Chromatography Forum

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here, though I have been reading the articles with great interest for a few weeks now.
We recently acquired a second hand GC/MS. Specifically a HP 5890 GC, HP 5970 MS with a 1859A ‘control box’ and an old computer running Chemstation G1034C on Windows 3.1.

Unfortunately the instrument has not been used in many years, and the manuals have gone missing. We were however assured that it was in working condition.

We wired it up with the (old) provided HP-IB cables using the diagram found in Agilent Document A15707 "5890 - Common Cabling \ Pin-outs" Specifically, figure 320-6 "HP MSD ChemStation". It can be viewed here: http://www.willstein.com/Resources/HP%2 ... ations.pdf

However, upon turning it on, the computer does not seem to recognise any instruments. We only get the error message “The mass spectrometer interface card is not active”.

The instruments all light up and power on. Inside the MS all 5 of the green LED’s light up (I read that test on here). The HPIB address for the GC and MS respectively are 15 and 20 (according to the software).

We have tried:
• Testing continuity on all the cable pins
• ‘Wiggling’ the PC’s card
• Replacing the PC card
• Turning the instruments on in various orders
• Completely unplugging and replugging the cables
• Speaking to it softly

There is a little preknowledge of GCMS’s here, but no-one has any idea where to go next. We are all out of ideas and in desperate need of some advice. Any help at all would be gratefully received.

If any more information is needed I’ll be happy to provide it.

Thanks :)

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here, though I have been reading the articles with great interest for a few weeks now.
We recently acquired a second hand GC/MS. Specifically a HP 5890 GC, HP 5970 MS with a 1859A ‘control box’ and an old computer running Chemstation G1034C on Windows 3.1.

Unfortunately the instrument has not been used in many years, and the manuals have gone missing. We were however assured that it was in working condition.

We wired it up with the (old) provided HP-IB cables using the diagram found in Agilent Document A15707 "5890 - Common Cabling \ Pin-outs" Specifically, figure 320-6 "HP MSD ChemStation". It can be viewed here: http://www.willstein.com/Resources/HP%2 ... ations.pdf

However, upon turning it on, the computer does not seem to recognise any instruments. We only get the error message “The mass spectrometer interface card is not active”.

The instruments all light up and power on. Inside the MS all 5 of the green LED’s light up (I read that test on here). The HPIB address for the GC and MS respectively are 15 and 20 (according to the software).

We have tried:
• Testing continuity on all the cable pins
• ‘Wiggling’ the PC’s card
• Replacing the PC card
• Turning the instruments on in various orders
• Completely unplugging and replugging the cables
• Speaking to it softly

There is a little preknowledge of GCMS’s here, but no-one has any idea where to go next. We are all out of ideas and in desperate need of some advice. Any help at all would be gratefully received.

If any more information is needed I’ll be happy to provide it.

Thanks

Be sure to check the HPIB cards themselves and make sure they match what is in the software. Should be a red block of DIP switches which are used to set the address. They are set by addition of the switches. Address 1 will be the #1 switch on and all others off, Address 2 is #2 switch on and all others off, Address 3 is the #1 and #2 switch on all others off, Address 4 is #3 switch on and all others off(the switches may also be labeled a 1,2,4,8,16 ect). An address of 15 should have the first four switches set on the rest off, Address 20 should be the third and fifth switches on, the rest off.

You also need the address of the card in the computer, I think the default Address for those was 7, but be sure it matches what the software says too.

I wish someone here had not thrown out my old 5970 manuals, I would copy them for you, but someone decided to clean out my bookshelf