Molecular Devices versamax Operator's Manual
VERSAmax
™
Tunable Microplate Reader
Operator’s Manual
for Instruments with Serial Numbers
Beginning with BN
Molecular Devices Corporation
1311 Orleans Drive
Sunnyvale, California 94089
Part # 0112-0084
Rev. A
Molecular Devices Corporation
VERSAmax
™
Operator’s Manual
Copyright
Copyright 2001, Molecular Devices Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language
or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Molecular Devices Corporation,
1311 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, California, 94089, United States of America.
Patents
The VERSAmax and methods are protected by the following patents:
U.S. Patents
4,968,148, 5,112,134,
and
6,151,111;
Canadian Patent
1,305,334
.
Other U.S. and International patents pending.
Trademarks
VERSAmax and Automix are trademarks and SOFTmax is a registered trademark of Molecular
Devices Corporation.
Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Incorporated.
All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
owners.
Disclaimer
Molecular Devices Corporation reserves the right to change its products and services at any time to
incorporate technological developments. This manual is subject to change without notice.
Although this manual has been prepared with every precaution to ensure accuracy, Molecular Devices
Corporation assumes no liability for any errors or omissions, nor for any damages resulting from the
application or use of this information.
Molecular Devices Corporation Instrument Warranty
Molecular Devices Corporation warrants this product against defects in material or workmanship as
follows:
1) All parts of the VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader are warranted for a period of one (1) year
from the original date of delivery.
2) All labor charges to repair the product for a period of one (1) year from the original date of
delivery will be paid by Molecular Devices Corporation.
3) This warranty covers the VERSAmax instrument only, and does not extend to any computer,
printer, software, reagents, or disposables used with the instrument.
ii VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
Labor and Parts
To obtain warranty service during the applicable warranty period, you must take the product or deliver the product properly packaged in the original shipping materials and carton to an authorized
Molecular Devices Corporation service facility. You must call or write to the nearest Molecular
Devices Corporation service facility to schedule warranty service. You may call Molecular Devices
Corporation at the telephone number or address below to locate the nearest service facility. You must
schedule warranty service
questing warranty service, you must present proof of purchase documentation which includes the
date of purchase, and Molecular Devices Corporation must have the enclosed Warranty Registration
form completed, signed and returned by you within ten (10) working days of the date of delivery.
This warranty covers only defects arising under normal usage and does not cover malfunctions or failures resulting from misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification, or repairs by other than an authorized Molecular Devices Corporation service facility.
Repair or replacement as provided under this warranty is the exclusive remedy of the purchaser (the
“Buyer”).
sequential damages for breach of any express or implied warranty on this product, except to the extent required by applicable law. The Seller specifically excludes all express and implied warranties
including without limitation any implied warranty that the products sold under this agreement are
merchantable or are fit for any particular purpose, except such warranties expressly identified as
warranties and set forth in the Seller’s current operating manual, catalog or written guarantee covering such product. The Seller also makes no warranty that the products sold under this agreement
are delivered free of the rightful claim of any third party by way of patent infringement or the like.
If the Buyer furnishes specifications to the Seller, the Buyer agrees to hold the Seller harmless against
any claim which arises out of compliance with the specifications.
Molecular Devices Corporation (the “Seller”) shall not be liable for any incidental or con-
prior to bringing or shipping the product for servicing. At the time of re-
Any description of the products contained in this agreement is for the sole purpose of identifying
them. Any such description is not part of the basis of the bargain and does not constitute a warranty
that the products shall conform to that description. Any sample or model used in connection with this
agreement is for illustrative purposes only, is not part of the basis of the bargain, and is not to be construed as a warranty that the products will conform to the sample or model. No affirmation of fact or
promise made by the Seller, whether or not in this agreement, shall constitute a warranty that the
products will conform to the affirmation or the promise.
For the name of the nearest authorized Molecular Devices Corporation service facility, please contact
Molecular Devices at one of the following telephone numbers:
(408) 747-1700
(800) 635-5577 (U.S. and California)
VERSA
MAX
Tunable Microplate Reader
100-240V ~ 4A 50-60 HZ T4.0A
!
2 Lines Fused, unplug before servicing!
Vor Wartungsarbeiten Netzstecker ziehen!
Sunnyvale, CA!
Made in USA
Protected by US Patents 4,968,148; 5,112,134;
and 6,151,111
Protected by Canadian Patent 1,305,334
Other US and International patents pending
VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual iii
Contents
Figures and Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Conventions Used in this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Glossary of Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Chapter 1 Instrument Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
General Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Component Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Control Panel Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
The Microplate Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
The Back Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Functional Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Stand-Alone Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Computer Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Chapter 2 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Installation Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Installation Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Setting Up for Stand-Alone Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Chapter 3 Stand-Alone Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Prepare for a Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Turn the Instrument and Printer On . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Set the Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
iv VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
Chapter 4 Maintenance and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Warnings and Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Cleaning the Fan Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Changing the Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Error Codes and Probable Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Opening the Drawer Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Appendix A Printers and Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Appendix B Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-1
VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual v
Figures
Table
Figure 1.1: VERSAmax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Figure 1.2: Major Areas of the VERSAmax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4
Figure 1.3: Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4
Figure 1.4: Microplate Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6
Figure 1.5: Components on the Back Panel of the
VERSAmax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-7
Figure 2.1: View of Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
Figure 4.1: Power Switch, Fuse Box, and Power Receptacle. . . . . . . . . .4-5
Figure 4.2: Removing the Fuse Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-6
Figure 4.3: The Fuse Box and Holder (with Fuses) Removed. . . . . . . . .4-6
Table 4.1: Error Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
vi VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
Conventions
Used in this
Manual
Glossary of
Terms
The names of keys that appear on the VERSAmax control panel are shown in
boxed Helvetica type. Example:
Italic and boldface type are used for emphasis. Examples: “Press carefully to
engage,”
NOTE:
!
“Do not press down.”
A note provides information that will help you properly execute an
action or procedure.
CAUTION:
age the instrument or one of its components or could result in loss of
data.
WARNING:
person working with the system.
BIOHAZARD:
logical agents requiring that proper handling precautions be taken.
Indicates an action or condition that could potentially dam-
Indicates a situation that could result in potential injury to a
Indicates a condition involving potentially infectious bio-
[Drawer]
.
Absorbance, A
The amount of light absorbed by a solution. To measure absorbance accurately, it is necessary to eliminate light scatter. In the absence of turbidity,
absorbance = optical density.
A = log (I
= incident light
I
0
I = transmitted light
In this manual, we use the terms absorbance and optical density
interchangeably.
0
/I)
Optical Density, OD
The amount of light passing through a sample to a detector relative to the
total amount of light available. Optical Density includes absorbance of the
sample plus light scatter from turbidity.
Transmittance, T
The ratio of transmitted light to the incident light.
T = I/I
%T = 100 T
0
VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual vii
viii VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
Chapter 1 Instrument Description
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3
General Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3
Component Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4
Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4
Control Panel Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-5
The Microplate Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6
The Back Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-7
Functional Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-8
Stand-Alone Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-8
Temperature Regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9
Computer Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-9
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11
Chapter 1
1-2 VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
Instrument Description
Introduction
General Overview
The VERSAmax™ Tunable Microplate Reader incorporates a holographic
grating monochromator which allows you to specify a precise wavelength,
from 340 nm to 850 nm, for the absorbance maximum of your sample when
controlled by an external computer and SOFTmax
VERSAmax can measure optical density (OD) for a single point in time (endpoint) or over a speciÞed period of time (kinetic).
Typical applications include endpoint assays (ELISAs, performed in microplates or as dot blots, quantitation of cytoproliferation by MTT reduction, colorimetric protein assays, and kinetic measurements (enzyme studies, such as
determination of the activity of enzymes released from cells, and kinetic ELISAs).
Standard 96-well microplates, strip wells, and Þlter-bottom microplates can
be used in the VERSAmax. The contents of the wells in a microplate can be
mixed automatically by shaking before each read cycle, which makes it possible to perform kinetic analysis of solid-phase, enzyme-mediated reactions
(mixing is not critical for liquid-phase reactions).
The temperature of the microplate chamber can be regulated, if desired from
4°C above ambient to 45°C.
®
PRO software. The
Figure 1.1: The VERSAmax Instrument
VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual 1-3
Chapter 1
Component
Description
Control Panel
The main components of the VERSAmax are:
• The control panel
• The microplate drawer
• The back panel (connections and power switch)
Back Panel
Microplate
Drawer
Figure 1.2: Major areas of the VERSAmax
Control Panel
Figure 1.3: Control Panel
The control panel consists of an LCD and four pressure-sensitive, membrane
keys which can be used to set the temperature inside the microplate drawer
and open or close the microplate drawer. Pressing a control panel key activates the function.
LCD
A 2- × -20-character liquid crystal display which shows the current instrument
settings.
1-4 VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
Instrument Description
Keys
(Incubator) Enables/disables the incubator function.
(Incubator) Allows you to enter a set point to regulate the
microplate chamber temperature. Pressing the up or down
arrow key scrolls up or down, starting at the previous temperature setting (or the default of 37.0°C, if no setting had
been made). Pressing the up (
crements or decrements the temperature shown in the display by 0.1°C; pressing and holding
or decrements the temperature shown in the display by 1°C
until it is released. If you increment the setting to the highest
limit (45°C) and continue to press the up (
play will not change. If you decrement the setting to the lowest limit, 15°C, and continue to press the down (
display will not change.
▲
) or down (
either arrow increments
▼
) arrow once in-
▲
) arrow, the dis-
▼
) arrow, the
CAUTION:
!
NOTE:
will
If the VERSAmax is idle, all keys on the control panel are active. The
instrument will automatically close the microplate drawer for the next
reading.
If the incubator is disabled, pressing the
enable the incubator.
Opens or closes (toggles) the microplate drawer. Whether or
not the drawer will remain open depends on the incubator
setting. If the incubator is off, the drawer will remain open;
if the incubator is on, the drawer will close after approximately 10 seconds to assist in maintaining temperature control within the microplate chamber.
Control Panel Display
[Temp On/Off]
key
The left side of the display shows the temperature, both actual and set point,
and whether or not the temperature is at the set point (enunciator blinks if
not at set point).
VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual 1-5
Chapter 1
A1 Indicator
The Microplate Drawer
Figure 1.4: Microplate Drawer
The microplate drawer is located on the right side of the VERSAmax and
slides in and out of the reading chamber. Springs on two sides of the drawer
automatically position and hold a microplate in the proper position. The
drawer remains in the reading chamber during read cycles.
Microplate drawer operation varies, depending upon the incubator status. To
open the drawer, press the
drawer will remain open for approximately ten seconds, after which a beeping sound will alert you approximately two seconds before the drawer closes
automatically.
NOTE:
Do not obstruct the movement of the drawer. If you must retrieve a
plate after an error condition or power outage and the drawer will not
open, it is possible to open it manually (see Chapter 4, “Maintenance
and Troubleshooting”).
[Drawer]
key. If the incubator is turned on, the
Microplates
The VERSAmax can accommodate standard 96-well microplates, strip wells,
and Þlter-bottom microplates.
Not all manufacturers’ microplates are the same with regard to design, materials, or conÞguration. Temperature uniformity within the microplate may
vary depending on the type of microplate used.
1-6 VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual
The Back Panel
Power Switch
Instrument Description
Fuse Box Cover
Label
Power Cord
Receptacle
Computer (RS-232)
Figure 1.5: Components on the Back Panel of the VERSAmax
The following components are located on the back panel of the VERSAmax
system:
Power switch —a rocker switch, labeled I/O (for on and off, respectively).
•
Power cord receptacle —plug the power cord in here.
•
Fuse box cover —cannot be opened while the power cord is plugged in.
•
When opened, it provides access to the fuse box containing two fuses that
are required for operation.
Computer port (double-shielded 8-pin RS-232 serial, for use with an exter-
•
nal computer)—plug the 8-pin DIN serial cable connector into this port; the
other end attaches to the serial (modem) port of the computer.
Labels —provide information about the VERSAmax, such as line voltage
•
rating, cautionary information, serial number, etc. Record the serial number
shown on this label for use when contacting Molecular Devices Technical
Services.
Printer Port (not used)
VERSAmax Tunable Microplate Reader Operator’s Manual 1-7
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