Controlling a SRI 8610c Gas Chromatograph

[athiggins]

Hi All,

We have an old (early 90s) gas chromatograph made by SRI.  The software for it, PeakSimple, works but not too well.  I want to replace it with LabVIEW.  Has anyone figured out how to talk to the 8610c using serial communications?

Thanks,

Andrew

[adrianplant]

Hi athiggins,

I am not really familiar with gas cromatographs, but if it is serial communication that you are trying to achieve, you may find helpful the following document and example.

Serial Instrument Control Tutorial

Locating Examples Included with NI Software Products

The specific commands to control and receive data from the cromatograph depends on the device's specifications.

[athiggins]

I've visited both of those pages, as I've done serial communications for other projects.  For this one the communications between the machine and the computer are a lot more complicated.  The baud rate gets changed a few times on setup, there is a "heartbeat" signal that keeps the line open, and a whole host of other oddities.  

[adrianplant]

Oh I see. Unfortunately I am not really familiar with cromatographs, so I am not sure what configurations and settings must be adjusted for it to work correctly. I do know that you can change the baud rate during the execution, using a property node. Maybe that can help.
Hopefully some other user will have experience with this type of equipment and can give you better advice. However, if you have any specific questions regarding serial communication using LabVIEW, I can definitely try to help you with that.

[athiggins]

There is no doubt I'll have more questions down the line.  I'll keep you in mind as a person to ask.  Thanks!  

[berkaycitmaci]

Is there anyone who succesfully connected the chromatogram to the labview interface? Thanks