Chromatography Forum

Hi guys,

Hope you don't mind me posting this here! All I know about gas chromatography is what I've learnt in the last few days, the reason I'm her is I've just been given this thing called a HP 7673 and what look like 2 ISA interface cards for it. I'm really curious about it, to be honest mainly because from what I can see it's worth a bit of money, but I'd also be interested to know what it can be used for!

thanks in advance,

Mark

What you have is the genuine first prototype for a device that Hewlett Packard hoped would make them a fortune, and it did, but not as first intended.

It was originally intended to be the method of choice for mainlining illicit drugs, but it was rather obvious when attached to user's arms, so the proposed technique was to mount it inverted under chairs, and inject into the buttocks very quickly, before users felt the needle.

Unfortunately, plastic disposable syringes offered a slower, longer rush, and the target users were often dying from other unnatural causes.

HP then decided to stick it onto the top of their 5890 GC, and use it as a GC autoinjector. The unit should consist of an HPIB, or HPIL interface card, IB or IL cables, the large control box, and the syringe driver unit. ideally there should also be a 100 place vial holding carousel. HP sold them by the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands, so it has no unique value.

As all of these event occured about 15 or more years ago, the unit is probably no longer supported by Agilent, the entity that HP analytical now exists as. Somebody may buy it for spare parts, but if it's history isn't known, or it isn't complete, the price may be fairly low, but somebody may risk spending a few beans for it.

As it's apparently not complete, even intravenous drug users probably won't be interested either.

Bruce Hamilton

Lol, I'm guessing the second half of that IS true, if so then I'm a few years too late? There seems to be A abd B boxes, what's the difference and how do I tell what mine is?

Also what's the deal with these:
http://www.5890.com/Merchant2/merchant. ... ct_Count=0
http://www.cssco.com/component/page,sho ... Itemid,76/

Lol, I'm guessing the second half of that IS true, if so then I'm a few years too late? There seems to be A abd B boxes, what's the difference and how do I tell what mine is?

Gosh, sound like you only have the control box without the nice sexy injector. The model number should be on the back, and include a letter, and the serial number may also have a date of manufacture.

Those www examples are B revisions sold with support = exorbitant prices, and also probably have had their firmware chips upgraded to support the series II GC and later injectors. The injectors also has a firmware upgrade for Y2K issues, but I don't think the control boxes did.

Somebody may pay some beans for yours, as there's allegedly one born every minute.

Bruce Hamilton

Looks like it's a B then, whats the best thing for it then? Are there many people after them if I stick it on ebay, would it be a shame to chuck it out?

Yeah, it's best to get it to someone who might use it for parts. Better than throwing it out.

Looks like it's a B then, whats the best thing for it then? Are there many people after them if I stick it on ebay, would it be a shame to chuck it out?

Ebay should have plenty of the "one born every minute " crowd, if not you could try one of the specialist scientific equipment recycling sites like Lab-X. I've had no experience with those sites, so can't comment on their merits.

Bruce Hamilton