N42 File Connector

What is N42

The ANSI/IEEE N42.42 standard was created to facilitate manufacturer-independent transfer of information from radiation measurement instruments for use in homeland security applications. The output from such instruments consists of measurement data and results of any analysis performed by the instrument.

Origin N42 Data Connector

There does not appear to be many software applications that can import N42 files. Organizations may typically write custom code to parse the XML file to get the data and relevant metadata from the files. OriginLab was approached by an end user who asked for a tool to import data from N42 files.

We have published a new Data Connector for N42 files. You can download the connector from here. This connector adds to the extensive collection of data connectors we provide for various file types.

The N42 Data Connector is extremely easy to use. Just launch the app and select the file, and the data and associated metadata get imported into an Origin workbook.

The data connector provides the following key features:

• The App scans for ChannelData and imports it together with related metadata. Not all metadata elements may be imported. We need feedback on this aspect.
• Energy calibration is performed with the information found in the file. Both polynomial calculation and boundary values are supported.
• Data for Neutron vs Gamma rays are stored in separate sheets.

You may download sample N42 files from this NIST web page to try the data connector with Origin. Please note that Origin version 2022 or later is required.