TC20™ Automated Cell Counter
Instruction Manual
Catalog #145-0101
Copyright ©2011 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Reproduction in any form, either print or electronic, is prohibited without written permission of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Excel is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
TC20™ Automated
Cell Counter
Instruction Manual
Bio-Rad Laboratories Resources
Table 1 lists Bio-Rad resources and how to locate what you need.
Table 1. Bio-Rad resources.
Resource |
How to Contact |
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Local Bio-Rad Laboratories |
Find information and contacts on the Bio-Rad Laboratories |
representatives |
website by selecting your country on the Home page |
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(www.bio-rad.com). Find the nearest international office listed on |
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the back of this manual |
Technical notes and literature |
Go to the Bio-Rad Laboratories website (www.bio-rad.com). |
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Type a term in the Search box and select Documents to find links |
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to literature |
Technical specialists |
Bio-Rad Laboratories Technical Support scientists provide our |
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customers with practical and expert solutions. To find local |
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Technical Support on the phone, contact your nearest Bio-Rad |
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Laboratories office. For Technical Support in the United States |
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and Canada, call 1-800-424-6723 (toll-free phone), and select the |
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Technical Support option |
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Warranty
The TC20™ automated cell counter and associated accessories are covered by a standard Bio-Rad warranty. Contact your local Bio-Rad Laboratories office for the details of the warranty.
Safety Use Specifications and Compliance
A Warning! label in this manual warns you about sources of injury or harm, including risk of electrical shock.
Warning! Do not attempt to repair or remove the outer case of the TC20 automated cell counter
or other accessories. If you open this instrument, you put yourself at risk for harm to body or equipment from electrical shock.
This instrument has been tested and found to be in compliance with all applicable requirements of the following safety and electromagnetic standards.
Table 2. Environmental conditions for safe operation of the TC20 automated cell counter.
Transient category |
Installation categories II |
Operating power |
90–240 VAC, 1.2 A |
Frequency |
50/60 Hz |
Electrical input |
12 VDC, 2.5 A |
Installation site |
Indoor use only |
Operating temperature |
10–35°C |
Maximum relative humidity |
20–80% |
Altitude |
<2,400 m |
Pollution degree |
2 |
Degree of protection |
IPX0 |
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Note: Do not store or operate the unit near a sink as contact with water could cause electric shock.
Unit is heavy, do not store or operate it at the edge of a laboratory bench. During operation unit must be in upright position.
Do not tip the unit over if the counting slide is inserted in the slide port; this could cause accidental spillage of sample and contaminate the unit.
Use only Bio-Rad counting slides, using other manufacturers´ slides could damage the unit. TC20 cell counter is factory calibrated, no further calibration is needed.
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Safety Compliance
This instrument has been tested and found to be in compliance with all applicable requirements of the following safety and electromagnetic standards:
•EN61010-1 — Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use
•UL Std No. 61010A-1 — Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use, Part 1: General Requirements
•UL Std No. 61010A-2-010 — Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use, Part 1: General Requirements
•CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 1010.1-92 — Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use, Part 1: General Requirements (includes Amendment 1)
•CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 1010.1B-97 Amendment 2 CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 1010.1-92 — Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use, Part 1: General Requirements
•IEC 61010-1 — Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use, Part 1 General Requirements
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
•F.C.C. Title 47 Part 15B as a Class A digital device
•EN61326 Class A Electrical Equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use — General Requirements
FCC Warning and Notes
•Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment
•Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense
•Note regarding FCC compliance: Although this design of instrument has been tested and found to comply with Part 15, Subpart B, of the FCC Rules for a Class A digital device, please note that this compliance is voluntary, for the instrument qualifies as an “exempted device” under 47 CFR 15.103(c), in regard to the cited FCC regulations in effect at the time of manufacture
•Note regarding Canadian EMC compliance: Le present appareil numerique n’emet pas de bruits radioelectrique depassant les limites applicables aux appareils numeriques de classe A prescrites dans le reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte par le Ministere des Communications du Canada
This Bio-Rad instrument is designed and certified to meet EN61010* and the EMC requirements of EN61326 (for Class A) safety standards. Certified products are safe to use when operated in
accordance with the instruction manual. This instrument should not be modified or altered in any way. Alteration of this instrument will cause the following results:
•Void the manufacturer’s warranty
•Void the EN61010 safety certification
•Create a potential safety hazard
* EN61010 is an internationally accepted electrical safety standard for laboratory instruments.
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Bio-Rad Laboratories is not responsible for any injury or damage caused by the use of this instrument for purposes other than those for which it is intended, or by modifications of the instrument not performed by Bio-Rad Laboratories or an authorized agent.
We strongly recommend that you follow the safety specifications listed in this section and throughout this manual. Use only the supplied power cord in the instrument, making sure to choose the plug adaptor that corresponds to the electrical outlets in your region.
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Table of Contents |
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Bio-Rad Laboratories Resources............................................................................ |
ii |
Warranty.................................................................................................................. |
ii |
Safety Use Specifications and Compliance............................................................ |
iii |
Chapter 1 — Introduction.................................................................................... |
1 |
Instrument Overview.......................................................................................... |
2 |
User Interface.................................................................................................... |
3 |
TC20™ Automated Cell Counter Specifications.................................................. |
4 |
Kits, Reagents, and Accessories....................................................................... |
4 |
Chapter 2 — Setting Up the TC20 Automated Cell Counter............................. |
7 |
System Components......................................................................................... |
8 |
Unpacking the System Components................................................................. |
8 |
Setting the Date and Time................................................................................. |
8 |
Setting up Gating............................................................................................... |
9 |
Setting up Automatic Data Export and Sample Naming.................................. |
10 |
Chapter 3 — Performing Cell Counts............................................................... |
11 |
Loading Slides................................................................................................. |
12 |
Preparing Samples.......................................................................................... |
12 |
Preparing Samples without Trypan Blue Dye.............................................. |
12 |
Preparing Samples with Trypan Blue Dye................................................... |
12 |
Counting Cells on the TC20 Automated Cell Counter...................................... |
13 |
Counting Samples with Multiple Cell Populations............................................ |
14 |
Sample Naming............................................................................................... |
14 |
Current Count Options..................................................................................... |
15 |
Using the Dilution Calculator....................................................................... |
15 |
Printing the Current Cell Count................................................................... |
16 |
Viewing the Image of Cells from the Current Count.................................... |
16 |
Exporting the Image of Cells from the Current Count................................. |
16 |
Viewing the Histogram and Gating from the Current Count....................... |
17 |
Chapter 4 — Saved Count Results................................................................... |
19 |
Viewing Previous Counts................................................................................. |
20 |
Printing Previous Counts.................................................................................. |
20 |
Exporting Previous Counts.............................................................................. |
20 |
Automatic Image Export.................................................................................. |
21 |
Deleting All Counts.......................................................................................... |
22 |
Chapter 5 — Maintenance and Troubleshooting............................................. |
23 |
Performing the TC20 System Verification Test................................................. |
24 |
Cleaning the TC20 Automated Cell Counter.................................................... |
25 |
Thermal Printer Maintenance...................................................................... |
25 |
Updating the Firmware..................................................................................... |
26 |
Battery............................................................................................................. |
26 |
Troubleshooting............................................................................................... |
27 |
Ordering Information.......................................................................................... |
28 |
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1 Chapter 1 — Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
The Bio-Rad TC20™ automated cell counter is a benchtop instrument that counts mammalian cells in one simple step, initiating auto-counts immediately upon slide insertion. The innovative autofocus technology and sophisticated digital image analysis algorithm produce accurate cell counts for most samples in less than
30 seconds. The TC20 cell counter rapidly provides a total cell count with or without trypan blue staining and assesses cell viability via trypan blue exclusion. Getting all the data you need about your cell cultures is fast and easy; the TC20 cell counter and
disposable counting slides eliminate the need for tedious setup, cleaning, or maintenance.
The TC20 cell counter provides accurate and reproducible cell counts for suspended cells that have been grown as adherent or suspension cells at concentrations within the 5 × 104 to 1 × 107 cells/ml range and for cells within the 6–50 μm cell diameter range. Only 10 μl of cell suspension is required for the cell count. The cell counter detects the presence of trypan blue in the sample with no user input required and automatically accounts for the 1:1 (trypan blue:cells) dilution factor. The TC20 cell counter can count single or mixed cell population samples. For samples with multiple cell populations the user can define the cell population of interest by adjusting the position of cell size gates.
An image of the counted cells can be viewed onscreen and downloaded onto a USB flash drive immediately after the count. The TC20 cell counter can store results from 100 counts. Count results can be exported onto a USB flash drive and viewed in Microsoft Excel. Each sample can be given a unique name and if the data autosave function is enabled, the JPEG image from the current count is automatically saved onto the inserted USB flash drive. Each image contains a metatag with the cell count data and can be further analyzed using the TC20 Data Analyzer downloadable from www.bio-rad.com/tc20.
The TC20 cell counter has a dilution calculator to derive cell resuspension volumes required to achieve the cell concentration needed for the next experiment. A histogram of cell diameter distribution in the sample can be viewed after the cell count.
Instrument Overview
The front panel of the TC20 automated cell counter (Figure 1) includes:
•User interface — a color digital screen and four keys for navigating the software
•Slide port — used to insert the cell counting slide
The side (right) panel of the TC10 automated cell counter (Figure 1) includes:
•USB port A (top port) — for connecting thermal printer or USB flash drive
•USB port B (bottom port) — for connecting thermal printer; the USB port B cannot be used for the USB flash drive
•Power switch — for turning the instrument on and off
The rear panel of the TC20 automated cell counter includes:
• Power inlet — used to connect the cell counter to an electrical outlet via the supplied power cord (select the appropriate plug adaptor for your region)
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Introduction
LCD screen
Keys for navigation
Slide port |
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USB ports A and B |
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Power switch |
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Fig. 1. TC20 cell counter.
User Interface
The user interface contains a color LCD screen and the four navigation keys listed below:
•Home — for accessing the Home screen or for exiting any screen
•Up and down arrow keys — for moving to the desired setting within a screen
• Enter — for confirming a |
Fig. 2. Home screen. |
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selection |
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Home Screen
The Home screen can be accessed from any screen by pressing Home. This screen (Figure 2) provides access to the following choices:
Count cells — initiates a cell count. When this option is selected, the instrument will automatically start counting if a slide is already inserted.
If there is no slide in the instrument, the Insert slide screen will be displayed Current count — for returning to the current count screen
Gating setup — for setting up histogram gating parameters
Previous counts — for viewing results from up to 100 previous counts stored in the instrument; results are organized by date/time stamps, with the most recent count shown first
Export data — for exporting results and image from the most recent count from the instrument onto a USB flash drive
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Introduction
Options — for selecting additional operations
Options Screen
The Options screen (Figure 3) contains the following choices:
Autosave/sample name — for setting up the automatic export of cell images to a USB flash drive and for setting up sample naming preferences
System test — for verifying the performance of the instrument; a verification slide is needed for this function
Set date/time — for setting the date |
Fig. 3. Options screen. |
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and time on the instrument, results are |
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associated with date/time stamps |
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Update firmware — for upgrading the firmware |
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Delete all counts — for deleting all counts stored in the instrument
TC20 Automated Cell Counter Specifications
Processing time: |
30 sec (may increase for higher concentration cell suspensions) |
Cell concentration range: |
5 × 104–1 × 107 cells/ml |
Optimal concentration range: |
1 x 105–5 x 106 cells/ml |
Cell diameter range: |
6–50 µm |
Dimensions (W x D x H): |
19 × 15 × 25.4 cm |
Weight: |
2.2 kg |
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Kits, Reagents, and Accessories
TC20 kits, reagents, and accessories are specially designed for use with the
TC20 automated cell counter. These products are optimized to ensure accurate and reproducible cell counts.
Counting Slides
The counting slide (Figure 4) is a disposable polygon plastic slide with a dual chamber composed of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Each slide is 75 × 25 ×1.8 mm (W x D x H) with a chamber depth of 100 μm. Each enclosed chamber requires only 10 μl of suspended cells. The volume counted in each chamber is 0.4 µl, equivalent to the volume counted in four squares (each 1 × 1 mm) of a manual hemocytometer.
The slide can provide counts for two different samples or duplicates of the same sample, one at a time. The chambers are labeled A and B, with an arrow next to each chamber to indicate the direction of slide insertion. Both slide chambers can be loaded prior to insertion in the TC20 cell counter for sequential counting.
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