Horiba Scientific Quanta-phi F-3029, Operation Manual

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Quanta-
φ
rev. C (23 Apr 2010) Troubleshooting
6-1
6 : Troubleshooting
The Quanta-φ accessory has been designed to operate reliably and predictably. Should
a problem occur, examine the chart below.
Symptom Possible Problem Proposed Solution(s)
Spikes in emission
spectrum and/or high
background Light leak in or around integrating
sphere Verify that the bottom sample
drawer’s plug has lifted into the
sphere
Check that cuvette holder is proper-
ly set in place
Check that fiber optics are mounted
correctly
Check that the purge ports are prop-
erly screwed in and sealed.
Excitation signal miss-
ing or too low Lamp is not illuminated Turn on lamp and allow it to warm
up for 30 min.
Detector is not receiving power, or is
connected improperly Check detector power, cables, and
SW settings.
Bandpass is too narrow Increase bandpass.
Neutral-density or other optical filter
or obstruction is in optical path Remove unneeded filters and ob-
structions.
Wavelength settings are improperly
calibrated or selected Correct calibration of excitation and
emission monochromators, and se-
lect appropriate grating.
Wrong detector or mirror selected
from signal list or instrument configu-
ration. Select proper detector and mirror
settings in
Experiment Setup
win-
dow.
Fiber optics positioned or oriented
wrongly for T or S format Correctly place fiber optics to T and
or S format.
Emission signal is low
Fiber optics are in wrong relative
positions for excitation and emission
ports Properly connect fiber-optics to
correct ports.
Cuvette holder or upper fiber-optic
holder is not in
IN
position
Move to
IN
Position.
F-3000 is not correctly aligned for
fiber optics Verify F-3000 alignment as per F-
3000 Operation Manual .
Unneeded neutral-density or other
optical filter is placed in sample com-
partment Remove sample compartment and
check for filters or obstructions.
No sample in sphere Place sample in sphere.
Sample concentration or quantum
yield is too low Check that OD is sufficient, and
increase integration time or excita-
tion power appropriately.