Pharmacia / LKB FPLC System Bus - Any Hints Available?

Dear experts,

Just "discovered" some elderly FPLC equiment in the vaults of my lab's
building. No idea how old they are - 15 to 20 years maybe. At least
they are from a time when LKB has no yet been bought by Pharmacia by
Amersham by GE Healtcare (by Buchler???).

Some of you inclined readers have been reminded of your time as PhD
students and postdocs? Fine! As I want aehm need to resurrect this
equipment for protein purification, I need your help!

When I had a look on the back of the pump and the detcetor, I noticed a
9 pin SUB-D connector labeled "LKB Bus" and "Remote". Of course all
documentation has gone lost (the boxes are labeled with some PI's names
I've never seen here) and GE's website does not carry any information
on that old stuff.

Could anyone of you please point me to a website or any other source
where I could obtain some information on this mysterial connectors
(pinout, protocols, applications) or simply tell me how I could make
use of these connectors.

Many thanks!
Wo

In article <[Only registered users see links. ] m>, "WS" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote:

Are you sure it's FPLC? FPLC was marketed some years after Pharmacia
swallowed LKB and, apart from UV detector, all FPLC components looked
and felt quite different from stock LKB equipment. How does the pump look
like? If it's not anything like on this picture:
[Only registered users see links. ]
(shown, from bottom to top, are stacked FPLC controller, two FPLC pumps,
and UV detector), it's not FPLC then. Could be LC or could be HPLC.

DK

Dear Dima,

here are the labels:

LKB 2249 Gradient Pump
Pharmacia Uvicord SD
LKB 2211 Superrac (Fraction Collector)

It is not (yet) what Pharmacia used to sell as FPLC (they coined that
term with the device your link shows on the picture) except the
uvicord. But I doubt they invented the wheel twice - there might be
some similarities.

Does it help?

My regards,

Wolfgang

In article <1161024358.972654.112670@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups .com>, "WS" <novalidaddress@nurfuerspam.de> wrote:

Like I said, I can't really help you... From what you listed, it's pretty
clear you have HPLC dual pump. Which is much better because it
is the equivalent of the "new" fancy-shmacy Pharmacia ACTA
system. Basically, Pharmacia, having taken the market with FPLC/lab
systems, reversed the course and went back to good old HPLC
under different marketing name. If the pumps don't have dry salt
inside, they are probably fine.

Uvicord SD is also HPLC and can handle pressures so it should
be fine.

Connectors and all that I can't really help except Superrac. We have
couple of them in perfect working order and might even have manuals, etc.
Let me know what info you need and I should be able to get it.
Also, for a "classic" Pharmacia I once declined to buy their $120
"FPLC comunication cable" and tried standard computer serial cable
instead because the pin number was the same. It worked. Who knows,
maybe the same will work with LKB 9-pin connection...

DK

Dear Dima,

many thanks for your hints. By some further googling (and "DoMo
OriGaTo" to babelfish) I could get hold of lots of manuals for FPLC
equipment on a website in japanese
([Only registered users see links. ]), luckily
in english. I think I can figure out how to operate my machines now. It
seems to me the main difference between FPLC and HPLC lies in the
mechanics and the materials used, i.e. in the pressure limots which the
columns and pumps are able to stand resp. give.

Best Greetings,

Wo

DK wrote: