Easy to Use and Affordable NMR Spectrometer
ABQMR is currently developing a software defined radio spectrometer (Soder-Spec). This table-top device is an all-in-one system capable of both NMR spectroscopy and relaxometry. We know that not everyone is a NMR expert, so we designed the Soder-Spec with that in mind. Most of the NMR operational tasks have been streamlined or even fully automated in the Soder-Spec software application. The system itself is extremely portable with the current version weighing about 6.5 pounds and is contained in a 9.5" x 9.5" x 6.75" box. The price of a Soder-Spec is a fraction of the cost of most commercial NMR spectrometers.
Current State
The Soder-Spec is currently fully operational and has been successfully used in several of ABQMR's other projects. It has mainly been used for relaxometry and to test magnet systems. We are in the process of integrating the software directly into the box via a mounted touchscreen interface so that the only thing you'd need to use it is a magnet and a probe.
Hardware:
ABQMR built the Soder-Spec with the intention of being affordable and effective. The power amplifier (1 W) is included in the box. Several of the circuits have been designed in house including a 25 W booster amplifier and the transmit/receive switch. The heart of the Soder-Spec is the software defined radio (SDR) itself: Red Pitaya’s FPGA SDRlab 122-16. This SDR is responsible for controlling the spectrometer RF pulses and data acquisition. The user interface to control the SDR is currently on a separate computer. We are working to incorporate this computer directly into the Soder-Spec.
Software:
The Soder-Spec software was created for customers who are not NMR experts. It comes with predefined pulse sequences for FID, spin echo, inversion recovery, and CPMG NMR experiments. Other sequences can be implemented upon request. It has automated both searching for resonance frequencies and finding correct pulse settings. Users can shift the phase and view a Fourier transform of the data. Extracting T1 and T2 times from inversion recovery and CPMG experiments are as simple as clicking a button and can use either single or bi exponential fits. NMR data can be saved and exported to several different formats. Users can also schedule experiments for overnight or weekend data collection.