Development of a totally computer‐controlled triple quadrupole mass spectrometer system

A totally computer‐controlled triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (TQMS) is described. It has a number of unique features not available on current commercial instruments, including: complete computer control of source and all ion axial potentials; use of dual computers for data acquisition and data processing; and capability for self‐adaptive control of experiments. Furthermore, it has been possible to produce this instrument at a cost significantly below that of commercial instruments. This triple quadrupole mass spectrometer has been constructed using components commercially available from several different manufacturers. The source is a standard Hewlett‐Packard 5985B GC/MS source. The two quadrupole analyzers and the quadrupole CAD region contain Balzers QMA 150 rods with Balzers QMG 511 rf controllers for the analyzers and a Balzers QHS‐511 controller for the CAD region. The pulsed‐positive‐ion‐negative‐ion‐chemical ionization (PPINICI) detector is made by Finnigan Corporation. The mechanical and elec...