Varian 979: "turbo not ready"

Question

The turbo pump on a Varian 979 leak detector seems to not be working. The fuse is fine. In the "System Info" menu, it displays "TURBO NOT READY". I can not find any explanation or troubleshooting advice for this message in the manual. Any suggestions or resources?

george · Accepted Answer

On that model, the vacuum system must reach a certain level, to start the turbo pump. So, in your case, it could be the thermocouple is burned out, or the backing pump is not working, or the turbo controller has failed. If you have the capability, check the ultimate vacuum of the backing pump alone (should be at least 50 mT), then ohm out the thermocouples (both the system and test port), and lastly, the turbo controller. You may call Ken or george at 800 882-7426, option 5.