Gamry Instruments EIS Box User manual

EIS Box™
Instrument
Operator’s Manual
Copyright ©2018 Gamry Instruments, Inc.
Revision 1.0
November 1, 2018
Gamry P/N 988-00071

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If You Have Problems
Please visit our service and support page at www.gamry.com/service-support/. This page contains information
on installation, software updates, and training. It also contains links to the latest available documentation. If you
are unable to locate the information you need from our website, you can contact us via email using the link
provided on our website. Alternatively, you can contact us one of the following ways:
Internet www.gamry.com/service-support/
Telephone [phone]:00 AM–5:00 PM, US Eastern Standard Time
[phone], Toll Free US and Canada Only
Please have your instrument model and serial numbers available, as well as any applicable software and
firmware revisions.
If you have problems in installation or use of a system containing an EIS Box, please try to call from a phone
next to your computer, where you can type and read the screen while talking to us.
We will be happy to provide a reasonable level of free support for registered users of the EIS Box instrument.
Reasonable support includes telephone assistance covering the normal installation, use, and simple
customization of a computerized system containing an EIS Box instrument connected to a Windows®-
compatible computer.
A service contract that extends both the hardware warranty and software update period is available at an
additional charge. Software updates do not include software enhancements offered to our customers at
additional cost.
Enhancements to the EIS Box instrument and Gamry’s standard applications software that require significant
engineering time on our part can be performed on a contract basis. Contact us with your requirements.

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Limited Warranty
Gamry Instruments, Inc. warrants to the original user of this product that it shall be free of defects resulting from
faulty manufacture of the product or its components for a period of two years from the original shipment date
of your purchase.
Gamry Instruments, Inc. makes no warranties regarding either the satisfactory performance of the EIS Box
instrument including the software provided with this product or the fitness of the product for any particular
purpose. The remedy for breach of this Limited Warranty shall be limited solely to repair or replacement, as
determined by Gamry Instruments, Inc., and shall not include other damages.
Gamry Instruments, Inc. reserves the right to make revisions to the system at any time without incurring any
obligation to install same on systems previously purchased. All system specifications are subject to change
without notice.
There are no warranties which extend beyond the description herein. This warranty is in lieu of, and
excludes any and all other warranties or representations, expressed, implied or statutory, including
merchantability and fitness, as well as any and all other obligations or liabilities of Gamry Instruments,
Inc., including but not limited to, special or consequential damages.
This Limited Warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have others, which vary from state to state.
Some states do not allow for the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages.
No person, firm or corporation is authorized to assume for Gamry Instruments, Inc., any additional obligation or
liability not expressly provided herein except in writing duly executed by an officer of Gamry Instruments, Inc.

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Disclaimers
Gamry Instruments, Inc. cannot guarantee that the EIS Box instrument will work with all computer systems,
operating systems, and third-party software applications, hardware, or software.
The information in this manual has been carefully checked and is believed to be accurate as of the time of
release. However, Gamry Instruments, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors that might appear.
Copyrights
EIS BoxInstrument Operator’s Manual copyright ©2018, Gamry Instruments, Inc., all rights reserved.
Gamry Framework copyright ©1989–2018, Gamry Instruments, Inc., all rights reserved.
EIS Box, Reference 600, Framework, and Gamryare trademarks of Gamry Instruments, Inc.
No part of this document may be copied or reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of Gamry
Instruments, Inc.
Windows and Excel are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1:Safety Considerations.....................................................................................................9
Inspection.........................................................................................................................9
Product Safety ..................................................................................................................9
Grounding in the EIS Box ..................................................................................................9
Temperature and Ventilation.............................................................................................11
Defects and Abnormal Stresses..........................................................................................11
Environmental Limits.........................................................................................................12
Cleaning ...........................................................................................................................12
Service .............................................................................................................................12
RF Warning ......................................................................................................................13
Electrical Transient Sensitivity ............................................................................................13
CE Compliance.................................................................................................................13
RoHS Compliance ............................................................................................................13
Chapter 2:Introduction ..................................................................................................................15
About this Manual ............................................................................................................15
About the EIS Box.............................................................................................................15
Software and Applications.................................................................................................16
Notational Conventions.....................................................................................................16
Chapter 3:General Operation ........................................................................................................17
Operation Overview .........................................................................................................18
Keyword Definitions .........................................................................................................19
Switching and Inactive Cell Control ...................................................................................19
Communications Overview...............................................................................................19
Chapter 4:Installation.....................................................................................................................21
Initial Visual Inspection .....................................................................................................21
Physical Location ..............................................................................................................21
Computer Requirements...................................................................................................22
Quick-Start Guide for System Installation...........................................................................22
Software Installation..........................................................................................................22
Reboot Your Computer after Software Installation..............................................................23
Power Cord and Power Connection ..................................................................................23
Power-up Test ..................................................................................................................24
Ethernet Cables.................................................................................................................24
Operation via USB............................................................................................................25
Cell Cable Installation .......................................................................................................25
Running the Framework....................................................................................................26
Framework Device Status Bar............................................................................................26
Firmware Update..............................................................................................................27
Chapter 5:Calibration ....................................................................................................................29
Introduction......................................................................................................................29
DC Calibration..................................................................................................................29
Chapter 6:Cell Connections ...........................................................................................................31
Cell Cable Overview .........................................................................................................31
Normal Cell Connections ..................................................................................................31
Membrane Cell Connections.............................................................................................32
Fuses in the Cell Cable......................................................................................................33
Chapter 7:Panel Indicators and Connectors ....................................................................................37
Front Panel .......................................................................................................................37
Rear Panel ........................................................................................................................39

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Appendix A: EIS Box Specifications ................................................................................................43
Control Amplifier ..............................................................................................................43
Differential Electrometer ...................................................................................................43
Voltage Measurement .......................................................................................................43
Current to Voltage Converter.............................................................................................44
Current Measurement .......................................................................................................44
Environmental...................................................................................................................44
General ............................................................................................................................44
Channel Characteristics .....................................................................................................45
Appendix B: EIS Box Cell Connectors .............................................................................................47
Appendix C: CE Certificate.............................................................................................................49
Certificate of Conformance ............................................................................................................49
Index.............................................................................................................................................51

Safety Considerations
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Chapter 1: Safety Considerations
Your EIS Box instrument has been supplied in a safe condition. This chapter of the EIS Box Instrument
Operator’s Manual contains information and warnings that you must follow to ensure continued safe operation
of the EIS Box.
Inspection
When you receive your EIS Box instrument, inspect it for evidence of shipping damage. If you observe any
damage, please notify Gamry Instruments Inc. and the shipping carrier immediately. Save the shipping
container for possible inspection by the carrier.
Product Safety
The EIS Box has been designed, tested, and certified to meet the requirements of EN 61010, Safety
requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use. As defined in this standard,
it is a Category II apparatus, with any “hazardous live voltages”protected by “reinforced insulation”.
Most of the EIS Box circuitry operates at voltages low enough to be considered safe. The EIS Box contains a
limited amount of internal circuitry that is at “hazardous live” voltage as defined in EN 61010 (the standard
mentioned above). “Reinforced insulation” (again defined in EN 61010) is used to reduce the risk of electrical
shock caused by this hazardous live voltage.
The majority of the EIS Box’s circuitry does not contain voltages higher than 15 V DC. Generally input and
output voltages in the EIS Box are limited to ±9 V. This voltage level is considered safe.
The EIS Box is normally provided with an AC line cord suitable for your location. This AC line cord connects the
AC mains to the chassis of the instrument. You must always use a line cord with a CEE 22 Standard V female
connector on the instrument end of the cable. If your EIS Box has been provided without an AC line cord, or a
cord that is not compatible with your local AC mains socket, obtain a line cord certified for use in your country.
Contact your local Gamry Representative or email to [email protected] if you are uncertain what AC
line cord to use.
Grounding in the EIS Box
Protective Ground and System Ground Binding Posts
The Protective Ground binding post is a convenient access point to the protective (earth) ground in the EIS
Box. It is connected to the third wire in the AC power cord and to the EIS Box’s metal chassis.
This binding post can be connected to an additional earth ground to form a redundant protective ground.
The EIS Box’s power input is rated for operation from 100 to 240 V AC, 47 to 63 Hz. It
should therefore be useful throughout the world.
Warning: An EIS Box damaged in shipment can be a safety hazard. Do not operate
damaged apparatus until a qualified service technician has verified its safety. Tag a damaged EIS Box to
indicate that it could be a safety hazard.

Safety Considerations
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Most electrochemical cells are isolated from earth ground, so isolation of the EIS Box from earth is not required.
In these cases, connection of the EIS Box chassis to System Ground may lower the noise seen in an
electrochemical test.
The System Ground is the common voltage reference point for the EIS Box’s circuitry. It floats with respect to
the Protective Ground.
The System Ground binding post is not intended for any use other than connecting the EIS Box to an earth
ground to improve shielding against noise. Connecting this binding post to a hazardous voltage can create a
significant safety hazard.
The EIS Box contains surge suppressors that limit the voltage difference between the EIS Box’s chassis ground
and earth ground to about 28 V. These surge suppressors are not part of the safety mechanisms in the EIS Box.
Instead they are present to limit the possibility of improper instrument operation or instrument damage due to
electrostatic discharge (static electricity) and other surge events such as lightning.
Warning: Never connect the Protective Ground and System Ground if the
electrochemical system you are testing is earth-grounded. Two earth-ground connections in a high-energy
electrochemical system can create hazardous conditions.
Warning: Do not connect the Protective Ground binding post to any voltage other than
earth ground. An improper connection can create a safety hazard, which could result in personal injury or
death.
Warning: Do not negate the protection of the EIS Box’s earth ground by any means. Do
not use the EIS Box with a two-wire extension cord, with an adapter that does not provide for protective
grounding, or with an electrical outlet that is not properly wired with a protective earth ground. If the
protective ground is not properly connected, it creates a safety hazard, which could result in personal injury
or death.
Sources of earth ground include
• Most metal water pipes,
• The chassis of most electronic apparatus (which are generally earth-grounded), and
• The protective ground terminal of an AC mains power plug.
We recommend that you discuss grounding with an electrical or electronics professional prior to making this
earth-ground connection.

Safety Considerations
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Temperature and Ventilation
Your EIS Box instrument was designed for indoor use at ambient temperatures between 0C and 45C.
The EIS Box uses forced-air cooling to keep the EIS Box components within their operating temperature range.
Most of the air needed to cool the EIS Box enters the chassis through holes in its bottom plate.
The fan within the EIS Box has two operating speeds with different audible noise levels. The EIS Box normally
operates with the slower, quieter fan setting. The fan switches to a higher speed when the EIS Box’s internal
heat sink gets hotter than 50C.
The cooling air exits through the back of the instrument.
Be careful when operating the EIS Box in an enclosed space (such as an enclosed relay rack or NEMA
enclosure). The temperature within the enclosure must not exceed 45C. You may need to provide ventilation
holes or even forced air-cooling for the enclosed space if excessive temperature rise occurs.
Defects and Abnormal Stresses
Treat your EIS Box as potentially hazardous if any of the following is true of the unit:
•It shows visible damage,
•It does not operate properly,
•It has been stored for a long period of time under unfavorable conditions,
•It has been dropped or subjected to severe transport stress,
•It has been subjected to environmental stress (corrosive atmosphere, fire, etc.).
Do not use your EIS Box or any other apparatus if you think it could be hazardous. Have it checked by qualified
service personnel.
Caution: The surge suppressors can be irreparably damaged by non-transient voltages
that exceed their threshold voltage of ±28 V. In the worst case this can cause catastrophic failure of the
system. Do not connect an EIS Box to a cell in a battery or fuel cell stack when the cell voltage is more than
25 V from earth ground.
Caution: Do not block the airflow into or out of the EIS Box chassis. The circuitry is
thermally protected so over-temperature will cause the instrument to enter a shut-down state. If shut-down
occurs during data-acquisition, experimental data could be lost. Running the EIS Box without adequate
cooling could also shorten the time to failure of some of the circuitry.

Safety Considerations
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Environmental Limits
Note that there are environmental limit conditions on the storage, shipping and operation of this equipment.
The EIS Box has not been designed for outdoor use.
Storage
Ambient temperature
–40C to 75C
Relative humidity
Maximum 90% non-condensing
Shipping
Same as storage plus
Acceleration
Maximum 30 G
Operation
Ambient temperature
0C to 45C
Relative humidity
Maximum 90% non-condensing
Cleaning
Clean the external chassis only when necessary.
Disconnect the EIS Box from all power sources prior to cleaning.
Use a cloth lightly dampened with either clean water or water containing a mild detergent, to clean the outside
of the EIS Box enclosure. Alternatively, you may use isopropyl alcohol. Do not use a wet rag or allow fluid to
enter the EIS Box enclosure. Do not immerse the EIS Box in any type of cleaning fluid (including water). Do not
use any abrasive cleaners.
Service
Except for switching between Ethernet and USB communications, your EIS Box instrument has no user-
serviceable parts inside. Refer all service to a qualified service technician.
Warning: Never operate the EIS Box with any cover or panel on the chassis open.
Dangerous voltages may be present at several points within the EIS Box chassis, including PC board traces.
Always remove the power connection before opening the EIS Box case.
Warning: The EIS Box is not designed for operation in conditions where liquid water may
enter the chassis, or water vapor may condense within the chassis. Operation of an EIS Box that has water
within the chassis can create a safety hazard, which could result in personal injury or death.

Safety Considerations
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RF Warning
The EIS Box has been tested for both radiated and conducted RF interference and for immunity to RF fields,
and has been found to be in compliance with FCC Part 18 and EU Council Directive 2014/30/EU, the EMC
Directive EN 61326:2013—Electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use—EMC
Requirements. Testing was performed in accordance with the Basic Immunity Requirements contained in Table
1 and the Emission Requirements contained in Section 7.
However, your EIS Box instrument still does generate some radio-frequency energy. The radiated levels are low
enough that the EIS Box should not create an interference problem in most industrial laboratory environments.
Your EIS Box instrument may also respond to environmental radio-frequency energy. We recommend you
avoid using mobile phones and other radio-frequency equipment in the same room as an EIS Box. The EIS Box
circuitry has been tested for operation in high-intensity RF fields and has demonstrated little response to those
fields. However, there is no guarantee that the electrochemical cell and its connections will not respond to RF
fields. This response most often appears as DC shifts in a cell’s response caused by rectification of the RF signal.
A Faraday cage surrounding your cell may be used to minimize the effect of environmental RF fields. If your cell
is isolated from earth ground, Gamry recommends connecting the System Ground to a Faraday cage.
Electrical Transient Sensitivity
Your EIS Box instrument was designed to offer reasonable immunity from electrical transients, including
transients on the incoming AC mains supply and electrostatic discharge. It has been tested for compliance with
EN 61326-1:2013—Electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use—EMC Requirements
describing acceptable limits for electrical transient susceptibility in laboratory test equipment. It should continue
to operate when subject to the standard ESD and power-line events defined in EN 61326-1:2013.
In severe cases involving transients beyond the limits tested in EN 61326-1:2013, the EIS Box could still
malfunction as a result of electrical transients. If you are having problems in this regard, the following steps may
help:
If the problem is static electricity (sparks are apparent when you touch the EIS Box or its cables):
•Try placing your EIS Box on a static-control work surface. Static-control work surfaces are now generally
available from computer-supply houses and electronics-tool suppliers. An antistatic floor mat may also
help, particularly if a carpet is involved in generating the static electricity.
•Air-ionizers or even simple air-humidifiers can reduce the voltage available in static discharges.
If the problem is AC power-line transients (often from large electrical motors near the EIS Box):
•Try plugging your EIS Box into a different AC power branch circuit.
•Plug your EIS Box into a power-line surge-suppressor. Inexpensive surge-suppressors are now generally
available because of their use with computer equipment.
Contact Gamry Instruments, Inc. if these measures do not solve the problem.
CE Compliance
The European Community has instituted standards limiting radio-frequency interference emitted by electronic
devices, setting limits for susceptibility of apparatus to RF energy and transient events, and mandating safety
requirements. Gamry Instruments, Inc. has designed and tested the EIS Box to comply with these standards.
The relevant CE regulations include EN 61010-1:2010 and EN 61326-1:2013.
RoHS Compliance
The EIS Box is built using lead-free components and lead-free solder. It complies with the European RoHS
initiative.

Safety Considerations
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Introduction
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Chapter 2: Introduction
About this Manual
This manual covers the installation, safety, and use of the Gamry Instruments EIS Box instrument with Revision
7 (and later revisions) of the Gamry Framework software. It is equally useful when setting up a newly-purchased
instrument or modifying the setup of an older instrument for use with new software. Technical material such as
specifications and connector pin-outs is in the Appendices.
This manual discusses software installation and software operation in some detail. The installation is written
assuming installation using Revision 7 of Gamry’s Framework software. Installation is also described in Gamry
Instruments’s Quick-Start Installation Guide.
Software support for the EIS Box is described in the Gamry Help system.
All Gamry Instruments applications running under the Gamry Framework control the EIS Box via a PSTAT
object. See the Framework’s Help for information concerning PSTAT objects and their functions.
About the EIS Box
The EIS Box (pronounced “ice box”) is a value-oriented, research-grade electrochemical instrument packaged in
a small case. It is designed to for battery-testing via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy up to eight cells.
The EIS Box excels at electrochemical impedance testing of small- to medium-sized single-cell energy-storage
and power-conversion devices. Such devices include batteries, electrical double-layer capacitors, fuel cells, and
photovoltaic cells. The EIS Box can apply and measure currents from 5 A to ~0.05 µA.
Features of the EIS Box include:
•Six-decade current auto-ranging for large and small batteries,
•Electrical isolation from earth ground, and
•Both analog and digital filtering.
A sine-wave generator on the EIS Box allows the instrument to make accurate impedance measurements at
frequencies up to 100 kHz. EIS performance is good for low-impedance systems (such as low-ESR electrical
double-layer capacitors).
A unique DSP (Digital Signal Processing) data-acquisition mode allows the EIS Box to reject noise, from the
instrument itself, from the electrochemical cell, and from the lab environment. In many cases where other
instruments require a cell in a Faraday shield to make quiet measurements, the EIS Box can be used with the
cell exposed on a bench top.
The EIS Box, like all of our instruments, requires a computer for its use. The EIS Box connects to this computer
through an Ethernet or USB connection (see photograph below of rear panel).

Introduction
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The EIS Box was developed to increase the throughput of your impedance testing program. Under the control
of an external computer, the EIS Box connects one cell at a time, which makes an electrochemical
measurement on that cell.
The EIS Box has been integrated into all Gamry Instruments’ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
applications that run under the Gamry Framework. It allows many of the EIS measurement applications to
increase their throughput by testing multiple cells in a single test run.
The Gamry Instruments Electrochemical Toolkit allows you to control the EIS Box using a library of software
routines. You can find examples of such routines after you install the Electrochemical Toolkit software.
Software and Applications
The EIS Box supports Gamry Instruments’ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy software under the
Framework system.
Typical applications for the EIS Box include:
•Research in electrochemical storage and conversion, and
•Battery and electrochemical capacitor evaluation.
Notational Conventions
In order to make this manual more readable we have adopted some notational conventions. These are used
throughout this manual and all other Gamry Instruments manuals:
•Numbered lists. A numbered list is reserved for step-by-step procedures, with the steps always
performed sequentially.
•Bulleted list. The items in a bulleted list, such as this one, are grouped together because they represent
similar items. The order of items in the list is not critical.
•File names and folders. References to computer files and Windows®folders are shown in Courier font,
for example: C:\MYGAMRYDATA\CV.DTA and GAMRY.INI.

General Operation
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Chapter 3: General Operation
The EIS Box was developed to increase the throughput of your electrochemical impedance testing program. It
allows one instrument to drive up to eight electrochemical cells. Under the control of an external computer, the
EIS Box connects one cell at a time to the instrument, which makes an electrochemical measurement on that
cell.
The EIS Box was specially designed for the needs of electrochemists. Extra features such as sense line and
shield-switching—designed specifically for electrochemists—from other general-purpose switching devices.
The EIS Box is integrated into all Gamry Instruments’ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy applications that
run under the Gamry Instruments Framework software. It allows many of the applications to increase their
throughput by testing multiple cells in a single test run.
This chapter of the EIS Box Operator’s Manual provides an overview of the operation of the EIS Box. It discusses
the following topics:
•Operation overview
•Switching and inactive cell control
•Communications overview
The material in this chapter is only an overview. If you are using your EIS Box with Gamry Instruments software
this overview should give you sufficient understanding to make intelligent use of your EIS Box.

General Operation
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Operation Overview
Figure 3-1 shows a “typical” electrochemical test system built around an EIS Box instrument. Only four cells are
shown in this figure, although up to eight cells can be connected.
Figure 3-1
A Typical Electrochemical Test System Using the EIS Box
The system computer is a critical component of the system. It controls the EIS Box by sending it simple
commands through an ethernet or USB connection.
The most important function of these commands is to select which cell is active (connected to the EIS Box). You
can think of an EIS Box as a complex switch with driving electronics. One of the eight cell cables on the EIS Box
is switched so that it connects to the instrument’s cell cable. All of the wires (including sense leads and shields)
in the cell cable are switched.
Battery
(Inactive)

General Operation
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The system computer also controls the instrument. When a cell is connected to the instrument cell leads, the
computer causes a test to be run on that cell. The test can be as simple as a single current or potential
measurement or as complex as a cyclic scan. The computer software and instrument are responsible for taking
the measurement and storing it.
The EIS Box instrument in Figure 3-1 is shown as a “black box”. The relays in the EIS Box can carry currents up
to 5 A.
In a typical EIS Box experiment, the system computer cycles through the cells. Each cell is connected in turn to
the instrument and used to collect a measurement. Usually the computer delays at the end of each cycle
through the cells so that the measurements on each cell are separated by a fixed time period.
Keyword Definitions
Active Cell
The active cell is the cell (if any) currently connected to the system potentiostat. Any electrochemical
measurements are made on the active cell.
Cell
The term cell is used to describe either an electrochemical cell or the switches needed to connect an
electrochemical cell to the instrument.
Channel
An EIS Box contains eight channels. A channel includes cell-switching relays. The term cell is used
when only the cell-switching portion of a channel is being discussed.
Inactive Cell
The term inactive cell is any cell not currently connected to the instrument.
Instrument
This is the instrument responsible for making electrochemical measurements on the cells used in the
experiment. The instrument is typically an EIS Box.
System Computer
The computer responsible for coordinating operation of an EIS Box-based electrochemical test system,
not to be confused with the very simple micro-controller buried within the EIS Box.
Switching and Inactive Cell Control
In the Operation Overview, we said you can think of the EIS Box as a complex switch with controller. Each of
the eight EIS Box channels is made up of an independent set of switches and control circuits. All the switches
are under control of the system computer. The system computer must insure that only one cell at a time is
connected to the instrument, therefore a main switch controls which cell is active.
Communications Overview
The system computer communicates with the EIS Box via an ethernet connection or a USB cable.
Switching from channel to channel involves electromechanical relays. You will hear a click
each time relays activate during the switching process.

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