Varian 410

[AlexCKK]

Hello.
I have problems connecting the Varian 410 autosampler. Unlike the Spark Holland Midas with RS232 communication port, the Varian has rs422. I have a USB to rs422 converter and a db9-dp9 wire. Using them, I can successfully connect the Varian 410 to the Galaxie and Multichrom software. I use the Varian-recommended port settings: 19200, 8, even, 1, none. But there is no connection to Clarity. What could be the problem?
Sincerely.

[JaroslavKana]

Hello Alex,

ProStar line of autosamplers are indeed of Spark made, but they have communication unit different from classical Spark models - they use RS422 communication instead of the default RS232. To be able to use the sampler as controlled in Clarity, the communication unit must be changed. According to our knowledge (tested by one of our German distributors) the following parts are needed to be exchanged:

Part number Qty Description German List Price (2009)
0043.745 1 Multilink cover 18,--
0725.620 1 Multilink PCB 113,--
0830.101 1 Firmware 139,--
0830.803 1 Flatcable 19,--
2524.141 2 Screwlock female 6,-- (Each)

Flatcable is not necessary as it is a part of the ProStar already. Please contact Spark Holland or their representatives for the availability of the parts/quotation, just saying conversion kit from ProStar410 to Midas is probably enough.

May I know the serial number of the respective Clarity station?

Best regards

Jaroslav

[AlexCKK]

Thanks for the answer. I have all the details except 0830.101 1 Firmware.

[AlexCKK]

As I can see the firmware is impossible to get more. Shouldn't Varian 410 be labeled as unsupported? And what task does the SendCom.ini file do? IMHO, rs 422 support could be implemented at the driver level ...

[Daniel Mentlik]

Dear Aleksandr,
last time we checked with Spark (about last year) it was still possible to obtain the exchange part. Please let me know by email to support@dataapex.com if you would wish me to try asking Spark directly for the exchange part.
Unfortunately, only implementing the RS-422 support in the driver would not be enough as some procedures in the Varian firmware are not the same as with original Spark firmware. With the instrument discontinued, it is probably not worth investing the significant time to rewrite the driver.

I do not fully understand the reason of the question on sendcom.ini - the file holds settings for a simple tool able to send the commands over serial (RS-232) line. The tool is available in C:/Clarity/Bin/Utils/ subdirectory and can be called for example from the Event Table, as a whole it allows to address very simple devices (e.g. a valve) with few commands which do not have a driver in Clarity. Spark Midas driver has nothing in common with the sendcom.exe or sendcom.ini files.

Best Regards,
Daniel

[AlexCKK]

Hello again.
I finally got and installed the new frimware 2.06. The instrument now displays “Midas. 2.06” when turned on. I am using a USB to rs232 converter and db9-dp9 wire. Using them, I can successfully connect the autosampler to Multichrom software. But in Clarity, the connection is still missing.

[Daniel Mentlik]

Dear Alksandr,
in case the station is connected to Internet, we can provide online diagnostics via TeamViewer - please let us know by email to support@dataapex.com. It is very hard to provide a solution with insufficient information.

Best Regards,
Daniel