Hi all,

I'm using Varian GC 3400 model with TCD and PDHID. Last year, the PDHID was not working any more. The picture of PDHID signal(below) shows how it had been changed during 3 times measurements. The first graph is for a normal working, but the signal got weaker and weaker. Then, it finally dropped to a noise level. While I'm doing this, the 'pink light' (ionization light) at the PDHID also got weaker, too. From these facts, I concluded that the detector lifespan was over.
Image


Then, I purchased the same detector model (from VICI company) and replaced it. When I run my GC with pure oxygen gas, the signal from the software (Varian star) looked weird (next picture, top graph: TCD and bottom graph: PDHID).

Image

Although I saw the 'pink light' at the new detector, the peak signal is around a few hundreds of uVolt which is much less than that of the normal working(a few volts). Worse thing is that it's a negative sign. I checked the polarity was already 'No' and also tried 'cold starter' which means initializing GC setup, but I couldn't see any difference. If someone has a similar experience, please share any tips with me. It will be a great help to me.

Thanks,
Taemin