Answer
This Information Applies To: 2100 Bioanalyzer, 2100 Expert software
Question:
Can more than one Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer instrument be connected to one PC?
Steps to follow:
It is possible to connect a maximum of two Bioanalyzers to one laptop. If you are using bundle laptop model HP ProBook 850 G8 or newer, two Bioanalyzers can be connected, each via a USB port using the approved USB serial adapter. For this laptop, the connection and operation of two Bioanalyzers via USB ports has been successfully tested and validated. The HP ProBook 850 G8 has more computing power compared to previous models.
Connecting two Bioanalyzers via two USB ports has not been validated for older bundle laptop models or third-party laptops. Therefore, for these laptops it is recommended to connect one Bioanalyzer via a serial port and another via a USB serial port adapter. The approved USB serial adapter is part number 5188-8031. The driver for the USB serial adapter can be downloaded by clicking here. If the PC doesn’t have a serial port, it is only possible to connect one instrument to the PC at a time. If two Bioanalyzers are connected to one PC via a USB port each, you may experience communication issues between the PC and Bioanalyzers.
Upon connection of a second Bioanalyzer, the PC device manager will establish a second COM port. Therefore a second object, called Demo, will be added to the All Instruments tree view in the Instruments Context of the Agilent 2100 Expert software (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. All Instruments tree view
Click the new object in the Tree View and select an available COM port from the COM Port drop-down list to establish a connection (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. COM Port drop-down list
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.