trouble connecting chemstation with 5890 GC

[MrShorty2]

old dog trying to learn new tricks here. We have purchased a refurbished 5890 system that came with a computer with chemstation installed. System info:
PC Manufacturer: HP/Compaq
OS: Windows XP sp3
chemstation configuration version: A.1.705
chemstation version: A.10.02
IO tools version: L.02.01.00
GPIB card: 82350
The computer came with chemstation and the IO tools preinstalled. The GPIB card was not installed, so I had to put it in and the drivers for the 82350 seemed to install automatically on the first boot.

I can bring up the IO tools and find the GPIB card. It auto configures the GPIB card to be the system device and gives a GPIB address of 21, which seems standard. After the auto config, I can Edit the GPIB0 card (with the GC connected) and have Visa config auto add devices, and it auto detects the presence of the GC at address 15, which seems to be the standard address for the HP5890. So, it seems like the computer can see the GC.

Then I go into the configuration program and I set up instrument 1 to include the 5890 GC, make sure the GPIB address is 15, save and close. I note that, when I pull up the GPIB card in the configuration program, it will not give me an 82350 option, insisting on a non-existant 82341 card. I have seen some indications that it should still work, in spite of this little bug.

Then I bring up chemstation instrument 1 and get the "GC not found" message.

I can go back into the configuration app and change some things (change GC model, change from normal window, to icon, to full size, add/remove optional autosampler) and those changes get reflected when I start chemstation 1, so chemstation is seeing my changes to the configuration files.

Am I missing something? Any further troubleshooting suggestions?

I will mention that I don't have any disks for the computer, so I have been hesitant to uninstall/reinstall anything until I am certain that I can reinstall what is uninstalled.

[mhr311]

IIRC, you need to configure the 82350 board as follows: (SICL Interface)

SICL Interface name=82341
Visa Interface=GPIB0
Logical Unit=7
Bus Address=30

You'll probably have to reboot after saving

[MrShorty2]

It says that 82341 is an invalud SICL interface name, so I left it at the default gipb0. Changing the Bus address from 21 to 30 (followed by reboot) did not change anything.

Thanks for your interest and suggestion.

[MrShorty2]

While 82341 is an invalid SICL name, hp82341 is a valid SICL name, and apparently the only SICL name that chemstation recognizes. By changing the SICL name as you indicated, chemstation immediately recognized the GC and started talking to it. Thanks for the help.

[Consumer Products Guy]

While 82341 is an invalid SICL name, hp82341 is a valid SICL name, and apparently the only SICL name that chemstation recognizes. By changing the SICL name as you indicated, chemstation immediately recognized the GC and started talking to it. Thanks for the help.

Good explanation - I think.

Yes, even if an 82350 is used, it must be entered as hp82341 for whatever reason. We never questioned that, we just did it. And bus address of 30 - I thought that was how I got to my workplace !