Totalchrome 6.3 Interface not found error

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I am getting a very frustrating error on my PE Quaternary LC (PE Series 200 DAD, pump, autosampler, and col oven) that began after a Windows XP update. The TC Navigator (v.6.3.1) no longer connects to the instrument.

When I query the port type I get the error 'Interface not found or unavailable'. However, I am able to PING the instrument successfully from the CMD prompt.

I changed the COM port control from none to (1) Xon/Xoff and (2) Hardware controlled with no success. This previously fixed a similar error on our Lambda-35UV/Vis.

I then tried to reset the LINK interface (this is built into our DAD). This did not work either.

Next was an attempt to reconfigure the instrument (TC Navigator>Build>Configure). With Port number 3001 highlighted I click Query Port for type and get the error: 'Interface not found or unavailable'.

I then tried a clean install from a new computer (WinXP) and made it to the same step, getting the same error.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

~Jon
Good practice lesson:always create an OS restore point before making any software updates.So if you have one, please restore.
I experienced this all the time in my TCCS days...

Unfortunately, this has nothing to do with the computer upgrade.

Have you tried resetting the LINK? Sometimes that can help out... And by resetting, I mean turn it off, change DIP switch 8, turn it on, turn DIP switch 8 back off, and try again?
Thanks for the suggestions.

@daniel_aut It is very strange I did create a restore point and when I went back the earlier restore point it I had the same issue. Although to me it really looks like it is something within the tc software.

@shaun78 I have tried resetting the LINK by changing DIP switch 8 on and off to reset. I get the light cycling and the lit error lights before reset but still get the same error in TC.
Sometimes resetting the LINK, turning the instrument off and on, and allowing the instrument to sit over night does the trick. Remove the instrument configuration from TotalChrom too.

The next morning, try to rebuild the instrument configuration.

When I always had a stubborn instrument that would not reconnect due to a port error, the above is what I did. The next morning it always worked. It was like magic.

I'm not quite sure what to tell you, other than I had the exact same problem thousands of times. The IP can be pinged, the port can be tested, and everything is fine, yet TotalChrom claims it's either not there or there is a port error...

For what it is worth, I side with you regarding your comment that this is some sort of a software problem. At one point I got so annoyed that I called PE support ... Let's just say they were a little stumped too and in their next breath they tried to sell me Chromera. :roll:
Thanks, I finally got it up an running by disabling and reenabling the com ports and resetting the link.
Now it is losing the method after it runs the first sample...
Hmmmm... never really experienced that problem.

I was told by a service tech from PE that when a sequence and method are started, both the sequence and method is literally downloaded to the instrument, which is why changes to either won't take effect unless you pause and restart the instrument.

Anyways, that being the case, I would suspect this to be more of an issue with the instrument than the software.

However, I could be very wrong about that.
I am getting the same error. Everything was working fine for the last 3 months. I kept the GC turned on most of the time in order to keep the Total chrom connection. Today, I discovered the 'port com error' message, I tried turning it on and off but it still did not work. I tried replacing the cable, the same error message stayed.

Eventually, I went back to my initial procedure when I started using this perkin elmer clarus 500. I detached the instrument and disconnected the instrument from 'system configuration'. I tried re-configuring by selecting the port (3002 port 2 under the correct IP address), it gave the message 'interface not found error', that is the main reason behind 'port com error'.

The only way to fix that (like someone mentioned in the messages above), is to 1) turn the instrument off
2) keep the cable connected
3) Remove the instrument from Total chrom,
4) Leave the instrument overnight or over the weekend.
5) Come back to it, and re-configure the instrument in instrument configuration.

Should work like that. Re-configuring does not take time (less than 10 minutes).

Keep it connected and keep the instrument on indefinitely until the random 'port com error' appears.

All the best!

Chemengnemesis
JonS215 wrote:
Thanks, I finally got it up an running by disabling and reenabling the com ports and resetting the link.
Now it is losing the method after it runs the first sample...



How did you reset the COM ports?
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