SIRCHIE 214CA Manual

100 HUNTER PLACE, YOUNGSVILLE, NC 27596 USA

Ph: (919) 554-2244, (800) 356-7311 • Fax: (919) 554-2266, (800) 899-8181 • Web: www.sirchie.com • Email: [email protected]

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Laboratory Type Fuming Cabinet and Heat Chamber

Catalog No. 214CA

INTRODUCTION

The Laboratory Type Fuming Cabinet and Heat Chamber features the

latest in digital temperature control. This device is designed for use in

crime laboratories where large volumes of documentary evidence is to be

processed with iodine fuming or ninhydrin development methods.

The cabinet is constructed of materials that resist corrosion, and once tem-

perature adjustments have been made, there is little need to make changes

in temperature settings.

Prior to First Use:

Upon receipt of the unit, switch both the power and Ninhydrin switches

ON. Allow the unit to reach the full temperature of 175°F. A limited

amount of smoke may be seen in the chamber as protective oils burn off.

This is normal. After at least 15 minutes of operation, switch the unit OFF

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and open the oven door to allow the smoke to dissipate.

Note: Even though the Ninhydrin switch is OFF, the temperature of the heating plate will continue to rise

as much as 20°F.

CAUTIONS

• Consult the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) found on our website at www.sirchie.com/

support.

• Iodine fuming is performed inside the chamber. Ninhydrin preparation must be undertaken outside the

chamber. Only dry documents should be placed in the chamber.

• Temperature control is factory set, and under most circumstances these settings should not be changed.

• Be certain that the heating element is cool before introducing iodine crystals into the chamber. Use the

IODINE temperature control when conducting iodine fuming.

• Be certain to read through all of the material contained herein prior to conducting any evidence recovery

methods.

• DO NOT spray items of evidence inside the oven chamber. Flash re can result in special circumstances

resulting in possible injury and possible loss of evidence.

• Iodine fumes are harmful if inhaled or ingested and are a strong irritant to eyes and skin. Use with ad-

equate ventilation and with protective measures. (Refer to MSDS sheet.)

• Iodine fumes are highly corrosive to metals. For this reason, the cabinet should be cleaned after every

use to prolong useful service. However, DO NOT clean with ammonia compounds, as iodine residues

will react to form minute quantities of a pressure-sensitive explosive compound.

• The oven door and oven components such as documents support rods and metal clips reach temperatures

sufcient to cause burns. Use caution when working within and around a hot oven.

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• The 214CA should not be used for Cyanoacrylate (Superglue) fuming.

• The use of an approved hood or ductless workstation is recommended.

• Always place control prints in the chamber along with any items of evidence.

PROCEDURE

Oven Controls

Oven controls are located on the instrument’s front panel. They consist of a power switch with ON (I) and

OFF (O) settings, a heater switch with Iodine (=) and Ninhydrin (–) settings, and a temperature module.

The temperature controller has been set to optimum at the factory and should not need adjustment. Should

you wish to adjust these settings, follow the instructions below.

Temperature Controller:

The microprocessor-based temperature controller monitors a sensor mounted near the oor of oven com-

partment to determine whether or not power should be supplied to the heater element. You control the

ON/OFF RAISE

LOWER

°F

SET

IODINE

HEAT

NINHYDRIN

HEAT

ON/STANDBY INDICATOR

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oven by telling it what the optimum temperature should be and how much the temperature within the oven

should be allowed to drift. The limits of drift are controlled by the temperature HI and LO settings.

The temperature controller has a LED temperature display and four switches: raise (∧), lower (∨), °F, and

set. These switches are active only when oven power is ON. When rst powered up, the display should

ash “t 1” and then display a number. This number is the current temperature within the oven in degrees

Fahrenheit. Press the Heater switch to the Ninhydrin setting and watch the temperature rise within the oven.

When the oven reaches 175°F, it is ready to use with ninhydrin.

NOTE: The temperatures indicated on the LED readout are measured at the stainless steel plate in the bot-

tom of the oven. The actual chamber temperature will be in the range of 130°-140°F and can vary depend-

ing on ambient temperature.

Adjusting The Set Point

The set switch allows adjustment of the controller set point—the temperature at which power to the heat-

ing element is shut off. The set point is set at the factory to 175°F, and we recommend that this setting be

used for most operations. If you wish to adjust the set point, press and release the set switch. The controller

will display “SP1” (set point 1). Press and release the set switch a second time. The controller displays

the current set point value. If still set to the factory setting, this value will be 175. To increase or decrease

the value, use the appropriate adjust switch (∧or ∨). Note: The set point cannot be set lower than the LO

Temperature (174°F) or higher than the HI Temperature (176°F) setting. If the set point stops responding to

the “∧” or “∨” switch, adjust the HI or LO Temperature setting out of the way rst, as described below.

Program Settings

The “°F” switch allows adjustment of the operating mode, adjustment of the differential temperature upper

and lower limits, and calibration adjustment. (Actual programming sequence is described after the setting

descriptions, which follow immediately.)

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1. Differential Adjustments. How quickly the controller responds to drift in temperature is controlled

by the differential adjustments setting. The number entered tells the controller how many degrees the

temperature is allowed to drift from the set point before corrective action is taken. The factory setting is

1, i.e. the controller responds after a drift of only one degree. This is the tightest setting. The controller

may be set to operate in both heating and cooling applications, and operation of the chamber requires

that a positive value be entered for the “dF” setting. Do not attempt to operate the oven with a negative

value or a value of zero entered.

2. HI and LO Adjustments. These settings control the range of temperatures within which the set points

can be adjusted. For example, if “LO” is set to 150 and “HI” to 160, only set points between these two

numbers can be entered using the set function described above. If both are set to the same number, a

xed set point is established. Factory settings are LO=174 and HI=176.

3. Calibration Adjustment. A calibrating adjustment of up to +/– 30°F can be entered here to compensate

for the fact that temperature varies between top and bottom of the chamber, and to account for sensor

shielding and any sensor variations. The factory-set calibration adjustment is 0.

4. Programming Sequence. Press and release the °F switch. “dF is displayed. Press and release °F switch

a second time. The current value of “01” should be displayed. If another number appears, use the raise-

lower buttons to set “01”. Press and release the °F switch again. “HI” should be displayed. Press and

release °F and the HI value of 176 should be displayed. Use the raise-lower buttons to change this

value if necessary. Press and release °F and “LO” will be displayed. Press and release °F again and the

LO value of 174 should be displayed. Use the raise-lower buttons to change this value. Press and re-

lease °F and “CAL” will be displayed. Press and release °F and the current calibration value of “01” is

displayed. Adjust as needed using the raise-lower buttons. Press and release °F and the screen should

go blank for a brief time, and then, the current temperature of the cabinet will be displayed. (IMPOR-

TANT: If the programming sequence is interrupted for a period of 15 seconds, or if it is not carried

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through to the point where the blank screen is displayed, the controller will revert to its former settings,

ignoring any changes that may have been entered.)

Using Iodine

Iodine reacts with oils and fatty deposits to produce a temporary yellow-brown reaction product. Iodine

is useful on fresh prints on both porous and non-porous non-metallic surfaces. Latent prints developed by

iodine fuming are fugitive and will disappear within a few minutes. Latents should be photographed im-

mediately, and then xed. If no prints are developed, proceed to DFO or ninhydrin methods. CAUTION:

Heater must be cool to the touch before Iodine Fuming is attempted. Iodine placed on a warm element

will sublimate rapidly—much faster than you can add documents and close the chamber. DO NOT attempt

Iodine Fuming with the heater switch left in the Ninhydrin position (see #9 below).

1. Set the power and heater switches to their respective OFF positions.

2. Prepare documents to be fumed by attaching a clip at each corner and threading a rod through the clips.

3. Empty the contents of one Iodine Crystal ampoule into the glass sublimation dish.

4. Place the dish (with the crystals in it) on the heating element inside the fuming cabinet.

5. Hang the documents to be fumed in the cabinet. Include a control document with known prints.

6. Close and clamp the chamber door.

7. Verify that the inlet and exhaust ports are closed.

8. Turn the power switch ON.

9. The iodine/ninhydrin switch has three operating positions:

a. The iodine position is a momentary switch that must be held depressed for heater warming.

b. The ninhydrin position is pressed once and the heater will continue to warm until the set temperature

(175°F) is reached.

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c. The center position of the switch is “OFF” and disconnects power to the heater.

Press and hold the iodine switch until the temperature reaches approximately 80°F or until vapor can

be seen rising from the iodine crystals indicating that the sublimation process has begun. Release the

iodine switch. (CAUTION:Be sure to release the iodine switch as soon as vapors are visible to

avoid excessive consumption of iodine.) It will be noted that the chamber temperature will continue

to increase as much as 20 degrees. This is normal. As the heating element cools, the temperature will

begin to decrease until room temperature is reached.

WARNING: Iodine fumes are toxic and an irritant to skin and eyes, and corrosive to all metals. Re-

lease fumes only into a fan exhausting directly outdoors, or unplug the chamber and carry it outdoors

before opening. Check with local authorities as to the release of iodine fumes into the environment.

Iodine Enhancement

The Iodine Enhancer, DCA16, will darken weak prints to

permit sufcient contrast for photography. Crush the ampoule

by applying pressure with the thumb and forenger. Saturate

the swab, remove from packaging, and apply the chemical

as needed. After use, recap the swab and dispose of properly.

Prints will turn bluish brown in color. The surface should then

be allowed to dry. DO NOT apply enhancement if subsequent

tests with DFO, ninhydrin, etc. are to be performed.

The fuming cabinet should be cleaned after each use to avoid contamination of other documents and to

completely avoid the possibility of any corrosion from Iodine fumes. Be sure the unit is turned OFF and

power supply cord is disconnected. Wash the interior of the cabinet and the glass window with a mild deter-

gent and water. DO NOT use cleaning compounds containing ammonia.

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Using Ninhydrin

The development of latent prints with ninhydrin is dependent on the chemical

reaction with the amino acids and other constituents of sweat, which yield

amino acids when broken down. Most latent ngerprints contain sufcient

traces of amino acids to produce good results with Ninhydrin or Ninhydrin

Spray.

Amino acids do not migrate in porous materials. As a result,

there are (rare) reports of prints more than thirty years old hav-

ing been developed using ninhydrin. Therefore, porous articles

(cigarettes, stationery, paper bags, cardboard boxes, walls, etc.)

found at the crime scene should be considered for process-

ing by ninhydrin regardless of the suspected age of the latent

prints. Ninhydrin is generally not useful on articles that have

been exposed to water.

Ninhydrin reacts with amino acids to form a bluish-purple

reaction product called “Rhuemann’s Purple” or “RP,” named for its discoverer. Develop-

ment is slow, requiring up to ten (10) days at room temperature. Development may be

accelerated by the application of heat and moisture, as can be accomplished with this

chamber.

Articles to be tested for latents should be sprayed on both sides in a fuming hood or

well-ventilated area until wet with Ninhydrin Spray or dipped in a Ninhydrin solution.

DO NOT spray inside the 214CA chamber. Use care as ink on documents may run or

be otherwise affected by the ninhydrin’s solvent. If ink running is a consideration, use

No. NSI609 Ninhydrin Pump Spray, as this product is safe to use with most inks. Let the

document dry before placing it in the chamber.

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Attach clips to two corners of the treated document. Include

a control document with known prints. CAUTION: Surfaces

treated with Ninhydrin are sensitive to new ngerprints. Pass

the suspension rod through the loops of the clips. Insert into the

notches of the ledge at the top of the oven. Both clips and metal

suspension rods reach the set point temperature during docu-

ment processing. Use care in removing documents to prevent

skin burns.

Articles should be kept at 175°F for approximately ve min-

utes. Weak prints or articles showing no prints should be re-

processed. (Suspect articles failing to develop prints should be

allowed to continue to develop outside of the oven for several

days before moving on to other methods such as silver nitrate

or physical developer.)

Remove the developed document from the fuming cabinet. To prevent fading with the

passage of time, lightly spray the developed prints with the NFS200 Ninhydrin Fixative

included with your 214CA. Allow the document to air dry. NOTE: Fixative interferes

with subsequent Ninhydrin development. Therefore, DO NOT use xative until you are

certain that all prints have been developed and the results have been photographed.

Always record your results in case of accident or unexpected reactions with foreign sub-

stances.

Developed prints are blue-violet before xing, and they deepen to a purple red after be-

ing xed. Since Ninhydrin print patterns are difcult to read, they must be photographed.

Orthochromatic lm exposed with a green or orange lter for the unxed print and a

green or blue lter for the xed print offers excellent results.

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The addition of moisture accelerates the develop-

ment process when using the Ninhydrin Spray

method. The moisture inlet port on the side of the

unit is designed for use with a PUM100A Portable

Humidier, which allows a controlled amount of

humidity to be introduced into the chamber while

the prints are developing.

Using The PUM100A Portable Humidifier

The PUM100A is used to provide a high humidity

environment for documents undergoing Ninhydrin

treatment. The following procedure affords opti-

mum results for accelerating latent print develop-

ment.

1. Prepare the documents as described previously and place them in the

oven. Be certain the oven door is latched and secure (Fig. 1).

2. Set up the PUM100 according to instructions provided with the unit.

Remove both plastic port caps from the rear of the 214CA.

3. Connect the exible hose to the 214CA as shown in Figure 2 and rotate

the Humidier Control Knob to the HI position. The green ON light will

illuminate. (It will take up to 5 minutes to produce steam.)

4. After waiting 5 minutes, turn the 214CA power ON and press the

ninhydrin switch. At some point, condensation may form on the view

panel. This is normal.

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 1

Table of contents

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