INSERT NEW MODULE FOR THE AUTOLAB MultiBA€¦ · Insert new module for the Autolab MultiBA 3 | Page 1 – Introduction The Autolab MultiBA instruments are special versions of the

Insert new module for the Autolab MultiBA

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INSERT NEW MODULE FOR THE AUTOLAB MultiBA

Editorial Metrohm Autolab B.V.

Kanaalweg 29 G, 3526 KM Utrecht The Netherlands

Tel: +31 30 2893154 Fax: +31 30 2880715

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.metrohm-autolab.com

© Copyright 2011 Metrohm Autolab

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.metrohm-autolab.com/


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Table of Contents

1 – Introduction ............................................................................................................ 3 2 – About this document .............................................................................................. 3 3 – Opening the Autolab cabinet .................................................................................. 4 4 – How to insert the BA module(s) .............................................................................. 7 5 – Verification of the BCD switches ............................................................................. 8 6 – Analog bus overview .............................................................................................. 9 7 – Additional connections for the BA-MC2 module ................................................... 10

7.1 – If the FRA2 module is present ....................................................................... 10 7.2 – If the FRA32M module is present .................................................................. 11 7.3 – If the FRA2 or FRA32M module is not present .............................................. 12

8 – Installation of the digital bus ................................................................................. 12 9 – Calibration of the FRA32M and FRA2 module with Nova ...................................... 13

9.1 – Determination of the C1 and C2 parameter in Nova ..................................... 15 9.1.1 – Determination of C1 ........................................................................... 15 9.1.2 – Determination of C2 ........................................................................... 19

9.2 – No calibration possible .................................................................................. 23 9.3 – Verification of the calibration of the FRA module .......................................... 24

10 – Module test ........................................................................................................ 24


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1 – Introduction

The Autolab MultiBA instruments are special versions of the 8-Series PGSTAT128N and PGSTAT302N, prepared to accommodate a maximum of 5 BA modules and an optional FRA module (FRA2 or FRA32M). These instruments are physically identical to the normal 8-Series instruments, produced since May 2007 (s/n ≥ AUT83100).

This document provides installation instructions for the MultiBA modules in a MultiBA instrument.

Note: the BA modules for a MultiBA instrument are not the same as the BA modules for the normal PGSTAT series.

2 – About this document

This document includes the following sections:

• Section 3 describes how to open and close the cabinet. • Section 4 described how to install the modules. • Section 5 provides an overview of the BCD switches of the BA modules. • Section 6 provides an overview of the complete analog bus. • Section 7 describes the additional connections required for the BA module. • Section 8 describes the installation of the additional digital bus. • Section 9 provides explanation on the calibration of the FRA2 and FRA32M

module with the NOVA software. • Section 10 describes how to test the installed modules.


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3 – Opening the Autolab cabinet

Like all 8-Series instruments, the MultiBA instruments are fitted in the N form factor cabinet shown in Figure 1. The DAC164 is located immediately to the right of the ADC164. The ADC164 is shifted one module slot to the left compared to the factory default Autolab 8-Series.

Figure 1 - The 8-series Autolab MultiBA instruments

Two instruments fit in this group:

• PGSTAT128N MultiBA • PGSTAT302N MultiBA

Follow these steps to open the instrument cabinet:

1. Switch off the instrument and unplug from the mains

2. Unscrew the four screws on the rear of the Autolab (indicated in Figure 2). Leave the screws in the top cover.

Figure 2 – Locate the four indicated screws on the back plane of the cabinet

3. Remove the top cover by sliding it from the front to the rear. The best way to do this is to stand in front of the instrument, put your both hands at the rear part of the top cover and press with your fingers on the rear panel, while pressing on the top cover (see Figure 3). The top cover should come off easily.


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Figure 3 – Open the cabinet by sliding the cover of the cabinet

4. Lift the top cover and remove it from the instrument and disconnect the earth cable (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 – Lift the cover

Now the analog bus can be reached from the top. If you do not have to install a module, it is unnecessary to remove the front panel of the instrument. If a new module needs to be installed in the instrument, it is necessary to remove the front panel.

Follow these steps to remove the front panel:

1. Unscrew the four screws, indicated in Figure 5, holding the front panel to the frame from the mounting tabs.


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Figure 5 – Locate the four indicated screws holding the front panel

2. At the bottom of the front panel the same construction is used. The screws can be reached through holes in the bottom cover. These screws must be removed without turning the Autolab upside down. In order to do this, slide the instrument slightly over the edge of the table and remove the four screws indicated in Figure 6 from below.

Figure 6 – Remove the four indicated screws from below the instrument

3. Now the front panel can be shifted smoothly to the front and taken off. Take care not to damage the LCD display (see Figure 7).


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Figure 7 – Remove the front panel

4 – How to insert the BA module(s)

The BA modules for the 8-Series Autolab instrument must be installed in the pre-defined positions indicated in Figure 8, labelled BA-MC2 to BA-MC6.

Figure 8 – Each module must be installed in a pre-defined position in the instrument

Follow these steps to install a BA module in a MultiBA instrument:

1. Locate the correct module slot for the module to be installed (see Figure 8). 2. Remove the black front panel and insert the module carefully in the slot. Insert the

module carefully and do not force the module in the slot.


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3. Check if the Module index switches correspond to the correct module position (see section 5).

4. Connect the inserted module to the MultiBA analog bus, using the pre-installed green connectors (see Section 6).

5. If a FRA2 or FRA32M module is installed, additional connections are required (please refer to Section 7.1 and 7.2). Furthermore, the FRA2 or FRA32M module needs to be calibrated (C1 and C2 determination, please refer to Section 9).

6. Install the digital bus for MultiBA instruments (see Section 8). 7. When the module is installed properly, tighten the front plate of the module to

the frame of the instrument with the provided screws. 8. Reattach the front panel of the Autolab and close the instrument by following the

steps detailed in Section 3 in reverse order. 9. Replace the blank module label with the label supplied with the module.

5 – Verification of the BCD switches

The BA module is fitted with a set of three so-called rotary BCD switch. These switches are used to program the module for software identification. Depending on the position in the instrument, the switches may need to be adjusted.

The switches are located on the bottom right of the module, and have a total of 10 positions each (0-9. The selected position is indicated by the arrow of the pink cursor located in the middle of each switch (see Figure 9). The switches are labelled ‘Module index’, ‘DAC select’ and ‘Write select’, from left to right.

Figure 9 – The 3 rotary BCD switches of the BA module (all set to position 2)


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The positions of the BCD switches for each BA module are listed in Table 1.

BA position Module Index DAC select Write select

BA-MC2 0 0 0

BA-MC3 1 1 1

BA-MC4 2 2 2

BA-MC5 3 3 3

BA-MC6 4 4 4

Table 1 – Overview of the positions for the BCD switches

Note: make sure that the BCD switches match the module position in the instrument.

6 – Analog bus overview

Figure 10 shows a complete overview of the analog bus of the Autolab MultiBA.

Figure 10 – Detailed overview of the default analog bus wiring diagram for a MultiBA instrument

Install each BA module in the correct position and insert each of the green connectors located on the analog bus (labelled BA-MC2 to BA-MC6 in Figure 10) to the corresponding destination connector on each BA module.


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7 – Additional connections for the BA-MC2 module

For the BA-MC2 module, SMB coaxial cables should be connected between the BA module and the PGSTAT and the FRA2 or FRA32M, if applicable.

7.1 – If the FRA2 module is present

For the BA-MC2 module the supplied SMB coaxial cables should be connected as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 – Overview of the SMB cables required between the BA-MC2 module and the PGSTAT and optional FRA2 module

1. Connect three SMB cables between the FRA2 module and the BA-MC2 module according to:

a. Connect DSG signal of the FRA2 to FRA DSG of the BA-MC2. b. Connect Ein of the FRA2 to E-FRA of the BA-MC2. c. Connect Iin of the FRA2 to I-FRA of the BA-MC2.

2. Connect the three additional SMB cables:

a. Connect To PGstat of the BA-MC2 to DSG of the PGSTAT. b. Connect E-PGSTAT of the BA-MC2 to FRA E of the PGSTAT.


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c. Connect I-PGSTAT of the BA-MC2 to FRA I of the PGSTAT. This cable is a special cable fitted with heat shrink tubing.

7.2 – If the FRA32M module is present

For the BA-MC2 module the SMB coaxial cables should be connected as shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12 – Overview of the SMB cables required between the BA-MC2 module and the PGSTAT and optional FRA32M module

1. Connect three SMB cables between the FRA32M module and the BA-MC2 module according to:

a. Connect PGSTAT U of the FRA32M to E-FRA of the BA-MC2. b. Connect PGSTAT I of the FRA32M to I-FRA of the BA-MC2. c. Connect PGSTAT DSG of the FRA32M to FRA-DSG of the BA-MC2.

2. Connect the three additional SMB cables:

a. Connect To PGstat of the BA to DSG of the PGSTAT. b. Connect E-PGSTAT of the BA to FRA E of the PGSTAT. c. Connect I-PGSTAT of the BA to FRA I of the PGSTAT. This cable is a special

cable fitted with heat shrink tubing.


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7.3 – If the FRA2 or FRA32M module is not present

Follow the same steps detailed above, starting at point 2 (skip point 1).

8 – Installation of the digital bus

A dedicated digital bus is supplied with the MultiBA instruments. This bus is provided with 5 female 16-pin connectors, matching the CON5 boxed header located on each of the BA modules of the MultiBA instrument (see Figure 13).

Figure 13 – The CON5 boxed header located on each BA module

Connect the digital bus to each BA module as shown in Figure 14 (the SMB cables have been omitted for clarity sake).

Figure 14 – Install the digital bus (left: side view; right: top view)


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9 – Calibration of the FRA32M and FRA2 module with Nova

The procedure described below is explained for the Nova software (version 1.8 or higher). Both the FRA32M and the FRA2 module need to be adjusted to the Autolab potentiostat/galvanostat.

Note: the FRA2 module is supplied with a specific calibration file (FRA2CAL.INI) which contains the calibration data for the module itself. For the FRA32M, the calibration data is stored on the on-board memory of the module.

In the rest of this section, both the FRA32M and the FRA2 modules will be referred to as FRA module, except when specifically mentioned as FRA32M or FRA2.

Follow the steps described in this section to calibrate the FRA module after installation in the Autolab:

1. Install the Nova software. 2. The FRA2CAL.INI calibration file is delivered with the new FRA2-module. The

Autolab number must be changed to the serial number of the connected Autolab (i.e. AUT83185, see rear side of Autolab). Open the FRA2CAL.INI with Notepad and locate the [System] header in the file (see Figure 15). Change the highlighted AUT70000 number to the serial number of the instrument. Save the FRA2CAL.INI file and exit Notepad.

Figure 15 – Adjust the serial number of the instrument in the FRA2CAL.INI file

3. Connect the instrument and switch it on. 4. Open the Hardware setup of Nova (Tools – Hardware setup). Adjust the hardware

setup if necessary. For the FRA2 module, click the button to add the FRA2CAL.INI file to the hardware setup (see Figure 16). When prompted, select the type of instrument in the C1/C2 calibration factors dialog window, as show in Figure 16.


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Figure 16 – Importing the FRA2CAL.INI file in NOVA

5. Select the instrument type in the Main Module frame in the hardware setup window and verify that the values of C1 and C2 values in the frame on the right-hand side are set to 0.0 (see Figure 17). Adjust these values, if necessary.


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Figure 17 – Verify that the value of C1 and C2 are set to 0.0 before starting the calibration

9.1 – Determination of the C1 and C2 parameter in Nova

The value of the C1 and C2 parameters must be measured and modified in the FRA2CAL.INI file (for the FRA2 module only). The determination of C1 and C2 requires the following items:

• Autolab Dummy cell • Faraday cage

9.1.1 – Determination of C1

Follow the steps described in this section to determine the value of the C1 parameter.

1. Start the Nova software. 2. Be sure C1 and C2 are set initially to 0.0 (see previous section and Figure 17). 3. Import the procedure PGSTAT C1 calibration.nox from the NOVA installation

folder1 (File – Import procedure).

1 The default installation folder is C:\Program Files\Metrohm Autolab\SharedDatabases\Module test.


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4. Connect the Autolab Dummy cell as shown in Figure 18. Connect the ground lead from the PGSTAT to the Faraday cage. Do not connect the ground lead from the PGSTAT to the Dummy cell.

Figure 18 – Overview of the connections required for the determination of C1

5. Start the measurement and wait until it has been finished. Ignore the warning displayed during the procedure validation (see Figure 19).

Figure 19 – Ignore the warning shown during the validation of the procedure

6. A reminder message is shown at the beginning of the measurement (see Figure 20).


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Figure 20 – A reminder message is shown at the beginning of the measurement

7. During the measurement, the measured data will be plotted as a Bode plot similar to the example shown in Figure 21.

Figure 21 – Typical Bode plot obtained during the C1 calibration

8. The data is automatically fitted and the results of the fitting are reported in a Message box at the end of the measurement (see Figure 22).


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Figure 22 – The experimentally determined value of C1 is reported in a Message box at the end of the measurement

9. Open the Hardware setup of Nova (Tools – Hardware setup). Select the instrument type in the Main Module frame in the hardware setup window and adjust the value of C1 to the value reported in the Message box2 (see Figure 23).

Figure 23 – Change the value of C1 to the value reported in the Message box

2 It is possible to copy and paste the contents of the Message box.


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10. Click OK to save the changes and wait for the Autolab to be reinitialized using the updated Hardware setup.

11. For the FRA2 module, open the source FRA2CAL.INI with Notepad and locate the [CFCalib] header in the file (see Figure 24). Change the C1=0 value to the value reported in the Message box, in pF (1.61E-11 F corresponds to 16.1 pF). Save the changes to the FRA2CAL.INI file.

Figure 24 – Adjust the C1 value in the FRA2CAL.INI file

9.1.2 – Determination of C2

Follow the steps described in this section to determine the value of the C1 parameter.

1. Import the procedure PGSTAT C2 calibration.nox from the NOVA installation folder3 (File – Import procedure).

2. Disconnect the Dummy cell and leave the leads open in the Faraday cage. CE and RE must be connected together as well as WE and S (as shown in Figure 25). Make sure RE/CE and WE/S are not connected together. Connect the ground lead from the PGSTAT to the Faraday cage.

Figure 25 – Overview of the connection required for the determination of C2

3 The default installation folder is C:\Program Files\Metrohm Autolab\SharedDatabases\Module test.


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3. Start the measurement and wait until it has been finished. Ignore the warning displayed during the procedure validation (see Figure 26).

Figure 26 – Ignore the warning shown during the validation of the procedure

4. A reminder message is shown at the beginning of the measurement (see Figure 27).

Figure 27 – A reminder message is shown at the beginning of the measurement

5. During the measurement, the measured data will be plotted as a Bode plot similar to the example shown in Figure 28.


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Figure 28 – Typical Bode plot obtained during the C2 calibration

6. The data is automatically fitted and the results of the fitting are reported in a Message box at the end of the measurement (see Figure 29).

Figure 29 – The experimentally determined value of C2 is reported in a Message box at the end of the measurement

7. Open the Hardware setup of Nova (Tools – Hardware setup). Select the instrument type in the Main Module frame in the hardware setup window and adjust the value of C2 to the value reported in the Message box4 (see Figure 30).

4 It is possible to copy and paste the contents of the Message box.


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Figure 30 – Change the value of C2 to the value reported in the Message box

8. Click OK to save the changes and wait for the Autolab to be reinitialized using the updated Hardware setup.

9. For the FRA2 module, open the source FRA2CAL.INI with Notepad and locate the [CFCalib] header in the file (see Figure 31). Change the C2=0 value to the value reported in the Message box, in pF, rounded to the first decimal place (5.43E-11 F corresponds to 0.5 pF). Save the changes to the FRA2CAL.INI file.

Figure 31 – Adjust the C2 value in the FRA2CAL.INI file


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Important: always send the final FRA2CAL.INI (for the FRA2 module) or the determined C1 and C2 values (for the FRA32M module) to Metrohm Autolab by email ([email protected], subject Autolab serial number). This is important for future service. If not sent back, Metrohm Autolab will not be able to service this instrument properly.

9.2 – No calibration possible

If you do not have a Faraday cage or if you are not able to calibrate, you can fill in the typical values for C1 and C2 given in Table 2. This will however affect the accuracy of the measurement.

Instrument type C1 C2

PGSTAT302N 1.6E-11 3.0E-13

PGSTAT128N 2.6E-11 1.0E-12

PGSTAT128N 1.6E-11 1.0E-12 For instruments with serial number > AUT84179

Table 2 – Typical values for C1 and C2

To manually specify the value of C1 and C2, open the hardware setup in Nova (Tools – Hardware setup). Select the instrument type in the Main module frame in the hardware setup window and manually enter the C1 and C2 values in the frame on the right-hand side (see Figure 32).

mailto:[email protected]


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Figure 32 – Editing the values of C1 and C2 in Nova

9.3 – Verification of the calibration of the FRA module

A dedicated test for the FRA module is provided in NOVA. Please refer to section 10 for more information on the testing of modules in NOVA.

The calibrated module must pass the described test. If the values are out of range, something is wrong with the installation or with the calibration. Please check the complete installation procedure. If re-calibration is necessary, please remember to set C1 and C2 values back to zero in the Hardware setup of Nova.

10 – Module test

After installation of the module, the following tests should be taken to verify that the module is working as expected:

1. Connect mains power. 2. Switch Autolab on. 3. Install the latest version of NOVA. 4. Select Hardware setup and activate inserted module. 5. Refer to the module tests described in the Nova Getting Started manual or in the

Module test in Nova, available from the Help menu (see Figure 33).


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Figure 33 – The Module test with Nova document described how to test the modules in Nova

Documents

INSERT NEW MODULE FOR THE AUTOLAB MultiBA€¦ · Insert new module for the Autolab MultiBA 3 | Page 1 – Introduction The Autolab MultiBA instruments are special versions of the