Agilent 1100 and 1200 'Hand Held Controller' error messages

<p>We are seeing a number of error messages where the hand held controller is mentioned.  It can occur at any point during a run and if the exact same sample set is rerun the error is not repeated.</p><p></p><p>Examples of the messages seen in message center are:</p><ul><li>Instrument failure A1100#HPLC01
</li><li>G1316A: Instrument has Failed to process the Option instruction.
</li><li>G1316A: Instrument has returned an error, in attempting to Unlock the Hand Held Controller.RA 0000 OPT "THERMO"
</li><li>G1316A:
</li><li>A1100#HPLC01 Setup Failed
</li><li>Instrument Failure
</li><li>G1316A: Setup has failed to retrieve information from the Instrument Method.
</li><li>G1314A: Extract Data: Instrument has failed in looking up the channel index.RA BIN
</li></ul><p></p><p>Another set of messages, all timed together or only a few seconds apart:</p><ul><li>Instrument Failure A1100#HPLC02
</li><li>G1313A: ALS has failed to process the Syringe Sz. Status instruction.
</li><li>G1313A: ALS has failed to process the Tray Configuration instruction.
</li><li>G1313A: Instrument has Failed to process the Option instruction.RA 0000 OPT TRAY:TYPE 1,0
</li><li>G1313A: Instrument has returned an error, in attempting to Unlock the Hand Held Controller.RA 0000 OPT "ALS"
</li><li>G1313A:
</li><li>
</li></ul><p></p><p>And a third example similar to the first but a different instrument:</p><ul><li>Instrument Failure A1100#HPLC11
</li><li>G1316A: Instrument has Failed to process the Option instruction.
</li><li>G1316A: Instrument has returned an error, in attempting to Unlock the Hand Held Controller.RA 0000 OPT "THERMO"
</li><li>G1316A:
</li><li>A1100#HPLC11 Setup Failed
</li><li>Instrument Failure
</li><li>G1314B: Extract Data: Instrument has failed in looking up the channel index.RA BIN
</li><li>G1316A: Setup has failed to retrieve information from the Instrument Method.
</li></ul><p></p><p></p><p>Has anyone else seen these messages or does anyone know what might be causing them and how we can solve the issues?</p><p></p><p>Thanks to all that help!</p>

Answers

  • I critically forgot to mention that these messages are seen using Empower2!

  • Hello,

    These messages are all from A1100 and A1200 modules.

    It is most likely that one of the Waters Agilent LC ICS drivers such as v1.06 is in use.

    Also, is it possible the handheld controller has not been set to "3rd party compatibility" mode and is trying to control the instruments in conflict with Empower control?

    When connecting the hand held controller to an Agilent 1100 Series or 1200 Series LC system that is controlled by Empower software, the software might generate an error indicating detection of an unknown module in the system configuration. This error can be prevented by making the instant pilot invisible to Empower.

    The backward compatibility settings for the controller are:

    OFF - visible to other controllers (default)

    ON - invisible to other controllers.

    To change the setting,

    1. Open the Configure–Controller menu,
    2. Scroll to the item 3rd Party Software and change to ON

    Should the messages continue once you have made sure the hand held controller is configured correctly and ICS is installed correctly, then should the errors continue please let us know.

    Thank you

    Dot

  • Hi Dot

    Thank you for your reply.

    I do not think this solves issues seen.  Handheld controller are not connected to the instruments, they are only used very rarely when trying to resolve problems.  On the occasions these errors occured the handheld controllers were not connected.  The errors have been seen across 3 instruments attached to 2 different LACEs.  We have been unable to identify the version of the ICS driver, but they are the same version as installed by Waters 12 months ago.  Since then the configuration of the LACE and systems have not been changed.  We have experimented with connecting the handheld controller during a run and any error messages seen are not the same as those listed, in fact there is no mention of the handheld controller!

    Any other ideas?

  • Hello,

    Since the hand held controller is not always connected, the messages could also be from connecting it during a run.

    These messages may be the output resulting from any one of the following:

    hand held controller settings,

    incompatibility firmware and the ICS,

    or possibly even an instrument issue..

    The version of Instrument Control Software installed can be determined by viewing the Empower installation log. This log can be found in the Windows folder.

    The firmware version is available from each of the individual Agilent modules in the stack.

    Please review and let us know what ICS software is installed and firmware for the individual modules in each stack.

    If then there no progress, I would suggest getting the Local service team involved.

    Best regards

    Dot