Low-cost, high-performance quadrupole mass spectrometer based on a low-performance rf generator

Abstract
We describe here a new inexpensive system performing data acquisition as well as process control of a quadrupole mass spectrometer for relatively high molecular weight compounds. The system, based on an ordinary 8-bit personal computer, performs particularly well in terms of mass scale stability, in spite of the use of a cheap, low-stability rf generator, thanks to newly designed hardware and software.