Buchi DuMaster D-480, Operation Manual

Page: 70 / 354

Operating instructions DuMaster D-480 ©BÜCHI Labortechnik AG
4 - Understanding the instrument and planning its use 70
Laboratory information and management system (LIMS)
What does LIMS do?
The
L
aboratory
I
nformation and
M
anagement
S
ystem (LIMS) collects and manages data from
different systems and thereby facilitates laboratory operation and documentation.
Interaction between the software and LIMS
The following features characterize the interaction between the analyzer software and LIMS:

The flow of data is unidirectional, i. e. it only goes in one direction, from the analyzer to LIMS.

Data transfer is either via the serial interface or through the network.

The data to be transferred can be selected.

The data are transferred as ASCII files.

The names of the ASCII files are formed from a time/date stamp and a freely definable file
extension.

Every data transfer includes a freely definable user name and a freely definable instrument
identifier.

Data can be sent automatically after every analysis or manually by selecting the appropriate
menu command.
File name structure
The file name generated for LIMS has the following format:
dddsssss.xxx
, consisting of the
following elements:

ddd
: Days since January 1.

sssss
: Seconds since midnight.

xxx
: File extension defined by the user.
Sequence of data transferred.
The sequence of the data transferred corresponds to the list of data in the "LIMS settings" dialog,
"LIMS data" tab, from top to bottom. See
LIMS settings
(on page 319).
Conditions for operating the LIMS
Data transfer via the serial interface
Normally, data transfer to LIMS is performed through a network. However, if you want to transfer data
via the serial interface, you must make sure that the LIMS port name is not identical to the port name
between the PC and the analyzer. This could lead to a system crash.
Identical LIMS and instrument software settings
When transferring data to LIMS, observe the following:

The LIMS program receving the data must be set to the same data volume as the sender BÜCHI
program. If you change the LIMS settings, you must therefore adjust the LIMS program
appropriately.

The data sent to LIMS are tab-separated. The LIMS program must be able to interpret this
correctly.