In the SQ device pane in the Instrument Status window, hover over the icon to view any Early Maintenance Feedback (EMF) messages for the device. For example, it can report if the Checktune and Autotune are expired. To view the Maintenance dialog box, right-click the device pane, and click Maintenance.
Use this dialog to configure the limits before an EMF Service Due message is generated. The message is added to the Logbook.
Expand or collapse the section for certain EMF items. When the section is collapsed, then either only the progress bar is visible, or the section is empty. Click the triangle at the left side of the section to expand or collapse the section.
Enable or disable certain EMF items:
If you disable an EMF item, then the parameters in that section are grayed out and the progress bar is hidden. However, the counters run regardless of whether or not the item is disabled. An EMF item that is disabled will not show a warning in the device panel.
If you enable EMF for that item, the EMF shows the warning in the device panel and records it in the System Logbook (if applicable). You are able to edit the threshold value and reset the counter for that item. The progress bar shows the progress toward exceeding the set threshold and includes a vertical line for the Warning threshold.
EMF Item | Description | Displayed EMF Message |
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Autotune | Acquisition tracks when an autotune was last performed. Every day, the value decreases by 1. When the threshold value reaches 0, the EMF is flagged. When less than 3 days remain before the Alert threshold is exceeded, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When the Alert threshold is exceeded, the bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. If the Alert threshold is less than the Warning threshold, the vertical line for the warning threshold is not visible, and Autotune will always be in a warning state. The Expires on value is the date that the Alert threshold will be reached. This message changes to Expired on when the Alert threshold is reached. The date will reset after a successful Autotune. In the Alert threshold (Days) field, enter the limit for the number of days (from 1 to 365) before an EMF service due message is issued, and click Set to custom value to set a value that is different than the default. Click Set to factory value to set the Alert threshold to the factory value (31 days). | Autotune Expired To resolve, do the following:
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Checktune | Acquisition tracks when a checktune was last performed. Every day, the value decreases by 1. When the threshold value reaches 0, the EMF is flagged. When less than 1 day remains before the Alert threshold is exceeded, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When the Alert threshold is exceeded, the bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. If the Alert threshold is less than the Warning threshold, the vertical line for the warning threshold is not visible, and Checktune will always be in a warning state. The Expires on value is the date that the Alert threshold will be reached. This message changes to Expired on when the Alert threshold is reached. The date will reset after a successful Autotune. A checktune is performed as part of an autotune. When an autotune is performed, the checktune EMF status is reset; however, no checktune report is generated. In the Alert threshold (Days) field, enter the limit for the number of days (from 1 to 365) before an EMF service due message is issued, and click Set to custom value to set a value that is different than the default. Click Set to factory value to set the Alert threshold to the factory value (7 days). | Checktune Expired To resolve, go the following:
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Injection count | Each time a method is run, the injection count decreases by 1. When the threshold value reaches 0, the EMF is flagged. When the counter reaches 90% of the Alert threshold, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When the Alert threshold is exceeded, the bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. The Remaining (Counts) value is the number of injections until the Alert threshold is reached. If this number is negative, then you have exceeded the Alert threshold. Click Reset counter to reset the counter to the Alert threshold after performing the appropriate maintenance. In the Alert threshold (Counts) field, enter the number of injections (from 10 to 999990; the value is rounded to the nearest 10 counts) before an EMF service due message is issued, and click Set to custom value to set a value that is different than the default. Click Set to factory value to set the Alert Due threshold to the factory value (10000). | Injection Counts Expired To resolve, do the following:
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Diverter valve switches | Each time the diverter valve is switched To MS or To Waste, the value decreases by 1. When the threshold value reaches 0, the EMF is flagged. When the counter reaches 90% of the Alert threshold, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When the Alert threshold is exceeded, the bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. If the Alert threshold is less than the Warning threshold, the vertical line for the warning threshold is not visible, and Diverter valve switches will always be in a warning state. The Remaining (Counts) value is the number of diverter valve switches until the Alert threshold is reached. If this number is negative, then you have exceeded the Alert threshold. Click Reset counter to reset the counter to the Alert threshold after performing the appropriate maintenance. In the Alert threshold (Counts) field, enter the number of Diverter Valve Switches (from 10 to 999990; the value is rounded to the nearest 10 counts) before an EMF service due message is issued, and click Set to custom value to set a value that is different than the default. Click Set to factory value to set the Alert Due threshold to the factory value (10000). | Diverter Valve Counts Expired To resolve, do the following:
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Rough pump | Acquisition tracks when the rough pump oil needs to be replaced. Every day, the value decreases by 1. When the threshold value reaches 0, the EMF is flagged. When less than 30 days remain before the Alert threshold is exceeded, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When the Alert threshold is exceeded, the bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. If the Alert threshold is less than the Warning threshold, the vertical line for the warning threshold is not visible, and Rough Pump will always be in a warning state. The Expires on value is the date when the Alert threshold will be reached. This message changes to Expired on when the system exceeds the Alert threshold. Click Reset counter to reset the counter to the Alert threshold after performing the appropriate maintenance. In the Alert threshold (Days) field, enter the limit for the number of days (from 1 to 550) before an EMF Service Due message is given. When you exceed the Alert threshold for the Rough pump, you may want to perform maintenance on the rough pump, including changing the oil. Click Set to factory value to set the Service Due threshold to the factory value (365). | Rough Pump Oil Expired To resolve, do the following:
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Gas filter | Acquisition tracks when the nitrogen gas filter(s) needs to be replaced. Every day, the value decreases by 1. When the threshold value reaches 0, the EMF is flagged. When less than 30 days remain before the Alert threshold is exceeded, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When the Alert threshold is exceeded, the entire bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. If the Alert threshold is less than the Warning threshold, the vertical line for the Warning threshold is not visible, and Gas filter will always be in a warning state. The Expires on value is the date when the Alert threshold will be reached. This message changes to Expired on when the system exceeds the Alert threshold. Click Reset counter to reset the counter to the Alert threshold after performing the appropriate maintenance. In the Alert threshold (Days) field, enter the limit for the number of days (from 1 to 730) before an EMF Service Due message is given. When you exceed the Alert threshold for the Gas filter, you may want to change the filter. Click Set to factory value to set the Alert threshold to the factory value (365). | Gas Filter Expired To resolve, do the following:
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Detector health | Acquisition uses the Electron Multiplier Voltage (EMV) determined through the autotune to approximate the remaining life of the EM horn as a percentage. The percentage is based on a minimum value of 1400 V and a maximum value of 2500 V. When the Detector health reaches less than 10% of the lifetime remaining, the progress bar color changes to yellow, and a warning message is issued. When 0% of the lifetime remaining is reached, the entire bar color changes to red, and a Service Due message is issued. | Aging Detector To resolve, do the following:
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Nebulizer status | Acquisition determines an empty bottle or a clogged nebulizer by monitoring the ion signal or chamber current from the calibrant solution. During a tune, if no ion signal is detected, then the EMF is flagged. The status is either red or green. If the status is red, then the following message is added to the System Logbook:
If the status is green, then the Nebulizer status is normal. | Empty Bottle/Clogged Nebulizer To resolve, do the following:
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Capillary status | Acquisition determines a bad capillary based on the resistance of the installed capillary (or ion injector). The resistance is calculated based on the capillary voltage and current. This is then checked against the nominal resistance of the capillary. If the determined resistance is less than 50% of the nominal resistance, then the EMF is flagged. Acquisition determines a clogged capillary if the rough vacuum reading falls below a value of 1.4 Torr. The status is either red, yellow, or green. If the status is red, then one of the following messages is added to the System Logbook:
If the status is yellow, then the item has a warning. If the status is green, then the Capillary status is normal. | Bad Capillary To resolve, do one or more of the following:
Clogged Capillary To resolve, do one or more of the following:
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Spray stability status | Acquisition determines the number of dropouts as part of a tune. If the percent of dropouts is greater than 5%, the spray is considered unstable and the EMF is flagged. The status is either red or green. If the status is red, then the following message is added to the System Logbook:
If the status is red, then after adjustment of the nebulizer/needle, a new autotune must be performed to reevaluate the spray stability. If the spray stability is in the acceptable range, the EMF will no longer be flagged following completion of the autotune. If the status is green, then the Spray stability status is normal. | Unstable Spray To resolve, do one or more of the following:
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