Chromperfect Supported Instruments: Digital Connections, Analog Options, and What to Do When Your Instrument Is Not Listed
Chromperfect can communicate directly with a range of chromatography instruments using either Chromperfect native digital drivers or manufacturer-supplied ICF/RC.NET drivers. However, not every GC, HPLC, or other chromatographic instrument has a supported digital connection.
The most important rule is simple:
If an instrument does not appear on the current Chromperfect supported instruments list, direct digital control should not be assumed.
That does not necessarily mean the instrument cannot be used with Chromperfect. In many cases, an instrument without a supported digital driver can still be connected through a Chromperfect Tigre interface using an analog detector output together with a remote-start connection.
Chromperfect supported instruments and connection types
Chromperfect supports two principal forms of direct digital instrument communication.
The first uses Chromperfect native instrument drivers. These are drivers developed specifically for Chromperfect and remain a current supported connection method.
Where a suitable native driver is available, it will often be the preferred approach.
The second uses ICF/RC.NET, the Instrument Control Framework used by Agilent and other instrument manufacturers. In this configuration, Chromperfect communicates through the manufacturer's instrument-control driver.
Some instrument models can be connected using either framework. The existence of an ICF/RC.NET driver does not mean that the native Chromperfect driver is obsolete or should automatically be replaced.
Agilent and HP GC instruments
Chromperfect has direct digital support for several generations of Agilent and HP gas chromatographs.
Native Chromperfect drivers are available for models including:
HP 5890
Agilent 6850
Agilent 6890
Agilent 7820
Agilent 7890
The Agilent 6850, 6890, 7820 and 7890 can also be supported through Agilent ICF/RC.NET.
Where both methods are available, the Chromperfect native driver will often be the preferred connection method.
Newer Agilent instruments for which there is no Chromperfect native driver are supported through ICF/RC.NET. These include:
Agilent 8850
Agilent 8860
Agilent 8890
Agilent Intuvo 9000
The important point is that Agilent support is model specific. The fact that Chromperfect supports one Agilent instrument does not mean that every Agilent instrument is supported.
Other digitally supported instruments
Chromperfect also provides digital acquisition and control for selected instruments from other manufacturers.
Supported families include selected:
Shimadzu GC instruments through ICF/RC.NET
Thermo Scientific GC instruments using Chromperfect native drivers
PerkinElmer Clarus GC instruments using Chromperfect native drivers
Scion GC instruments
Teledyne Falcon and Calidus instruments
Supported Agilent LC instruments available through ICF/RC.NET
Support is always dependent on the exact instrument model and available driver.
A manufacturer name by itself is not sufficient to establish compatibility.
Digital support is model-specific, not manufacturer-wide.
If the exact instrument model does not appear on the Chromperfect supported-instrument list, it should be treated as not digitally supported unless Chromperfect confirms otherwise.
If the exact model is not on the supported list, it should be treated as not digitally supported unless Chromperfect confirms otherwise.
What if your instrument is not listed?
This is where an important distinction needs to be made.
Not digitally supported does not necessarily mean not usable with Chromperfect.
Chromatography data systems existed long before Ethernet instrument control became commonplace. Many chromatographs and detectors provide an electrical analog output representing the detector signal.
Chromperfect Tigre interfaces are designed to acquire these analog signals.
This means that an instrument for which Chromperfect has no digital driver may still be perfectly usable as an analog data source.
What is required for an analog connection?
For a typical analog Chromperfect connection, the instrument must provide two things:
a suitable analog detector output
a remote-start or contact-closure connection
The analog output carries the chromatographic detector signal to the Tigre interface.
The remote-start connection tells Chromperfect when the chromatographic run begins so that acquisition starts at the correct time.
These connections are normally physical outputs provided by the chromatograph, detector, autosampler or associated instrument electronics.
The customer must check the instrument
Chromperfect cannot guarantee that an unsupported digital instrument can be connected by analog acquisition simply from its model number.
The customer must check the instrument documentation, rear-panel connections or confirm with the instrument manufacturer that the required outputs are available.
Specifically, they should establish:
Does the instrument provide an analog detector output?
and:
Does the instrument provide a remote-start or contact-closure output?
If both are available, an analog Chromperfect connection may be possible.
Analog signal voltage must also be checked
The detector output voltage must be compatible with the Chromperfect Tigre interface.
Tigre analog inputs have a 0 to 1.0 V input range. If the detector signal exceeds 1.0 V, the Tigre input will saturate and the chromatogram will flat-top, resulting in loss of quantitative information.
Many chromatography detectors provide higher-voltage outputs, such as 5 V or 10 V. These signals can still be used with Chromperfect, but they must first be attenuated to remain within the 0 to 1.0 V Tigre input range.
Attenuation can normally be achieved using a suitable passive voltage-divider circuit. The attenuation ratio should be selected so that the maximum expected detector output remains below 1.0 V at the Tigre input.
If attenuation is introduced or changed, the chromatographic system must be recalibrated because the measured detector response will change.
The customer should therefore confirm:
the detector’s maximum analog output voltage
whether that output can be configured to a lower range
whether external attenuation will be required to keep the signal within the 0 to 1.0 V Tigre input range
Digital control and analog acquisition are not the same thing
This distinction is important when discussing compatibility.
With a supported digital connection, Chromperfect may communicate directly with the instrument and, depending on the driver, control operating parameters, download Setpoint files, start runs and collect detector data digitally.
With an analog Tigre connection, Chromperfect normally:
acquires the detector signal
receives the run-start signal
records the chromatogram
processes and reports the resulting data
The chromatograph itself remains responsible for its instrument conditions.
For an HPLC, for example, the instrument's own software or front-panel controls may continue to manage the pump, gradient, autosampler and detector settings while Chromperfect collects and processes the analog chromatographic signal.
Example: Waters Alliance e2695
The Waters Alliance e2695 provides a useful example.
The Alliance e2695 is not a digitally supported Chromperfect instrument and should not be connected to the network with the expectation that Chromperfect will automatically communicate with or control it.
The possible Chromperfect connection is instead through analog acquisition.
If the customer's particular Waters system provides a suitable analog detector output and an appropriate remote-start connection, its chromatographic signal may be connected to a Chromperfect Tigre interface.
The customer must confirm that these connections are available on their specific instrument and detector configuration.
Before adding an instrument to Chromperfect
When asking whether an existing instrument can be connected to Chromperfect, it is helpful to provide:
instrument manufacturer
exact model number
detector type
number of detector channels required
available communication connections
availability of an analog detector output
availability of a remote-start or contact-closure output
The first check is whether the exact instrument has a supported Chromperfect digital connection.
If it does, the appropriate native or ICF/RC.NET connection can be selected.
If it does not, the next question becomes:
Can we acquire the detector signal through a Chromperfect Tigre interface using an analog output and remote start?
Comments