SOLAAR Series Software Manual

SOLAAR SeriesSoftware Manual 9499 400 30011 Version 2.01 © 2011Thermo Fisher Corporation Registration No. 441506 SOLAAR House, 19 Mercers Row, Cambridge CB5 8BZ.United Kingdom. Telephone +44 (0) 1223 347400, Fax +44 (0) 1223 347402, www.thermoscientific.com Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAARsecurity Pre-Installation Manual - Contents i Contents Chapter 1 Introduction Windows ................................................................................... 1 - 2 Windows Help .......................................................................... 1 - 2 Displaying Help for Windows ................................................... 1 - 2 Chapter 2 SOLAAR Installation Spectrometer software .............................................................. 2 - 3 GFTV software ..................................................................... 2 - 3 SOLAARsecurity software...................................................... 2 - 3 Software installation ................................................................ 2 - 3 SOLAAR Data Station software ............................................ 2 - 3 Installing the USB drivers on the Data Station ...................... 2 - 4 Installing the USB drivers on the Data Station (Vista) .......... 2 - 6 Installing the USB drivers on the Data Station (Windows 7) ... 2 - 8 Determining the COM port of the Spectrometer using XP ...................................................................... 2 - 12 Determining the COM port of the Spectrometer using Vista and Windows 7 ......................................... 2 - 12 Installing the Data Station software ...................................... 2 - 13 Initialising the installation................................................... 2 - 13 Selecting the Installation folder. .......................................... 2 - 15 Downloading software to the spectrometer ......................... 2 - 15 Installing the Support Documentation ................................ 2 - 17 Te Termo SOLAAR program group .................................. 2 - 18 Repairing and removing the SOLAAR software .................. 2 - 18 SOLAAR software and printers ............................................. 2 - 22 Getting Help for installing a new printer ............................ 2 - 22 Starting the SOLAAR application ......................................... 2 - 23 Starting SOLAAR ............................................................... 2 - 23 Creating a desktop shortcut to SOLAAR ............................ 2 - 23 Starting SOLAAR automatically with Windows ................. 2 - 24 Logging in to SOLAAR software ........................................... 2 - 25 Startup option .................................................................... 2 - 26 Chapter 3 SOLAAR Software Overview .................................................................................. 3 - 3 Dual Analyses ....................................................................... 3 - 4 SOLAAR Wizards .................................................................... 3 - 4 Methods ................................................................................... 3 - 6 Sample Details ...................................................................... 3 - 6 Results .................................................................................. 3 - 6 Thermo Fisher Scientific ii SOLAARsecurity Pre-Installation Manual - Contents Working with SOLAAR ........................................................... 3 - 7 SOLAAR Status windows ..................................................... 3 - 8 SOLAAR Method property sheet .......................................... 3 - 9 SOLAAR dialogue boxes ..................................................... 3 - 10 SOLAAR Menus ................................................................. 3 - 11 SOLAAR Tool Bar .............................................................. 3 - 13 SOLAAR Status Bars .......................................................... 3 - 14 On-line Help ...................................................................... 3 - 15 Learning to use the On-line Help system ............................ 3 - 15 Opening the Help Topics: SOLAAR dialogue box .............. 3 - 16 SOLAAR Help Table of Contents and Help topics ............. 3 - 17 Context-sensitive Help ........................................................ 3 - 18 Menu Commands, Status windows and Tools ..................... 3 - 18 Dialogue boxes and Property pages ..................................... 3 - 19 Controls on dialogue boxes and Property pages ................... 3 - 19 Chapter 4 Getting Started A simple fame analysis ............................................................ 4 - 3 Before starting ...................................................................... 4 - 3 Setting up the Method .......................................................... 4 - 3 General Method parameters .................................................. 4 - 4 Sequence Method parameters................................................ 4 - 5 Spectrometer Method parameters.......................................... 4 - 9 Flame Method parameters................................................... 4 - 10 Calibration Method parameters .......................................... 4 - 10 Saving and loading Methods ............................................... 4 - 11 Saving a Method in the Methods Database ......................... 4 - 11 Loading a previously saved Method .................................... 4 - 12 Installing a lamp .................................................................... 4 - 12 Setting up the lamp ............................................................ 4 - 15 Lighting the fame and optimising the burner parameters ... 4 - 16 Lighting the fame ............................................................... 4 - 16 Optimising the burner position .......................................... 4 - 17 Running the analysis .............................................................. 4 - 18 Viewing the results .............................................................. 4 - 20 Printing the results .............................................................. 4 - 21 A simple furnace analysis ....................................................... 4 - 22 Before starting .................................................................... 4 - 22 Setting up the Method ........................................................ 4 - 23 General Method parameters ................................................ 4 - 23 Sequence Method parameters.............................................. 4 - 24 Spectrometer Method parameters........................................ 4 - 24 Furnace Method parameters ................................................ 4 - 25 Calibration Method parameters .......................................... 4 - 25 Sampling Method parameters ............................................. 4 - 26 Installing and aligning the lamp ........................................... 4 - 26 Installing and aligning the Graphite Furnace....................... 4 - 27 Aligning the Graphite Furnace Autosampler ....................... 4 - 27 Loading the sample solution on to the Autosampler ............ 4 - 29 Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAARsecurity Pre-Installation Manual - Contents iii Running the analysis ........................................................... 4 - 30 Viewing and printing the results ......................................... 4 - 31 Viewing absorbance signals ................................................. 4 - 31 A simple vapour analysis ....................................................... 4 - 31 Sequence Method parameters.............................................. 4 - 33 Spectrometer Method parameters........................................ 4 - 34 Vapour Method parameters ................................................. 4 - 34 Calibration Method parameters .......................................... 4 - 35 Lighting the fame .................................................................. 4 - 37 Viewing and printing the results ........................................... 4 - 40 Chapter 5 Dual Analyses A simple dual analysis .............................................................. 5 - 3 Setting up and running a Dual Analysis ................................ 5 - 3 Dual Analysis Results ............................................................ 5 - 4 Chapter 6 The OQ Tests Software Starting the OQ Tests application ........................................... 6 - 3 Using the OQ Tests Application .............................................. 6 - 3 Customer Diagnostics .............................................................. 6 - 4 Appendix 1 – Upgrade Considerations ................................... 6 - 5 Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific iv SOLAARsecurity Pre-Installation Manual - Contents Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 1 - 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Congratulations on the purchase of your Termo Scientifc Atomic Absorption system and Termo SOLAAR software. SOLAAR ia a powerful, user-friendly system that will meet all your needs for elemental analysis using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. We hope that you will quickly become familiar with the operation and capabilities of your system. Tis manual shows you how to install and use the SOLAAR Data Station and OQ Tests software. It should be used in conjunction with the other AA Series User Documentation supplied with your system, in particular: ● the Operators manual – this describes the installation, alignment and use of the Spectrometer and accessories. ● the Methods manual – this describes the physical and chemical principles underlying the technique of Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, and gives practical guidance on sample preparation and related topics. ● the On-line Help system – this gives a detailed description of the software, together with instructions on how to carry out all the main operations. It also includes the On-Line Cookbook, which gives recommended values for the basic parameters for all the elements that can be measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Tis is described in more detail in the SOLAAR Software / On line Help section. Te SOLAAR Data Station and SOLAAR OQ Tests software also form part of the SOLAARsecurity software package, which includes additional software components that provide enhanced features such as Access Control and Electronic Signatures. Tese are required to allow the SOLAAR software to fulfl the requirements of the 21 CFR Part 11 Rule, which applies to organisations regulated by the United States Food and Drugs Administration. Additional documentation is supplied in the SOLAARsecurity package that describes these facilities and their use, and they are not discussed in this manual. Thermo Fisher Scientific 1 - 2 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Your SOLAAR Data Station software operates under the Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows 7 Professional operating systems. SOLAAR software has been designed to use these operating systems and makes optimal use of their facilities. Note: SOLAAR may not work under earlier versions of Windows operating systems. In general SOLAAR Iollows the general conventions oI MicrosoIt Windows™ and it is expected that the analyst has a good understanding oI the operating system and Iunctions. Commands and Iunctions that are common to Windows application programmes will not be described. It is assumed that buttons such as OK and Apply are to be selected when the analyst has completed a selection oI options in a dialog box/window and the Cancel button closes a dialog box/window and erases any data entry or alteration. In many cases there is more than one acceptable way to perIorm a task, access a window etc. All versions oI Windows are provided with extensive On-line Help, which covers all aspects oI day-to-day operation. To display the On-line Help system Ior using Windows XP: 1. Click on the button at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen to display the Start menu: Windows Windows Windows Help Displaying Help for Windows Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 1 - 3 Windows 2. Click on the Help and Support command. Te Windows Help and Support Center window will be displayed: – In other versions of Windows, the Help Topics dialogue box may be displayed in a slightly diferent format. 3. Click on a Help Topic to open it. Navigate through the menus on the left hand side of the window to fnd the specifc subject you’re interested in: – In other versions of Windows the navigation screens within the Help section may look slightly diferent. 4. Click or double click on the topic that you want to view to select and display it. For more help in using the Windows On-line Help refer to the information in the Windows basics →Tips for using Help topic. Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 1 - 4 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 1 Chapter 2 SOLAAR Installation Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 2 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Software installation Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 3 Software installation Te Spectrometer in your AA Series Atomic Absorption system contains a powerful embedded microprocessor to control the low-level operations of the various sub-systems and accessories. Tis microprocessor runs software that is resident in the Spectrometer itself, which is normally installed and tested during the manufacture of the equipment. From time to time we will release updated versions of this resident software to enhance the performance of the system and provide new facilities – these can be installed from your Data Station. Very rarely, a fault in the Spectrometer can corrupt the resident software. A copy of this software is therefore included on the SOLAAR Software distribution CD ROM, so that it can be re-installed in the Spectrometer from the Data Station if required. Your AA Series Atomic Absorption Spectrometer may be ftted with the Graphite Furnace Television (GFTV) accessory. Tis is included as a standard feature on many instruments and can also be provided as a factory-ftted upgrade. Te video from the GFTV accessory is displayed within the SOLAAR software itself. If you have purchased the SOLAARsecurity software package, please refer to the documentation included in that package for installation instructions. If you have bought your computer as part of a complete system from Termo Fisher Scientifc or from one of our Agents, the software may have been pre-installed in our factory. Te software will have been fully tested, both in our factory before shipping and again during installation by our trained Service Engineers in your laboratory. If you have supplied your own computer, the Service Engineer will install and test the software during installation. You will only have to install the software yourself if: ● you want to move the software from one computer to another ● you want to upgrade the software with a newer version supplied by us ● your original installation has become corrupted. You will need: ● a PC of appropriate specifcation and capable of running the appropriate Microsoft Windows operating system. ● the appropriate system access rights. ● the computer must also have the following facilities: – a CD-ROM Drive – a fxed hard disk drive with at least 1 GByte free space available – an SVGA colour monitor (minimum 1024 x 768 resolution with 256 colours) Spectrometer software GFTV software SOLAARsecurity software Software installation SOLAAR Data Station software Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 4 SOLAAR Series Software Manual – an appropriate port for communication with the spectrometer – an appropriate printer port – a Windows-compatible mouse – an appropriate Windows operating system installed on the computer – a SOLAAR Software Installation CD-ROM ● to upgrade the Spectrometer software, the Spectrometer must be available and correctly connected to the Data Station. Te USB drivers are required so that the Data Station can communicate with the spectrometer. (If the RS232 cable is used for spectrometer communication, the USB drivers are not required). Te drivers may have been installed on your computer when the SOLAAR Data Station software was installed, either at the factory if it was part of a complete system or by one of our Service Engineers if you supplied your own computer. However, there may be situations where you need to install the drivers yourself, such as moving the SOLAAR software to another computer. To carry out the USB driver installation on your computer you will need the SOLAAR Software Installation CD-ROM. 1. Ensure that the Spectrometer is of. 2. Connect a USB lead between your computer and the USB socket on the Spectrometer. A suitable USB lead is provided with the Spectrometer. 3. Insert the SOLAAR Software Installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of your PC If the SOLAAR Installation program automatically starts, select Exit. 4. On your computer, launch the Control Panel. 5. In the control panel window, double-click on the System icon (in category view). 6. In the System Properties window, select the Hardware tab, and click on the Windows Update button. 7. In the Connect to Windows Update window, select the Ask me to search Windows Update every time I connect a new device and then click OK. 8. Te System Properties window and Control Panel window can now be closed. 9. Turn on the Spectrometer. Installing the USB drivers on the Data Station (XP) Software installation Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 5 10. Te Found New Hardware Wizard window will appear. Select the No, not this time radio button and then select the Next button. 11. Ten select the Install from a list or specifc location (Advanced) radio button and then select the Next button. 12. In the next window, select the Search for the best driver in these locations radio button. Ensure that the Search removable media (foppy, CD-ROM…) is ticked. Ten select the Next button. 13. Te wizard will now search for the drivers. Once the wizard has completed, select the Finish button. 14. As there are two or three drivers to install, depending on whether your Spectrometer is ftted with a GFTV, follow steps 10 to 13 until the computer has found all the new hardware. 15. Your computer is now ready to be used with the Spectrometer. Software installation Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 6 SOLAAR Series Software Manual 1. Ensure that the Spectrometer is of. 2. Connect a USB lead between your computer and the USB socket on the Spectrometer. A suitable USB lead is provided with the Spectrometer. 3. Insert the SOLAAR Installation CD-ROM into the CD- ROM drive of your PC. If the SOLAAR Installation starts automatically, select Exit. 4. On your computer launch the Control Panel. 5. In the Control Panel window, double click on the System icon and then double click on the Advanced System Settings on Task List 6. In the System Properties window select the Hardware tab and click on the Windows Update Driver Settings button 7. In the Windows Update Driver Settings window select Ask me each time I connect a new device before checking for drivers. Click OK 8. Te System Properties and Control Panel windows can now be closed. 9. Turn on the Spectrometer 10. Te Found New Hardware Wizard window will appear. Select Locate and install driver software. Installing the USB drivers on the Data Station (Vista) Software installation 11. In the next window select Don’t search online. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 7 12. When the next wizard dialogue box appears click Next. Software installation 13. Once the driver has been installed the Found New Hardware Wizard should advise you that the installation is complete. 14. Once the wizard has completed, select the Close button. 15. As there are two or three drivers to install, depending on whether your Spectrometer is ftted with a GFTV. Follow steps 10 to 14 until the computer has found all the new hardware. 16. Your computer is now ready to be used with the Spectrometer. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 8 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Software installation 6. Select the hardware tab and click on Device Installation Settings. A window will open asking “Do you want Windows to download driver software and realistic icons for your devices?” 7. Select “No, let me choose what to do” and then select “Never install driver software from Windows Update” and click save changes. (NB: this can be changed after the installation). 1. Ensure the spectrometer is of 2. Connect a USB lead between your computer and the USB socket on the spectrometer. A suitable USB lead is provided with the Spectrometer. 3. Insert the SOLAAR software Installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of your PC. If the SOLAAR Autorun starts, select EXIT. 4. On your computer, launch the Control Panel and select the System Icon. 5. Select Advanced System Settings from the menu on the left Installing the USB drivers on the Data Station (Windows 7) Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 9 Software installation 8. Turn on the spectrometer. If you are asked to install drivers from Windows Update, select NO. 9. Return to the system preferences in the control panel and select Device Manager. A list of all connected devices will be displayed. Expand Imaging Devices (If you have GFTV) and Ports. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 10 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Software installation 10. In turn, right click on each of the unknown devices (one in imaging devices, two in Ports) and select Update Driver Software. 11. Select Browse My Computer for Driver Software and navigate to the correct folders on the CD-ROM, as shown in the image. For GFTV, select the folder labelled “eNPIAUSB2750”. For the unknown Ports, select “CP210xV610”. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 11 Software installation 12. Te Device Manager should now have updated to show the installed drivers. 13. Te computer is now ready to be used with the spectrometer. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 12 SOLAAR Series Software Manual To determine which COM port the Spectrometer has been assigned on your computer: 1. Connect the Spectrometer to your computer using the supplied USB cable. 2. Ensure the Spectrometer is turned on. 3. Click on the button on the desktop and then select Control Panel. 4. In the Control Panel window, double click on the System icon. 5. In the System Properties window, select the Hardware tab. Ten click on the Device Manager button. 6. In the Device Manager window, click on the + next to Ports (COM &LPT). 7. Te COM port that is assigned to your Spectrometer is the frst in the list labelled CP210x USB to UART driver (COMx). Where COMx is the COM port number. To determine which COM port the Spectrometer has been assigned on your computer: 1. Connect the Spectrometer to your computer using the supplied USB cable. 2. Ensure the Spectrometer is turned on. 3. Click on the button on the desktop and then select Control Panel. 4. In the Control Panel window, double click on the System icon. 5. In the System Properties window, click on the Device Manager button. 6. In the Device Manager window, click on the next to Ports (COM & LPT). Determining the COM port of the Spectrometer using XP Installing the Data Station software Determining the COM port of the Spectrometer using Vista and Windows 7 Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 13 Installing the Data Station software Initialising the installation Installing the Data Station software 7. Te COM port that is assigned to your Spectrometer is the frst in the list labelled Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge (COMx). Where COMx is the COM port number. To install the SOLAAR software: 1. Turn on your Data Station and wait until Windows has started – if the Data Station is already turned on, exit from any programs that are running. 2. Insert the Software Installation CD-ROM into the PC’s CD- ROM drive. If your PC has been set up to start programs automatically when a CD-ROM is inserted (this is the default), the SOLAAR Installation program will start automatically and you should go straight to Step 7 below. Otherwise, follow Steps 3 to 6 frst. 3. Click on the button on the taskbar to display the Start menu. 4. Click on the Run command to display the Run dialogue box. 5. Type D:\autorun.exe (replace D with the appropriate letter if your CD-ROM drive is not the D drive) into the Open box: 6. Click on OK to close the dialogue box and start up the SOLAAR Installation program. Te following dialogue will be displayed: Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 14 SOLAAR Series Software Manual If you are installing the SOLAAR Data Station software only (i.e., you are NOT installing the data station for operation with the full SOLAARsecurity package), select the No option and click OK. Installing the Data Station software To install the SOLAAR Data Station software, move the mouse pointer over Install SOLAAR Data Station and click the mouse button. Te Security Options dialogue will be displayed. If you ARE installing the data station for operation with the full SOLAARsecurity package, then you should refer to the installation instructions included in the user documentation supplied with the package. Te automatic installation Wizard will then start. A series of dialogue boxes will be displayed, reporting the progress of the installation and prompting you to make certain choices, such as language. When you have read the contents of a dialogue box, and supplied any necessary information, click the Next button to move on the next step. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 15 During the installation this dialogue will be displayed, to allow you to install SOLAAR into a folder of your choice. We recommend that you accept the default folder. When the Installation Wizard has all the information that it needs, the Wizard will display the Start Installation dialogue. You can use the Back button on this dialogue to return to any of the previous dialogues to change the information you have entered. When you click on the Next button, the installation will start. When the installation has been completed, the Wizard will display a fnal dialogue confrming that the installation has been successful. Click the Finish button to complete the installation. Te latest software will be downloaded onto the spectrometer at the factory before delivery. Te following actions only need to be performed if a new version of software is released. To download the spectrometer software to the spectrometer: 1. Turn on the spectrometer and ensure the Data Station is connected to the PC via an appropriate cable. Selecting the Installation folder. Downloading software to the spectrometer Installing the Data Station software Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 16 SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2. Start up the SOLAAR Installation program – see the previous section. 3. Click on Download System Software on the frst Installation dialogue box to display the Download Parameters dialogue. 4. Use the drop down list at the left of the dialogue to select the USB/ serial port that you are using. 5. Use the four radio buttons in the middle of the screen to select the type of download that you want to perform. ● Use the frst radio button to download new software to the spectrometer. ● Use the second radio button to download new software to a Graphite Furnace accessory connected to the spectrometer. ● Use the third radio button to download a new version of the Local Control software. You must have a Local Control module ftted before you can do this. ● Use the fourth radio button to download new software to the VP100 vapour accessory. 6. When you have selected the type of download required, click on the Download button to display the dialogue below. Installing the Data Station software 7. Confrm that you have correctly connected an appropriate cable to the spectrometer and then click the Continue button. 8. You will then be prompted to turn the target systems OFF, then ON again. Tis will ensure that the software in the target system has been correctly initialised. Click OK when you have done this and the download will take place. 9. A dialogue showing the progress of the download will be displayed. 10. When the download has been successfully completed, a prompt will be displayed instructing you to switch the target system OFF, then ON again, to initialise the new software. Click OK when you have done this. Te system with the new software is then ready to be used. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 17 Installing the Support Documentation Installing the Data Station software Te Support Documentation contains a wealth of Applications data, Technical information and On-line versions of the system Manuals. Te Installation program will create shortcuts to these from the SOLAAR program group and optionally copy the fles on to your hard drive. Install Support Documentation. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation of the Support Documentation. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 18 SOLAAR Series Software Manual During the installation of the SOLAAR software, a Start Menu →All Programs group is created that contains shortcuts to the SOLAAR application and to other related applications and documents. Click on the item in the menu to start the application or view the document. Te following table gives a very brief summary of what each of the main icons represents. Te main SOLAAR application – select this to start the SOLAAR software. The SOLAAR Help system select this to display On-line Help Ior using SOLAAR soItware. Te OQ Tests – select this to start the SOLAAR OQ Tests program. Tis program also includes a set of Customer Diagnostics tests, to allow you to identify simple faults that may occur. Repairing and removing the SOLAAR software: Te Installation Wizard can repair a SOLAAR installation if the program fles become corrupted or damaged. It can also remove the application, or roll back to the previous version. To repair or remove the main SOLAAR software from your Data Station: 1. Turn on your Data Station and wait until Windows has started. 2. Click on the button. The Thermo SOLAAR program group Repairing and removing the SOLAAR software The Thermo SOLAAR program group Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 19 Repairing and removing the SOLAAR software 3. Click on Control Panel to display the Control Panel: (Diferent operating systems may display diferently) 4. Click on Add or Remove Programs to display the Add or Remove Programs menu. 5. Click on the Remove a Program icon to display the Add or Remove Programs Properties dialogue box: Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 20 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Repairing and removing the SOLAAR software 6. Click on SOLAAR in the list, and then on Change/Remove to display the Select Uninstall Method dialogue box: 7. Click on Custom if you want to be able to select which fles, folders and settings to remove; otherwise leave Automatic selected and click on Next to display the Perform Rollback dialogue box: Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 21 Repairing and removing the SOLAAR software 8. If your current version of SOLAAR software was installed over an earlier version and you chose to backup that earlier version when you installed the newer one, the uninstall procedure will allow you to remove the newer version and replace it with the older one. Tis facility is provided to assist with fault diagnosis; usually you will not need to use it. Click on Next to display the Perform Uninstall dialogue box: 9. If you are sure you want to uninstall SOLAAR click on Finish to remove the program, otherwise click on Cancel. Note: Tis procedure will NOT remove any data fles created by the SOLAAR software – to remove, back up or copy these, refer to the Windows On-line Help. For this reason, it is likely that the c:\solaarm folder and one or more fles or folders contained in it will remain on your hard disk. If you are sure that there are no necessary data fles in these folders, remove them by deleting the individual fles and folders. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 22 SOLAAR Series Software Manual SOLAAR software and printers Getting Help for installing a new printer SOLAAR software and printers Te SOLAAR Data Station software will work with any type of printer that is supported by the Windows operating system. Before you can use a printer, you must frst install it into your Windows system. Te Windows On-line Help system will guide you through this process if you have to install a new printer. To get Help for installing a new printer: 1. Turn on your Data Station and wait until Windows has started. 2. Click on the button. 3. Click on the Help and Support command to display the Windows Help dialogue box. 4. Click on the Printing and Faxing link in the Help topics menu on the left-hand side of the screen. 5. On the Printing and Faxing Help screen click on Printing and then on Basic Printing Tasks. Tis will bring up a menu that allows you to select Help topics for either connecting a printer directly to your computer, or connecting to a printer on a network. In other versions of Windows, the procedure required to locate and access this information may be slightly diferent. 6. Follow the instructions given in the Help topic. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 23 Starting the SOLAAR application Starting SOLAAR Creating a desktop shortcut to SOLAAR Starting the SOLAAR application During installation a Termo SOLAAR submenu is added to the Program section of the Start menu. Te instructions in the next sub- section show you how to use this to start SOLAAR software. However, Windows provides several other ways of starting an application, which you may fnd more convenient. You can, for example: ● create a shortcut on the desktop that will start the application without using the Start menu at all. ● create a SOLAAR shortcut in the StartUp folder, so that SOLAAR starts automatically when Windows is started. To start the SOLAAR software: 1. Turn on your Data Station and wait until Windows has started. 2. Turn on the Spectrometer and its services if required. 3. Click on the button. 4. Click on All Programs to display the list of program groups, then Termo SOLAAR to display the SOLAAR icons: 5. Click on SOLAAR to start the SOLAAR software. To create a desktop shortcut to SOLAAR: 1. Right-click on the background of the desktop to access a pop-up menu. 2. Click on New to display a submenu. 3. Click on Shortcut in the New submenu to display the Create Shortcut dialogue box: Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 24 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Starting SOLAAR automatically with Windows Starting the SOLAAR application 4. Enter the path to the SOLAAR application program (the default is C:\SOLAARM\PROGRAM\Solaar32.exe), or click on Browse to display a standard Windows fle browser dialogue box so that you can select the fle. 5. Click on Next to display the Select a Title for the Program dialogue box: 6. Edit the name for the shortcut to read SOLAAR and click on Finish. Te new shortcut will appear on the desktop: To start SOLAAR using the desktop shortcut double-click on the SOLAAR icon. To make SOLAAR start automatically when Windows is started: 1. Click on the button. 2. Navigate to the Termo SOLAAR program group. 3. Right-click on the SOLAAR icon and select Create Shortcut: Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 2 - 25 Logging in to SOLAAR software Logging in to SOLAAR software 4. Clicking on Create Shortcut will produce a second icon with the default name SOLAAR (2). 5. Drag and drop the SOLAAR (2) shortcut into the Startup folder: SOLAAR will now start automatically when Windows starts. When SOLAAR starts up, it frst displays the Login dialogue box so that you can log in as the current user. To log in with without security, or with SOLAARsecurity disabled: 1. Start SOLAAR and wait until the Login dialogue box is displayed. 2. Either accept the default user name – SOLAAR Operator or type your own name in the Operator name feld. If your Windows installation is set up so that you have to log in to Windows when you start up the Data Station, the SOLAAR software will automatically display your Windows login User Name. You can change this if you were not the person who logged in to Windows. Thermo Fisher Scientific 2 - 26 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Startup option Logging in to SOLAAR software 3. Click on OK to log in and start SOLAAR. Once you have logged in, SOLAAR will start up. You will be able to choose what happens when the program opens, but the default is for the Wizard Launcher dialogue box to be displayed – see SOLAAR Software / Overview / SOLAAR Wizards section for an overview of the SOLAAR Wizards. If you want to choose another Startup option, you will need to close the Wizard Launcher dialogue box frst. To do this: Click on Close in the Wizard Launcher dialogue box. To choose the Startup option: 1. Click on Options on the View menu to display the Options dialogue box. 2. Click on the Startup tab to display the Startup page: 3. Click on the radio button for the option you require. – If you choose Display Wizards on Startup the Wizard Launcher dialogue box will be displayed when the program opens – this is the default. – If you choose Display Method on Startup, when the program opens the Method property sheet will be displayed showing the Method that was the Current Method when the program closed – see Section 3.1.3 for an overview of Methods. – If you choose Neither the program will start up without opening any dialogue boxes. 4. Click on OK to close the dialogue box and set the Startup option. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 1 Chapter 3 SOLAAR Software Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 2 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Overview Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 3 Overview Te SOLAAR Data Station software works with the AA Series Spectrometers and accessories to produce analytical results from your samples using Atomic Absorption analysis. In order to carry out an analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry using the AA Series system, you will need to carry out some or all of the following steps: ➠ develop the methodology ➠ prepare the samples and standard solutions ➠ set up and align the instrument and accessories ➠ set up the analysis on the Data Station ➠ carry out the analysis ➠ review and present the results. Development of the analytical methodology should cover the whole analysis, including sample collection, sample preparation, selection of the elements to be measured, the instrument and accessories to be used and the values of their operating parameters. SOLAAR software provides many tools to help you select and optimise the instrument parameters, but the process of developing methodology is outside the scope of this manual. Standard and sample preparation techniques are discussed in some detail in the Atomic Absorption Methods Manual and will not be discussed further here. Instrument setup and alignment is described in detail in the Hardware manual, while techniques for aligning the system and accessories are also described in the How to… section of the SOLAAR On-line Help system. Setting up an analysis using SOLAAR software involves changing the default values of parameters and options to suit the methodology defned for the analysis. Te information that SOLAAR handles is grouped into distinct functions, shown below: Overview Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 4 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Te parameters associated with the operation of the Spectrometer and its accessories are grouped together into Methods – a single Method specifes all the parameters necessary to analyse a set of samples for a set of elements by a specifc technique. Te Method also includes an Action List, which specifes the operations that you want to carry out during the analysis. Possible actions include the analysis of samples, determination of blank values, calibration and a variety of QC tests. For some types of analysis when you are not using an autosampler, you can specify the actions required as you make the measurements. For analyses where you are using an autosampler and more complex manual analyses, you can specify the actions required before you start the analysis. Te Action List appears in an Analysis Matrix. Tis allows you to choose which actions in the Action List should be carried out for each of the elements during the analysis. When the analysis is run, the results are stored in a database and can be viewed in a Results window. You can choose which results to view and what data to see for each result. You can display a detailed view of the results showing several or all of the result parameters, or a summary showing a selected parameter for each of the elements in the analysis. Te Final Results can be printed to produce a Report of the analysis. SOLAAR provides you with considerable fexibility in choosing what to include in the Report. Saved results can also be exported to other applications for further processing or archiving. As well as exporting saved results, SOLAAR software can export results as they are produced to one of the serial communications ports on the Data Station, which can be connected to a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Dual analysis can be performed on an AA spectrometer with a left hand and right hand sample compartment. Te SOLAAR software enables you to run a Method in the left-hand compartment and then automatically switch to the right-hand compartment and run a second method. Tis is referred to as a Dual Analysis. SOLAAR provides a number of software ‘Wizards’ to help you with some of the more complex tasks you will need to carry out when you are using the program. Wizards guide you step-by-step through the procedure of setting up and carrying out operations using the software. Te Getting Started chapter in this manual gives instructions for setting up and carrying out operations ‘manually’ rather than by using a Wizard. Dual Analysis SOLAAR Wizards SOLAAR Wizards Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 5 SOLAAR Wizards can help you to: ● create a new method ● run an analysis ● adjust and optimise the fame system ● set up and optimise a graphite furnace analysis ● adjust and align accessories ● optimise the spectrometer parameters for your analysis ● measure and calculate performance criteria, such as Characteristic Concentrations and Detection Limits, for your analysis. ● choose what Results to display and what data should be shown for them ● print a Results Report. To use one of the Wizards: 1. Click on the Wizards toolbar button or click on Wizards… in the Help menu to display the Wizard Launcher dialogue box. Note: By default, the Wizard Launcher dialogue box is opened when you start up SOLAAR – see SOLAAR Installation / Start up Option Section for how to set the Startup option. 2. Click on the button for the Wizard you want to run. SOLAAR Wizards Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 6 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Methods Methods SOLAAR Methods allow you to: use one of the Flame, Furnace or Vapour techniques for an analysis for certain types of Vapour analysis, you can specify which dual atomiser spectrometer sample compartment is to be used use Autosamplers and a variety of other accessories for an analysis measure up to 500 samples in a single analysis measure 1 to 16 elements in these samples in a single analysis control the sequence of actions to be performed for each element in an analysis access all instrumental parameters needed to analyse samples for each element using the Method property sheet use default values for all instrumental parameters edit the default parameters defne Sample Details consisting of a Sample Identifcation label, a Dilution Factor and a Sample Mass for each sample SOLAAR Methods can be: set up using the SOLAAR Method Wizard viewed, created and edited in the Methods tabbed dialogue box saved in, and loaded from, the Method Library Techniques for working with Methods are described in the Methods Overview section of the SOLAAR On-line Help system. SOLAAR Sample Details: ● allow naming of samples ● random or sequential names can be used. ● can correct results for sample dilution ● can correct results for sample mass ● can be used to change the concentration units of the results ● can be exported and imported as text or CSV fles ● can be viewed and edited in the Sample Details dialogue box Techniques for working with Sample Details are described in the Sample Details Overview section of the SOLAAR On-line Help system. SOLAAR Results: are generated when you run an analysis of your samples using a Method are saved in a Results database. Te following data is stored with the results: – the Sequence parameters – all Method parameters – the Sample Details used Sample Details Results Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 7 Working with SOLAAR – the signal results – the concentration and corrected concentration results – the relative standard deviations of the results – the raw signal data – this can be deleted to save space in the database can be viewed in the Results and Signal Windows: – results are displayed in real time as they are produced – you can choose which results to display and what data to show for each result. can be viewed in Detail or Summary mode can be edited. You can: – delete and restore individual resamples and mean results – recalculate standard curves – change the type of calibration algorithm used – change the sample details used – change the type of transient signal between height and area – change the time period used for measuring transient signals can have changes traced, since all changes are logged in a separate audit trail for each element in each analysis can be printed in a Detail or Summary Report. You can: – control precisely what is printed in the report using the Print Options command – preview the printed report using the Print Preview command can be exported to text fles and to the Clipboard: – as text for use in word processors – in .csv format for use in spreadsheets and databases SOLAAR software provides several ways to interact with the Atomic Absorption system: ● Status Windows are used to display information about the system and the analysis and do not generally require you to enter information. Te Status Bars at the bottom of the screen display the System Status, the sample being measured and a progress indicator showing the percentage of the current analysis that has been completed. If a fame or furnace analysis is being undertaken they will also display information about the parameters being used in the analysis. Dialogue boxes, including Property Sheets and their Property Pages, allow you to enter information such as parameter values and to select options. Unlike Status Windows dialogue boxes always contain at least one button, usually labelled OK. Clicking this button will close the dialogue box and implement the changes to parameter values or carry out the actions set in the dialogue box. Working with SOLAAR Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 8 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Working with SOLAAR Most dialogue boxes also have a Cancel button. Clicking this will close the dialogue box, discarding any changes you have made to settings and without carrying out any actions. Menu commands and Tool Bar buttons are used to issue commands to the system to cause things to happen, such as an analysis to start or a dialogue box to open. Status windows: are used to display information: – about your analysis – about the system hardware can be opened or brought to the front of the display: – by double-clicking the relevant icon if the window is minimised – by clicking on the name of the window on the Windows menu have associated menus, which: – appear on the menu bar when the window is active – contain commands relevant to the window’s content have context menus, which: – appear when you right-click inside the window – contain commands relevant to the window’s content SOLAAR provides eight Status windows, although the windows that are displayed on the screen at any time will depend on the type of analysis being undertaken. Te Status windows are: the Spectrometer Status window provides facilities for monitoring the Spectrometer optical system the Vapour Status window shows the status of the vapour system the Calibration window shows the calibration graph and calibration statistics the Signal window shows the analytical signal as it changes with time the Flame Optimisation Graph window shows the signal as it changes during a gas fow/burner height optimisation and has the title Gas Flow Graph or Burner Height Graph depending on the data it shows the QC Protocol window shows the QC Control Chart for all the results selected for display in the Results window for the element selected in the Results window. Te chart plots corrected concentration (Y axis) for each result (X axis), with results ordered chronologically with the earliest results frst SOLAAR Status windows Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 9 Working with SOLAAR the Results window shows the analytical results for the current analysis, or from a Results fle the Ash Atomise window displays the results of an Automatic Ash Atomise experiment during and immediately after the experiment, or when you have loaded an Ash Atomise fle Te SOLAAR Method property sheet: provides ‘one stop’ access to all instrumental parameters via the Method property pages provides default values for all instrumental parameters allows you to edit the default parameters allows you to save and load Methods can be opened – by clicking on the Method Tool Bar button – by clicking on Method on the Edit menu – can be automatically opened when SOLAAR starts – See SOLAAR Installation / Start up option section SOLAAR provides nine Method property pages, although the pages that are included in the Method property sheet at any time will depend on the type of analysis being undertaken and, in certain cases, on options selected. Te following list gives a brief description of each of the Method property pages: the General Method property page allows you to: – name a Method – identify the Operator – describe the Method – load and save Methods to and from the Methods Library – create a new Method – set the analysis technique – specify whether standard solutions should be shared between elements – specify which Autosampler and rack you are using – specify which fame dilutor or vapour system you are using the Sequence Method property page allows you to: – set up the sequence of actions to be carried out during the analysis – choose which elements are included for analysis at each step in the sequence – set up sample details – add reagent details for a furnace analysis – view an Autosampler loading guide, which allows you to control the placement of samples and standards in the Autosampler SOLAAR Method property sheet Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 10 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Working with SOLAAR the Spectrometer Method property page allows you to view and edit: – the Spectrometer optical parameters – the signal measurement parameters – the type of background correction used the Flame Method property page allows you to view and change: – the type of fame – the fame fuel gas fow rate – fame stabilisation and nebuliser uptake time – the burner height the Furnace Method property page allows you to view and edit: – the Graphite Furnace parameters – the Graphite Furnace program Te Vapour/SFI Method property page allows you to view and edit: – the vapour mode used – Vapour/SFI analysis parameters the Calibration Method property page allows you to: – select the calibration method and calibration algorithm – view and edit the number and concentrations of your standard solutions – set acceptable limits for calibration curvature, correlation coefcient and rescaling the Sampling Method property page allows you to: – view and edit the Autosampler parameters – view and edit the automatic solution preparation parameters (only available for fame/vapour analyses if the Flame Diluter accessory is ftted) – for furnace analyses, view and edit the matrix modifcation parameters Te QC Method property page provides facilities for you to: – view and edit the parameters for the diferent QC Tests – set the failure actions for the diferent QC Tests – give a name to each type of QC test SOLAAR dialogue boxes are used to view and edit other associated groups of parameters. Tere are many dialogue boxes used throughout the SOLAAR software, but the following are some examples that you will use frequently: Te Log In dialogue box allows you to identify yourself and when SOLAAR is started. Te Setup Dual Analysis dialogue box allows you to specify Methods for each sample compartment of a dual sample compartment instrument, and then run both Methods automatically. SOLAAR dialogue boxes Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 11 SOLAAR Menus Te Sample Details dialogue box allows you to view and edit the Sample Identifcation, Mass correction factors and Dilution Ratio for each sample in your analysis. Te Reagent Details dialogue box allows you to view and edit the names of the reagents used in the Furnace Autosampler. Te Autosampler Volumes dialogue box allows you to view the volumes of the diferent solutions that will be used by either the Flame Autosampler and Diluter accessory, or the Furnace Autosampler. Te Autosampler Loading Guide dialogue box allows you to view and edit the layout of the diferent solutions in both Flame and Furnace Autosamplers. SOLAAR Menus are used to issue commands to the software and hardware modules that make up the Atomic Absorption System. Te menus are displayed on the menu bar at the top of the screen. Te following gives a brief overview of the contents of the main SOLAAR Menus: Te File menu contains commands for loading, saving, importing, exporting and printing fles created by SOLAAR. When there is no open Results database, the File menu contains commands for creating and maintaining Results and Method databases. Te Copy submenu in the Edit menu contains commands for copying information to the Windows Clipboard so that you can then paste it into documents in other Windows applications running on your Data Station. Te remaining commands display the Method property sheets, dialogue boxes to specify and control lamp properties, a command to switch on the GFTV accessory (if ftted) and a screen to confgure the OQ and PQ Results databases. Te View menu contains commands to open non-editable dialogue boxes to view details of the Autosampler contents, to view the current OQ and PQ results and to turn on/of the Tool Bar and Status Line displays. It also contains a command to display the Options dialogue box, which allows you to confgure a number of options controlling the program’s operation. Another option allows you to hide the status bar at the bottom of the screen, while the fnal option allows you to customise the toolbars at the top of the screen. Te Action menu contains commands controlling the connection between the Data Station and the Spectrometer, and the setup and operation of the Spectrometer and accessories. Te Security command opens the Security dialogue box so that you can check which options have been enabled by the administrator to control access to SOLAAR features and data. Te Stop command, which will only be enabled when an analysis is in progress and the System Status is BUSY, aborts the current analysis as soon as it is safe to do so. Te current sample result will be lost, but all completed sample results will be available for you to save or print SOLAAR Menus Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 12 SOLAAR Series Software Manual SOLAAR Menus as required. In most circumstances, it will be possible to continue the analysis at a later time, from the point at which it was stopped. Te Windows menu contains commands controlling the display of the Status windows and icons in the main SOLAAR window. Te Help menu contains commands that open the on-line Help system. Several of the Status windows have associated pop-up Context Menus, which can be displayed by right-clicking within the window area. Tese menus contain commands controlling the function and display of the specifc Status window. For convenience, these menus are also displayed on the menu bar when the appropriate window is selected. Te following gives a brief overview of the contents of the Status window menus: Te Signal window context menu (and the Signal menu when the Signal window is selected) contains commands for adjusting the display of the signal, for setting and clearing reference signals and for placing a tracking cursor on the window. Te Spectrometer Status window context menu (and the Signal menu when the Spectrometer Status window is selected) contains commands for adjusting the display of the signal, for displaying, hiding, freezing and unfreezing the Running Signal display and for choosing between displaying the signal and concentration. Te Results window context menu and the Results menu contain commands for selecting the results to display and the data that should be displayed for them, for editing the results, and for viewing data related to a result. When an analysis is in progress, commands are available for adding actions to the sequence of the running analysis. If the displayed results belong to an analysis that was stopped before it was completed, a command to continue the analysis will be available. Te Calibration window context menu and the Calibration menu contain commands for controlling the display of the Calibration Graph on the Calibration window, for changing the Calibration Line ft algorithm for the current calibration and for deleting and restoring calibration standards. Te Ash Atomise window context menu and the Ash Atomise menu contain commands for controlling the display of the Ash Atomise graph on the Ash Atomise window and for choosing which elements in the current method should use the optimised values from the Ash Atomise experiment. Te QC Protocol window context menu and the QC Protocol menu contain commands for controlling the display of the QC Control Chart on the QC Protocol window and for displaying details of a QC Test’s results. Te Flame Optimisation Graph window context menu and the Flame Optimisation menu contain commands for controlling the display of the Gas Flow Graph or Burner Height Graph depending on the data shown. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 13 SOLAAR Tool Bar SOLAAR Tool Bar Te SOLAAR Tool Bar provides direct and convenient access to several commonly used commands, so that you do not have to open and display the menus to issue the commands. Te following table shows the equivalent menu command for each button and a brief description of what it does: ActionAutozero perIorms an Autozero action ActionSetup Optics sets up the spectrometer optics ActionFlameSetup sets up the spectrometer gas control system ActionFlameFuel Up increases the Iuel Ilow rate to the Ilame by 0.1L/min, unless the Iuel Ilow rate is at the maximum Ior the current type oI Ilame ActionFlameFuel Down decreases the Iuel Ilow rate to the Ilame by 0.1L/min, unless the Iuel Ilow rate is at the minimum Ior the current type oI Ilame ActionFlameBurner Up raises the position oI the burner by 0.1mm, unless the burner is at its highest position ActionFlameBurner Down lowers the position oI the burner by 0.1mm, unless the burner is at its lowest position ActionAutosamplerWash washes the Autosampler ActionAutosamplerPurge purges the Autosampler ActionClean Cuvette cleans the cuvette ActionAutosamplerAlign Capillary Tip positions the Iurnace Autosampler capillary tip over the cuvette Ior alignment ActionAnalyse runs an analysis using the Current Method ActionPause Analysis pauses the current analysis when the current sample measurement has been completed ActionContinue Analysis continues the current analysis aIter it has been paused ActionSingle Solution runs a Single Solution analysis ActionRun Dual Analysis displays the Setup Dual Analysis dialogue box so that you can set up and run a dual analysis using both spectrometer compartments on a dual atomiser instrument EditGFTV displays the GFTV dialogue box so that you can switch the GFTV accessory on or oII EditLamps displays the Lamp ConIiguration and Status dialogue box so that you can control and speciIy the properties oI the lamps EditMethod displays the Method property sheet so that you can view or edit the current method, save the current method or load a saved method HelpWizards displays the Wizard Launcher dialogue box so that you can start one oI the SOLAAR Wizards ViewCustomise Toolbars allows you to edit the buttons placed on the main toolbar and save customised toolbar designs HelpAbout SOLAAR displays the About dialogue box showing details oI the version oI the program you are running HelpWhat`s This? changes the pointer to the Help pointer, which causes the Help topic Ior the next item you click to be displayed. Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 14 SOLAAR Series Software Manual SOLAAR Status Bars SOLAAR also provides facilities for you to create your own tool bars and buttons, to provide convenient access to commands that you use frequently. You can access these facilities from the Customise Tool Bars dialogue, which you can open by clicking the shortcut button on the Tool Bar, by selecting the Customise Tool Bars command from the View menu, or by right-clicking on the tool bar area of the screen and selecting the Customise command from the context menu displayed. Click on the Help button to access the On-line Help system, where you will fnd detailed instructions for creating and maintaining your own Tool Bars. Te SOLAAR Status Bars appear at the bottom of the screen. Te right-hand end of the bottom Status Bar gives information about the current status of the software and the system, including the current element, the current sample identifcation and resample number, and the System Status. When an analysis is running, the centre area of the Status Bar contains a progress indicator showing the approximate percentage of the analysis that has been completed. Te left-hand end of the Status Bar is used to give a brief Help message for the Tool Bar tool or Menu command underneath the pointer. Te fame and furnace Status Bars are displayed only when a burner or furnace are ftted to the instrument. Te fame Status Bar shows the status of the fame, the fuel fow rate, the type of burner ftted, the burner height and the status of each of the gases (air, acetylene and nitrous oxide). Several of these status sections are labelled either red or green, providing a simple, visual indication of the condition of that parameter. Te furnace Status Bar displays information about the furnace phase, temperature, gas type and gas fow rate, number of cuvette frings and the status of the Autosampler. SOLAAR Status Bars Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 15 On-line Help SOLAAR contains a comprehensive On-line Help system giving full details of the operation of the software. Tere are several diferent ways to get help from the On-line Help system. You can get Help by: using the SOLAAR Help dialogue box – see Sthe SOLAAR Software / On-line help / Opening the Help topics:SOLAAR dialogue box section. using ‘context-sensitive’ Help. Tis can display the appropriate Help for the specifc tool, command, window, dialogue box or control you are using in the program. See the SOLAAR Software / On-line help / Context-sensitive help section for the diferent ways to get context-sensitive Help. Before learning about the SOLAAR Help in particular, you may want to look at the next section, which describes how to get general Help for using the Windows On-line Help system. Windows provides an On-line Help fle explaining the basics of using the On-line Help system. SOLAAR gives you direct access to this fle from the Using Help command on the Help menu. To learn how to use the On-line Help System: 1. Start SOLAAR, and close the Wizard Launcher dialogue box (click on Close) or Method property sheet (click on Cancel) if either was opened automatically. On-line Help Learning to use the On-line Help system 2. Click on Help on the menu bar to display the Help menu: 3. Click on Using Help to display the Windows Help dialogue box. 4. If necessary, click on the Contents tab to display the contents page (this is the default page, but if you have used the dialogue box before, it will open at the page that was open when you last used it). In Windows XP you will see: Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 16 SOLAAR Series Software Manual On-line Help 5. Click in the left-hand pane on the topic for which you want help, to display the Help in the right-hand pane. Other versions of Windows provide similar facilities, but the details of the dialogue box displayed may be diferent. To display the SOLAAR Help Topics: SOLAAR dialogue box: 1. Start SOLAAR, and close the Wizard Launcher dialogue box (click on Close) or Method property sheet (click on Cancel) if either was opened automatically. 2. Click on Help on the menu bar to open the Help menu. 3. Click on Help Topics to display the SOLAAR Help dialogue box. 4. If necessary, click on the Contents tab to display the Contents page: Opening the Help Topics: SOLAAR dialogue box Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 17 On-line Help Te Help Topics: SOLAAR dialogue box has three pages – you can use: the Contents page to view a structured list of the main topics in the Help system so that you can select the topic giving the information you need. – Te topics in the list are grouped together in books. To open a book, simply slick on the relevant book. – To display a Help topic from the Table of Contents, click on the topic. – See the next section for a description of the structure of the Contents table. the Index page to fnd a topic using a keyword. the Search page to search the text in the Help system for a particular word or phrase. If you need Help in using the Index and Find pages, consult the Windows On-line Help for using Help (see the SOLAAR Software / On-line Help / Learning to use the on-line help system section) or the context-sensitive Help on those pages (see the SOLAAR Software / On- line help / Context-sensitive help section). Te topics in the On-line Help system are grouped into fve sections: Overviews – these topics provide brief descriptions of the major features of the software. How to – these topics provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for carrying out everyday tasks with SOLAAR. Troubleshooting – these topics help you to identify and correct common problems experienced when making Atomic Absorption spectrometry measurements. Cook Book – these topics give summaries of the instrumental parameters, performance fgures and known interferences for all the elements that can be measured by your SOLAAR Atomic Absorption system. Application Notes – this link provides access to a large library of applications support documentation. It is highly recommended that new users, or experienced users analysing an unfamiliar sample, should look through this information. Many of the Help topics contain underlined phrases. Tese underlined sections provide links to related topics. For example, many of the Overview topics provide links to How to topics showing how a particular software feature is used to carry out a task and many of the How to topics have links to relevant overviews. Troubleshooting topics also contain links to other Troubleshooting topics to guide you through the troubleshooting procedure and to How to topics that can provide solutions to the problems. SOLAAR Help Table of Contents and Help topics Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 18 SOLAAR Series Software Manual On-line Help Some words or phrases in a topic may be underlined and coloured: When you move the pointer over these it changes to a pointing hand. When you click on an underlined phrase you may be taken directly to another topic or presented with a list of topics within a pop-up box: When you are using the SOLAAR software program you may come across a feature that you are not sure how to use, such as a Tool Bar tool or a menu command, a control in a dialogue box, or even a whole dialogue box, or Status window. When this happens you can use Context-sensitive Help to display specifc help for the item. Tere are several diferent ways to display Context-sensitive Help, depending on the type of item for which you need Help and, to some extent, personal preference. Te following paragraphs describe how to display Context-sensitive Help in diferent circumstances. To display Context-sensitive Help for items in the main program window (Menu Commands, Status windows and Tools): 1. Click on What’s Tis? in the Help menu or click on the What’s Tis? button in the Tool Bar. Te pointer will change to the Help pointer: 2. Use the pointer to click on the Tool or Status window or select the command. Help for the selected item will be displayed in a pop-up window or one of the main Help windows. Context-sensitive Help Menu Commands, Status windows and Tools Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3 - 19 On-line Help Some of the pop-up Help topics have underlined, coloured phrases, which you can click to close the pop-up and display further Help in one of the main Help windows. Otherwise, to close a pop-up window, click anywhere. You can also display the Context-sensitive Help for a: Status window by selecting it and pressing F1 on the keyboard Menu command by clicking on the menu in the Menu Bar to display it, moving the pointer over the command, pressing (but not releasing) the mouse button and then pressing F1 on the keyboard. Note: As well as the Help described above, brief help is given in the Status Bar when you move the pointer over a tool or menu command. You can also get Tool Tip Help for the Tool Bar tools by moving the pointer over the tool button and waiting for a few seconds – the name of the button will be displayed in a popup. To display Context-sensitive Help for a dialogue box or Property page: 1. Open the dialogue box or the property sheet and tab to the relevant property page. 2. Click on the Help button. Help for the dialogue box will be displayed in one of the main Help windows. To display Context-sensitive Help for a control on a dialogue box or Property page (for example, a text box for entering data, a check box, a radio button or a push button): 1. Click on the What’s Tis? Help button at the top right-hand corner of the dialogue box to change the pointer to the context-sensitive Help pointer: 2. Click on the control in the dialogue box for which you want help. Te Help will be displayed in a pop-up window. Some of the pop-up Help topics have underlined, coloured phrases, which you can click to close the pop-up and display further Help in one of the main Help windows. Otherwise, to close a pop-up window, click anywhere. You can also display this Context-sensitive Help by selecting the control (you can select a button control without ‘pressing’ it by moving the pointer over the button, pressing the mouse button but not releasing it until you have moved the pointer of the button) and pressing F1 on the keyboard. Dialogue boxes and Property pages Controls on dialogue boxes and Property pages Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 3 - 20 SOLAAR Series Software Manual On-line Help Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 1 Chapter 4 Getting Started Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 2 SOLAAR Series Software Manual A simple flame analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 3 A simple flame analysis Tis section will guide you through the process of setting up and performing a simple fame analysis for copper. Before starting, make sure that your AA Series Spectrometer system has been correctly installed and tested, and that the various services are correctly connected. To carry out a simple fame analysis you have to: set up a Method and, optionally, save it in the Methods database. install a hollow cathode lamp. light a fame. optimise the burner and nebuliser impact bead positions. You can then run the analysis, view the results and fnally print a Report of the results. To work through the example described below, you will need: a copper hollow cathode lamp. three copper standard solutions containing 1.00, 2.50 and 5.00 mg/L of copper in 0.1% v/v nitric acid. sample solutions containing unknown copper concentrations in the range 0 – 5 mg/L of copper. a blank solution containing 0.1% v/v nitric acid. deionised water. Refer to the safety notices dealing with fame operation in the operator manual and ensure that you understand the hazards involved and the precautions necessary. Flame analyses are always carried out in the left-hand sample compartment of dual atomiser spectrometers. Start the SOLAAR software and log in as described in the SOLAAR Installation / Starting the SOLAAR Application and SOLAAR Installation / Logging in to SOLAAR Software sections. Close the Wizards dialogue box if necessary. You will set up the Method using the Method property pages provided on the Method property sheet. For this analysis you will use the default values for the most of the parameters, then save the Method in the Methods database. To display the Method property sheet so that you can set up the method: 1. Click on the Show Method button to open the Method property sheet. Te following subsections describe how to set the parameters on each of the pages in the Method property sheet. A simple flame analysis Before starting Setting up the Method Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 4 SOLAAR Series Software Manual General Method parameters To set general analysis parameters for the method: 1. If the General Method property page is not displayed, click on the General tab: 2. Click on the New button to create a new Method. Te Element dialogue will be displayed: 3. Select Cu from the Periodic Table and confrm that the Technique is set to Flame. Click OK to close the dialogue and return to the General page of the Method. 4. Type in a Method Name for the Method. General Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 5 General Method parameters 5. If required, edit the name in the Operator feld – it shows the name of the logged in user by default. 6. Type a description of the analysis in the Description feld. 7. Set the remaining controls to the following values: Segmented Flow Injection = unchecked Autosampler = None Rack Code = this is disabled when Autosampler is set to None Flame Dilution = None Shared Standards = unchecked You can specify the element for which you want to run the analysis and the actions to be carried out during the analysis on the Sequence page. 1. Click on the Sequence tab to display the Sequence Method property page: Te frst (and only) element column will now show Cu and there will be a Cu element button on the right-hand side of the property page – the element buttons are used to switch the property pages to diferent sets of parameters in multi-element methods. Te next step is to defne the sequence of actions that will be carried out during the analysis. SOLAAR software ofers you two methods of doing this a) You can defne the sequence before you start the analysis. Tis is the most convenient method when you know how many Sequence Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 6 SOLAAR Series Software Manual MethodsGeneral Method parameters samples you want to analyse and you wish to repeat certain actions at regular intervals throughout the analysis. Tis is also the only method that can be used with an autosampler. b) You can defne an initial action (usually a calibration), then later defne subsequent actions while the method is running. Tis is convenient for manually analysing small numbers of samples, but does not allow the full range of actions to be used. For this experiment you will use the frst method and defne the sequence fully before you run the analysis. When you create a new Method the default sequence contains a single calibration action in the frst position in the sequence. 2. Right-click in the second row of the sequence grid to pop-up the sequence context menu and click on Insert Action to display the Insert Action dialogue box: 3. Leave Sample(s) selected and set the Number of Samples feld to the number of samples you have prepared – use a minimum of 4. 4. Click on OK to close the Insert Action dialogue box and return to the Sequence Method property page. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 7 General Method parameters Four Sample actions will now appear in rows 2 to 5 of the sequence grid. Tey will be given the default Solution IDs Sample ID 1, Sample ID 2 and so on: Te next step gives you the opportunity to give the samples your own Solution IDs. If you do not want to do this you can go straight to the next set of instructions. 5. Click on Sample Details to display the Sample Details dialogue box: a. Click on the name in the frst cell of the Sample ID column to place an editing caret, then edit the name or delete it and type a suitable name for the frst sample. Note: The Sample Mass, Dilution Ratio and Nominal Mass fields allow you to specify factors that SOLAAR will use to calculate a corrected concentration. However, we will not use this feature in this experiment – see the Help system if you want to learn how to use it. You can repeat Step a. for the other samples, but the remaining steps show how SOLAAR provides a shortcut if you just want to use the same root name for all the samples with an increasing number to distinguish them. b. Click in the frst row and then SHIFT-click in the last row to select all the rows. Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 8 SOLAAR Series Software Manual General Method parameters Note: You can also select a range of rows by dragging or all the rows by clicking in one of the headings. c. Right-click in the grid to pop up the Sample Details context menu. d. Click on Clone Details to display the Duplicate Sample Details dialogue box. e. Check Duplicate Sample Identifer – this enables Auto Increment ID. f. Check Auto Increment ID. g. Click on Copy to close the Duplicate Sample Details dialogue box and return to the Sample Details dialogue box. Te frst sample name will be copied to the other samples, with the last digit in the name automatically incremented to all the selected samples: 6. Click on OK in the Sample Details dialogue box to confrm the settings, close the dialogue box and return to the Sequence Method property page. You have now completed all the necessary tasks on the Sequence page. You will next display the Spectrometer Parameters page and set up the Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 9 Spectrometer Method parameters Spectrometer Parameters for your analysis. To view the Spectrometer parameters for copper analysis in the method: 1. Click on the Spectrometer tab to display the Spectrometer property page: 2. Confrm that the Measurement Mode is set to Absorption and that all the other settings are also set to their default values, as in the picture above. 3. Click on Cook Book to display a Help window with the Cook Book information for copper. Note: Te Cook Book will stay open through the following steps unless you open another Help page. However, it may become hidden by the program window. If it does you can bring it back to the top by clicking on its icon in the Windows Task Bar, or by pressing ALT+TAB repeatedly until it is selected. You have now completed all the necessary tasks on the Spectrometer page. Te next step is to set the Flame Parameters for the analysis. Spectrometer Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 10 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Flame Method parameters To view the Flame parameters for the method: 1. Click on the Flame tab to display the Flame property page: 2. Review the default parameters, but do not change any at this stage. You have now completed all the necessary tasks on the Flame Parameters page. Te next step is to set up the Calibration Parameters for the analysis. To set the Calibration parameters for the method: 1. Click on the Calibration tab to display the Calibration property page: 2. Confrm that the Calibration Method is set to Normal Segmented Curve Fit. 3. Confrm that the Concentration Units feld shows mg/L. 4. Set the Number of Standards to 3 – the frst three felds in the Standard Concentrations table will become enabled. Flame Method parameters Calibration Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 11 Saving and loading Methods 5. Set the frst three felds in the Standard Concentrations table to the concentration values of the standard solutions you have prepared. 6. Confrm that the other calibration parameters are set to their default values, as in the picture above. You have now completed all the necessary tasks on the Parameters page Since we have not included any QC Test actions in the sequence, the settings on the QC Method property page are irrelevant and your Method is now complete. When you close the Method property sheet the method you have defned will become the Current Method, which will be used when you next run an analysis. However, you can also save the Method in the Methods Library so that you can load it again later after you have defned other Methods. You do this using the General Method property page, so don’t close the Method property sheet yet. Te Method you have defned will remain as the Current Method until you edit it, load a saved Method or create a new Method. Tis means that it doesn’t matter if you have closed the Method property sheet before saving the Method – if you open the Method property sheet again it will show the settings you made before closing it. Note: A default Methods database is created for you when the software is installed, but you can set up as many diferent Methods databases as you require. For further information open the SOLAAR On-line Help Contents window and view the SOLAAR →How to…→work with Methods→ To work with Methods databases topics (this list shows the Help contents books you need to open to fnd the topics). 1. Click on the General tab to display the General property page: Saving and loading Methods Saving a Method in the Methods Database Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 12 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Installing a lamp 2. Click on Save. 3. You will be asked to confrm that you want to save the Method in the database using the name in the Method Name box: 4. Click on Yes to save the Method and close the dialogue box and return to the General Method property page. 5. Click on OK to close the Method property sheet. Note: When you save the Method a new record is created for it in the SOLAAR Methods Database – it is not saved as a separate fle. Te record is identifed by the Method name and by the date and time it was saved. Tis means that you do not need to give the Method a unique name; though in practice this will make identifying the Methods easier at a later date if you do give them unique and meaningful names. 1. Click on the Methods button or click on Method in the Edit menu to open the Method property sheet at its General property page. 2. Click on Load to display the Method Library dialogue box. Tis lists the Methods saved in the Methods database. 3. Click on the required Method in the list – the description entered when you created the Method will be shown in the Description box to help you identify the Method. 4. Click on Load to close the dialogue box and load the Method. To perform any atomic absorption analysis, you must frst install a hollow cathode lamp in the Spectrometer. Te procedure below describes the installation of a Termo Scientifc coded hollow cathode lamp. Refer to the How to… section of the On-line Help system to learn how to install other types of lamps. To install the hollow cathode lamp: 1. Check the Status Bar and confrm that the spectrometer is ONLINE. Loading a previously saved Method Installing a lamp Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 13 Installing a lamp If the Status Bar says OFFLINE, click on Connect in the ActionCommunications submenu. If the spectrometer does not connect, check the correct communication port is specifed - see Chapter 2. 2. Click on the Lamps button or click on Lamps… in the Edit menu to open the Lamp Confguration and Status dialogue box. 3. Select the Carousel Position that you want to use for the lamp and make sure that Automatic Lamp Alignment is checked. 4. If there are any lamps ftted already and their State is On, click in their State boxes to set them to Of. 5. Refer to the Hardware manual and remove any lamps ftted. 6. Fit the new lamp. If you are using an uncoded lamp, you will need to defne its characteristics. For details, open the On-line Help Contents window and view the SOLAAR How to…work with lamps To install Hollow Cathode Lamps topic. 7. Confrm that: – the element(s) in the lamp are displayed in the Element feld. – the Type feld shows Coded or Uncoded as appropriate. – the Max Current feld shows the maximum current marked on the lamp. Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 14 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Installing a lamp SOLAAR can monitor and record the usage of your lamps. To do this, you must register the lamp’s Serial Number in the Lamps database, so that SOLAAR can identify which lamps are being used. Te next steps show you how to do this. Go to Step 16 if you do not want to register the lamp. 8. Click on Lamp Usage to display the Lamp Usage dialogue box: 9. Click on Add Lamp to display the Add Lamp Serial Number dialogue box: 10. Click in the Element(s) box to display the Lamp Elements dialogue box: 11. Click on the lamp’s elements in the periodic table to select them. You can select more than one element by clicking on them in turn. If you accidentally select an incorrect element, click on it again to deselect it. Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 15 Setting up the lamp 12. Click on OK to close the dialogue box and return to the Add Lamp Serial Number dialogue box. 13. Enter the lamp’s Serial Number. 14. Click on Add to close the Add Lamp Serial Number dialogue box and return to the Lamp Usage dialogue box. Te new lamp will be added to the list of lamps showing its Element(s) and Serial Number – as it is a new lamp the usage (mA Hours) will be 0. 15. Click in the new lamp’s row to select it and click on Close to close the Lamp Usage dialogue box and return to the Lamp Confguration and Status dialogue box. Te Lamps grid will show the selected Serial Number with 0 mA Hours. 16. Click in the State feld for the new lamp to set it to On and confrm that the lamp has come on. 17. Click on OK to close the Lamp Confguration and Status dialogue box. Te hollow cathode lamp is now installed and ready to be aligned with the Spectrometer optical system. All Termo Scientifc AA Series spectrometers provide automatic lamp alignment facilities. Before setting up the lamp, check the Spectrometer Sample Compartments to confrm that the optical path is clear of obstructions. We recommend that you remove any Sample Compartment accessories before attempting to align a hollow cathode lamp. 1. Set up a Method using the default parameters for copper as described above, or load the previously saved Method. 2. Click on the Lamp button or click on Lamps… in the Edit menu to open the Lamp Confguration and Status dialogue, and confrm that the Automatic Lamp Alignment checkbox is checked. 3. Click on the Optical Setup button . – confrm that the System Status changes to BUSY during the optical setup. – provided that Automatic Lamp Alignment is checked in the Lamp Confguration and Status dialogue box, the lamp will be aligned automatically as part of the setup procedure. – when the optical setup is fnished, the System Status will return to ONLINE. Te lamp is now aligned and ready for use. Setting up the lamp Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 16 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Lighting the flame and optimising the burner parameters It is good practice to optimise the burner position and the nebuliser impact bead before starting work. Te Optimise burner and nebuliser positions wizard can help you to do this. Te best procedure to follow is to light the fame, then aspirate a test solution and monitor the absorbance signal while adjusting the burner position and impact bead controls to obtain the maximum possible signal. Before lighting the fame, you must frst check that: an intact explosion disk is ftted in the back of the spray chamber. the correct gases are: – connected to the Spectrometer. – set to the correct pressures. the drain trap is full. the drain is fowing freely. the burner is clean and ftted correctly. the Spectrometer Sample Compartment door is ftted and closed. Refer to the Hardware manual to learn how to carry out these checks and note the relevant safety warnings. To light the fame: 1. Set up a Method using the default parameters for copper as described above, or load the previously saved Method. 2. Check the Flame Status Bar at the bottom of the screen and: – confrm that the burner is Present and that the correct Burner Type is displayed. – confrm that the Gas Pressures for the necessary gases are OK. 3. Confrm that the IGNITE switch on the Spectrometer front panel is fashing. 4. Press and hold the IGNITE switch until the fame is established. 5. Confrm that the Flame Status Bar displays are updated. 6. Click on the Flame Setup button to set up the fame parameters specifed in the Method. Te fame is now established. It is good practice to aspirate deionised water through the fame system while a fame is burning, so when the fame is established you should place the nebuliser capillary tip into a container of deionised water. It is important to allow the burner to warm up and stabilise before taking measurements, but the alignment procedure below can be carried out after a few minutes. Lighting the flame and optimising the burner parameters Lighting the flame Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 17 Lighting the flame and optimising the burner parameters You will need: a test solution containing an appropriate concentration of the element of interest. Use the CookBook to fnd out what concentration of each element provides an absorbance of ~ 0.4. Te 5.00 mg/L copper standard solution mentioned above will be suitable. WARNING. Do NOT attempt to carry out this task while a nitrous oxide-supported flame is burning. ▲ To set up the burner and nebuliser: 1. Set up a Method for fame copper analysis using the default parameters. Set up the optics and light the fame as described above. 2. Open the Spectrometer Status window and confrm that the absorbance signal display is active. 3. Aspirate deionised water. 4. Click on the Autozero button and confrm that the absorbance display shows 0.000 ± 0.002. 5. Aspirate the test solution. 6. Refer to the Hardware manual and: – open the Sample Compartment door. – locate the burner position adjustment controls. – adjust the angular and transverse positions of the burner to obtain the maximum absorbance signal from the test solution. – after each adjustment, aspirate the blank solution and autozero the instrument. – locate the impact bead adjustment control. – adjust the control to move the impact bead back towards the nebuliser, but do not block the nebuliser completely. – the absorbance signal will decrease. – carefully adjust the control to move the impact bead away from the nebuliser until the signal reaches a maximum. – close the burner compartment door. 7. Click on Burner Height on the ActionOptimise submenu to optimise the burner height automatically – the Burner Height Graph window will show the optimisation results as they are produced. Te burner and nebuliser system is now correctly adjusted and the Spectrometer is ready to make measurements. Turn of the fame until you are ready to carry out the analysis. Te Optimise burner and nebuliser positions wizard can also be used. Optimising the burner position Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 18 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Running the analysis Before running the analysis you should install and align the lamp, and set up and optimise the burner and nebuliser as described above. Te analysis uses the Current Method – you can see the defnition of the Current Method by opening the Method property sheet. If you do not want to use this method, use the Method property sheet to defne the required Method or to load a previously saved one. Before starting, turn on the lamp and light the fame. Aspirate deionised water for at least ten minutes to allow the instrument to warm up and stabilise. Ensure that your blank, standard and sample solutions are available and clearly labelled. To run the fame analysis: 1. Open the Results window so that you can see your results as they are measured, and the Calibration window to see the calibration plot as it is built up from the standard solution results. 2. Click on the Analyse button to display the Start Analysis dialogue box: 3. Type in an Analysis Name for the analysis – this will be used to identify the results. 4. If required, edit the name in the Operator feld – it shows the name of the logged in user by default. 5. Type any notes that you want to save with the results of the analysis in the Analysis Notes feld. 6. Click on Analyse to start the analysis and confrm that: – the System Status shown on the right of the Status Line changes to BUSY while the Spectrometer is set up. Running the analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 19 Running the analysis 7. As the analysis proceeds you will be prompted to aspirate the solution required for each stage, for example: or for samples: (Tis dialogue box allows you to set or edit the Sample Details as the analysis is run.) Aspirate each solution as you are prompted and click on OK. Te solution will be measured, and the result will appear on the Results window. 8. When all the solutions have been measured, a prompt will be displayed for you to specify your next action: Select the Stop action by clicking on the Stop button. – the System Status changes to ONLINE. You have now carried out a simple fame analysis. Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 20 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Viewing the results When you run an analysis the results are saved automatically in the Results database. You can view any or all of the results stored in the database in the Results window in any combination. However, when you run an analysis SOLAAR automatically restricts the results shown in the Results window to the results for the current analysis (this is the default; if you wish you can add results from other analyses as the current analysis is running). To view the results of your analysis: 1. Open the Results window – the mean results for each solution will be displayed in the upper table: Note: SOLAAR allows you considerable fexibility in choosing what data to show in the Results table so your results window may not be the same as in the example picture – see the Help system for details. 2. Use the scroll bar to the right of the upper table to scroll through the results. 3. To display the resample results for a sample, click on its mean result in the upper table – its resamples will be displayed in the lower table. 4. Open the Calibration window. Confrm that the calibration graph is displayed in the upper part of the window and the Calibration Details are displayed in the lower part of the window. Viewing the results Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 21 Before printing from the SOLAAR application, ensure that your printer is correctly installed in Windows, that it is turned on and that it is loaded with paper. Make sure that the printer is ready to accept data – most printers have an indicator labelled ON LINE, which should be illuminated. You can print results at any time, even while another analysis is in progress. Note: Printed SOLAAR Reports contain details of the results currently displayed in the Results window. Immediately after you have run an analysis these will just be the results for that analysis, which is what we want for this example. However, you can click on Options in the Results menu to display the Results Display Options dialogue box to select which results to include from the whole Results database – see the Help system for details. To print a Results Report: 1. Click on Print Setup on the File menu to open the Print Setup dialogue box, then: a. make any necessary changes to the parameters displayed in the dialogue box to match those of the printer that you want to use. b. Click on OK to close the Print Setup dialogue box. 2. Click on Print Options on the File menu to display the Report Printing Options dialogue box: 3. Click on the options that you want to use and click on OK to close the dialogue box. 4 Either: a. Click on Results in the FilePrint Preview menu, to check that the Report contains the information that you want to print. b. Click on the Print button on the top left corner of the Print Preview display to print the Report as it is shown, or click on Close to return to the normal display. or Click on Results in the FilePrint menu to send the report to the printer. Your report containing the results of the analysis will be printed. Printing the results Printing the results Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 22 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Tis section will guide you through the process of setting up and performing a simple graphite furnace analysis. Tis is in many ways similar to setting up a fame analysis and we suggest that you frst read Section 2.1 above, if you have not already done so. To carry out a simple furnace analysis, you must: ● set up a Method ● install and align a hollow cathode lamp ● install and align the Graphite Furnace ● install and align the Graphite Furnace Autosampler ● load the sample solution into the Autosampler. You can then run the analysis, save the results and print a Report of the results. To work through the example described below, you will need: a manganese hollow cathode lamp three manganese standard solutions containing 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 µg/L of manganese in 0.1% v/v nitric acid sample solutions containing unknown manganese concentrations in the range 0 – 10 µg/L of manganese a blank solution containing 0.1% v/v nitric acid a ridged, coated cuvette for the Graphite Furnace. Tere are a range of Graphite Furnace systems available for Termo Scientifc AA Spectrometers. Although the furnaces difer in mechanical design, the principles involved in using them and the software that controls them are identical. Te Hardware manual covers the details of the mechanical controls of all designs of furnace. Check that your AA Spectrometer system, Graphite Furnace accessory and Furnace Autosampler have been correctly installed, and that the necessary services are correctly connected and adjusted to their normal operating conditions. Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry is an inherently safe procedure, as no infammable or explosive gases are used. However, you should still review the appropriate sections of the Hardware manual and ensure that you understand the hazards involved and the precautions necessary. Start the SOLAAR application, and log in as described in the SOLAAR Installation / Starting the SOLAAR Application and SOLAAR Installation / Logging into SOLAAR sections. A simple furnace analysis Before starting A simple furnace analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 23 Set up the Method using the Method property pages provided on the Method property sheet. For this example analysis you will use the default values for most of the parameters, then save the Method in the Methods database. To set up the furnace Method: Click on the Methods button to open the Method property sheet. Te following subsections describe how to set the parameters on the Method property sheet pages. To set general analysis parameters for the method: 1. If the General Method property page is not displayed, click on the General tab. 2. Set the Technique to Furnace: 3. Type in a Method Name for the analysis Method. 4. If required, edit the name in the Operator feld – it shows the name of the logged in user by default. 5. Type a description of the analysis in the Description feld. 6. Set the remaining controls to the following values: Autosampler = Furnace Rack Code = this is disabled when Autosampler is set to Furnace Shared Standards = Checked Setting up the Method General Method parameters A simple furnace analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 24 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Te next step is to specify the element for which you want to run the analysis, the actions to be carried out during the analysis and the Sample Details. You do this in exactly the same way as for a Flame Method. See the instructions for setting the Sequence Method parameters in Section 2.1.2 and set up a Sequence for a manganese analysis containing a Calibration action, and at least three Sample Actions. Additional actions are available for you to use in a Furnace Method. In particular, it is good practise start the Action List with a Cuvette Clean action, which will cause a Cuvette Clean cycle to be run automatically before making any measurements. Tis will ensure that the cuvette is clean and that the components in the Graphite Furnace have reached their normal operating temperatures. To view the Spectrometer parameters for manganese analysis in the method: 1. Click on the Spectrometer tab to display the Spectrometer property page: 2. Confrm that the Background Correction technique is set to D2 Quadline. 3. Confrm that the other settings are set to their default values, as in the picture above. 4. Click on Cook Book to display a Help window with the Cook Book information for manganese. Sequence Method parameters Spectrometer Method parameters Sequence Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 25 To view the Furnace parameters for the method: 1. Click on the Furnace tab to display the Furnace property page: 2. Review the default parameters, but do not change any at this stage. To set the Calibration parameters for the method: 1. Click on the Calibration tab to display the Calibration property page: 2. Confrm that the Calibration Method is set to Normal Segmented Curve Fit. 3. Confrm that the Concentration Units feld shows µg/L. 4. Set the Number of Standards to 3 – the frst three felds in the Standard Concentrations table will become enabled. 5. Set the frst three felds in the Standard Concentrations table to the concentration values of the standard solutions you have prepared. 6. Set the Master Standard Conc: feld to the concentration of your top standard. 7. Confrm that the other calibration parameters are set to their default values, as in the picture above. Furnace Method parameters Calibration Method parameters Calibration Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 26 SOLAAR Series Software Manual To set the Sampling parameters for the method: 1. Click on the Sampling tab to display the Sampling property page: 2. Set the Working Volume to 10.0 µL. 3. Confrm that the other Sampling parameters are set to their default values, as in the picture above. Note: Since we have not included any QC Test actions in the sequence, the settings on the QC Method property page are not applicable. Tis completes the defnition of the Method – see Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Saving and Loading Methods Section for how to save the Method in the Methods database. Ensure that the optical path in the left-hand (fame) sample compartment of your dual atomiser instrument is clear. (Te left hand sample compartment is used for setting the reference beam in dual atomizer instruments). If you have a tilt mounted furnace you can ensure that the optical path in the right-hand compartment is also clear while aligning the lamp by tilting the Furnace Head forward towards the front of the instrument. If you have a furnace on the fxed mount, confrm that a cuvette is correctly ftted and that the furnace windows are clean. If you have a single atomiser instrument, the combined Autosampler and Furnace System will be ftted in the sample compartment. If you are not confdent that the alignment of the Furnace is correct, remove the furnace before attempting to align the lamp. Refer to the Operators Manual for instructions as to how to do this. See Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Installing the Lamp and Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Setting up the lamp sections for how to install and align the hollow cathode lamp. Sampling Method parameters Installing and aligning the lamp Sampling Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 27 Your Furnace system will have been installed by the Termo Scientifc Service Engineer. Some spectrometer confgurations allow permanent set-up of the furnace. For these confgurations, once installed, the furnace will not normally need re-aligning. For confgurations where the furnace is removed, checking the alignment of the furnace upon re-installation is recommended. Alignment procedures for all types of Furnace system are provided in the Operators Manual. You must align the Graphite Furnace Autosampler so that the capillary tip enters the injection hole in the cuvette vertically, without touching the sides of the injection hole. Tis adjustment may have been set up on installation, however you should check it at regular intervals and whenever you change the autosampler capillary tip. You must then set the vertical position of the tip inside the cuvette, so that the sample solution is deposited correctly on to the foor of the cuvette. Te GFTV accessory will greatly simplify this process. If this is not available you can use a small dental mirror, to view the capillary tip inside the cuvette. You will need: either: – the GFTV accessory ftted, or – a small dental mirror. a small torch or desk lamp positioned over the furnace head will also be useful if the lighting is poor. Before starting to align the Autosampler, you should: install and align a hollow cathode lamp. install and align the Graphite Furnace in the Spectrometer. install and align a cuvette. check that the communications, power, cooling and gas supply services are properly connected to the Graphite Furnace. To align the Graphite Furnace Autosampler: 1. Check the Status Line and confrm that the System Status is ONLINE. 2. Refer to the Hardware Manual and: a. Fit the Autosampler to the Spectrometer and locate the position adjustment controls. b. Confrm that the capillary tip is ftted correctly and is not bent. c. Confrm that the electrical and gas connections are correct. d. Confrm that the Autosampler wash reservoir is full. Installing and aligning the Graphite Furnace Installing and aligning the Graphite Furnace Aligning the Graphite Furnace Autosampler Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 28 SOLAAR Series Software Manual 3. Click on the Methods button to open the Method property sheet at its General page dialogue box and confrm that the Autosampler is set to Furnace (this may difer depending upon your instrument type). Close the Method property sheet. 4. Click on the Align Capillary Tip button to move the Autosampler arm into position over the furnace head. 5. Adjust the position of the Autosampler until the capillary tip enters the cuvette injection hole. 6. To adjust the height of the capillary tip until it is just above the cuvette ridges: either Position the dental mirror to view the refected image of the capillary tip inside the cuvette. or a. Click on the GFTV button to display the GFTV dialogue box: b. Set the Camera Mode to Analysis. c. Click on OK to display the GFTV image (note: the GFTV image appears in the Spectrometer Status window. You must have this window open to view the GFTV video): d. Finally, optimise the height of the capillary tip by observing a sample injection and adjusting the height to obtain a smooth, complete deposition of the sample in the bottom of the cuvette. You have now correctly aligned the Furnace Autosampler. It is good practice to purge the Autosampler after ftting and aligning it, to remove any contamination from the capillary tip and ensure that there are no bubbles trapped in the liquid handling system. To purge the Autosampler: Click on the Autosampler Purge button . It will take approximately two minutes to purge the Autosampler. Te System Status will be BUSY while the Autosampler is being purged and will return to ONLINE when the purge has fnished. Aligning the Graphite Furnace Autosampler Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 29 After you have defned a Method, SOLAAR determines the default positions for the solutions on the Autosampler. You can fnd out what these are using the Autosampler Loading Guide, abbreviated to ASLG. If you need to change the positions of any samples or standards you can simply drag them from their original place on the schematic of the autosampler (right-hand side of the screen), and drop them in a new location. Te list view on the left-hand side of the screen will automatically update as you modify the locations of samples, standards or blanks. To look at the Autosampler Loading Guide: Click SLG in the View menu: Note: You can also open the Autosampler Loading Guide by clicking on ASLG on the Sequence property page of the Method property sheet. To print the Autosampler Loading Guide: Click on the Print command on the File menu and then click on Autosampler Loading Guide. Refer to the Autosampler Loading Guide and place your solutions in sample cups in the correct positions on the Autosampler carousel, then replace the carousel on the Autosampler. Loading the sample solution on to the Autosampler Aligning the Graphite Furnace Autosampler Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 30 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Before running the analysis, you should install and align the lamp, the Graphite Furnace and the Graphite Furnace Autosampler, as described above. Te analysis uses the Current Method – you can see the defnition of the Current Method by opening the Method property sheet. If you do not want to use this Method, use the Method property sheet to defne the required Method or to load a previously saved one. Before starting 1. Turn on the lamp and allow the instrument to stabilise for at least ten minutes. 2. Confrm that your solutions have been correctly loaded into the Autosampler. 3. It is good practice to carry out an Autosampler Wash and a Cuvette Clean cycle immediately before starting the analysis by clicking the Autosampler Wash button and Cuvette Clean button . If you have included these as Actions in your Sequence, they will take place automatically when you start the analysis. To run the furnace analysis 1. Open the Results window to see your results as they are measured. 2. Open the Signal window to monitor the absorbance signals through the furnace cycle. 3. If you have the GFTV accessory ftted: a. Click on the GFTV button to open the GFTV dialogue box. b. Set the Camera Mode to Analysis. c. Click on OK to display the GFTV image so that you can monitor the sample injections. Note that the absorbance signal will only be displayed on the Signal window for the Atomise phase of the furnace program when the GFTV accessory is in use. 4. Click on the Analyse button to start the analysis. Te analysis will then be carried out automatically. Te results will appear in the Results window and the displays on the Status windows will be updated as the results are measured. 5. When all the solutions have been measured, a prompt will be displayed confrming that the analysis has been completed. Click on OK to acknowledge this. You have now carried out a simple furnace analysis. Running the analysis Running the analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 31 Te procedures for viewing and printing the results of a furnace analysis are identical to those used to view and print the results of a fame analysis – see Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis /Viewing the Results and Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Printing the Results sections. When you select a resample result in the Results window, the absorbance signal peak recorded during the atomise phase will be displayed in the Signal window. Examining the shape of this peak is often a good way to identify problems with furnace analysis. You can adjust the display in the Signal window using the commands and options available in the Signal Options dialogue box. To adjust the signal display: 1. Right-click in the display area of the Signal window to display the Signal window context menu. 2. Click on the Options command to open the Signal Options dialogue box: 3. Set the options that you want to use and click on OK to adjust the Signal window display. Tis section will guide you through the process of setting up and performing a vapour analysis. Vapour analyses can be carried out using either fame or electric heating (mercury analysis can be carried out without heating). Flame heated Vapour analyses are always carried out in the left- hand (fame) sample compartment of dual atomiser spectrometers. Electrically heated vapour analyses and mercury vapour analyses can be carried out in either sample compartment, provided that the appropriate mounting kits for supporting the atomisation cells are ftted. If you are using fame heating, the procedure is in many ways similar to setting up a fame analysis and we suggest that you frst read the Getting Started / Simple Flame Analysis section, if you have not already done so. Viewing and printing the results Viewing absorbance signals A simple vapour analysis A simple vapour analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 32 SOLAAR Series Software Manual To carry out a simple vapour analysis using fame heating you must: ● install and align a hollow cathode lamp ● install and align the VP100 Vapour accessory ● set up a Method If you want to use electrical heating, you must also: ● install and align the EC90 Electrically Heated Atom Cell You can then run the analysis, save the results and print a Report of the results. To work through the example described below, you will need: ● an arsenic hollow cathode lamp ● two arsenic standard solutions containing 10.0 and 20.0 µg/L of arsenic in 5% v/v hydrochloric acid ● sample solutions containing unknown arsenic concentrations in the range 0 – 20 µg/L of arsenic, also containing 5% v/v hydrochloric acid ● a blank solution containing 5% v/v hydrochloric acid ● at least 500 mL of sodium borohydride reductant reagent containing 0.5% m/v of sodium borohydride in 0.5% sodium hydroxide – this reagent should be freshly prepared ● at least 500 mL of 50 % hydrochloric acid ● at least 1 L of acid blank reagent containing 5% v/v of hydrochloric acid Before starting Refer to the Safety notices concerned with Flame and Vapour operation in the Hardware manual and ensure that you understand the hazards involved and the precautions necessary. Start the SOLAAR application and log in as described in the SOLAAR Installation / Starting the SOLAAR Application and SOLAAR Installation / Logging in to SOLAAR Software section. Setting up the Method Set up the Method using the Method property pages provided on the Method property sheet. For this example analysis you will use the default values for most of the parameters, then save the Method in the Methods database. To set up the Vapour Method: Click on the Methods button to open the Method property sheet. Te following subsections describe how to set the parameters on the Method property sheet pages. A simple vapour analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 33 General Method parameters 1. If the General Method property page is not displayed, click on the General tab: 2. Set the Technique to Vapour. 3. Type in a Method Name for the analysis Method. 4. If required, edit the name in the Operator feld – it shows the name of the logged in user by default. 5. Type a description of the analysis in the Description feld. 6. Set the remaining controls to the following values (as shown in the example picture above): Segmented Flow Injection = Unchecked Autosampler = None Rack Code = this is disabled when Autosampler is set to None Shared Standards = Unchecked Te next step is to specify the element for which you want to run the analysis, the actions to be carried out during the analysis and the Sample Details. You do this in exactly the same way as for a Flame or Furnace Method. See the instructions for setting the Sequence Method parameters in the Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Setting up the Method section, and set up a Sequence for an arsenic analysis containing a Calibration action and at least three Sample Actions. Sequence Method parameters Sequence Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 34 SOLAAR Series Software Manual To view the Spectrometer parameters for arsenic analysis in the Method: 1. Click on the Spectrometer tab to display the Spectrometer property page: 2. Confrm that the settings are set to their default values, as in the picture above. 3. Click on Cook Book to display a Help window with the Cook Book information for arsenic. To set the Vapour parameters for arsenic analysis in the Method: 1. Click on the Vapour/SFI tab to display the Vapour/SFI property page: 2. If you are using fame heating: a. Select Flame Heating as the Vapour Mode: b. Confrm that the Acetylene Fuel Flow is set to 1.0 L/min. Spectrometer Method parameters Vapour Method parameters Vapour Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 35 If you are using the EC90 accessory: a. Select Electric Heating as the Vapour Mode: b. Confrm that the Furnace Temperature is set to 900ºC. 3. Select the appropriate vapour accessory from the Vapour Kit drop- down list box. 4. If you are using the EC90 accessory on an dual atomiser spectrometer, specify the compartment it is ftted in by selecting Left Hand or Right Hand from the Vapour Sample Compartment drop-down list box. To set the Calibration parameters for the method: 1. Click on the Calibration tab to display the Calibration property page: 2. Confrm that the Calibration Method is set to Normal Segmented Curve Fit. 3. Confrm that the Concentration Units feld shows µg/L. 4. Set the Number of Standards to 2 – the frst two felds in the Standard Concentrations table will become enabled. 5. Set the frst two felds in the Standard Concentrations table to the concentration values of the standard solutions you have prepared. 6. Confrm that the other calibration parameters are set to their default values, as in the picture above. Note: Since we have not included any QC Test actions in the sequence, the settings on the QC Method property page are not applicable. Tis completes the defnition of the Method – see Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Saving and Loading Methods section for how to save the Method in the Methods database. Calibration Method parameters Vapour Method parameters Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 36 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Installing and aligning the lamp To ensure that the optical path is clear while aligning the lamp, install and align the lamp before ftting the vapour system Atom Cell in the Spectrometer sample compartment. Now see the Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Installing the Lamp and Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Setting up the lamp sections for how to install and align the hollow cathode lamp. Installing the vapour accessories Refer to the Hardware manual for full details of how to install the VP100 and the EC90 Electrically Heated Atom Cell accessory. Aligning the VP100 Atom Cell Te VP100 Atom Cell will be ftted either in the Atom Cell Holder ftted to the normal burner, or in the EC90 furnace head. In either case, refer to the Hardware manual to locate the controls that allow the position of the Cell to be adjusted. Ten ensure that the Cell is in its normal operating position and, using a piece of white card to locate the light beam, adjust the position of the Cell until the light from the hollow cathode lamp passes along the axis of the cell. To align the VP100 Atom Cell: 1. Check the Status Line, and confrm that the System Status is ON LINE. 2. Click on the Methods button to open the Method property sheet. 3. Set up a Method for arsenic as described above, or load the previously saved Method. 4. Click on the Spectrometer tab to display the Spectrometer Method property page. 5. Set Background Correction to none. 6. Click on OK to close the Method property sheet. 7. Open the Spectrometer window. 8. Click on the Optical Setup button to set up the Spectrometer optical system. 9. When the optical setup is fnished and the System Status has returned to ONLINE, refer to the Hardware manual and: a. Adjust the Atom Cell position to give the maximum defection of the upper optical energy bar graph displayed on the Spectrometer window. - If the bar graph goes of scale, click on the Autozero button to reset it to centre scale. b. Make small adjustments to the Atom Cell to give a minimum in the absorbance signal displayed on the Spectrometer window. Te Atom Cell is now correctly aligned. Installing and aligning the lamp Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 37 Unless you are using the EC90 Electrically Heated Atomisation Cell accessory, the Atom Cell is heated by a normal air/acetylene fame. Before lighting the fame, you must frst check that: ● the right gases are: ● - connected to the Spectrometer ● - set to the correct pressures ● the drain trap is full. ● the drain is fowing freely. ● the burner is clean and ftted correctly. ● an intact explosion disk is ftted in the back of the spray chamber. ● the Spectrometer Sample Compartment door, window and chimney are correctly ftted. ● the Atom Cell is in the parked position, away from the fame. Refer to the Hardware manual to learn how to carry out these checks and note the relevant safety warnings. 1. Set up a Method for arsenic analysis, ensuring that you have selected the Vapour Technique with the Vapour Mode set to Flame Heating, as described above, or use the Load command on the General page of the Method to load a previously saved Method. 2. Look at the Flame Status Bar and: – confrm that the correct Burner Type is displayed. – confrm that the Gas Pressures for the necessary gases are OK. 3. Click on the Flame Setup button to set up the Spectrometer gas control system. 4. Confrm that the IGNITE switch on the Spectrometer front panel is fashing. – If you are using a spectrometer with a semi-automatic gas box refer to the Operators Manual and set the fuel gas fow rate to the correct value before attempting to light the fame. 5. Press and hold the IGNITE switch until the fame is established. 6. Confrm that the Flame Status bar is updated: Te fame is now established. Lighting the flame Lighting the flame Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 38 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Setting the EC90 Furnace Temperature parameter If you are using the EC90 Electrically Heated Atomisation Cell accessory, you must set the Furnace Temperature using the accessory front panel control before you can carry out an analysis. Furnace Temperatures suitable for the diferent elements are given in the Cook Book; for the experiment described below 900ºC is suitable. Refer to the Operators Manual and: 1. Set the EC90 Furnace Temperature to 900ºC. 2. Turn on the power to EC90 Furnace Head. Te EC90 Furnace will take approximately fve minutes to reach its operating temperature. Before running the analysis Before running the analysis, you should install and align the lamp and set up the VP100, and if necessary the EC90 accessories as described above. Te analysis uses the Current Method – you can see the defnition of the Current Method by opening the Method property sheet. If you do not want to use this method, use the Method property sheet to defne the required Method or to load a previously saved one. Before running the analysis, you should also refer to the Hardware manual and perform the following steps: 1. Put the reagent solutions in the appropriate VP100 vessels, and ensure that the uptake tubes are in the vessels. 2. Turn on the VP100 Carrier Gas, and confrm that the fow rate is approximately 200 mL/min. 3. Turn on the VP100 Peristaltic Pump and adjust the pump cassettes until the reagents are pumped smoothly into the Gas Liquid Separator. 4. Either: – Light the fame, then move the Atom Cell holder to its operating position so that the Atom Cell is supported in the fame or – Turn on the EC90 Furnace and wait until it reaches its operating temperature. 5. Ensure that your blank, standard and sample solutions are available and clearly labelled. Lighting the flame Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 4 - 39 Running the analysis To run the vapour analysis: 1. Open the Results window so that you can see your results as they are measured, and the Calibration window to see the calibration plot as it is built up from the standard solution results. 2. Click on the Analyse button to display the Start Analysis dialogue box: 3. Type in an Analysis Name for the analysis – this will be used to identify the results. 4. If required, edit the name in the Operator feld – it shows the name of the logged in user by default. 5. Type any notes that you want to save with the results of the analysis in the Analysis Notes feld. 6. Click on Analyse to start the analysis and confrm that: – the System Status shown on the right of the Status Line changes to BUSY while the Spectrometer is set up. 7. As the analysis proceeds you will be prompted to aspirate the solution required for each stage, for example: Running the analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific 4 - 40 SOLAAR Series Software Manual or for samples: (Tis dialogue box allows you to set or edit the Sample Details as the analysis is run.) Aspirate each solution as you are prompted and click on OK. Te solution will be measured, and the result will appear on the Results window. 8. When all the solutions have been measured, a prompt will be displayed for you to specify your next action: Select the Stop action by clicking on the Stop button. - Te system status now changes to ON LINE You have now carried out a simple vapour analysis. Te procedures for viewing and printing the results of a vapour analysis are identical to those used to view and print the results of a fame analysis – See Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Viewing the Results and Getting Started / A Simple Flame Analysis / Printing the Results Sections. Viewing and printing the results Viewing and printing the results Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 5 - 1 Chapter 5 Dual Analysis Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 5 - 2 SOLAAR Series Software Manual A simple dual analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 5 - 3 A simple dual analysis Dual atomiser systems can automatically run a Method in the left-hand sample compartment, followed by a Method in the right-hand sample compartment – this is known as a Dual Analysis. Before starting To carry out a Dual Analysis you must frst set up the Methods and save them in the Methods Database, then install and align the necessary lamps and fnally, set up each sample compartment, as described above. Te most common combination of methods in a Dual Analysis involves running a Flame Method in the left-hand sample compartment, followed by a Furnace Method in the right-hand sample compartment. Te following example shows you how to run a copper Flame Method and manganese Furnace Method as a Dual Analysis. To set up and run a Dual Analysis: 1. Refer to Getting Started / A Simple Furnace Analysis and Getting Started / A Simple Furnace Analysis section for details of lamps, sample solutions and installation and alignment procedures for these Methods. 2. Set up and align the lamps and the atomisers in each sample compartment. 3. When you are ready to run the analysis, click on the Run Dual Analysis button or click on Run Dual Analysis in the Action menu. 4. Te Setup Dual Analysis dialogue box will be displayed. Te box at the top-right corner of the dialogue box lists the Methods saved in the Methods Library. A simple dual analysis Setting up and running a Dual Analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific 5 - 4 SOLAAR Series Software Manual 5. Locate the copper fame Method that you created and saved earlier and drag it to the box at the bottom of the picture of the left-hand sample compartment: 6. Drop the method in the box – the method name will be shown in the box. 7. Similarly, locate and drag the manganese furnace Method to the right-hand sample compartment: 8. Complete the Analysis Details on the lower part of the dialogue box. 9. Click on Run. Te fame analysis will start and run through to completion. When the fame analysis has fnished, the furnace analysis will start automatically. Note: You cannot save a Dual Analysis as an entity in itself – only the two individual Methods that are used in it can be saved separately. Tis means that when you want to run a Dual Analysis you have to go through the above process each time. Results from a Dual Analysis are saved in the Results database as two separate analyses, and can be viewed, edited and printed using the normal commands and facilities. Note: Tere is no automatic indication in the Analysis Results that the results were obtained from a Dual Analysis. If it is important that this information should be saved, use the Description felds for each method on the Dual Analysis Setup dialogue to record it. Dual Analysis Results A simple dual analysis Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 6 - 1 Chapter 6 The OQ Tests Software Te OQ Tests Software package is included with the main SOLAAR software and will be installed automatically on your Data Station. Tis software package contains a suite of automatic Operational Qualifcation tests that require the use of the Calibration Validation Unit (CVU), supplied as part of the Validation packages. Tis software also contains a suite of User Diagnostics and functionality for the Gas Box Leak Test, both of which can be used without the CVU. Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 6 - 2 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Starting the OQ Tests application Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 6 - 3 Starting the OQ Tests application During installation, a SOLAAR Series submenu is added to the Program section of the Start menu – this includes the Oqtests item, which will start the OQ Tests software. 1. Turn on your Data Station, and wait until Windows has started. 2. Turn on the Spectrometer and its services if required. 3. Click on the button to display the Start menu. 4. Click on All Programs to display the list of program groups, then Termo SOLAAR to display the SOLAAR icons: 5. Click on Oqtests to start the OQ Test software. Tis will display the login dialogue box. Te OQ Test software uses the same Security system as is used by the main SOLAAR software and described in the SOLAAR Installation / SOLAARSecurity Software section of this manual. You must set this up using the SOLAARsecurity Admin program (not through the main software), before using the OQ Tests. Te use of this software is for performing the OQ Validation Tests is described in detail in the Validator Log Book supplied with the Validator product. Te OQ Test application can also be used to run a suite of Customer Diagnostic Tests to check your instrument for simple faults. Te Customer Diagnostics Tests include a manual Gas Leak Test. It is important for your own safety that you run the Manual Gas Leak Test at regular intervals and whenever the gas connections to your instrument have been disturbed. Te OQ Test application also includes a Wizard that will re-calibrate the Burner Height mechanism and/or the Monochromator mechanism of your spectrometer. It is unlikely that you will need to use this Wizard, but if you suspect that either the Burner Height mechanism or the Monochromator are not working correctly it may be possible to solve the problem by using the re-calibration Wizard. Starting the OQ Tests application Using the OQ Tests Application Thermo Fisher Scientific 6 - 4 SOLAAR Series Software Manual Customer Diagnostics To run the Customer Diagnostics: 1. Start the OQ Tests application and confrm that it connects to the spectrometer. 2. Select the ViewCustomer Diagnostics command to display the Customer Diagnostics Window. Tis window provides access to the individual Diagnostics Tests and displays detailed information about the sensors in your instrument, the version numbers of the software and your spectrometer confguration. If you have to call a Service Engineer, be sure to have this information available, as it will help him to diagnose and solve your problem. Te upper left section of the window provides access to four Diagnostic Tests. Te frst three of these are concerned with the various communication links in your system, while the fourth provides instructions for testings for leaks in the Flame Gas System. Te button below this area provides access to the Calibrate Wizard, so that you can recalibrate the Burner Height mechanism and the Monochromator mechanism of your spectrometer. To run the Diagnostics Tests: Te Diagnostic Tests are run by Wizards. Click the button to start each test and then follow the instructions given on each page of the Wizard. When you have completed the instructions, click the Next button to move on to the next page. To run the Calibrate Wizard: You must have a calcium/magnesium hollow cathode lamp available to run this Wizard, and there must be a working connection between the Data Station and the spectrometer. Te Calibrate Wizard starts with the OQ Test software disconnected from the spectrometer. If the Calibrate button is greyed out, use the ActionsDisconnect command to disconnect the OQ Test software from the spectrometer. Click on the Calibrate button to start the Wizard, then follow the instructions displayed on-screen. When you have completed the instructions, click the Next button to move on to the next page. Customer Diagnostics Thermo Fisher Scientific SOLAAR Series Software Manual 6 - 5 Appendix 1 – Upgrade Considerations If you are upgrading an earlier installation of SOLAAR software to SOLAAR version 10 or higher, there are some issues of which you should be aware. Te development of the new features in the SOLAARsecurity package has involved substantial changes in both the software itself, and in the databases that are used to store the electronic records. Database considerations Databases created by earlier versions of the SOLAAR software will appear as READ ONLY when opened with the upgraded SOLAAR Data Station software. You will be able to view, print and export the records contained in these databases, but you will NOT be able to add new records, nor change existing records. If you want to bring such historical data into the same databases that are available for the new records created by the upgraded software, you must copy the records from the old database into a new database created by the new version of SOLAAR. Analysis Results records copied in this way will take their existing Audit Trails with them and a new entry will be added showing where the record has been copied from. Other records created in earlier versions of SOLAAR do not have audit trails. When these are copied, a new audit trail will be created for each record. Te frst entry in the new audit trail will record that the record has been copied and the source database from which it was copied. Security Earlier versions of SOLAAR Data Station and SOLAAR OQ Tests applications had a limited security system that allowed users to be identifed and granted permission to use certain facilities. Tis security system has been removed from the SOLAAR software and replaced by the upgraded and improved security facilities provided by the SOLAARsecurity package. If you previously used these security features and would like to continue to have them available, you must upgrade to the full SOLAARsecurity package. Tis page is intentionally blank. Thermo Fisher Scientific 6 - 6 SOLAAR Series Software Manual