Tracor Northern TN-6600 EDS X-Ray Spectrometer Controller w/ PC Monitor Printer

Tracor Northern TN-6600 EDS X-Ray Spectrometer Controller w/ PC Monitor Printer

The Tracor Northern TN-6600 is an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) controller unit used for elemental analysis in electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis environments. This listing includes the complete TN-6600 controller tower, a dedicated IBM desktop PC, an IBM EGA monitor, an Epson FX-286e dot matrix printer, and a wheeled laboratory cart. The spectrometer detector itself is NOT included — this is the controller and computer workstation system only.

Specifications & What's Included

• Tracor Northern TN-6600 Spectrometer/Intensifier Controller Tower
• Assembly No.: 700P113555 — Series 6600 — Made in USA
• Front panel: indicator LEDs (labeled functions visible), integrated 3.5" floppy drive bay
• Rear panel: multiple DB-9 and DB-15 serial/video connectors, BNC connectors, expansion card slots (4 slots visible, partially populated)
• IBM Desktop PC (low-profile desktop form factor, mounted on lower cart shelf)
• IBM EGA Color Monitor — Model 5154001 — 100–125V AC, 1.0A, 50/60Hz — Made in Korea
• Epson FX-286e Dot Matrix Printer — Model P12AA — 120V AC, 1A, 50/60Hz — Made in Japan
• Wheeled laboratory cart with casters (three-shelf, supports full system)
• Spectrometer detector: NOT included

Applications

The Tracor Northern TN-6600 is a dedicated controller and data acquisition system for energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS/EDX), used in conjunction with scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and electron probe microanalyzers (EPMAs). EDS systems detect characteristic X-rays emitted by a sample under electron beam bombardment, allowing quantitative and qualitative elemental analysis of materials at the microscale. Tracor Northern (later acquired by Noran Instruments, which was subsequently acquired by Thermo Scientific) was one of the leading manufacturers of EDS systems through the 1980s and into the 1990s. The TN-6600 Series dates from the mid-to-late 1980s and represents the generation of EDS controllers that paired a dedicated digital processor with an IBM PC-compatible host computer running DOS-based analysis software — a significant step forward from earlier standalone multichannel analyzers. These systems were widely used in materials science, geology, semiconductor failure analysis, metallurgy, and academic research laboratories. Today, TN-6600 systems are sought by labs maintaining older electron microscopes that were originally equipped with Tracor Northern EDS detectors, as well as by collectors and restoration enthusiasts working with vintage SEM instrumentation.