G1313 Autosampler

[mrvmyrs]

I have an old HP/Agilent 1100 stack that was previously working as a LCMS. We no longer have the MS and the autosampler had issues so we recently purchased a refurbished G1313A autosampler which seems to boot up fine (the AS startup routine performs well, green light on the power button but no light present in the upper right corner). My problem is that the computer is not recognizing the AS at all in either ChemStation or the Firmware Update Tool. All the modules are connected via LAN. Any ideas on how to fix this issue?
Thanks!

[Multidimensional]

What software are you using? Many of the newer version no longer support the model G1313A A/S. The G1313A was replaced with the G1329A/B series a few decades ago. This may be the issue.

My boss has decades of experience using and servicing these modules. He also added that in addition to making sure your software is compatible with the older module : (1) You may also have an A/S that has a damaged main board. Install the LAN card in the A/S directly and see if you can communicate with it DIRECTLY to confirm firmware revision and board #. (2) The DIP switch on the back of the A/S module may be set to the wrong settings.(3) Lack of LAN interface compatibility. For a G1313A A/S to operate under LAN control, the mainboard must be G1313-66520 or later AND the S/N above DE64302092 or US64400886.

[mrvmyrs]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply.

We are using ChemStation B.03.01. We previously had a G1313A (serial US80603718) on this same instrument/ChemStation. The "new" one is G1313A (serial DE14918135). We noticed the DIP switch on the "new" A/S was different than our old A/S, so we changed that to match the old one. Unfortunately, we didn't note what it was set on before we changed that.

So, I think the S/N on the "new" A/S is the issue (lower number). We connected via the Remote on the A/S to the Remote on the DAD where the JetDirect card is located. That didn't work. Remote on A/S to Quat Pump Remote. That didn't work either.

We moved the JetDirect card to the A/S and ChemStation DOES recognize it. Firmware version A.05.01. Connecting to other components from the A/S via CAN isn't working.

So, now we are stuck with not sure how to get the other components connected at the same time as the "new" A/S. Do you think updating the firmware to A.06.10 would do it? Or have other ideas? We could explore canibalizing the MB from the "old" A/S?

Thanks!

[soccerdad007]

Hi there,
It could be a firmware issue. I have found in the past that modules don’t talk to each other unless the firmware is compatible. Replacing your AS with another one is one of those scenarios where this could happen especially as it seems that the replacement unit is newer. A useful tool is Lab Advisor, a free program download from Agilent which among other things allows you to connect to the modules without Chemstation, look at module status and also does firmware updates.
Try that if you can. It has helped me on many occasions.
I can potentially see two scenarios if it is firmware. Either you have to update the firmware on the AS to match the other modules or downgrade the firmware on the AS if the other modules have older firmware. Be prepared to try both.
One other thought, our units connect via a jet-direct card on the diode array detector. Is that an option?

The manuals for the AS should still be available as a PDF from somewhere if not Agilent. You should be able to find something in those about DIP switch settings. In my mind I am not sure how much the DIP switch settings are crucial if you are using LAN but don’t quote me on that as it has been so long since I had to configure one of these - though we still have several working ones used regularly.

kevin

[bunnahabhain]

Dear mrvmyrs
My first try would be a firmware update on the G1313 module.
You can find all available firmware versions and labadvisor software here:
https://www.agilent.com/en-us/firmwareD ... whid=69761
If the other modules are working fine with A.06.10, try this version first. Use direct connection to the AS for the firmware upgrade.
Make sure that the DIP switches are set to 00011100 wehn using the LAN interface.
Good luck
Jörg

[mrvmyrs]

Thank you all for the great ideas. We've made some progress. I updated the A/S firmware to A.06.10 via the JetDirect LAN in the A/S. Immediately after that, the firmware update tool recognized the other three modules! The DAD was still on A.06.02, so I updated that to A.06.10.

I then had issues with the ChemStation software throwing an "Autostart Macro failed. Error #17923 occurred." That was resolved with rebuilding the CONFIG.REG file.

Now, while the firmware update tool recognizes all 4 modules, ChemStation boots up fine but does NOT recognize the modules as being online. I can ping the IP address for the LC and that works fine. I moved the JetDirect card back to the DAD. I tried rebooting, etc. I tried changing all the DIP switches to 00011100. Still no luck--Firmware update tool recognizes all 4 modules but not ChemStation.

I tried putting the DAD back on A.06.02. The firmware available from Agilent installed via the tool put the DAD main as A.06.04 and resident as A.06.02. Still ChemStation doesn't recognize any modules as being online.

I'm stuck with what to do next. Maybe need to play with the BootP settings? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[bunnahabhain]

If you can ping the LC modules, they already have working IP addresses, so there is no need to change the bootp settings.
I never used ChemStation (chromeleon running here), but there should be a way to tell chemstation, what the IP of the modules is.
Best practice is to have two network interface cards: One for the company network, and one for the communication to the HPLC. Typically the HPLC interface card has IP 10.1.1.100, the HPLC modules 10.1.1.101 etc.

[mrvmyrs]

Conclusion: We are up and running! The solutions included getting the firmware on the A/S updated, rebuilding the config.reg file and then resetting the configuration manager to the proper IP address for the LC. Thank you everyone for helping us troubleshoot this!