Chromatography Forum

Hi all!
welcome to me!

I'm in the process of setting up a chemiluminescence detector on an agilent 1100 HPLC system. I am having some trouble understanding how it might interface.

The detector is basically a photon multiplier tube, with an amplifier, which outputs to an RS-232 serial port. I understand this to be a digital, rather than analouge signal.

So my question is, what is the best way to get a data series ultimately into Chemstation (or something like it - nice and automated 'cos I will have hundreds of samples).

The PMT comes with software which can collect data directly from the PMT (RS-232 or USB connection), and give me a data series which I can copy into excel. It would require a trigger signal to tell it when to start collecting data. Then I would have to find a way to get the data into software which will identify and integrate peaks for me - is there a way to get the data into chemstation??

The other option would be to connect the PMT to the RS232 port at back of the 1100, but I don't really understand what happens to the signal after that, or how to collect the data.

I would be very gald if someone would educate me on these matters, and if I'm asking ignorant questions. please be nice, I'm pretty green at this!!!

Thanks in advance!

Hi and welcome

Agilent do an interface box ( 35900e ) that converts analogue signals to digital for non agilent detectors. I dont remember if this also has the ability to accept digital signals, best to ask them.
Also the latest chemstation can communicate with all sorts of detectors within the configuration manager, yours may be there, again best to ask Agilent

GL

Thanks for the reply.
I've just got off the phone to Agilent.
It seems the only way to do that is to get a PMT with an analougue output, and use the analouge to digital interface. I could do that, but as a PhD money is at a premium (and the interface isn't cheap), so I want to try another way.

I don't know what format the detector's software originally creates datafiles in, but it can be copied to excel files. If there is a way to get from there to a .AIA or .CDF file, then I can import the data into chemstation and work with it from there.

So how do I go about converting to .AIA?????

Cheers.
JJ

EZChrom can read data from an Excel file.

Who makes your detector? ie, what brand/model is it?

The detector almost certainly has an analog output in addition to serial but you would need a 35900E box to convert.

The cheaper, less automated option is to use hyperterminal to collect your rs232 data but you need to know the data
output BAUD rate, com port etc. The captured data can be pasted into EXCEL and worked up there. Tedious but doable.