I performed a PM today and an error pops out when I attempted to reboot the instrument. And I saw "Plunger homing fault (1)".
The instrument worked fine before I started the PM. Checked the history and darn. Some related errors reported before... Basically the instrument could not restart, and hanged during initialization. Can't even do a dry/wet prime or anything.
I was reluctant to replace the torpedo because we had a really tight timeline this week. The torpedo needs a few hours to replace, together with some diagnostic tests. Error suggests the motor drive may have some internal problem. Could also have been other problems like the cable (shorting), encoder or PCB, or the fuse blown. Anyway... After rebooting the instrument a few times, I was losing hope.
I decided to give it one last try. To the solvent delivery system, please 'see' the home position of the plunger! Shook the torpedo a little. Maybe it helps. Maybe something was stuck or dislodged, and needed a little knock. Maybe...
"Initializing needle and syringe..."
"Initializing carousel..."
.
.
"Idle" (!) It worked!
Let's do a wet prime and run a flow. ...Plungers working fine!
Couldn't believe it. Let's try restarting the system, again. No more plunger homing error.
Amazed that problem was fixed by just shaking it. Sounds stupid, but it worked. Plausible that something was out of alignment, and shaking it brought it back to its rightful position.
Moral of the story: Don't be too quick to jump into conclusion. I almost wasted 4-5 hours. It's a lucky day.
Update March 2017.
Since I've been getting a lot more views on this topic, I will add more information to it.
What users do:
Loosen the inline filter before restarting the instrument
Inline filter of the pump is where all the particles are accumulated at, there could have been too much particles that it is blocking the movement of the plungers, from returning to its home position.
No comments:
Post a Comment