If you have a problem, if nobody else can help (at a reasonable cost), and if my head isn't inside an instrument when you call...maybe you can get help from RRTS!
A specialist in getting and keeping scientific instrumentation up and running, doing the jobs you need it to do!
If you have a GC, LC, MS, IR, UV-Vis, AA, NMR, IC, Raman, DSC, high-vacuum system, autosampler, a combination of any of these, or other scientific instrumentation or robotics that isn't working as you like, RRTS is your best first call!
If the manufacturer told you that your current instrument is too old, no longer supported, parts are no longer available, or it can't work with a modern operating system, don't give up...I don't have the same incentive to sell you a new system that they do.
Past clients and some of the instrumentation I've successfully helped them with:
Chemistry Department, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN:
GC-FID: Agilent 7890B (remedied liner contamination, software problems, and gas leaks)
HPLC-MS: Thermo Orbitrap LTQ XL (remedied gas flow issues, replaced capillary in ESI, cleaned and realigned ESI, tuned MS, repaired Surveyor autosampler)
HPLC-UV: Agilent 1260 Infinity II (replaced purge valve frit); Shimadzu Prominence 20A (updated software)
FTIR: Shimadzu IRAffinity-1 (replaced laser)
Raman: Bruker Senterra Microscope (remedied software problems)
UV-Vis: HP 8452A (replaced lamp, updated software)
NMR: Bruker Avance III 600 (remedied gas flow issues, reparied power plug and UPS, re-found tune, and remedied software problems)
Chemistry Department, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN:
NMR: Bruker Avance II 400 (set up for new nuclei, VTC setup, autosampler adjustment, filter replacement)
FTIR: Thermo iS10 (solved ATR alignment issue)
GC-MS: Agilent 6890N/5973 (replaced failed belt on autosampler, got software to run on Windows 10 and then 11, tuned MS)
GC-FID: HP 5890 (converted from analog to digital: obtained interface board, fabricated interface cable, installed and configured Windows software, and revised lab instructions for new interface)
AA: Buck Scientific Accusys 211 (identified and solved drainage issue, cleaned burner)
Solvent Purification: Vacuum Atmospheres 103991 (established SOP, performed maintenance)
Glovebox: Vacuum Atmospheres (found and fixed antechamber leak, regenerated oxygen and moisture traps)
Arnold Lab, Engineering, University of Minnesota--Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN:
HPLC-UV: Agilent 6890N/5973 (remedied leaks, tuned, mounted and wired in third-party autosampler)
Verhoeven Lab, Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN:
HPLC-UV: Agilent G1313A autosampler metering device (replaced failed piston)
Univar Solutions Service
GC-TC: Varian 3400 (replaced temperature control board, corrected liner installation, reprogramed)
A more general list of technologies I have signficant experience with:
Chromatography: Gas (MS, FID, TC detection), ion, and [high-performance] liquid (UV-Vis and MS detection)
Spectroscopy: UV-Visible (UV-Vis), infrared (IR), atomic absorption (AAS), atomic emission (AES),
X-ray photoelectron (XPS), mass (MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
High-vacuum systems: Thermal evaporation, electron-beam, and sputtering deposition systems;
diffusion, cryo-, turbo-, and conventional mechanical pump technologies
Controlled environments: Schlenk lines, glove boxes, and ultra-high vacuum (UHV) systems
Interfacing: Digital interfacing and control, analog data recording and control, feedback control systems
Microscopy: Atomic force (AFM), scanning tunneling (STM), and scanning electron (SEM)
Electrochemistry: Voltammetry, amperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and potentiostats
I have been doing this work a long time, but just recently moved to New Mexico and set up as an LLC, finding nobody else to partner with already offering anything similar here.
I make a great first point of contact for businesses and individuals with a technical problem to diagnose, and will offer guidance on how to proceed when I can't help you solve it myself.
I am patient and won't replace every part that might be the cause of trouble; I will come back (at no additional cost to you) after trying cheap solutions first.
To inquire about help with your issue, give me a call at 612.568.3637 or send me an email at info@rrts.us.
When my calendar is not booked fixing scientific instruments, I help people with a wide varierty of other technical matters...click here for more information about that.
For information about other topics, please see my personal page. You will find information there about some odder technical problems I've solved in the past.