Is there a way to check if an instrument shutdown was picked for a run?
I queued on 4 runs in Empower 3 FR2 and i couldnt recall if i had selected a shutdown option from the run sample set screen for the 4th run. I logged in the next day and it turns out I hadnt, since the flow was still on full tilt and the column temperature was still as per instrument method. Is there a way to check the queued sample sets to confirm a shutdown was selected?
Also, is there a setting in the instrument method which turns the flow down after a certain time, usually longer than the run time, is reached? And what curve do you pick if you want this option-11? I tried setting events like this in Empower 3 for turning column temperature off or lamp off etc in the Events tab but they are very inconsistent in that sometimes it works, sometimes not. I wonder is this a known issue in Empower 3.
Also, is there a setting in the instrument method which turns the flow down after a certain time, usually longer than the run time, is reached? And what curve do you pick if you want this option-11? I tried setting events like this in Empower 3 for turning column temperature off or lamp off etc in the Events tab but they are very inconsistent in that sometimes it works, sometimes not. I wonder is this a known issue in Empower 3.
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Answers
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Can you confirm if the instrument is Waters or 3rd party such as Agilent? It can make a difference.0
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Its a Waters instrument, Alliance HPLC, thanks for your reply.0
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I'm not aware of any way to check that a shutdown was selected if it is selected from the pop up screen after hitting run. We've handled it a few different ways, depending on the user it would seem...1) People put a condition column step at the end of the sample set with the shutdown method. This allows a subsequent user to remove that shutdown if they want to queue a new sample set after it ends. 2) At the end of the normal IM, add some events/steps well out past your run time to effectively shut it down. This would seem to be what your 2nd question is really getting at and might also help with the random run error from time to time as it has a chance to halt temp/flow if there's an error somewhere else after the injection is made..
For the alt curves...I suppose that when I've observed issues, it would seem to link to user error with using an incorrect run time (e.g. you can't expect Empower to shut off the flow at 10 min if you set the run time at 9).0 -
I agree with MJS if (and only if) the methods being run on the system differ from run to run. Using this method, the system will always shut down after the sample set method runs, before the next one starts it back up.
I know this doesn't answer the original question, but we always suggest that a good practice for is to ALWAYS select the shutdown option after starting a Sample Set Method. Empower will only run shutdown after the last queued SSM. This way, you can add SSMs as you wish with the confidence that the system will shut down after the last operation.0 -
Thanks for the replies, and to Marknoble for sharing about putting on a washdown after each run. But there seems to be an issue with adding that extra line on gradient to flip over to a low flow to save mobile phase. Sometimes it works other times it doesnt, not very reliable.0
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Could it be a known issue with the instrument firmware? What version are you on especially if it is older? All new e2695 separations modules have v3.06. We were chasing some odd issues on several with 10 year old FW. May not be related for your issues however each revision fixes something down deep. You might try if behind. ~0
