About COM Ports

Communication (COM) ports allow your computer to connect to and control other devices. Agilent ships the required USB or serial cable with the liquid handler.

When using a serial cable, you must tell LHC which COM port is used to connect to the washer/dispenser and the BioStack, if applicable.

• During software installation, Agilent prompts you to install the USB Driver Software prior to installing the LHC. The driver must be installed one time on the host computer.
• USB connection: LHC will communicate with the instrument and display the USB information when they are connected correctly. Make sure the liquid handler is displaying its Home screen or main menu.
• Serial cable: when connecting the liquid handler or a BioStack using a serial cable (typically requiring an adapter), you must tell LHC the COM port in use. When in doubt, you can use the Windows Control Panel (Device>Ports) to identify the COM port number.
• Click Test Communication to verify the connection. (When using a serial cable, if you receive an error, try a different COM port.)