Dear Isotopers,

most likely a software problem troubles us when we are running a
PDZ ANCA-GSL/GEO 20-20 combination for S isotope analysis in
continuous flow mode. When setting up an analytical batch with
reference samples only (i.e. combust a reference sample, followed
by 5-8 unknown samples, reference again ... etc ...) things work
reasonably well, although the reproducibility could be better
sometimes. The sample set-up window shows only one peak, we
set the integration window and get the numbers. One should
assume, that batch-, set -, ref- and event- etc. files are set
correctly. So far so good.

Now we want to use a reference gas out of a SO2 cylinder
connected to the refgas injection module at the back of the GEO
20-20 instead of a reference sample. We got the reference gas
peak after some puzzle with the events.txt file . So in the sample
set-up window we get the reference gas peak followed by a sample
peak from the ANCA combustion. In the batch file there is the
option "reference + sample" which (we thought) should cater for
this kind of set-up. But (in our case?) it does not. Although 2 peaks
are set in the integration option of the sample set-up windows and
2 integration windows are set, the peaks do not seem to be
regognised. The 2 peaks, however, do appear in the graph part of
the batch-run window. The numbers we get for both peaks are all
but zero (0.000000). Trying to puzzle with the reprocessor was also
not to the desired result.

Reading the manual (normally advisable, if everything else has
failed) unfortunately was to no avail; so please, all software-
experts: What may we have overlooked? Any switch, parameter-
file, set-ups etc.? By the way, the software version we are using is
1.999z.19.

Any hint will be greatly appreciated and thank you all very much in
advance;
regards,
Uwe Horstmann


Dr. Uwe E. Horstmann
Council for Geoscience
0001 Pretoria
South Africa
Tel.: +27 12 841 1361
Fax.: +27 12 841 1278
Cell: 082 408 3212
e-mail: [log in to unmask]