I quit my job for XrF
drew on Jan 9th, 2009Yes, I quit my job. It’s a strange thing to do, given the times. I had been working for a company that makes X-ray Fluorescence (XrF) analyzers, actually really good XrF units, but saw a way to move this industry- and its customers (YOU!) to the next generation product.
At that point, I went to a bunch of industry experts, PhD’s, very smart guys, and all of them, no exception, told me it couldn’t be done. They said that the next generation product I envisioned, using a new technology called pyroelectric crystals, could never work. “We make X-rays with TUBES” they all told me, “not CRYSTALS”. Some even laughed at me. (OUCH!)
Now that it actually works, and works so well, I suppose I should throw in an evil laugh here- BWAH HA HA- but really it was pretty intimidating at the time. Here were a number of smart people in the industry, telling me that my idea was ridiculous!
Just because I am a tenacious- OK, stubborn – guy, I decided to test this out. I begged, borrowed, and otherwise snagged parts from anywhere I could, and built one in my basement during the weekends. I tested some old tin/lead solder and a piece of copper sheet, and could actually identify Copper and Tin and Lead!!
This thing actually worked! It was not beautiful, with wires hanging out everywhere, made of Radio Shack parts and borrowed cast-offs, sparks shooting out, black smoke billowing out the back, but it worked! (Yes, I did light my workbench on fire at one point, but everyone is OK, and the insurance claim is settled…)
Well, having everyone tell me it couldn’t be done probably was a favor- that’s what made me push forward and turn this into a real product that works, and works beautifully. It really is a neat little thing, smaller, lower cost, better in so many ways.
It has been an adventure…and I look forward to sharing the next steps with you in this space. Check back for more info on XrF, on testing, on Pyroelectrics, on Tibetan holiday practices (just kidding) and other updates!
