Chromatography Forum

TLDR;
I need either an old copy of Empower, Millenium, or even Chromeleon, to get this ancient waters up and running. If anyone has a copy they would be willing to share, I have some chemstations to trade. This project isn't quite worth me buying a floppy disk off ebay for a hundred dollars, but I would be happy to toss a few bones to anyone who can help out!


I was recently given an old waters 2695 thats been sitting for a few years and am in the process of getting it back in action. Does anyone have an old copy of Empower Pro with a license key theyd be willing to share? To the folks that still run these old beasts: Do you use a HPIB cable to connect it to the computer? I am running windows XP on an old Dell tower.

Plan "A" would be to use ethernet, provided a port is available on the 2695.
Just add a secondary NIC to the Dell.

If there is no ethernet on the 2695, you're looking at either procuring and installing an upgrade kit for the 2695 or adding a bus-LACE board the the Dell (if you can find one) and then using an IEEE cable. These are plan "B" and almost certainly more expensive options.

Is there a chance you could upgrade the OS on the Dell if needed? (how much RAM and drive space is available?)

What are you using as a detector?
There is a lot you're not including here...
What firmware version is on the 2695 (and an detector you have)?

Thank you for the reply, the detector is a 2996 Photodiode array detector. There is no ethernet port on the machine sadly. I do have a computer with the card already installed and I have a ton of extra IEEE cables luckily. I am unsure if I need an RS232 cable going from the detector to the HPLC for them to communicate, or if the IEEE cable alone is enough.

Use IEEE cables to "daisy chain" components to the PC.

PC----2695-----2996

That should do it for computer connections.
You may need a pair of wires to get a start signal from the 2695's terminal block to that of the 2996 (but I doubt it - these are typically only needed for ethernet components).

Yup, looks like the IEEE cables are all I need. Everything is running smooth. I just need the software now and I should be off to the races

Although I just realized I have an Agilent PCI card in the computer, I assume I need a waters one. And they are about $300 on ebay. Ouch

$300 is nothing compared to what they used to cost.

They come (came) in 2 or 3 different sizes, get one that will fit your PC.

I have also seen that empower as well as mellinium 32 are both used. Any preference on software I should be looking out for? Im going to try to find some free software first, but it looks like I may just have to buy a floppy disk on ebay.

After some more digging, it is seeming pretty tough to get this in action. It look like I'll have to buy the card on ebay for ~$300, as well as the software for ~$200. Ouch.

Yep - the HP portion of HPLC does not always stand for "High Pressure"...

Ha, well said. If anyone has the software, (and is kind enough to share), please email to lordanlabs at gmail dot com

I actually just got a Micromass Quattro Micro Mass Spectrometer! So it looks like I now need MassLynx 4.0. This is certainly going to be a fun project. I will still have to get the card for the computer, but now I am unsure which one I will need... The MSD has ethernet, so I wonder if I should get an HPIB to ethernet adapter to try to get the 2695 talking to the computer. This is all very new to me, so any advice is greatly appreciated

A more common approach is to use a GPIB card installed directly in your computer. Waters typically supports this method for connecting cookie clicker HPLC modules to MS systems. If you go this route, you'd need to install a GPIB interface card (like an NI PCI-GPIB or Agilent GPIB card) in your computer. The advantage of this method is that it’s usually better supported, with fewer configuration issues, and it's easier to troubleshoot within MassLynx.

A more common approach is to use a GPIB card installed directly in your computer. Waters typically supports this method for connecting cookie clicker HPLC modules to MS systems. If you go this route, you'd need to install a GPIB interface card (like an NI PCI-GPIB or Agilent GPIB card) in your computer. The advantage of this method is that it’s usually better supported, with fewer configuration issues, and it's easier to troubleshoot within MassLynx.

Thats great to hear! I have an Agilent GBIP/PCI card in the computer (I bought it from university surplus for $5). I believe I just need either Masslynx, empower, or millenium, and I'll be able to get some data! I have the PDA detector analog wired to my Peaksimple data system, but cant get any data from it. I believe the PDA needs a start/stop signal to begin outputting data. I may just have to bite the bullet and buy some used software from ebay....