COBAS INTEGRA® 400 plus

Host Communications
Version 3

VV-06763-02
COBAS, COBAS INTEGRA and LIFE NEEDS ANSWERS are trademarks of
Roche.

©2009-2022 Roche

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www.roche.com
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 3

Publication information

Publication version Software version Revision date Change description

3255-00-0909, version 1 n/a September 2009 First version.
3255-01-0315, version 2 n/a March 2015 Revised to add Rx only disclaimer.
VV-06763-02, version 3 n/a February 2022 Removed references to obsolete COBAS INTEGRA® 400 analyzer.
Revision history

Edition notice This publication is intended for operators of the

COBAS INTEGRA® 400 plus analyzer.

The contents of this document, including all graphics and

photographs, are the property of Roche. No part of this document
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Roche.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is correct
at the time of publishing. Not all functionality described in this
manual may be available to all users. Roche Diagnostics reserves
the right to change this publication as necessary and without notice
as part of ongoing product development. Such changes may not
immediately be reflected in this document.

Screenshots Any screenshots in this publication are added exclusively for the
purpose of illustration. Configurable and variable data such as
parameters, results, path names etc. visible therein must not be
used for laboratory purposes.

Intended use This document is intended for the US market only.

Copyright ©2009-2022, Roche Diagnostics. All right reserved.

Trademarks The following trademarks are acknowledged.

COBAS, COBAS INTEGRA and LIFE NEEDS ANSWERS are

trademarks of Roche.

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Feedback This document was created by Roche Diagnostics GmbH

(operator manual content) and the Roche Diagnostics Engineering
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Document availability This document is available on the Roche Diagnostics USA website
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How do I configure my analyzer for host communications?

Procedure to set up host communications on the COBAS INTEGRA 400 plus

1. Prepare an interface cable and connect

the cable to the host and the instrument’s
computer/data station on Com 1 port or Serial
A port.
2. Enable Host Interface transmission
(Configuration Processing > Result Output).
3. Set up interface parameters as needed
(Configuration General > Interface).
4. Prepare the database set up (Configuration
Database > Demographics).
5. If you are using barcodes, set up the instrument
accordingly for barcode set up and rack set up.
6. Load the Host application. Send an idle block
as a first check.
Connecting the instrument to the host
The Com 1 port is dedicated to serve as a
Host Interface port. It is a SUB-D male
type with 9 pins. The picture below shows
the connectors on the rear of the computer.
The arrow is pointing to the Com 1 port.

Enabling Result Transmission

1. Select the required result type to be transmitted
in the Configuration Processing > Result
Output menu.

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2. Parameter value descriptions:

• Sample -- selected sample results are sent
to the Host.
• Control -- selected control results are sent
to the Host.
• Calibration -- selected calibration results
are sent to the Host.
• Sample Type -- When deselected (the
mode in which most COBAS INTEGRA
400 plus systems are set up to run), no
sample type information is sent to or from
the host. You must have sample specific
racks set up to run and specify different
barcodes/assession numbers for patients
with different sample types to be run.

When selected, the COBAS INTEGRA® 400

plus looks for the sample type to be in the
barcode and the host transmission (Line code
53). Sample type is sent to the Host in the
result.

If sample-type specific racks are not used,

the Sample Type must be included in the
barcode.
Interface Parameters
1. The Host interface is configured by a number
of parameters found in the Configuration
General > Interface menu. Get this
information from the LIS vendor and select
their settings in the COBAS INTEGRA® 400
plus. Both the analyzer and the host need all
parameters to be set up the same.

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2. Parameter value ranges:

• Baudrate -- 1200 / 2400 / 4800 / 9600 /
19200
• Data Bits -- 7 / 8
• Stop Bits -- 1 / 2
• Parity -- None / Even / Odd
• Handshake -- Hardware / Software
• Block Check -- True / False
• Line Terminator -- LF / CR+LF

Database Parameters Influencing the Host Interface

The following items are configured in the
Configuration Database > Demographics menu.

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Parameter value description

• Patient ID Selected = Patient Mode. -- All
sample orders must be assigned to an existing
patient, i.e., prior to downloading orders,
the relevant patient information must be
downloaded. The instrument works with
patient data. The Host/Data Innovations
must also be in Patient mode to send patient
demographics or the transmission fails with
error, 99 07 or 96 91.
• Patient ID Not Selected = Sample Mode. --
When selected, the instrument works without
patient data. Orders are entered without
patient data - the Orders screen does not show
patient data. The Host/Data Innovations must
also be set up in the Sample mode not to send
patient demographics or the transmission fails
with error, 99 07 or 96 91.
• Free Text Fields Selected -- The instrument
allows defining laboratory specific fields. The
fields and their assigned names are shown
in the patient (Patient ID selected) or order
(Patient ID not selected) menu. The relevant
information for these text fields must be
transmitted via the Host transmission. All text
boxes are used in Patient mode and sent via
the host on line code 50, 51, and 54. While
the three text boxes on the Order side are used
in Sample mode and sent via the Host on line
code (LC) 54. Leadertext 1 on LC 54 is linked
to the second Edit line on the Order side and
leadertext 2 is the third Edit line.
• Free Text Fields Not Selected -- The free text
fields are not shown in the patient or order
menu. On the Host Interface, the relevant
fields within the Patient and Order Entry
blocks may be left empty.

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In Patient mode, the name is on LC 51,

leadertext 1. In Sample mode, the name
is on LC 54, leadertext 1. Type Name
on the second Edit line under Order
Demographics. In Patient mode, patient
demographics are included in LC 50, 51
and 54. While in the Sample Mode, it is
only in LC 54.
The following items are configured in
Configuration Lab > Sample Types menu.
• The Sample Type Short Name can be defined
in the Configuration Lab > Sample Types
menu. If Sample Type is enabled in the
Configuration Processing > Result Output
menu, this Sample Type Short Name is used on
the host interface in line code 53.

If sample type specific racks are not used,

the Sample Type must be included in the
barcode and data stream from the LIS.
Barcode Types Recognized by the System.
The following items are configured in
Configuration General > Barcode menu.

Supported barcode types:

• 2 of 5 interleaved
• Code 39 -- 3 of 9 interleaved
• Codabar -- Code 2 of 7
• Code 128
• IATA 25 -- 2 of 5 IATA
• INDU 25 -- 2 of 5 Industrial
• UPC -- (A, E)
• EAN
• Pharmacode -- EAN Addendum

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The barcode pattern is coded using:

• Order number = O (upper case O, not a 0,

zero)
• Sample type = T
• Character not used = x
• Maximum number of characters:
• Order number: 15 characters (alphanumeric)
• Sample type: 3 characters (alphanumeric)
• Alignment (only applies if the specified
pattern is shorter than the barcode used - see
example below)

The instrument recognizes the barcode

type automatically.

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Configuring Racks for Barcode Use

The following items are configured in the
Configuration Lab > Racks menu.

Configure the racks for barcode reading:

• Barcode reading can be independently
enabled or disabled for every rack group in the
Configuration Lab > Racks menu by selecting
the barcode box for each type selected.

In troubleshooting host interface issues, these steps are used for viewing the HIF Trace.txt file
on the COBAS INTEGRA® 400 plus.

This information helps the LIS or IT

support work through any communication
issue with the COBAS INTEGRA® 400
plus. This file has the communications
between the instrument and the LIS which
is explained in the COBAS INTEGRA Host
Interface document located on
dialog.roche.com.
1. Press the Windows key or hold down Ctrl +
Esc keys to bring up the Windows start bar.

2. Right-click on Start, then select Explorer.

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3. When Windows Explorer opens, select the +

(plus sign) next to the following folders to open
them:
• My Computer - the C:/ Drive for the
instrument
• Roche
• Instrument
• TroubleLog
4. Highlight the TroubleLog folder to display the
contents on the right of the Explorer window.
5. On the right, double-click on the
HIF_trace.tra file to open it and view the
Host communications trace file. This is the file
that the LIS associate can read to see the code
between the instrument and the LIS.

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NOTES

Roche Diagnostics
COBAS INTEGRA® 400 plus analyzer · Host Communications · Troubleshooting · Version 3
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