Chromatography Forum

Hello,

I am new to my lab and my project requires me to use the lab's HP 6890 GC. It currently runs off of a manual integrator and I want to use some type of software. I got a qutoe from Agilent for ChemStation and it is waaaay out of my price range.

Are there any much cheaper alternatives and how would I accomplish them?

I saw that perhaps PeakSimple could work but I have no idea how I would go about it.

My GC has a HPIB output but I can upgrade it to a LAN.

Thank you!!!

Please check our Clarity software on www.dataapex.com

It is not so cheap as Peak simple, but could control the 6890 and acquire the data digitally over serial line (no need for upgrade to LAN or GP-IB board in computer).

http://www.dataapex.com/product.php?id= ... nt68xx.php

for price please contact your local distributor (you will find them in the where to buy section)

Ivan Vins
DataApex

Hi, why do you not ask for a EZChrom Single Instrument quote from your Agilent account manager. It is not expensive and i believe it controls the 6890 with 'classical' drivers with RS232 and with the new .Net drivers with LAN.

Beowulf,

Do you want to control the GC or simply collect the data? You are already using an integrator so just collecting the data may be enough. In that case, you would use the analog out from the 6890 and send it to an A/D converter. You could use Baseline (Taiwan), PeakSimple, or PCChrom + as possible chromatography data systems to name a few. The hazard here is that you don't get the full dynamic range of the detector but, again, if you are currently using an integrator this may not be an issue; otherwise a timed event with ranging is also possible.

If you want to control the GC, then something that communicates with the 6890 is appropriate. WillStein, Clarity, Chromperfect, Galaxie, and finally EZChrom and Chemstation all come to mind. Here the decisions come down to your objectives and price range. One thing I remind people of is the path forward through expansion. If you think you are going to need more instruments, especially non-Agilent, you might choose a software package that supports more than Agilent (like, not Chemstation.)

I have yet to find the perfect, inexpensive data system but it is not for want of trying...

Best regards.

You can find older ChemStation versions from third party suppliers. They will be much less expensive than the new.