Gamry Instruments’ experimental techniques are implemented as user-accessible scripts which define and control the sequence of events during an experiment. The language used for these scripts is called Explain™, and a compiler for this language is built into the Gamry Framework™. Explain script files have the file extension *.exp and are in simple ASCII format. You can edit these files or create your own Explain script file in the built-in editor or any text editor.

Setup files store predefined sets of parameters and have the file extension *.SET. This feature is particularly useful when running repetitive tests, allowing multiple parameter sets to be stored in each file, each identified by a unique Set Name.

From time to time, Gamry makes changes to the instrument’s firmware code and a firmware update is required to make use of the new or improved code.

The Gamry Instrument Manager (GIM) gives you an overview over all instruments and if a firmware update is required.

Download the file containing the new image and save it onto your computer’s hard drive. These files have the file extension *.bin. GIM automatically determines if the software and firmware are compatible.

Calibration backup data contain all the essential information about the most recent calibration of your potentiostat. Even if a calibration process fails, a backup file is created which includes the instrument's model number, firmware version, and date in the file's name.

A Gamry Framework™ data file is a standard "tab-delimited" ASCII file with the file extension *.DTA. You may use other file name extensions, but they are less convenient.

You can use a simple text editor or import the file to Microsoft Excel® to view and modify Gamry data files, but be cautious. Editing and saving a file using Microsoft Excel may render the file unreadable by the Gamry Echem Analyst 2™.

The data file is a collection of data objects. Each data object begins on a new line and is identified by a type, a tag, and one or more values. The type is a text descriptor indicating the kind of object the information represents. Any text at the beginning of a line is considered a type identifier. Data objects can come in various forms, with each type, tag, and value separated by a tab character.

Following the type identifier, there is a tag identifier, which is a unique name for the specific object. Setup parameter data objects may also include one or more values after the type and tag.

The first two lines of a Framework data file generally contain two special and important data objects:

EXPLAIN

TAG EXPERIMENT TYPE

The EXPLAIN type identifies this file as one generated from an Explain™ script. Without this line, the Gamry Echem Analyst 2 cannot read the file.

The second line introduces an object, uniquely identified as type TAG, that is used to specify which experiment created the data file. In this example, the tag is EXPERIMENT TYPE. The Echem Analyst 2 uses this object to determine which Analysis script to use when this data file is opened.

Data objects are generally more complex. In the example below, the object is of type POTEN, which stores information about a potential. The tag or name of this object is VINIT. The information about POTEN is contained in the three fields following the tag.

POTEN        VINIT        -5.00000E-001        F        Initial&E(V)

One special type is a TABLE which is output by a data curve.

TABLE CURVE 21

Pt T Vf Im Vu Sig Ach Over

# s V A V V V bits

0        0.99998        -4.98000E-001        -2.06420E-004        0.00000E+000        -5.00000E-001        1.54350E+000        .............

1        1.99995        -4.49000E-001        -1.56950E-004        0.00000E+000        -4.50000E-001        1.54350E+000        .............

2        2.99993        -3.98000E-001        -1.31810E-004        0.00000E+000        -4.00000E-001        1.54350E+000        .............

3        3.9999        -3.49000E-001        -1.13670E-004        0.00000E+000        -3.50000E-001        1.54360E+000        .............

The tag for a data curve (here CURVE) is followed by the number of data points. The table headings, units, and data values follow on subsequent lines. The table headings and units help to identify the data stored in each column. For instance, the fourth column in the example stores the measured current (Im) with the unit ampere (A). The third current point stored is about -1.13x10-4 A, or 113 µA.

Fields within data objects (types, tags, and values) are separated by the <tab> character. One exception is the separator between data points in a data curve, which is a carriage return. Data objects can appear in any order in the file. The Gamry Echem Analyst locates objects within the file by their tags.