Instrument control software

[Phillhere]

currently trialing the new openlab chemstation version...
its good, and Agilent tell me that it will control our alliances, 2487's and 996 /2996's however this then requires a National instruments pci card.. i was wondering if anyone actually knows the card/ model number as that way i can price this up. Agilent will sell these, however I dont really want to pay the markup which agilent will inevitably put on the price.

[Phillhere]

ok.. after evaluating the openlab software, there have been a number of issues with control of the waters kit...
communication drops being the worst, but the lack of flexibility, in terms of what will connect and how much control you have has pretty much ruled this option out.

looking now into empower2 control of 1100 systems...
anyone have any clues as to how to connect (physically) all the pieces in this jisaw?>

thanks

[Csaba]

looking now into empower2 control of 1100 systems...

At my company, some departments are "using" Empower to control Agilent 1100. In the end, the analyst queue up to use the few available Waters instruments, since it is to much problems controlling the 1100 systems with Empower. Good luck.

[DR]

1100 control in Empower 2 is either via a serial connection to a LAC/E fitted with an Equinox card or via a jet direct card plugged (usually) into a PDA, then hooked to the LAC/Es instrument LAN connection. You also need Agilent Instrument control software on the LAC/E.

Either way, you should have an Agilent license for each such instrument. Control via Empower is effective, if a bit slower than it is for Waters equipment (especially for serial connections).

We've found it to be stable and reliable once it gets going (getting it going sometimes takes a couple of reboots of the LAC/E and/or 1100 stack).

There are a couple of other niggling details - make sure your 1100 firmware is all in the working window for Empower, make sure you have thermostatted sample compartment and solvent alarms off, make sure you get your 1100's IP address set to 192.168.0.x and you should be good to go.

[Bull76]

Empower control of Agilent systems is do able. Actually very effective, if you have an instant pilot set to third party control then you can do as you wish and monitor all parameters of the Agilent stack.
You will need the Agilent ICS, Lan connection is the preferred and once you have all the anti virus control up to date. It's just a case of getting all parameters correct and then you have full control. Have numerous systems in Empower control and no issues.

[Phillhere]

having installed the a1100, when the PC is rebooted it now will not allow me to bring anything on line.
I have tried deleting all the other instruments, leaving only the 1100, but empower still gives an error which states that an instrument is online, and this version is only capable of having one instrument on line at any given time. prior to the 1100 install this was a four system install...
any ideas on why or how to solve this wold be greatly appreciated.
thanks

[DR]

You're going via ethernet? Assuming you did:

• Did you use a crossover cable?
  Is the IP address of the 1100 "Empower friendly"?
  What shows up in DHCP Config. (Configure System>Nodes>Node Properties>Configure DHCP>button of same name)?

[varossf]

Phillhere, as OpenLAB CDS ChemStation does NOT control the Alliance components, what have you been testing then? At the moment it is EZChrom 3.3.2 SP2 that controls the Alliance. There is Alliance control under OpenLAB CDS EZChrom, but personally I have no experience with that so I cannot tell you what you have been looking at.