Installing and Controlling Third-Party Devices
Waters Acquity UPLC and UPLC H-Class System

Device Type:

UPLC system

Device Driver:

Waters: Acquity System Driver

Note:

An improved version of the Acquity driver is shipped starting with Chromeleon 6.80 SR14. If you have operated the Acquity system under Chromeleon before, the Acquity driver will be automatically updated, and existing settings will be imported. However, you must update the Waters Instrument Component Software before starting the Chromeleon Server.

Hardware Options
Supported:

Waters Acquity UPLC and Acquity UPLC H-Class Systems with the following modules. To check the current firmware of a module, start the Acquity UPLC Console, select the module in the Navigation Bar, and on the Configure menu, click View Module Information. To update the firmware, run the Waters Autoloader from the Waters installation folder, and click Load Firmware.

  • Sample Manager (SM)

  • Sample Manager FTN (SM-FTN)

  • Binary Solvent Manager (BSM)

  • Quaternary Solvent Manager (QSM)

  • Acquity Photodiode Array Detector (PDA)

  • Acquity Fluorescence Detector (FLR)

  • Acquity Tunable UV Detector (TUV)

  • 2489 UV/Visible Detector

  • 2998 Photodiode Array Detector (PDA)

  • Sample Organizer

  • Column Manager (CM, CM-A, CM-Aux)

  • Column Preheater

  • Column Heater / Cooler

Restrictions:

 

 

  • For supported operating systems, refer to the release notes for the Waters Acquity UPLC System Instrument Component Software.

  • Sharing modules between timebases is not supported. Make sure during installation that each module is only used in one timebase.

  • Only one Waters Acquity System Driver is permitted per timebase (additional drivers from other manufacturers, however, are allowed).

  • Only one instance of each module type (for example, injector, PDA, pump, FLR) is allowed in the system.

  • Programs must be created using the Program Wizard. Manual editing in the PGM Editor is restricted to a few commands. Programs can only be run within a sequence, i.e., shutdown programs and the like are not supported.

  • For direct "online" control, open the Acquity Console from the Chromeleon control panel. The control panel can be used to monitor the parameters.

  • Chromeleon does not support data rates of 40 and 80 Hz. If set, these rates will be interpolated to 50 Hz and 100 Hz, respectively.

  • If the Waters Driver Pack 4 software is not installed (see below), the driver switches into Demo mode automatically. In this case, demo mode functions are restricted.

  • Note that it is not possible to print methods in demo mode.

  • Blank injections require that the Blank parameter of the Inject command be set to "Inject". However, you can disable injection in the Waters method editor.

  • OQ/PQ is not supported.

  • FLR detector: Spectrum mode not supported.

  • Note that changing the tray type via the Waters Acquity framework is not saved. The configuration of the plates will be lost once the machine is rebooted or the Acquity services are stopped. Instead, change the plates via the Acquity Console. Changes will be saved on hard disk then.

  • The Waters method editor always provides a diagnostic channel for a preheater, even if a preheater module is not available.

  • If the total length of the Timebase name plus system name is more than 32 characters, the sequence will abort shortly after initial injection. The affected detectors are:
    - 2489 UV detector
    - 2998 PDA detector
    - Acquity FLR detector
    - Acquity ELSD detector

    Note: The system name is displayed in the Chromeleon Server Configuration on the System Settings tab page, option System name.

  • If two Acquity systems are connected to one IPC the range for the column temperature of the sample manager in the Waters method editor does not always match the hardware configuration. If a run is started and a value is send to the device that is out of range due to the hardware configuration an error is reported and the injection gets aborted.

  • In the method editor column manager page (oven), group box "Column Selection", setting "Valve Position", the drop down list offers "Column 1-8", however, the system can only be equipped with 4 columns. You can therefore only set a range between 1-4 for the column. A setting higher than that will cause the injection to abort.

 

What is required?

License:

Timebase Class 2
3D Data Acquisition (for recording 3D data with the Acquity PDA or FLR detector)

Connection:

A free Ethernet port and the following cable are required:

Ethernet LAN cable, which is shipped from Waters with the system.

PC Requirements:

For information about PC requirements please refer to the Chromeleon Release Notes.

Software Prerequisites:

The driver requires Waters Driver Pack 4 software. The software must be installed on all client and server PCs before you can install the driver. The software is provided on the Chromeleon CD.

Tips:

If a previous version of the Waters Driver Pack software is installed, for example, Waters Instrument Component Software vers. 1.50, you must first uninstall the older version of the Waters software before you can start installing Waters Driver Pack 4.

Make sure that the same version of the Waters software is installed on all interconnected client and server PCs.

For instructions on how to perform unattended setup of the Waters software, refer to the document “Waters DP4 - Installation and Configuration Guide" provided by Waters. The Guide is provided in the Drivers\Waters Driver Pack 4 folder on the Chromeleon CD.

Control Panel:

The following panels are provided in the Dionex Templates\Panels\LC_Other folder in the Browser: Waters_Acquity.pan

 

Hardware Installation

  1. Install the system as described in the Waters Acquity Operator's Guide.

  2. Connect the system to the Chromeleon Server PC.

Note:

When connecting the Acquity system to a different Chromeleon Server PC later, you must reboot the PC and power-cycle all instruments.

Software Installation

Notes:

Before you install the driver, make sure to log on as a Windows administrator.

If you change the instrument configuration, you must remove the Waters Acquity System driver from the timebase and re-add it. It is not possible to edit the instrument configuration by opening the Waters Acquity UPLC Console from the Windows explorer.

The Waters Acquity UPLC Console will not display the 2489 detector even if the detector is installed correctly.

  1. Verify that the Waters Driver Pack 4 software is installed on the PC before you install the driver. The software is provided on the Chromeleon CD in the Drivers\Waters Driver Pack 4 folder. Make sure that only the drivers for the physically available modules are installed. Update to the latest firmware version if necessary.

  2. Start the Waters DHCP Server Configuration directly from the Waters installation directory, for example, C:\Program Files\Waters Instruments\Waters DHCP Server Configuration.exe and verify that the instrument is listed correctly in the list of found instruments.

  3. Set up a TCP port in the firewall exceptions list; for details, refer to Chromeleon and Windows Firewall (from Windows XP SP2 on).

  4. 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.

  5. On the System Settings tab page, verify that Demo mode is set to Off and click Configure Acquity system to specify the instrument configuration. Settings are made directly in the Waters Acquity UPLC Console. Click the Help menu for help on the settings.

  6. Close the Acquity Console to continue with the wizard. There are various configuration pages that allow setting the device and channel names. It is not recommended to change the default settings. For more information click the Help button or press F1.

Notes:

If a previous version of the Waters Driver Pack software is installed, for example, Waters Instrument Component Software vers. 1.50, you must first uninstall older versions of the Waters software before you can start installing Waters Driver Pack 4.

Adding the Acquity System Driver in the Chromeleon Server Configuration

  1. In the Chromeleon Server Configuration, add the driver to the timebase in which the Waters Alliance separation module is installed. For details, see Adding, Configuring or Deleting Devices. After you add the driver to the timebase, the Configuration dialog or wizard opens automatically.

  2. On the System Settings tab page, verify that Demo mode is set to Off and click Configure Acquity system to specify the instrument configuration. Settings are made directly in the Waters Acquity UPLC Console. Click the Help menu for help on the settings. Close the Acquity Console to continue with the wizard.

  3. There are configuration pages that allow setting the device and channel names. It is not recommended to change the default settings. For more information click the Help button or press F1.

Firmware Updates

Firmware updates for the Waters Acquity modules can be downloaded using the Waters AutoLoader. The tool is provided under C:\Program Files (x86)\Waters Instruments\Firmware\AutoLoader. For details, refer to the Waters Acquity user documentation.

Troubleshooting

In case of communication issues, complete the following steps to verify that all modules were detected by the Waters software:

  1. Start the DHCP Server Configuration and verify that the installed modules are listed correctly in the list of found instruments.

  2. Start the Waters Acquity UPLC Console directly from the Waters installation directory, for example, C:\Program Files\Waters Instruments\Bin\AcquityConsole.exe (not from Chromeleon).

  3. Open the Configure menu. In the Configure instrument modules submenu, press the Scan button. After the scan, verify that the check boxes of all modules are selected. The Acquity Console should not issue a communication error.

Waters 2489 UV/Visible, 2998 PDA Detectors and Acquity FLR Detector

Both 2489 UV/Visible Detector and 2998 PDA Detector cannot be used with the Acquity UPLC system.

These detectors can only be used with an Alliance separation module. Waters does not support operation of an Alliance separation module together with a Waters Acquity UPLC system.

To perform a Hardware Installation with an Alliance Separation Module

  1. Connect the detector to an Ethernet hub on the Chromeleon Server PC using a standard Ethernet LAN cable.

  2. A hardware start signal is required to start the method run at the detector at injection start (Inject Start). Connect the inject start connectors on the detector (II, 1+2 or B, 1+2) with the inject start connectors on the separation module (B, 1+2). For details refer to the operator's guide for the detector.

Further Information

For detailed installation instructions, also refer to the operating instructions for the instrument.

 Waters - for an overview of the different Waters instruments that can be controlled by Chromeleon.