Data Collection FAQ

Diffraction pattern of RA-61
Diffraction pattern of RA-61 Image by Lindsey Doyle

Please contact Lindsey Doyle (ldoyle@fredhutch.org) to be added to the e-mail list

Fall 2025

  • BL 5.0.1    Wednesday, October 15      2pm-5am    
  • BL 5.0.2    Thursday, December 18      10am-5:30pm    

 

Spring 2026

  • BL 5.0.1    Thursday, February 12   10am-5:30pm
  • BL 5.0.2   Thursday, March 19       2pm-10pm
  • BL 5.0.1    Thursday, April 16          10am-5:30pm
  • BL 5.0.2   Thursday, May 28           2pm-10pm

Two days before data collection (i.e. if data collection is on a Thursday then crystals will ship out on Tuesday). Crystals must be loaded into the shipping dewar by 2:30 pm.

Updated December 2025

All publications based on work done in whole, or in part, at the ALS/BCSB should include the following acknowledgment:

TThe Berkeley Center for Structural Biology is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Participating Research Team members, and the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, ALS-ENABLE grant P30 GM124169. The Advanced Light Source is a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The Pilatus detector on beamline 2.0.1 was funded under NIH grant S10OD021832. The Pilatus detector on beamline 5.0.1 was funded under NIH grant S10OD026941.

S10 instrumentation grant: 1S10OD028581-01

  • X-ray Unit: Rigaku XtalLAB Synergy-R
  • Detector: Rigaku HyPix-6000HE hybride photon counting detector
  • Generator: PhotonJet-R
    • MicroMax-007HF microfocus rotating anode with a Copper source
    • Optics: VHF-style integrated
    • Pixel size: 100 μm
  • Software: CrysAlisPro

Sign up on the white boards in the X-ray suite (B3-170).

Hit the large, red EMERGENCY button on the generator’s front panel.

1.54Å

  • If there’s no shadow for the beam stop then...
    • the cover is still on the detector 
    • a water fault alarm has caused the X-rays to turn off (note in this case that the cryo turns off as well so remove your crystal).
  • If there’s a very faint shadow for the beam stop...
    • check to make sure X-rays are ramped up to 40 kV/30 mA
    • check what the beam slit is set to (intensity % in the upper left of the GUI)
  • If there’s a full shadow for the beam stop then your crystal didn’t diffract. Sorry.

All users should be removing their data files at the end of screening/collection. 

Check with other users to see if they can remove any files.

Let Lindsey know so she can schedule a purge.

Check with Lindsey: B3-175, x4066, ldoyle@fredhutch.org

Call AirGas at 1-800-224-7427, press 2. Our customer number is 2336490.

Turn off the Cryo System overnight.

That’s the cold-water alarm on the Haskris. Let Lindsey in B3-175 know (or Peter in B3-177 if Lindsey isn’t around).

Pull out the reset button and turn it clockwise. Turn the power on. Once the run lamp is on and the vacuum is stable, turn on the X-rays and dial them up.