Chromatography Forum

Hi

How does one add peripherial hardware in the analyst 1.4.1 configuration when the device is not listed ?

Can you be more specific about which model MS and which model of peripheral?

I'm working on an API 3200 to which I had to connect a Varian Prostar 410 autosampler and an even older Varian gradient pump. The only way to make it work was to take the provided AUX I/O cable, look at the circuit/pin diagrams, and solder together the right connections. It was highly inconvenient, but it worked!

Note that because these are analog connections only, I still have to program the pump and autosampler via the front panels.

Hi
I am using a 165 API sciex and a waters 2795 alliance. I have tried to make the close contact by connecting the AUX from the alliance to the AUX on the sciex. But when I try to add a new hardware profile in the configuration mode, I cannot seem to get the device in the profile. All other supported devices get listed in the menu (agilent, glison etc etc). Since I want to do a LCsync - the first requirement is to add this peripherial device ie the waters instrument and I am kind of stuck ?

thanks

I followed the Peripheral Devices Setup Manual:
http://www3.appliedbiosystems.com/cms/g ... 039329.pdf

Check out page 63 of this manual ("Other Autosamplers"), as well as pages 93-96 for contact closure diagrams.

As long as you put it in LC Sync mode and set appropriately Active High or Active low, and wire the cable correctly, Analyst will automatically use the AUX I/O connection for contact closure input and output. You never actually "add" a new device. Analyst will basically be controlling the LC stack blindly.

With our autosampler and LC pump we then have to:
- Start hardware profile
- Make sure the method is set to LC Sync
- Submit samples to the sample queue
- Open the sample queue, make sure the instrument is reserved for acquisition and not tuning
- Select "equilibrate" in order to warm up the instrument
- Configure and run the LC pump, configure the autosampler and set it to Remote mode. Make sure the methods on both instruments are shorter than the Analyst method.
- When everything is equilibrated, and the LC pump is in Ready mode, click Start in the sample queue.
- At this point Analyst sends out a contact closure "ready" signal to the autosampler, which carries out an injection and then responds with a "start out" signal.
- The signal starts Analyst's acquisition clock and the LC pump's program clock at the same time. By the time Analyst ends its program, the pump and autosampler should be finished theirs already so that they can receive the ready/start signals.

Also whenever you activate or deactivate the hardware profile, or whenever the MS changes to standby mode, it will send an "error out" signal to shut off the pump.

Thanks for the detail and also the pdf file. Really appreciate your time in helping out!
I did go through the manual and followed the procedure on page 63. When I go to step 4 and 5 (type a profile name- add device ) is the time when I had a problem as the existing list (no 6) does not have the profile (waters HPLC) I created.

What I am confused about is "To synchronize the autosampler, you must first create a hardware profile, and then choose the LC synchronization trigger"

So if I cannot create the hardware profile, can I still synchronize the autosampler to LCsync ie go to the next step ?

So your suggestion is directlt to "Put it in LC Sync mode and set appropriately Active High or Active low, and wire the cable correctly, Analyst will automatically use the AUX I/O connection for contact closure input and output. You never actually "add" a new device. Analyst will basically be controlling the LC stack blindly"
and not go through steps 4, 5 and 6 on page 63 ?

thanks

Hi hxt, you do have to go through steps 4-6 but read carefully: Step 6 says to select a mass spectrometer from the device list, not an HPLC. So create a hardware profile called "MS + HPLC" or something like that, add your MS as a device, configure it for Active High or Active Low, and that's all you need.

The LC Sync option will be in the method editor rather than the hardware profile; so if you have any existing method files that are set to a different sync type, you will have to edit the method or save a new one with the LC Sync option enabled.

Hi
Thanks. I will try this out. When I add the mass spec I will create the MS+HPLC profile.
Thanks so much, appreciate your help!

Best Regards

Hi
So here is what I did. I went into Hardware config in the analyst software. Then this opened a window "Hardware Configuration Editor"
By deafult the hardware profile - MassSpecOnly was already listed. So I went to Edit Profile- then I got the "Edit Hardware Profile window"
I then went into "Setup Device" that gave me a new window "Mass Spectrometer". Here I checked "Active High" and clicked OK, and then again OK to come back to "Hardware Configuration Editor".
I presume this is all I need to do.
In the Build acquisition Method- I will now need to do the LCSync and I guess that should take care of it.

I did not change the name of "MassSpecOnly" to "Mass spec + LC" as I guess it really does not matter what one calls it.

I hope this is the right way to go!

thanks

Let us know how it works out

I went in and added as I had described, the profile gets activated. Now as I get into the Acquisition Method Editor of the analyst. I presume it is normal to not see your LC in the "acquisition method browser". If that is the case then I cannot add details about the parameters for pump, solvent composition ect. So now the question is- If I start a run from the LC does the close contact automatically Kicks in to start the mass spec or is there something in the analyst software I need to add to start the run ?

thanks

I went in and added as I had described, the profile gets activated. Now as I get into the Acquisition Method Editor of the analyst. I presume it is normal to not see your LC in the "acquisition method browser". If that is the case then I cannot add details about the parameters for pump, solvent composition ect. So now the question is- If I start a run from the LC does the close contact automatically Kicks in to start the mass spec or is there something in the analyst software I need to add to start the run ?

thanks

Hey, I went on vacation and didn't log onto the forum for weeks. Presumably you figured this out by now? Yes it kicks in automatically when you start the sample queue.