HP D300 Operating Manual
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
Operating Manual
HP D300 Digital Dispenser 2
Legal notices
Copyright 2008-2012 Hewlett-Packard Company, L.P.
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser, software and documentation manufactured by the Hewlett-Packard Company, 1000
Circle Boulevard, Corvallis, Oregon 97330. All products made in the U.S.A.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such
products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable
for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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Contents
1 Product description
1-1 System requirements ..................................................................................................................................... 6
1-1-1 Hardware ............................................................................................................................................... 6
1-1-2 Software ................................................................................................................................................ 6
1-1-3 Environmental operating conditions ...................................................................................................... 6
1-1-4 Shipping and storage conditions ........................................................................................................... 6
2 Safety
2-1 General safety rules ....................................................................................................................................... 7
2-2 Personal protective equipment ....................................................................................................................... 7
2-3 Possible inhalation hazard ............................................................................................................................. 7
2-4 Pinch hazard .................................................................................................................................................. 7
2-5 Laser safety .................................................................................................................................................... 8
2-6 Electrical safety .............................................................................................................................................. 8
2-7 Electrical emissions safety ................................ ............................................................................................. 8
2-8 Decontamination prior to servicing ................................................................................................................. 9
2-9 Safe disposal of Dispensehead Cassettes and pipette tips ........................................................................... 9
2-10 Ergonomic safety ......................................................................................................................................... 9
2-11 Additional assistance ................................................................................................................................... 9
3 Clean the dispenser
4 Get started
4-1 Start up the dispenser .................................................................................................................................. 11
4-2 Get familiar with the software ....................................................................................................................... 12
4-3 Load an existing plate configuration ............................................................................................................. 14
4-4 Get to know the Options dialog box ............................................................................................................. 16
4-4-1 Options: General ................................................................................................................................. 17
4-4-2 Options: Edit: Units .............................................................................................................................. 17
4-4-3 Options: Edit: Fluid Defaults ................................................................................................................ 18
4-4-4 Options: Edit: Assay Defaults .............................................................................................................. 19
4-4-5 Options: Plate Jitter ............................................................................................................................. 19
4-4-6 Options: Report ................................................................................................................................... 20
4-5 Plate dispense procedure ............................................................................................................................ 21
4-5-1 Initiate plate dispense .......................................................................................................................... 21
4-5-2 Scan and load the well plates .............................................................................................................. 22
4-5-3 Load a Dispensehead Cassette .......................................................................................................... 22
4-5-4 Load fluid into the Dispensehead ........................................................................................................ 23
4-6 View the report ............................................................................................................................................. 27
4-7 Turn off the HP D300 Digital Dispenser ....................................................................................................... 30
5 Create plate configurations
5-1 Create the fluids table .................................................................................................................................. 31
5-2 Edit the Fluids List ........................................................................................................................................ 32
5-3 Edit the well plate ......................................................................................................................................... 33
5-4 Set concentrations or volumes in wells ........................................................................................................ 35
5-5 Use the Paste Special dialog box ................................................................................................................ 38
5-6 Normalize ..................................................................................................................................................... 39
5-7 Randomize ................................................................................................................................................... 41
5-8 Save the plate configuration ......................................................................................................................... 42
5-9 Plate Layout Wizard basics .......................................................................................................................... 43
5-9-1 Create single zone titration1layouts .................................................................................................... 43
5-9-2 Position NoDispense controls .............................................................................................................. 47
5-10 Plate Layout Wizard advanced functions ................................................................................................... 49
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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5-10-1 Create multizone titration1 layouts .................................................................................................... 49
5-10-2 Create modified range titration1 layouts ............................................................................................ 52
5-10-3 Create titration2 layouts: two fluids per well ...................................................................................... 55
6 Troubleshooting and error messages
6-1 Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................................... 58
6-1-1 Problems with software ....................................................................................................................... 58
6-1-2 Computer issues .................................................................................................................................. 58
6-1-3 Unable to home stage ......................................................................................................................... 59
6-1-4 Check the A1 location .......................................................................................................................... 59
6-1-5 A1 alignment procedure ...................................................................................................................... 59
6-1-6 Check the fuses and replace if necessary ........................................................................................... 61
6-2 Error messages ............................................................................................................................................ 64
Appendix A
HP D300 Digital Dispenser software basics ....................................................................................................... 70
Appendix B
Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................. 71
Appendix C
Quick Start Guide ............................................................................................................................................... 72
Appendix D
Revision History ................................................................................................................................................. 74
HP D300 Digital Dispenser 5
1
Dispensehead Cassette
2
Pogo mechanism
3
Pogo block
4
Source plate holder
5
Motorized stage and destination plate holder
6
Destination plate
7
Deck
8
Power indicator light (HP logo)
9
Dispenser USB connection
10
Power switch
11
PC with D300 software
(Rear view)
(Rear view)
7 9 11
10 4 3
8
1
5
6
2
1 Product description
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser dispenses precise amounts of dilute small molecule compounds in
DMSO into standard 96- and 384-well plates. The dispenser is intended to be used in the lab
environment for drug discovery purposes with small molecules in DMSO.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser 6
1-1 System requirements
1-1-1 Hardware
Dimensions of Dispenser (W x D x H): 47cm x 44cm x 24cm
Grounded electrical outlet (2 required, one for dispenser, 1 for PC):
○ 120 V (US) or 230 V (Europe) AC power
1 GHz or faster 32 bit (x86) or 64 bit processor
1 GB (32-bit) or 2 GB (64 bit) RAM
16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit) available disk space
Display: 1024 x 768, 256 colors minimum
USB ports
1-1-2 Software
Microsoft Windows 7, Vista or XP
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
○ .NET 3.5 is included with Windows 7
○ .NET 3.5 is available for Windows XP and Vista (www.microsoft.com)
Microsoft Excel 2003 or later
Adobe Acrobat Reader (www.adobe.com/downloads)
Do not adjust text size in Windows – use 100% only
1-1-3 Environmental operating conditions
Temperature: 20C - 30C laboratory conditions (68 - 86F)
Humidity: 30% - 80% RH
1-1-4 Shipping and storage conditions
Temperature: 10C - 32C (50F – 90F)
Humidity: 20% - 80% RH
HP D300 Digital Dispenser 7
NOTE: If this unit requires servicing, or you are unsure about any aspect of operation or safety,
contact your Tecan Service Help Desk. The phone number can be found at
http://www.tecan.com/customersupport.
CAUTION: Do not remove any of the dispenser covers. Contact your Tecan Service Help Desk if
the dispenser is not working properly. Do not attempt to repair the dispenser yourself.
CAUTION: Do not place fingers under or on top of the pogo block at any time.
2 Safety
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser is intended to be used in the lab environment for drug discovery
purposes with small molecules in DMSO only. Other uses of the dispenser are not recommended at
this time because they may introduce safety or performance issues.
Under no circumstances should the dispenser be used to dispense bacteria, viruses, cells, biofluids, biologicals, pathogens, contagions, infectious agents, potent toxins, oncogenes, radioactive
materials or other potentially hazardous substances. The dispenser should not be exposed to Bio
Safety Level 3 (BSL3) or greater conditions, contaminants or locations.
The dispenser should be used in accordance with all applicable safety rules that are in effect in the
lab in which it is installed. Usage of the dispenser should also follow common sense safety
guidelines for chemical, mechanical, and electrical safety.
2-1 General safety rules
Place the dispenser on a work surface that supports all four feet securely.
Plug the dispenser into a standard, grounded, electrical outlet. Note the power requirement
(120V in North America or 230V in Europe) listed on the back label of the dispenser.
Avoid the moving parts of the dispenser during operation.
2-2 Personal protective equipment
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser dispenses chemicals normally used by your company. The same
safety precautions and personal protective equipment (PPE) specified by your employer for fluid
transfer operations, such as pipetting into bio-assay well plates, should be used when operating the
dispenser and handling these materials.
2-3 Possible inhalation hazard
The dispenser was designed with chemical safety in mind; however, it does dispense picoliter
droplets of fluid and generates a small amount, less than 1% by volume, of very small aerosol
droplets that might not be trapped within the well plate that you are dispensing into. If the fluids are
known or suspected to be an inhalation hazard or contact hazard, consider using the dispenser in
an exhausted enclosure such as a lab fume hood.
2-4 Pinch hazard
The dispenser was designed with mechanical safety in mind; however, there are potential pinch
points between the pogo block and either the Dispensehead Cassette, the Dispenser deck or the
top cover. This pinch hazard is labeled on the pogo block.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser 8
WARNING: Do not look at the laser beam directly. Similarly, do not continue to look at laser light
reflected on a highly reflective substance for a long duration.
2-5 Laser safety
A Class 1 laser is used in the dispenser to determine the height of the destination plate. This Class
1 Laser follows the requirements of Laser Notice No. 50 of the FDA (CDRH), Accession No.
0520365-02. This product complies with 21 CFR Part 1040.10 for laser products. See Figure 2-1.
Figure 2-1 D300 Digital Dispenser rear placards indicating safety certifications for North America
(top) and Europe (bottom)
2-6 Electrical safety
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser has passed a TUV certification for a CUE marking signifying
compliance with applicable electrical regulations in the EU and North America. As shown in Figure
2-1, a placard is attached to the rear of the dispenser, noting this certification and the electrical
specifications of the dispenser: voltage 120V or 230V AC, 1 phase/3 wire, 50/60 Hertz, 2A full load
amperage, and short circuit interrupt rating 5000A. The dispenser includes two user-replaceable
T2A L250V (time lag, low breaking capacity 2A, 250V) fuses contained in the power inlet module at
the rear of the dispenser.
2-7 Electrical emissions safety
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser has passed an FCC/EMC test for electrical emissions safety. This
device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Any changes or
modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by the Hewlett-Packard Company may
cause harmful interference, and void your warranty.
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 their own expense. Also, this Class A digital
apparatus complies with Canadian ICES -003.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser 9
2-8 Decontamination prior to servicing
You may be required by Tecan service personnel to certify that appropriate cleaning,
decontamination, and other abatement of potential threats to Tecan service personnel have been
performed prior to shipping the dispenser for servicing. Recommended cleaning and
decontamination procedures are described in the ―Clean the dispenser‖ section of this manual.
2-9 Safe disposal of Dispensehead Cassettes
and pipette tips
Disposal of used pipette tips and HP Dispensehead Cassettes (DHCs) should be performed in
accordance with your company’s chemical waste procedures. The DHCs do not require any special
disposal procedures except for those required for the chemicals which have been placed in them by
your laboratory.
2-10 Ergonomic safety
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser typically requires a single manual pipetting operation for each
dispensed compound. In most situations, using the HP dispenser in the intended manner decreases
the frequency of shoulder, arm, and wrist motions and so decreases the stress on these joints.
As with any work task, ergonomics are heavily influenced by workstation setup. To minimize
ergonomic risks associated with the use of the dispenser, consider the following work area design
ideas:
Place the dispenser on a work bench at a height that allows for proper visual and physical
access for operators. Having the dispenser too high can lead to greater shoulder elevation
when pipetting into the Dispensehead and having the dispenser too low can lead to increased
neck and back flexion.
If an operator is too short to comfortably access the dispenser, consider moving the dispenser
to a lower bench height. Alternatively, use a footstool or high lab stool that adjusts to the proper
work height.
Place the dispenser close to the front of the work surface to minimize the distance the operator
must reach to pipette into the Dispensehead.
Place the pipette tip disposal receptacle close to the dispenser.
Place the computer keyboard close to the dispenser to minimize reach distance.
Adjust the computer monitor height and screen angle for good physical and visual access
during dispenser operation.
Use a separate mouse rather than the laptop’s touchpad whenever possible.
Perform data analysis at a separate ergonomically designed workstation whenever possible
rather than at the dispenser computer.
2-11 Additional assistance
Contact your local Tecan Service Help Desk for additional assistance. The phone number can be
found at http://www.tecan.com/customersupport.
/Clean the dispenser
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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WARNING: Observe the following cautions when cleaning the dispenser:
Do not spray cleaning fluid directly onto the Dispenser when a Dispensehead
Cassette is installed. Always avoid exposing unused Dispenseheads to cleaning
fluids.
Do not spray or wipe the ionizer bar that is mounted under the deck between the
plate opening and the Dispenseheads.
Do not spray or wipe the sensors under the Dispenser deck. Doing so could cause
the sensors to become misaligned.
Do not wipe the pogo pins. See Figure 3-2.
CAUTION: Exposing unused Dispensehead Cassettes to cleaning fluids may compromise their
performance.
3 Clean the dispenser
Figure 3-2 Pogo pin region of pogo block which should not be sprayed or wiped with cleaning fluid
As with any lab instrument, it is a best practice to routinely clean areas of the Dispenser that come
into contact with chemicals.
1. Turn off the dispenser as instructed in the ―Turn off the HP D300 Digital Dispenser‖ section
of this document.
2. Remove any unused Dispensehead Cassettes from the Dispenser.
3. Spray a cleaning solution, such as a bleach or a 70% ethanol solution, onto a fabric Texwipe or
other cloth that does not generate particles.
4. Wipe down all accessible Dispenser surfaces, including the following (See the ―Product
description― section for the location of described areas):
○ The top and bottom surfaces of the dispenser deck, avoiding the ionizer bar in the cutout
on the right side of the bottom of the deck and the sensors at the front corners of the deck
○ The pogo mechanism housing, excluding the pogo pin area as described above
○ The destination plate holder
○ The source plate holder
○ All of the outside surfaces of the dispenser
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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WARNING: Be sure the dispenser matches your outlet voltage. The voltage requirement is shown
on the label on the rear of the dispenser. Do NOT plug the dispenser in to the incorrect voltage.
If the labeled voltage on your dispenser does not match your standard outlet, contact your Tecan
Service Help Desk. The phone number can be found at http://www.tecan.com/customersupport.
Figure 4-3 On/off switch on rear of
dispenser. Depress ―1‖ to turn on.
Figure 4-4 USB port on rear of
dispenser
4 Get started
The HP D300 Digital Dispenser runs on standard AC power, either 120V or 230V, depending on the
Dispenser version. HP Product Number CV079A runs on 120V and CV080A runs on 230V. The
Product Number and the voltage requirement is shown on the label on the rear of the Dispenser.
Two electrical outlets are required, one for the dispenser and another for the computer. A dedicated
circuit is not required as the dispenser draws less than two amps.
The dispenser requires a level bench space which is 50 cm (19 inches) wide, 46 cm (18 inches)
deep, and 26 cm (10 inches) high. This does not include space for the required computer.
4-1 Start up the dispenser
1. Unpackage the dispenser and remove the four pieces of the shipping bracket.
2. Connect the separately packaged power cord to the rear of the dispenser. See Figure 4-3.
3. Plug the other end of the power cord into the appropriate power outlet. See ―Get started.‖
4. Turn the dispenser on using the main power switch adjacent to the power cord connection on
the rear of the Dispenser. Press the ―l‖ on the switch to turn the dispenser on. See Figure 4-3.
5. The HP logo on the front of the dispenser will illuminate and the pogo block LEDs will flash,
indicating the beginning of the Dispenser initialization routine.
6. Use the USB cable that came with the dispenser to connect the computer to the dispenser.
The USB port is on the rear of the dispenser. See Figure 4-4.
7. The first time the Dispenser is connected to the computer, Device Manager will ask you for a
device driver.
8. Insert the CD that was enclosed with the Dispenser into your computer’s disk drive.
9. If your computer does not autorun the installer, use Windows Explorer to locate the setup.exe
file on the CD disk drive.
10. Run setup.exe and follow the on-screen instructions to install both the device driver and the
HP D300 Digital Dispenser software.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
12
11. Check to see if an update is available for your software. Look for the latest version available
and run the *.exe file for it on the Tecan FTP site: ftp.tecan.com
Username: HP-D300
Password: HP+Tecan
12. Click on the HP D300 Digital Dispenser Software program icon on the computer desktop to
start up the HP D300 Digital Dispenser software. See Figure 4-5.
13. Wait for the Dispenser to go through the software startup routine. The stage will move to the
home position every time the HP D300 Digital Dispenser software is started.
Figure 4-5 Laptop computer showing the HP D300 Digital Dispenser software logo
4-2 Get familiar with the software
Every time the software starts, if the computer is connected to a Dispenser, the computer checks
the Dispenser USB communication, verifies that the dispenser components are operational, and
moves the stage and the pogo mechanism to their home positions. If the computer is not connected
to the Dispenser, the software is fully functional but the GO operation works in a demonstration
mode.
Once the startup routine is complete, the HP D300 Digital Dispenser main operating window
appears, showing an empty Fluids List and an image of an empty well plate. See Figure 4-6.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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Software
license
information
Look for
software
updates
Fluids List
Well plate
drop-down
list box
Well plate
images
Plate 1
information
Figure 4-6 HP D300 Digital Dispenser main operating window
The application has a standard MS Windows® look and feel. Once you get started, you can work in
different areas of the main operating window by clicking in them, you can select cells by left-clicking,
control-clicking or shift-click combined with dragging, you can right-click to perform context sensitive
operations, or see information about wells that contain fluids by hovering over them in the well plate.
1. Note that this Operating Manual is accessible two different ways, either by opening the pdf file
in the C:\Program Files\HP-D300 directory, or by clicking on Help/Operating Manual from the
main operating window as shown in Figure 4-7.
Figure 4-7 Help menu and Help/About Window
2. Note that the About window also provides access to the License information and to the Tecan
FTP site that always contains the latest version of the software. Click on Go There Now to
directly access the FTP site from the D300 Digital Dispenser software.
3. Select either 96 or 384 from the Well Plate drop-down list box.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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NOTE: Either Set Volume or Set Concentration is available on the well plate options list
depending on whether Volume or Concentration mode was selected in the Options: Edit:
Units. See ―Options: Edit: Units‖ for how to set Volume or Concentration mode.
TIP: If the Set Volume or Set Concentration option is grayed out, the fluids table is empty, so
follow step 4 above to add a fluid to the fluid table.
NOTE: Two different drop volumes are used in the dispenser. For dispense volumes less than
3.5nL, the dispenser uses the closest number of either 13pL or 20pL drops to dispense as close
as possible to the requested volume. For volumes greater than 3.5nL, the dispenser uses the
closest number of 400pL bursts (20 drops simultaneously dispensed from 20 nozzles which are
each 20pL) in order to dispense very close to the requested volume very rapidly.
NOTE: To build a new plate configuration, see ―Create plate configurations‖.
4. Put at least one fluid in the Fluids List, by entering any characters in the Name cell, or by
copying and pasting a list of compounds from an Excel file. The order of the fluids in the Fluids
List is the order in which the fluids will be dispensed.
5. Learn how to select and deselect wells in the plate design:
○ Select any number of wells by clicking and dragging in the well plate image. Any well
which is partially selected becomes one of the selected wells. Give it a try!
○ Select nonadjacent wells by holding down the CTRL key while selecting wells.
○ Deselect wells by clicking on them again while holding down the CTRL key.
○ Deselect all selected wells by clicking on other wells or clicking on the edge of the well
plate (outside the wells) while not holding down the CTRL key.
6. Just for fun, select some wells, then right-click on them to open the Edit Well Plate menu. Click
on Set Volume or Set Concentration, enter the number 1 in the volume or concentration box
and click OK. The wells you selected will turn red because they now contain fluid 1 in your
plate design.
In general, this is a great way to learn to use the software—try things out, right- or left-click
when you are unsure, and move the mouse over areas to check them out.
Don’t worry, you won’t break anything!
7. Now that you have set up some wells, place the cursor over a colored well and observe the
information that appears in the well pop-ups.
Note that the first three values (assay volume, total volume, and DMSO content) regard the
entire contents of the well. Below these values, information is given separately for each fluid in
that well. With the exception of assay volume, there are two values for each well pop-up entry:
the first value and then a second value enclosed by square brackets, for example [0.960 nl].
The first value is the volume or concentration that was requested, and the second bracketed
value is what will actually be dispensed since only an integer number of drops can be
dispensed. This is where the name Digital Dispenser comes from, an integer number of
ultrasmall droplets.
4-3 Load an existing plate configuration
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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NOTE: These identifiers may be typed into the Fluids List individually, or they may be entered by
scanning a barcode, or pasted in from an Excel or other tab-separated file that has a compatible
layout. To copy and paste information from another file, the information must be arranged in
columns as the Fluids List is, but it is not necessary that the originating table contain all of the
columns that the Fluids List contains. Once you have pasted information into the Fluids List, if
certain cells (such as those in the Concentration column) do not contain the proper numerical
data, then default values will be used for those cells.
TIP: Paste information from another file into the Fluids List just as you would in any other
Windows program: click in the upper left-most cell that you want to paste into, then right-click and
select Paste.
8. On the HP D300 Digital Dispenser main operating window, click File and then Load Plate
Configuration, then locate and select a plate configuration (.xls) that has been previously
saved on your computer. Example configurations are in C:\Program Files\HP-D300\Configs.
Many of the settings, including the Fluids List, assay volume, DMSO limit, plate layout and the
plate jitter option, will change to reflect the configuration you select. See Figure 4-8. Up to
five plates can be included in a Plate Configuration for multiplate configurations.
Figure 4-8 Click File and then Load Plate Configuration
9. If the Fluids List needs to be modified, enter the new fluid name, source plate, source well and
concentration in the Source Plate/Vial, Source Well and Concentration columns in the Fluids
List. Only the fluid name and concentration are required. See Figure 4-9.
○ If the NoDispense check box is selected, you can program that fluid just like the other
fluids, but it will not be dispensed. This may be useful when you want to maintain
information in the output report file about wells that have not been dispensed into. See
Figure 4-9.
○ If the Edit check box is deselected, that fluid cannot be added to the configuration and will
not be displayed in the plate layout. This fluid will still be displayed in the Global View
layout if it was added to any wells prior to deselecting the Edit check box, and it will still be
dispensed. Deselecting the Edit check box may be useful when you have added multiple
fluids to individual wells and want to view or manipulate one or more fluids in the well, but
not all the fluids in the well.
10. Click on the arrow at the lower-right corner of the Fluids List to display the entire Fluids List.
See Figure 4-9.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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NOTE: The Fluids List can also be managed by clicking Edit and then Fluids List.
Click here
to view the
entire fluids
list
If necessary, enter the new fluid name, source
plate, source well and concentration here
NoDispense
check-box
Edit
check-box
Figure 4-9 Main operating window showing Fluid Table options.
4-4 Get to know the Options dialog box
At the HP D300 Digital Dispenser main operating window, click Setup and then Options to open
the Options dialog box.
Figure 4-10 Click Setup and then Options to open the Options dialog box
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
17
4-4-1 Options: General
From the main operating window, click Setup, then Options , then General to open the General
pane of the Options dialog box. See Figure 4-10. In the General pane, you can choose whether to
show the Offline mode message when you use the software when not connected to an HP D300
Digital Dispenser. When in Offline mode, you can choose how rapidly to ―pseudo-dispense‖ upon
using the Go button using the Offline mode simulation speed. You can also choose whether to
show the requested volume or the dispensed volume, or both, in the Well Pop-ups, as described
below. For small volumes, the dispensed volume may be slightly different than the requested
volume due to the integer number of drops resolution of the Digital Dispenser.
Well pop-ups are the information about the contents of a well that is displayed when you move the
mouse over the well plate image on the main operating window. Note that when ―Show both
requested volume and dispensed volumes/concentrations‖ is selected, the format of the pop-up is
Requested [Dispensed], , as shown in Figure 4-11, such that the requested volumes and
concentrations are shown first and the dispensed volumes and concentrations are shown next,
enclosed in brackets.
Figure 4-11 Example of a well pop-up that displays both requested and [dispensed] volumes and
concentrations
4-4-2 Options: Edit: Units
In the Options dialog box, click Edit and then Units to open the Edit: Units pane of the Options
dialog box. See Figure 4-12.
The Type area of the dialog box allows you to determine whether the setup mode for titrations
is specified using concentration or volume.
The Wells area allows you to specify the unit type for volume and concentration and to specify
the number of decimal places used in plate setup.
The Fluids area allows you to specify the number of decimal places used in the Fluids List.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
18
Figure 4-12 Edit: Units pane of the Options dialog box
4-4-3 Options: Edit: Fluid Defaults
In the Options dialog box, click Edit and then Fluid Defaults to open the Edit: Fluid Defaults pane
of the Options dialog box. Set the default concentration for new fluids and specify whether default
fluids will be dispensed. See Figure 4-13.
Figure 4-13 Edit: Fluid Defaults pane of the Options dialog box
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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IMPORTANT: Plate Jitter while dispensing is highly recommended when dispensing directly into
plates containing live cells to reduce the deleterious effect of a DMSO bolus on the cells.
4-4-4 Options: Edit: Assay Defaults
In the Options dialog box, click Edit and then Assay Defaults to open the Edit: Assay Defaults
pane of the Options dialog box. Set the default assay volume and the default DMSO limit here.
See Figure 4-14.
Figure 4-14 Edit: Assay Defaults pane of the Options dialog box
4-4-5 Options: Plate Jitter
In the Options dialog box, click Plate Jitter to open the Plate Jitter pane of the Options dialog box.
See Figure 4-15. Use plate jitter if shaking the destination plate is desired either during and/or after
dispense, for example if you are dispensing into wells containing cells.
Select Jitter the plate while dispensing into each well to shake the destination plate during the
dispense. When this option is chosen, shaking only above a specified volume may be entered.
Typically, only dispense volumes greater than 100nL have a deleterious effect on plated cells.
Additionally, Jitter the plate after dispensing from each Dispensehead may be selected to shake
the destination plate post-dispense. If this option is utilized, enter the number of seconds to shake
after each Dispensehead has completed dispensing.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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Figure 4-15 Plate Jitter pane of the Options dialog box
4-4-6 Options: Report
In the Options dialog box, click Report to open the Report pane of the Options dialog box as shown
in Figure 4-16. Use the Report pane to alter options related to the output report that the HP D300
Digital Dispenser software automatically generates after every dispense run (plate). In the Report
pane, you can choose to Display the report after every run, alternatively you would choose
File/View Report or use Excel to view the report after the run. Select Automatically save the
report after every run to save Report files, and Only save if the run was successful to omit
reports for aborted runs. You may also choose to use the default report naming convention by
selecting Use “HP-D300_configurationame_date_time” as the file name and enter the Report
File Path where these reports should be saved, or if this option is not selected, Report File Path will
change to Report File Name where you enter your own report file location and naming convention.
When this option selected, you can choose to rename each new report with automatic incrementing,
overwrite existing reports or to prompt you for a new file name at the completion of each run.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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Figure 4-16 Report pane of the Options dialog box
4-5 Plate dispense procedure
4-5-1 Initiate plate dispense
After selecting the desired plate configuration and verifying the options, click the GO button in the
lower-right corner of the main operating window. See Figure 4-17.
Figure 4-17 Main operating window
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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4-5-2 Scan and load the well plates
1. Optional. If the destination well plate has an identification code you would like to track, scan
the bar code on the well plate using a USB bar code reader attached to your computer, or
enter its identification number manually into the box on the Load Well Plate dialog box. See
Figure 4-18.
Figure 4-18 Load Well Plate dialog box. Be very careful to load the plate that is requested.
2. Place the well plate on the destination plate holder. See Figure 4-19. Engage the top left
corner of the well plate on the pillars first, then snap the well plate fully into the spring clips.
○ Make sure the plate is completely level and down on the destination plate holder.
○ Ensure that the A1 well position is at the top-left corner of the destination plate holder.
3. Click OK. The Load Cassette dialog box appears. See Figure 4-20.
Figure 4-19 Destination plate holder on the dispenser
Figure 4-20 Load Cassette dialog box
4-5-3 Load a Dispensehead Cassette
1. If a Dispensehead Cassette is already in place with unused Dispenseheads, click OK in the
Load Cassette dialog box to continue (see Figure 4-20). If you are unsure whether there are
any unused Dispenseheads on the Cassette, click OK and the dispenser will test the
Dispenseheads to find which ones are unused.
2. Load a new Dispensehead Cassette if necessary as shown in Figure 4-21:
a. If a Cassette is already loaded in the dispenser, lift the tab with the HP logo and pull the
Cassette out of the deck.
HP D300 Digital Dispenser
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CAUTION: Using a multichannel pipette enables the loading of multiple Dispenseheads
simultaneously. Make sure that you fill the Dispenseheads with the LARGEST load volume of the
set of Dispenseheads you are loading. It is indicated in the upper right of the dialog box (―Max.
Load Volume‖) as shown in Figure 4-22.
b. Lift a new Cassette out of the clamshell container and place it white logo side up into the
cutout on the Dispenser deck.
c. Make sure it is fully inserted so the top surface of the Cassette is the same height as the
top of the deck all the way around the cassette.
Figure 4-21 Loading a new Dispensehead Cassette
3. Once the Cassette is fully inserted, click OK in the Load Cassette dialog box (see Figure 4-
20). The pogo mechanism will engage and the Dispenseheads will be electrically tested to
ensure quality. Then the Load Fluid dialog box appears. See Figure 4-22.
4-5-4 Load fluid into the Dispensehead
When the Load Fluid dialog box opens, the OK and Skip buttons flash above the first Dispensehead
that will be loaded (see Figure 4-22), and a blue LED illuminates the first Dispensehead on the front
of the pogo mechanism.
1. Fill a low volume pipette with at least the amount of fluid that is indicated in the Load Fluid
dialog box, or fill a multipipetter with the appropriate number of fluids in the proper order as
shown in the Load Fluids dialog box. If a multipipetter is used, use the Max. Load Volume for
all Dispenseheads as shown on the right side of the dialog, as circled in Figure 4-22. The
source plate and source well location of the fluid to load will also be identified in the Load Fluid
dialog box if that information was entered in the Fluids List. Be sure to load the proper
compound into the proper Dispensehead.
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