> It's great hardware. Really hard to beat, even considering they are
> expensive. But I hate it. Stupid computers everywhere. Hard to
> do anything manually, and the software is awful, worse than useless,
> IMHO.
Actually, I would disagree here. The old FPLC cannot even come close to the
AKTA in terms of hardware and in terms of the ease of operation. The 'manual
programming' option in the software works just fine. I would agree that for
most normal researchers the pre-set scripts and the 'wizards' & such are
quite silly - they take 500+ lines of code to do the same thing that I'd to
with 10 lines of code, but keep in mind - this machine is designed to work
in pilot plant-type conditions, operated by people (possibly) without much
knowledge of purification - so the software is designed to keep technicians'
hands out of the program if such a need arises. Point being, forget about
the pre-set macros and wizards, use the manual editor which is great.
One more thing. Most ppl use the akta in one room (or cold box) and the
computer in the other. This indeed creates a problem with manual operation
because you have to run around all the time. Our (and a few other people's)
solution to this is to have a second set of monitor, keyboard, and mouse in
the cold room right next to the akta. All you need is the standard KVM
switch and a few meters of extension cable - so when the need arises you can
easily control the machine from the inside of the cold room but in all other
times you can program it from outside, away from the cold.
A.G.E.
