Which lamp your Agilent detector takes, and why the system name does not tell you

“I have a 1260, I need a deuterium lamp.”

That sentence looks like an order. It is not enough to fill one.

A 1260 Infinity can be fitted with a G1315D diode array detector, which takes a 3-pin lamp on the old optical bench. The same 1260 can be fitted with a G4212B diode array detector, which takes an 8-pin lamp with a Max-Light cartridge cell. Two different lamps. Two different prices. They do not fit each other’s sockets.

The detector module number is what you order against.

Where the number is, and what it looks like

Every Agilent LC module has a product number on the front, and it starts with a G. G1314B. G1315D. G4212B. G7117A. It is on the label at the left of the module face, usually above or below the serial number.

That one string decides the lamp almost every time.

flowchart TD
    A["Read the module number<br/>on the front of the detector"] --> B{"Which family?"}
    B -->|"G1314"| C["VWD<br/>variable wavelength"]
    B -->|"G1315, G1365,<br/>G7115, G7165"| D["DAD or MWD<br/>3-pin bench"]
    B -->|"G4212, G7117,<br/>G7100 CE"| E["DAD<br/>8-pin Max-Light bench"]
    C --> F{"A, B or C?"}
    F -->|"G1314A/B/C"| G["G1314-60100<br/>no RFID"]
    F -->|"G1314D/E/F,<br/>G7114A/B"| H["G1314-60101<br/>RFID tag"]
    D --> I{"Does the detector<br/>log lamp hours itself?"}
    I -->|"No"| J["5182-1530<br/>no RFID"]
    I -->|"Yes"| K["2140-0820<br/>RFID tag"]
    E --> L["5190-0917<br/>8-pin, RFID tag"]

Why a 1260 is ambiguous

The Infinity naming refers to the system, and a system is a stack of modules. Agilent sold 1260 systems for many years, and the detector modules changed while the system name stayed the same.

Here is what “1260” can mean on the detector alone:

Four modules, three lamps, one system name.

The three things that decide fit

1. Detector type

A VWD reads one wavelength at a time and puts the monochromator before the flow cell. A DAD passes light through the cell first and then spreads it across a diode array, so it reads the whole spectrum at once. An MWD is the same hardware family as the DAD with fewer wavelengths.

Because a DAD reads every wavelength at once, it needs usable intensity across the full range, and the arc position and aperture are specified differently. A VWD lamp and a DAD lamp are both deuterium and they are not interchangeable.

2. The optical bench, which the pin count tells you

The pin count on the lamp base is the electrical connection, and it reliably tells you which optical bench the detector uses.

3-pin is the classic 1100 and 1200 bench, also used in the G1315 and G1365 families. 8-pin is the Max-Light cartridge cell bench introduced with the 1290 Infinity, used by G4212 and G7117, and by the G7100 CE.

The Max-Light cell is a light guide with a much longer path length, and the lamp mounts and connects differently to feed it. Pin count is a hard compatibility boundary. An 8-pin lamp will not go into a 3-pin socket, and no adapter makes it work.

3. RFID, which matters more than it looks

Newer Agilent lamps carry an RFID tag holding the part number, the serial number, the burn hours and the ignition count. The detector reads that tag into the Early Maintenance Feedback system in ChemStation or OpenLab, so the instrument tracks lamp life without anyone writing it down.

Two cases, and only one of them is a problem.

If the detector has no RFID reader and the lamp has a tag, the tag is ignored and the lamp works normally.

If the detector expects RFID and the lamp has none, the lamp still lights and the method still runs. The automatic lamp-life logging stops. In a QC lab under an audit trail, that is a change in how the instrument records maintenance, and somebody has to explain it. Ask before you order, not after.

The Agilent map

Confirmed against Agilent’s own catalogue and cross-checked against independent distributors. Anything I could not confirm is left off this table rather than guessed at.

Rated life on these is around 2,000 hours, and the useful range is roughly 185 to 400 nm.

One caution on the 3-pin DAD rows. 5182-1530 and 2140-0820 both serve the G1315 and G1365 families, and the split between them is the RFID tag rather than the optics. Several distributors also list separate lamps for the A and B series and the C and D series. If your detector is a G1315C or G1315D, read the label on the lamp you are removing before you order. That label is the most reliable information you have.

What to check before you order

In this order. Stop as soon as you have an answer, because each step is more reliable than the one before it.

1. Read the module number off the front of the detector. G1314B, G1315D, G4212B, G7117A.
2. Read the label on the lamp you are taking out. The OEM part number is printed on it.
3. Count the pins on the base of the old lamp. Three or eight.
4. Check whether the instrument reports lamp hours by itself. If it does, it is reading RFID and your replacement should carry a tag.

Step 2 is the one that prevents most wrong orders. If the label says 5182-1530 and the system badge says 1260, you now know it is the old 3-pin bench, not a G7117. The system name was the misleading part.

If you are not sure

Send me the module number and the number printed on the old lamp, and I will tell you which part it is before anything gets quoted. If you already have the number, the cross-reference list is faster, and the lamps themselves are on the detector lamps page. If the answer is that you need an RFID lamp and I cannot supply one that carries a tag, I will say so.

That is worth more to you than a fast quote for the wrong lamp.

Sources

Every part number and fit in the table above comes from Agilent’s own catalogue and documentation, listed here so you can check it yourself.

• Agilent store, G1314-60100 and G1314-60101. RFID status and detector fit.
• Agilent store, 5182-1530, 2140-0820 and 5190-0917.
• Agilent, InfinityLab LC Series Diode Array Detectors user manual. Max-Light cartridge cell and the 8-pin lamp.
• Agilent Community, Replacing the Deuterium Lamp in 1290 and 1260 Infinity Diode Array Detectors.

The section on VWD against DAD optics is general instrument knowledge rather than a quote from any one document.