Agilent Community
Agilent Community
  • User
  • Site
  • Search the Community
  • User
GC/MS Portal
  • Agilent Knowledge Portal
GC/MS Portal
GC/MS Articles How to Remove and Reinstall 5977 GC/MSD Ion Sources (EI/CI/HES)
  • GC/MS Articles
  • GC/MS Videos
  • GC/MS Forum
  • More
  • Cancel

Browse the Agilent Knowledge Portal

  • Chromatography
    • Gas Chromatography
    • Liquid Chromatography
  • More
  • Cancel
  • GC/MS
  • More
  • Cancel
  • Spectroscopy
    • Atomic Absorption
    • ICP-OES
  • More
  • Cancel
  • Automated Electrophoresis
  • More
  • Cancel
  • Software and Informatics
    • OpenLab CDS
    • MassHunter
  • More
  • Cancel
  • -GC/MS
    • +GC/MS Operation
    • -GC/MS Maintenance
      • How to Open the Side Plate of the GC/MSD
      • How to Remove and Reinstall 5977 GC/MSD Ion Sources (EI/CI/HES)
      • How to Disassemble and Assemble the 5977 EI SST and Inert Ion Sources
      • How to Disassemble and Assemble the CI Source
      • How to Clean the EI/CI Source in the Agilent 5977A/B
      • How to Disassemble and Assemble the HES (High Efficiency Source)
      • How to Clean the HES (High Efficiency Source)
      • How to Replace the Electron Multiplier Horn - 5977 Series GC/MSD
      • How to Bake Out an Agilent GC/MSD
      • Foreline Pump Oil change for GC/MSD Systems
      • How to Reset the Pump Oil EMF Counter of the Agilent GC/MSD
      • Refilling the EI Calibration Vial for the Agilent 5975 and 5977 Series GC/MSD
      • Refilling the CI Calibrant Vial for the Agilent 5975 and 5977 Series GC/MSD
    • +GC/MS Troubleshooting

How to Remove and Reinstall 5977 GC/MSD Ion Sources (EI/CI/HES)

Created by Agilent Knowledge Portal Agilent Knowledge Portal over 1 year ago | Last modified by Carlos Vargas Carlos Vargas 14 days ago

This Information Applies To: Agilent 5977 GC/MSD


Issue

GC/MSD maintenance or repair tasks will require removal and reinstallation of the ion source within the analyzer assembly.

  • Filament exchange
  • Replacement of insulators
  • Ion source cleaning.

Types of Sources

 It is important to identify the ion source type correctly when removing and re-installing an ion source to ensure that the electrical leads are reconnected correctly. Ion source type label is on the heater/sensor part. The label can be viewed using the source view window on the front of the 5977 vacuum housing or once the analyzer assembly has been opened.

The ion source wires will need to be disconnected to enable the removal of the ion source from the source radiator. 

1. EI and EI extractor source (Figure 1, Table 1)


Figure 1:
 EI and EI extractor source 
1. Ion source 2. Source feedthrough board 3. Thumbscrews 4. Extractor wire 5. Source heater and temperature sensor wires 6. Source radiator

Wire Color Connects To Number of Leads
Blue Entrance Lens 1
Orange Ion Focus 1
White Filament 1(top filament)  2
Red Repeller 1
Black Filament 2 (Bottom filament) 2
Brown Extractor Lens (Extractor EI Only)  1
White or Green Beads Heater Sockets (board) 2
White Woven Sensor Pins (board) 2

Table 1: EI and EI extractor source wire color codes

2. CI source (Figure 2, Table 2)


Figure 2:
CI source 
1. Ion source 2. Source feedthrough board 3. Thumbscrews 4. Source heater and temperature sensor wires 5. Source radiator

Wire Color Connects To Number of Leads
Blue Entrance Lens 1
Orange Ion Focus 1
White Filament 1(top filament)  2
Red Repeller 1
Black Filament 2 (Bottom filament)  2
White or Green Beads Heater Sockets (board) 2
White Woven Sensor Pins (board) 2

Table 2: CI source wire color codes

3. HES source (Figure 3, Table 3)


Figure 3: HES source 
1. Ion source 2. Thumbscrew 3. Source feedthrough board 4. Source finger grip 5. Thumbscrew 6. Source heater and temperature sensor wires 7. Source radiator

Wire Color Connects To Number of Leads
Red Repeller 1
White Filament 1  1
Grey Filament 2  1
Black Filament 1 1

Table 3: HES source wire color codes

Steps to follow:

Remove the ion source

  1. Vent the system. See How To Vent (Shut Down) the GC/MSD - EI - MassHunter 

     Caution 
    Caution: Always wear clean gloves to prevent contamination when working in the analyzer chamber

     Warning 
    Warning: The analyzers, GC/MS interface, and other components in the analyzer chamber operate at high temperatures. Do not touch any part until you are sure it has cooled close to ambient temperature.
  2. Open the side plate of the vacuum chamber. See How to Open the Side Plate of the GC/MSD.

     Tip 
    Tips: Take a photo of the source before removing any wires and store it in a location easily accessed for future use. Use the photo when reassembling the source to ensure that wires are in the proper location for correct operation. 
  3. Disconnect the wires from the ion source. The source cannot be removed with the wires attached:

     Caution 
    Caution: When disconnecting wires pull on the connectors, not on the wires to prevent damaging the wires. Tweezers can assist with this task. 

    1. For Standard EI source: Disconnect four filament wires (two white and two black), one repeller wire (red), one ion focus wire (orange) and one entrance lens wire (blue) from the ion source (Figure 1, Table 1)
    2. For Extractor EI source: Disconnect four filament wires (two white and two black), one repeller wire (red), one extractor wire (brown), one ion focus wire (orange) and one entrance lens wire (blue) from the ion source (Figure 1, Table 1)
    3. For Standard CI source: Disconnect four filament wires (two white and two black), one repeller wire (red), one entrance lens wire (blue), and one ion focus wire (orange) from the ion source. (Figure 2, Table 2)
    4. For HES source: Disconnect three filament wires (one grey, one white and one black) and one repeller wire (red) from the ion source (Figure 3, Table 3)
  4. Remove the two large thumb screws that hold the ion source in place
  5. Using the heater/sensor part (EI, EI Extractor and CI Ion Sources) or the finger grip (HES Ion Source) slide the ion source out of the source radiator. 

Perform required maintenance

Continue with disassembling, cleaning and/or replacement of parts and reassembling the ion source:   

  1. How to Clean the EI/CI Source in the Agilent 5977A/B - GC/MS Articles - GC/MS Portal - Agilent Community, 
  2. How to Clean the HES (High Efficiency Source) - GC/MS Articles - GC/MS Portal - Agilent Community
  3. How to Disassemble and Assemble the HES (High Efficiency Source) - GC/MS Articles - GC/MS Portal - Agilent Community, 

Reinstall the ion source

  1. Using the heater/sensor part or finger grip slide the ion source into the source radiator
  2. Install the two large thumb screws that hold the ion source in place and tighten until finger tight
  3. Reconnect the source wires (Figures 1, 2, or 3 and Tables 1, 2, and 3)
  4. Close the side plate of the vacuum chamber
  5. Pump down the system: How To Pumpdown (Start) the GC/MSD - EI - MassHunter - GC/MS Articles - GC/MS Portal - Agilent Community

     

     Success 
    Confirmation: Wait a minimum of 2 hours (overnight preferred and essential for CI ion source) for the system to reach vacuum, thermal and chemical background equilibrium before operating the MSD with the filament on. 
 Tip 
Learn how to effectively maintain and operate your 5977 GC/MSD:
Agilent 5977 GC/MSD with OpenLab CDS
Agilent 5977 GC/MSD with MassHunter Workstation  e-learning paths available from Agilent education

  • 5977B
  • SQ
  • 5977A
  • GCMS
  • MSD
  • Share
  • History
  • More
  • Cancel
Was this helpful?
  • Yes
  • No
Thank you for your feedback!

Agilent Community Feedback

Agilent Community Feedback

×
We are glad this was helpful! We are sorry this was not helpful. If you still need assistance please create a community post or contact support. To help us improve, please provide any additional feedback. For full details of how we will treat your information, please view our privacy policy.
Submit Cancel
Submit Cancel

Contact Agilent Support

 Still Need Assistance?

 Contact Agilent Support >

Related
Recommended for you
Privacy Statement
Terms of Use
Contact Us
Site Help