Hello Everyone;
I’ve replaced the vertical potentiometer of the SMS 50 autosampler on our Varian 400MR (using mostly the “Zymate System Service Manual Volume 3”).
The arm seems to move smoothly now, so I think that it is okay (before it would jerk at a certain position when it moved up or down).
After doing so I followed the installation procedure in the “Sample Management Systems” manual ( Pub. No. 01-999042-00, Rev. E1105); i.e., I set the
Reach and Vertical Zero and Calibration Positions, and the Wrist Zero and Grip Zero;
Defined the CP1:AT.HAND.GP and CP1:CLEAR.HAND.GP Positions;
Tested the Vertical Alignment of the Sample Tube;
Defined the FAKE.HAND, MONUMENT.RACK, and Hand at the MONUMENT.RACK Position; and
Taught the Rack Positions and the Magnet Position.
I did this several times, trying to fix what I think is the most worrisome problem: when I check after a sample has been returned to the rack, the NMR tube is positioned further down into the spinner. I have used a new spinner, so I don’t think it is the O-rings; and I have leveled the rack, so I don’t think it’s that either. I was told that “…if you teach the rack positions wrong (i.e. the height above the rack to let go of the tube) the autosampler will push every tube down in the spinner…” which certainly makes sense, but I don’t know HOW to correct this! As far as I can tell there is no explicit procedure in which you teach the robot the proper height above the rack to let go of the tube. Is this somehow implicitly controlled by the vertical zero and/or calibration? Perhaps the definition of the CP1:CLEAR.HAND.GP position? Or exactly how high the arm is raised above the rack in step 13 of “Teaching Rack Position”
(“…move the arm up 10 cm (to about 19.5)…”?
A related (or possibly equivalent) question: is there an explicit procedure for determining how far down the NMR tube is grasped when removed from the
rack and from the magnet?
Many thanks in advance!
Stay well,
Karl Koshlap
Received on Wed Jul 07 2021 - 10:09:16 MST