Spectra Have Noise Spikes; Spectral Baseline Is Not Stable - Thermo Scientific iS5N Series User Manual

4
Troubleshooting
Hardware Problems

Spectra Have Noise Spikes

Spectral Baseline Is Not Stable

58 Nicolet iS5N Spectrometer User Guide
c. If the signal gets smaller again, there may be a problem with the sample detector.
Contact Technical Support for assistance; see
1. If the instrument is purged with dry air or nitrogen, make sure the purge is set to the
recommended flow rate. See
set incorrectly, reset it. Wait 5 minutes for the flow rate to stabilize.
2. If there are exhaust fans nearby or other equipment that is causing the table on which the
instrument is sitting to vibrate, move the instrument to a more stable location.
3. Choose Collect > Experiment Setup > Diagnostic > Align and wait for spectrometer
alignment to complete.
4. Make sure the source is working:
a. Choose Collect > Experiment Setup > Bench and make sure the Source option is
set to "White Light."
b. Choose Collect > Advanced Diagnostics. If the Source icon has a red slash, replace
the source. Otherwise, click the Source icon and check that the source current and
voltage are within specifications.
c. If the source is on and the current and voltage are within specifications, remove any
sampling accessory from the spectrometer and put your hand in the light beam. You
should see a spot of yellow light that is about 1 cm in diameter. If you don't see the
light beam, replace the
d. Contact Technical Support.
5. If sharp spikes are apparent throughout the spectra, you may have problems from
electrical noise.
a. Remove any potential sources of electrical noise emission that are nearby such as
computers or other lab equipment.
b. Your power supply or USB cable may be picking up electrical noise from other
equipment or cables. Reposition the power supply or USB cable.
c. Your AC power source may contain electrical noise. See the Site and Safety guide in
your documentation set for electrical specifications. You may need an AC power
conditioner.
d. Replace the power supply.
e. Contact Technical Support for assistance; see
1. Minimize the acoustic noise inside the instrument. If the instrument has the purge
option, lower the purge flow rate until the baseline is stable.
Contacting
Setting Purge Gas Controls
source.
Contacting
Us.
for details. If the flow rate was
Us.
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