Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 LS User manual

Nicolet iS5 Series FT-IR Spectrometers
Nicolet iS5 LS
User Guide
269-299800 Revision B September 2014

© 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and its subsidiaries.
For U.S. Technical Support, please contact:
Unity Lab Services
Part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
5225 Verona Road
Madison WI 53711-4495 U.S.A.
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
For International Support, please contact:
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. provides this document to its customers with a product purchase to use in the
product operation. This document is copyright protected and any reproduction of the whole or any part of this
document is strictly prohibited, except with the written authorization of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
The contents of this document are subject to change without notice. All technical information in this
document is for reference purposes only. System configurations and specifications in this document supersede
all previous information received by the purchaser.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. makes no representations that this document is complete, accurate or error-
free and assumes no responsibility and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, damage or loss that might
result from any use of this document, even if the information in the document is followed properly.
This document is not part of any sales contract between Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and a purchaser. This
document shall in no way govern or modify any Terms and Conditions of Sale, which Terms and Conditions of
Sale shall govern all conflicting information between the two documents.
For Research Use Only. This instrument or accessory is not a medical device and is not intended to be used
for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or cure of disease.
WARNING Avoid an explosion or fire hazard. This instrument or accessory is not
designed for use in an explosive atmosphere.

Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 LS User Guide iii
C
About the Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Finding Information about Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Contacting Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Operating the Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Setting Up the Instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
System Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Operating Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Cleaning the Sample Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Instrument Performance Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Collecting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Maintaining the Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
General Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Installing or Replacing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Troubleshooting the Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Resolving Common Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Troubleshooting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Contents

Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 LS User Guide 1
1
About the Instrument
The Thermo Scientific™ Nicolet™ iS™5 LS FT-IR analyzer lets you perform transmission
analyses of liquids, gels and films in the mid-infrared spectral range. The system has integrated
verification features, a software suite designed for quality control (QC) applications, and
many other features that make sampling and data handling easy.
You can perform minor service and maintenance procedures yourself. This document, or
other provided documentation, contains the information needed.
Figure 1. Nicolet iS5 LS FT-IR analyzer
The instrument is sealed and desiccated to help prevent damage to the optics or other internal
components due to humidity or corrosive solvents.
NOTICE Be sure that all persons operating this system read the site and safety manual
first.
NOTICE Keep the instrument sealed and desiccated at all times and check the humidity
indicator regularly. Equipment damage due to failure to maintain seal and desiccation is
not covered by the warranty. If you have questions about this requirement, contact us.

1
About the Instrument
2Nicolet iS5 LS User Guide Thermo Scientific
Finding Information about Your System
We recommend first using the documentation provided with qPro software when you have a
question. The qPro Operator application includes a complete Help system for the instrument
and software. The electronic documentation contains PDF files of supporting documents that
are not in the help system such as the site and safety guide.
Conventions Used
Safety precautions and other important information use the following format:
About the Software
The spectrometer can be operated using the Thermo Scientific™ qPro™ Operator software.
qPro Operator provides features for loading and updating workflows and exporting data. It
also allows password protected access to system tools and diagnostics. The workflows are
created using the qPro Developer application which is included in the qPro Developer suite.
Contents
•Finding Information about Your System
•About the Software
•Contacting Us
WARNING Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or
serious injury.
CAUTION Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or
moderate injury.
NOTICE Follow instructions with this label to avoid damaging the system hardware or
losing data.
Note Contains helpful supplementary information.
Tip Provides information that can make a task easier.

1
About the Instrument
Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 LS User Guide 3
Contacting Us
For U.S. Technical Support, please contact:
Unity Lab Services
Part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
5225 Verona Road
Madison, WI 53711-4495 U.S.A.
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
For International Support, please contact:
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
If you have problems with your system, refer to the troubleshooting information for help. If
the troubleshooting information doesn’t help you solve the problem, call or e-mail Technical
Support using the information provided above.
If you need to send the instrument to us for repair, call or e-mail us first for any shipping
requirements or other instructions.
and Excel
Note To expedite and assist in problem diagnosis, please be prepared to send us a copy of
your diagnostics log. The diagnostics log includes a history of important system
parameters and events that occur during system operation. The information can be
downloaded to the computer or portable media and sent to our Technical Support group.
For more information, find the “Retrieving the Diagnostic Log” topic in the
qPro Operator Help system.

Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 LS User Guide 5
2
Operating the Instrument
This section explains how to set up the Nicolet iS5 LS analyzer and use it to analyze a basic
sample.
Figure 2. Nicolet iS5 LS FT-IR analyzer
This instrument is designed for indoor use at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,500 ft). It operates
reliably at a constant temperature between 15 °C and 35 °C (60 °F and 95 °F).
The instrument is sealed and desiccated to help prevent damage to the optics or other internal
components due to humidity or corrosive solvents.
Contents
•Setting Up the Instrument
•Operating Precautions
•Cleaning the Sample Windows
•Instrument Performance Tests
•Collecting Data
Sampling arm in
closed position

2
Operating the Instrument
6Nicolet iS5 LS User Guide Thermo Scientific
For optimum instrument stability, the sampling arm should remain closed except when
cleaning it or loading a sample. Keeping the arm closed also allows background measurements
to occur automatically.
Setting Up the Instrument
This section covers these topics:
•Electrical and Communication Cabling
•Turning the Power On and Off
Electrical and Communication Cabling
The illustration below shows the correct cable connections for electrical power and data
communication.
Figure 3. Electrical and communication cabling for the Nicolet iS5 LS analyzer
Check the Site and Safety Information guide in your electronic documentation set for electrical
and other system requirements before you connect the power cord. The wall outlet must be
equipped with a 3-wire line: live, neutral, and ground.
NOTICE Keep the instrument sealed and desiccated at all times and check the humidity
indicator regularly. Equipment damage due to failure to maintain seal and desiccation is
not covered by the warranty. If you have questions about this requirement, contact us.
Power
Communication
Communication
(USB) cable
Power cable