Chromatography Forum

Hello everyone,
I am using Agilent 1260 currently, with Vialsampler G7129A, and OpenLab CDS V2.3. After every few injections now, after the Vialsampler injects the sample, the Vialsampler turns red and shows the error message as [EE 34331,0].
This has been a recurring issue with us and we cannot seem to identify the source of the problem. As this is happening after every few injections, it is getting difficult to run sequences as it may stop at any injection. If anyone has faced similar issues or could have any idea we could avoid this problem, please help us resolve this.
Thank you.

Hi Nino,

I just found this in their online user manual, I believe that you may have written the error incorrectly, but if not please keep us updated. It is also handy to check the manual whenever an error occurs-- they have them listed in the manuals.


Timeout during axis movement
Error ID: 34330
The system reported an error because the execution of the given transport
command took longer than expected.
• 34330,0 corresponds to the X-axis movement.
• 34330,1 corresponds to the Z-axis movement.
• 34330,2 corresponds to the theta movement.
• 34330,3 corresponds to the gripper finger movements.
Probable cause Suggested actions
1 Contaminated transport rods Inspect the x- and z-axis transport rods and clean
them if you observe contamination or dust accumulation on them. Use isopropanol and lint-free
cloth for this purpose.
2 Broken gripper Verify the correct functioning of the gripper by
using the Gripper Verification tool. Replace the
gripper if needed.
3 Potential hardware error Please contact your Agilent service representative.
4 Misaligned gripper arm Verify that the alignment parameters are in the
correct range and perform the Automatic Referencing if needed.

If you do not see anything physically wrong with the autosampler (and I'd be afraid to mess-around with it myself) then I would suggest contacting the manufacturer and having a technician come down and look at the instrument. This issue may be due to the software itself. But overall it seems like you have an issue with the Z-axis movement, and if it only happens sporadically, then I would render a guess and suggest that it is an issue with your software or the connection between the autosampler arm and your instrument. Call them so that they can have a look.

The error 34331 that Nino encountered is not the same as 34330, which TylerSmith123 mentioned.
I also faced the issue described by Nino with our 1290 II UHPLC. After several injections through a worklist, the system would randomly turn red, displaying the 34331 error and consuming Phase A until the problem was noticed. Running a worklist became a nightmare—or rather a sleepless torture, as I had to remotely monitor the system for the error to appear! I observed that the issue occurred more frequently when the autosampler’s temperature was set to 10°C.
Tightening the X-axis movement belt significantly reduced the problem, and I no longer see error 34331... but I now randomly get 34300 error!
I used to be a big fan of Agilent HPLCs—our 1260 has been running for years without a hitch—but this 1290 autosampler has caused much drama. So, this gets a thumbs down from me.