Our XRD Applications Are on Every Continent in the World.

xrd pattern

X-Ray Powder Diffraction is our Passion


For over 30 years, the XRD community has trusted MDI to provide unbiased results and help interpret both the everyday and the difficult XRD data. We are proud of our products and the daily effort we put forth towards advancing the science of XRD.

Materials Data creates products used to collect, analyze, simulate XRD data and solve issues in an enormous array of materials science projects, and may be found in labs around the world with data collected on virtually every brand of XRD equipment.



Independent XRD Applications


If you're in a lab with multiple pieces of hardware from various manufacturers, an independent software solution can help unify your efforts and minimize time spent switching between a variety of interfaces. If your diffractometer is older, it's likely that it's still a good solid instrument that should continue to have a very long and productive life. The hardware doesn't change much. Novel ways of looking at data and new methods of analysis fall to the responsibility of the XRD application software. Even if you've got a new diffractometer, every week, we get requests to replace or supplement the analysis software created by the hardware manufacturer.

MDI specializes in XRD software applications. This is our focus. Since we don't sell diffractometers, we do not need to make any particular piece of hardware look good. Because we build our applications independent of any hardware manufacturer, our tools must work across a very wide range of diffractometers so our results must be unbiased towards any brand of diffractometer. Our pursuit is the most accurate XRD analysis and results, independent of the equipment manufacturer.


California Grown


We are conveniently located between UC Berkeley and Stanford, at the edge of Silicon Valley in Livermore, one of the oldest wine regions in California. Our downtown office is near the Bankhead performing arts theater and the transit center. We are in walking distance to over 40 places to eat and within biking distance of at least that many wineries.

MDI software benefits from our Northern California location which has helped us keep abreast of rapidly changing technology. Our single focus on developing the absolute best possible XRD applications coupled with our unbiased results have found MDI to be well-embraced the world over.

We Build XRD Tools That Analyze, Characterize and Quantify Materials Found on Land, Sea, and Space.

MDI is X-Ray Powder Diffraction

Built for the XRD Community - By Long-Standing Members of the XRD Community

Developed in California

Our proximity to Silicon Valley and countless science and technology hubs provide us with a steady stream of innovative ideas.

World View

Our XRD Applications can be found in Labs, Research Institutes and Universities on every continent in the world.

Solid Support

Our customers know if they have a particularly tricky problem they can send us their details and we will help them find a solution.

We Are Helping Others Create Exciting New Materials For Tomorrow.

XRD Applications

Materials Data - Making Better XRD Solutions

JADE

JADE

Complete XRD Analysis

RIQAS

RIQAS

Stand-Alone Rietveld

RUBY

RUBY

Ab-Initio Structure Solver

DATASCAN

DataScan

XRD Data Collection

CLAYSIM

ClaySim

Analysis of 00l patterns

VXD

VXD

Better Scans Through Understanding

We offer individualized training at our Livermore, California location.

On-site training is available upon request.

Support

A few answers to frequently asked questions
Install the database from your installation media provided by the ICDD. After you install your updated pdf4+201X, Jade will need to know about your updated dataset (it won’t appear in the database list on Jade’s database setup dial). To bring up the database setup dial in Jade, go to the main menu ‘Database | Database Setup …’. Now, all you need to do is to select the current year PDF from the list and click the Start button to let Jade index the new set. You need to do this once each year you recieve an update from ICDD.
Open Jade > HELP > Run Programs > Download AMCSD
Pre-installed with Jade 2010
We offer 3 options for further training, On-Site, webinars or California-based training classes. Currently all options are closed sessions providing privacy for your data. Contact MDI to Learn More
Connect MDI DataBox to a COM port of the PC that has DataScan installed.
Start DataScan. Select menu Control -> Set Controller. Make sure the COM port that is connected to DataBox was selected. For example, if DataBox is connected to the COM 1 port, then select Port as COM1. Note : If a USB to Serial port adapter was used, then you must make sure its driver was installed (provided by its vendor) properly. Use the Windows Hardware manager utility to see if all COM ports are working properly.
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Click on the Terminal button to open the Terminal Emulation dialog (TED).
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Turn on the DataBox (if it was on then turn it off, wait for 10 seconds, then turn it back on again).
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Turn on the DataBox (if it was on then turn it off, wait for 10 seconds, then turn it back on again).If you see the DataBox banner message appear in the upper window of the TED, then DataScan is communicating with the DataBox.
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If the DataBox banner message is not shown in the TED, then DataScan is not able to communicate with DataBox. See test below to determine the possible cause for this problem.
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To see if the problem is on the PC + serial cable side or on the DataBox side, we need to use a simple test, we call it “the paperclip test”: FIRST unplug the COM port cable from the DataBox (the other end is still plugged into PC’s COM port). On the 9-pin female D-connector, use an opened up paperclip (or a piece of wire) to connect the pins 2 and 3. The pins are numbered from top right to bottom left, with the 5-pin row as the top row. SECOND In the TED, type a letter in the lower window, and see if it is echoed in its top window. For every letter typed, 2 lines would appear in the top window referring to the letter typed. This indicates the COM port and cable are fine, and the “Not communicating” problem may be with the DataBox. If there is only one line appears in the top window for every letter typed, then the message is not echoed properly, and the problem is on the PC and/or serial cable used. Check the PC hardware and/or replace the serial cable.

Let’s Talk XRD

Address:

2551 Second Street
Livermore, California, 94550
United States

Phone:

925-449-1084

Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8am - 5pm - California Time
After hours: Send email
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