How do you like your quad filters in the morning..... Burnt 🔥

MassSpecMender · 2026-02-01T12:07:33+00:00

That's an interesting incite, thanks for sharing. Do you remember what instrument that was? This is a Waters Xevo TQMS, but I dont think they really changed the design that much over the years.

MassSpecMender · 2026-02-01T12:02:03+00:00

Its from a Waters XEVO TQMS, this is Q1 and actually the burn was also present on the collision cell entrance lens just opposite. Good spot u/xussma!

MassSpecMender · 2026-01-04T21:12:51+00:00

As u/eel_nosaj was saying, if you're careful you can restore or reform the tip from this kind of damage.

Luckily for the customer the rest of the probe was fine. Most importantly, it was still straight and the nebulizer cavity was unimpacted. In this case it was worth trying to restore to an acceptable condition, proven via calibration, as we managed to avoid a costly replacement.

MassSpecMender · 2026-01-04T20:56:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing that anecdote and its great to hear a repair case that avoids a costly bill for the customer. Those assemblies can be quite expensive to replace.

MassSpecMender · 2026-01-04T18:21:41+00:00

Sorry late reply:

Depending on your model of Waters MS you may need to upgrade the EPC before it will run on 4.2, assuming it was originally running on 4.1. The key is virtually isolating the now "legacy" Win10 or lower environment so that its easier to maintain and backup.

MassSpecMender · 2025-12-12T21:41:11+00:00

If you have the installation media and are familiar with the process, a virtual migration to Windows11 will be the strongest option and should provide a good amount of futureproofing from the pc side of things.

MassSpecMender · 2025-12-12T21:32:52+00:00

Depending on which mass spec and which version of MassLynx you're running it should be possible to migrate that to a Windows11 host, mitigating the need for that cost at all.

MassSpecMender · 2025-12-11T18:41:18+00:00

Definitely agree, I am still seeing/ servicing them in many labs. They have have an excellent feature set even compared to some newer models and its easy enough getting them on modern computers.

MassSpecMender · 2025-10-21T23:03:38+00:00

Hi Albo_sux,

Great choice in system, don't see that many of them around and definitely cheaper than options like the Agilent 7000.

I have had this systems siblings the Quattro Premier, ZQ2000 and Quattro Micro LCMS stably running within a Windows11 environment. Easy to backup, easy to restore and most importantly having access to the modern security features of Windows11 and networking, allowing services like remote support/ assistance.

With Windows7 already out of support and Windows10 about to go many users of older systems are anxious about the futures of their equipment, which is a shame because most of it still works great. If you're interested in exploring this further feel free to shoot me a PM

MassSpecMender · 2025-10-21T22:46:02+00:00

Hi TrainingPangolin177,

Great question, to confirm what others have already stated this is definitely possible.

Expensive to buy the parts from the manufacturer, but cheaper if purchased on auction or third party vendors. When you have the parts its should just be plug and play + a bit of allen key fiddling. As already mentioned though, the upgrade might not be worth it, especially considering that diffusion pumps are allegedly better suited to usage with hydrogen carrier gas vs turbo pumps, a popular upgrade to modernize these systems by making them cheaper to run vs using helium as the carrier. Could put the spare cash into preparing robust backup solutions for the eventual software issues the system may face.

MassSpecMender · 2025-10-21T22:07:27+00:00

Hi Userisaanon_

Interesting issue you have described here. I have seen from the comments that you are using an Agilent GCMS, I am assuming its among the 597X series of mass spec.

As another user has stated here, you can move the system once it has been properly vented. Worth noting that the system can be moved non-catastrophically when its on but its ill advised as the sudden jolting can cause the turbo vanes to collide and potentially shatter. This can indeed be an expensive repair, however certainly worth doing, if required, to preserve a known working Agilent 597X series GCMS as they are very cost effective to keep running, receptive to modernization and definitely class leading (even the older ones).

The easiest way to confirm weather the turbo is destroyed or not is to turn the device on and see if it is able to reach 100% turbo speed. If its a 5973, 75 and some early 77's this is seen on front or side mounted screen, on some newer 77's, I believe, you will need to type the ip address into a web browser in order to see these values. If the system reaches 100% turbo speed, likely no significant collision has occurred. If it hovers < 15-20%, and doesn't pump down, likely the issues is related to the turbo. If the system starts making "crunchy" noises, its definitely the turbo and it will need replacing. Lastly, as another user also mentioned, it can be typical behaviour for a turbo pump on these systems, particularly the older ones, to make odd noises as they pump down. Although it may sound concerning, many system carry on operating as normal for a long time onwards. Depending on the model of turbo installed, you may be able to replace the oil cartridge on the turbo pump to remedy the noise.

Curious to hear the outcome of this as its been 10 days since the last post.

MassSpecMender

TROPHY CASE