HP 6890 GC-FID communications issue

[Simon Wicks]

I have the task of getting an old HP 6890 GC-FID working again after it went down last year.

Until recently it ran fine on a Windows 10 PC running OpenLabs CDS Chemstation edition. It ran off the same PC as a slightly later Agilent 6890 GC-FID system.

The old HP FID has been upgraded from HP-IB coms to networking using the C version of the coms board from what I can see. The software is fully licensed on Agilent Subscribernet but there is no communication. You run the setup utility and it looks like the software can see the GC and detect the modules and I believe it can be pinged but it will not open the software and drive the instrument. A blank grey screen opens up, which hangs and eventually crashes.

I had wondered if the com board had forgotten the IP address and when I get time, i'll pull the back off the instrument and take a peak at how its set up. There is no bootstrap utility on the computer implying that the board should remember the IP address. Do you think this is a good place to start? Otherwise, do I suspect the electronics? Snoopy (the GC's name) is an old boy at 20+ years old but he was working fine until "apparently a windows update killed him".

[soccerdad007]

Hi there.
I would firstly confirm that you can ping the instrument. If you can see the instrument by pinging then the card in the instrument isn’t the issue.

I would then go through all the steps you did when installing the software just to make sure you didn’t miss something or something hasn’t changed since. If I recall the installation guide is a little cryptic when it comes to explaining specific steps to follow.

On Windows 10 I have come across Firewall issues that prevented the software seeing the instrument even though it could be pinged from the same computer. Others have told me that updates to Windows can sometime reset firewall settings. You should look at those settings.

Kevin

[Simon Wicks]

Thanks Kevin,

its strange because the software drives another instrument fine just not this one. I'm going to try and run it on a separate PC and see if that's more successful. I cant afford time out to repair the working machine if the settings go awry with me messing about again.

I'll check the firewall just to make sure everything is Kosher.