dark, the software will still continue analyzing for a few more minutes to be sure.



Finished

The AutoMelt algorithm has detected the chemical has now stopped melting, if you had checked the  'Check to automatically stop when melted' on the melting settings screen, the melting point measurement would now have stopped. If you didn't check the box, the melt will continue until the end temperature is reached.

Press STOP to end the melt early

Results

Video stops recording, heater stops and cooling fan starts

Note down the measured temperatures in your note book. The temperatures represent the Clear Point where all solid matter has turned into liquid.


Video Playback

Review your video and visually check the Clear Point of each tube against those recorded in your note book. The AutoMelt algorithm is good to +/-0.1°C