I picked up an LCQ Duo(with a Finnigan HPLC) last month. So far, I haven't been able to actually hook the complete thing up as I need to get 220 run to what I intend to be its final home.

With that said, I did set the MS near a 220 outlet, and have been trying to get it pumped down and do some rudimentary checks on it.

To give a bit of back story, the instrument-to my knowledge-has not been used or been under vacuum for a few years but was working perfectly the last time it was used. I was able to break down and move the LC-MS system myself from its old location, so I feel reasonably certain nothing was damaged.

When I switch the system on, as best as I can tell everything initially seems to work correctly. The massive Edwards roughing pump comes to life, and the turbo pump spins up(or at least I think it does, since I can hear it spinning back down when I cut power). Part of my problem, though, is that the "Vacuum" light never comes on. I've left it on overnight(about the longest I can get away with without having people complain with where it is now), and all the interlocks are fastened. I do NOT have the helium or nitrogen connected to it, and I don't know if this makes a difference.

Second, I can't seem to get it to talk to the computer. I have them connected via a BNC 10Base-2 ethernet cable, and have tried replacing this. The terminator is in the correct place-it's essentially set up identically to how it was in its old lab. The computer is on Win2K, and when I open it up the Instrument Comm dialog box comes up but I can never get Xcalibur or any of the other instrument control systems to talk to it.

The manual says that the "communication" light on the front panel should be doing something in all of this, and I can't get anything out of it. I've started the instrument up using the procedure in the manual, which is to set the switch to the "service" position, flip on the main power, and wait ~5 minutes or so before going to the "normal" position. I've also tried pressing the "reset" button on the side panel.

Does anyone have any other ideas of things I could try?