Installing and Controlling Third-Party Devices
Agilent 7890 GC: Installation

Device Type:

Gas chromatograph

Device Driver:

Agilent: 7890 Gas Chromatograph

Supported Hardware Options:

 

GC models supported by this driver:

  • Agilent 7890A (required firmware version: A.01.07 or higher)

  • 7890A+ and 7890B GC (required firmware version: B.02.00 or higher)

 

Supported modules:

  • Up to 2 inlets:
    - Cool On-Column EPC
    - Split/Splitless EPC (standard pressure inlet version)
    - Split/Splitless 100 EPC (standard pressure inlet version)
    - Split/Splitless 150 EPC (high-pressure inlet version)
    - Volatile Inlet (VI) (for injection of volatile samples)
    - Programmable Temperature Vaporizer (PTV)

  • Column oven:
    - Up to 450°C
    - Cryogenic gas: nitrogen or carbon dioxide

  • Autosamplers:
    Only 1 autosampler of the following type per GC:
    - 7650A autosampler (required firmware version: A.01.10 or higher)
    Up to 2 autosamplers of the following types per GC:
    - G1888 autosampler
    - 7683B autosampler
    - 7693A (as front and/or back injector; the sampler requires at least firmware version A.01.10; the recommended firmware version is A.01.10.3 or higher)

  • Up to 4 detectors (optionally with oven):
    - Flame Ionization Detector (FID) with or without EPC
    - Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD) with or without EPC
    - Micro-Electron Capture Detector (micro-ECD) with or without EPC

  • 8 Valves
    - Timed Events

  • Bar code reader, sample heater and mixer (supported only for 7693A autosampler)

  • Auxiliary EPC devices

  • Trays:
    - G2614A (for the 7683B),
    - G 4514A and G4520A (for the 7693A)

  • Hardware synchronization using a remote cable

Restrictions:

  • Demo mode not available

  • 7650A autosampler:  "Missing vial" option is not supported for turrets.

 

What is required?

License:

Timebase Class 1

Connection:

A free Ethernet port and the following cable are required:

  • Ethernet LAN cable, which is shipped from Agilent with the GC

-or-

  • Standard crossover cable to connect the GC directly to the server PC

Tip:

For better reliability, Dionex recommends connecting the GC to a separate device LAN and not to the Office LAN.  

Hardware Prerequisites:

PC

  • Additional LAN card for the PC

GC

  • Recommended firmware version A.01.10.3 or higher

 Tip:  

Starting with Windows XP SP2, Microsoft introduced a firewall. For information about how to operate Chromeleon with the firewall, refer to   Chromeleon and Windows Firewall (from WinXP SP2 on). This chapter also provides important information on connecting your Agilent GC system via LAN.

 

Hardware Installation

Device Connection:

Standard LAN cable (Dionex part no. 8906.2038)

(Note: A cross-over LAN cable is required for a LAN connection without a hub.)

 Tip:  

Connecting the Agilent GC requires that you know how to assign IP addresses. Otherwise, IP address conflicts may occur, impairing existing networks. For information about how to connect the system via a LAN connection, refer to Connecting Devices to the Chromeleon Server PC  Connecting Devices via TCP/IP (LAN).

Device Settings
(LAN):

To control the GC via a LAN connection, the GC needs an IP address. The address can be retrieved from a DHCP server, or it can be entered directly from the keyboard (recommended procedure). In either case, check with your LAN administrator and consult the user guide of the GC.

To use a DHCP server:

  1. Press [Options]. Scroll to Communications and press [Enter].

  2. Scroll to Enable DHCP and press [On/Yes]. When prompted, turn the GC off and then on again.

To set the LAN address via the instrument display (recommended):

  1. Press [Options]. Scroll to Communications and press [Enter]. The following information is displayed:

    COMMUNICATION SETPTS

    ---- LAN ----

    IP: 000.000.000.000 <

    GW: 000.000.000.000

    SM: 000.000.000.000

    Enable DHCP OFF

  2. Scroll to Enable DHCP and, if necessary, press [Off/No]. When prompted, turn the GC off and then on again.

  3. Press [Options]. Scroll to Communications and press [Enter].

  4. Scroll to IP. Enter the numbers of the GC IP address, separated by dots, and press [Enter]. A message tells you to power cycle the instrument. Do NOT power cycle yet. Press [Clear].

     Note:

    The IP address entered at the instrument keyboard must match the IP address settings on the General page in the Chromeleon Server Configuration.

  5. Scroll to GW. Enter the Gateway number and press [Enter]. A message tells you to power cycle the instrument. Do NOT power cycle yet. Press [Clear].

  6. Scroll to SM and press [Mode/Type]. Scroll to the appropriate subnet mask from the list given and press [Enter]. A message tells you to power cycle the instrument. Do NOT power cycle yet. Press [Clear].

  7. Scroll to Reboot GC and press [Enter] to power cycle the instrument and apply the LAN setpoints.

Device Settings:

Settings for manual injections

If you want to perform manual injections and generate an inject response from the instrument's panel, a Remote Inject driver must be installed on the timebase:

In the Server Configuration program, add a Remote Inject driver to the timebase. (Select Add Device on the Edit or context menu, and then select Generic from the Manufacturers list box and Remote Inject from the Devices list box.) On the General tab page, select ExtStart from the Inject Port list box:

Issue an Inject command to prepare for the manual injection:

[] 18:00:34 0.000 InjectValve.Inject

[Message] 18:00:34 0.000 {InjectValve} Waiting for inject response on ExtStart.

[Message] 18:00:41 0.000 {InjectValve} Got inject response.

 

 

 

 

Software Installation

  1. In the Chromeleon Server Configuration, add the Driver to a timebase. For details, see Adding, Configuring or Deleting Devices. After you add the driver to the timebase, the Configuration dialog or wizard opens automatically.

 Tips:  

On the General page, click Retrieve Configuration from GC to download the hardware configuration from the instrument. (This may take some time.)

In the Signal Configuration dialog box, make sure to change the default TCP port settings, for example, when controlling two 7890 GCs from the same PC (click a Detector tab page and then click the Signal button to open the Signal Configuration dialog box).

If the GC is operated with two detectors, make sure that each detector uses a unique TCP port. This is especially important, if two GCs are used that are connected to the same PC. Otherwise, data acquisition is not possible.

  1. Select the desired settings on the remaining Configuration tab pages. For information about the settings on a page, click the Help button or press F1.

  2. To control the GC, connect one of the following Control Panels in the Chromeleon client to the corresponding timebase: Agilent_7890.pan or Agilent 7890 Single Injector.pan (if there is just one injector).

 

Troubleshooting

If you have special questions, please contact Dionex Service.

 

Further Information

For more installation details, refer to the operating manual of the 7890 GC.

For information about how to configure the 7890 GC for dual operation, refer to  Agilent 7890 GC: Dual Operation.

For an overview of the different Agilent/HP instruments for which device drivers are available in Chromeleon, refer to  Agilent.