Chromatography Forum

I have a question on 5890 computer needs.

I have a 5890 Series IIa EPC with 7673 autosampler with G1512A box hooked up via HP-IB running Chemstation MSD B02. It really needs a new computer. The trouble is getting a computer with an ISA card for the HP82341 computer card. I understand I can get an HPIB-USB adapter. Will this work
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/549
or do I need the $500 one from Agilent.

I am planning to try and get B02 to run on XP though I have heard mixed reports on whether it can.

My final question is on RS-232C. Chemstation only does HPIB correct?
I am confused as to how to hook it up via RS-232. Some of the pictures I've seen show the RS-232 cable has a small square/spade black connector that goes inside the GC and hook to the inside of the card. My 5890 has two large female trapazoid ports one labeled RS-232c and the bottom one HPIB. I have a cable labeled 24542M that has the large male trapazoid for the GC on one end and a standard small female trapazoid on the other for the PC. Is that the correct cable and is that how it hooks up? or do I need the internal cable? I haven't found any diagrams on hooking it up with RS-232C.

Have a look here:
http://www.unichrom.com/hpx890/hpx890e.shtml
Installation manual covers cable and connection details
http://www.unichrom.com/hpx890/hp5890%2 ... %20eng.pdf

Download of a demo here:
http://www.unichrom.com/dle.php

bloody heck the HP 82341C ISA card can't work with Agilent IOlibraries under XP so even if the software ran ok I can't do anything with the controller card.

bloody heck the HP 82341C ISA card can't work with Agilent IOlibraries under XP so even if the software ran ok I can't do anything with the controller card.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you have to run equipment Agilent have not been supporting for well over a decade.

I got the instrument back up under Win2000 PRO SP4 and Chemstation MSD B02. The IO libraries were a huge pain. Agilent has an archive of two dozen old versions. I started with 14.2 and that uses the connection expert thingy it is the latest version that supports the 82341C card according to Agilent. It flat out did not work. I entered all the settings it talked to the G1512A fine but neither Chemstation nor IO wizzard could talk to the GC. Then I went all the way back to H version and entered in the SICL name (IO wizzard wouldn't let me) and it is working fine.

Win 2000 isn't to bad. It supports USB flash drives and USB 2.0 at least.

As for RS-232C, there is a free LabView-based alternative developed by a certain group in Cornell University. Can be found here.