Discussion Category:  Software (GC)

Trouble getting Agilent IO Libraries/Chemstation to recognize GC

Hey there,

I'm getting error 0xBFFF0015 while trying to send commands from my PC to my GC.

 

I spent a good chunk of yesterday googling to try to solve my problem, but a lot of the solutions posted are over my head. I'm just an analyst, and have been tasked with getting the GC connected to a new computer. I'm not a programmer or coder, but my knowledge of computers in general is decent. I made some progress but have hit a wall, and I hope someone can help me. This is the equipment/software I'm dealing with:

6890A GC
GC GPIB card
version D of chemstation
32-bit windows XP SP 3
IO Libraries 16.3.17914.4 (downloaded this specifically because it's the latest version that supports XP SP 3)
(if it matters - 7673 tower with a controller box)
version D of chemstation

The previous computer that the GC connected just fine with was using an ISA HPIB card with version B of chemstation. The OS is Windows 2000 Pro SP 4. I have no idea how much of this is relevant. 

This is what the Agilent Connection Expert looks like right now:
http://imgur.com/a/7c04i

I got the checkbox to turn green by unchecking auto-identify

When I try to send commands to the instrument, I get this error:
! VI_ERROR_TMO: A timeout occurred
Visa ErrorCode: 0xBFFF0015 (-1073807339)

A lot of the solutions I see deal with programming or code that I don't know how to do. Is there any slightly less complicated fix I can try? Or is there a way to post the code it IS using so someone can look at it? Thanks for reading if you got this far.

JaneDoeADeer

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JaneDoeADeer
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Dan Ste.MarieReply by
Dan Ste.Marie

JaneDoeADeer (love the name!!),

Is this by chance a GCMS system?  YOu say that you are running version D of ChemStation is it actually Version D of the MSChemStation?  If you would like you can call me directly as I believe that you might have the wrong IO libraries installed possibly.

Dan


Dan Ste.Marie

RJ2 Instrument Services

Erie, PA

www.rj2.biz

   
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JaneDoeADeerReply by
JaneDoeADeer

It looks like MSD ChemStation D.03.00.611, I wasn't aware there was a difference. I just sort of got thrown into this and my knowledge of the software begins and ends at using it to analyze data. Thanks for your fast response. I'd probably get yelled at for being on my phone in the lab :)

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Dan Ste.MarieReply by
Dan Ste.Marie

Ok, so you have MSChemStation which is for GCMS systems but can also be used for GCs (but not typically done).  The MSChemStation version D software cannot use the IO Libraries Version 16, if you are running HPIB communications (which you said you are) you need the M version of the IO Libraries which is typically on the install CD but you can also download from online. 

Are you running a Mass Spec or is it only a GC with FID or some other type of GC detector?

Dan

 


Dan Ste.Marie

RJ2 Instrument Services

Erie, PA

www.rj2.biz

   
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JaneDoeADeerReply by
JaneDoeADeer

It's a GC with FID, no MS. The person in charge of this goose chase before me had problems with the IO libraries on the CD (so I'm told) but I can certainly try it again.

 

ETA: the CD has M.01.01.04, installing that

 

ETA again: leaving work, got the libraries installed. Be back tomorrow!

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Dan Ste.MarieReply by
Dan Ste.Marie
Hopefully you were using MSChemStation previously because they are very different. If you get the correct IO Libraries you should be able to get it going. Version M. If you cannot find them I can send them to you. Dan

Dan Ste.Marie

RJ2 Instrument Services

Erie, PA

www.rj2.biz

   
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avatar placemarkReply by
Alan Schumacher

hpib card in the computer maters also. you mentioned isa card and i wonder whst card. needs to be a pci card..82350 is what most call it.

Solo Analytical Services
(336) 214-7068
 
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Dan Ste.MarieReply by
Dan Ste.Marie

Alan,

From the screen shot of the Connection Expert it appears that it is an updated HPIB card and is communicating well the PC, just not with the MSChemStation software.

Dan

(I used to know an Alan Schumacher years ago, did you ever do work out of Ohio?)

 


Dan Ste.Marie

RJ2 Instrument Services

Erie, PA

www.rj2.biz

   
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avatar placemarkReply by
Alan Schumacher

I've spent a little time in Ohio back when I worked for another company, but now I stick with moslty here in NC area. Dan, not sure where we would have meet. but guessing we did sometime in the past 30 years...

on the chemstation issue, is the op system still win2K or updated to winxp?  Does windows config manager see the hpib card with no errors?

 

 

 

Solo Analytical Services
(336) 214-7068
 
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avatar placemarkReply by
Alan Schumacher

Have you configured your GC?

Solo Analytical Services
(336) 214-7068
 
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JaneDoeADeerReply by
JaneDoeADeer

So here's the screen I have now. imgur is being disagreeable so I used another image uploader, I hope it's working:

https://s11.postimg.org/q0xlhj7cz/gc002.jpg

This UI is super different from the other IO Libraries install I was using and I'm not sure how to tell which one(s?) I need to configure.

I was using MSChemstation before, as far as I know, because it looks and behaves the same as the other version I'm trying to use now.

 

ETA: The OS I'm trying to get it to work on is XP SP 3, as far as whether the PC sees the card ok, I don't see any red X's in the device manager, but I also can't quite figure out if the card is listed there. Maybe it's named something I can't figure out?

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