The Top Five Reasons To NOT Buy Your Next Potentiostat from Gamry

First things first.  If, for some reason, you just don't want to even consider installing your potentiostat in a computer, then you need the Reference 600 Potentiostat, which interfaces to a computer with a USB interface. 

If you are considering the Series G, there are several practical reasons why installing a Potentiostat inside a computer is a good idea.

·      There's no need for an  expensive cabinet, power supply, or front panel.  Result?  A lower price!  Don't believe it?  Then contact us and request a Price List.

·       Why must an electrochemical instrument have a rat's nest of cables connecting this box to that box?  A Gamry Series G is simple -- the only cable you see is the cell cable!

·       A Gamry Series G System uses only one box -- the computer -- so it saves bench space.

·       Portability is easy.  Install the Gamry Series G in an eStation Portable Electrochemistry System and you've got research-grade electrochemistry you can carry in one hand!

You may be concerned about the actual installation of the Gamry Series G Potentiostat in a computer.  No worries. We provide an illustrated Quick-Start Guide with step-by-step instructions for installing the Potentiostat and software.

You may have been told that Gamry Potentiostats are installed inside a computer and the computer is noisy, so Gamry Potentiostats exhibit higher noise than competitor’s potentiostats. That is a common misconception, especially among our competitors -- here are the facts.

Finally -- and let's be absolutely clear about this -- a Gamry system gives up NOTHING because it is installed inside a computer.  Oh, except a front panel (see # 5 below).

If you're doing electrochemical experiments in a high-resistance electrolyte in which high currents (>500 mA) are observed, you may need a higher compliance voltage than Gamry offers.  

When do you observe high currents in high-resistance electrolytes?  In electrochemical synthesis experiments in non-aqueous solvents or very dilute aqueous electrolytes.  That's about it.  It's a very uncommon situation.

You may have high currents in a battery or a fuel cell, but the resistance is very low. You may have corrosion taking place in a high-resistance electrolyte, but the currents are very low.  In physical electrochemistry experiments, the currents are usually low and the researcher has the flexibility to adjust the resistance of the electrolyte.

If your electrochemistry is done in a reasonably conductive solvent (even pure water), a potentiostat with a high compliance voltage is not better, it's just more dangerous and a lot more expensive.  

In summary, the number of electrochemical experiments where a high compliance voltage is justified is both very small and easily identified. Because a high compliance voltage is expensive, we don't believe it's a wise choice for the vast majority of electrochemical users.

If a 1 MHz specification is a requirement, then you need the Reference 600 Potentiostat.  EIS with our Series G Potentiostats has a maximum frequency of 300 kHz.     

That's not a problem.  On every Gamry Potentiostat, there are analog outputs for potential and current, and analog inputs for external waveforms and auxiliary signals.  There's also a Miscellaneous I/O Connector for things like triggers and a voltage output to drive a rotating electrode and an SMDE or CGME.

5. I must have a front panel on my potentiostat.

OK, you've got us on this one.  A Gamry Potentiostat does not have a front panel, even the Reference 600.  We do have a Virtual Front Panel, though, that serves the same purpose.  And you can save the data!  And it's very inexpensive!

But you have a bigger problem.  Most new potentiostats introduced in the last few years by manufacturers other than Gamry also have no front panel!  They looked at Gamry, saw the wisdom of our strategy, and bowed to common sense. If you absolutely must have a front panel, you may have to purchase a potentiostat designed many years ago.  Why don't you try a Gamry demonstration?  Maybe this computer-controlled approach isn't so bad.    

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