You are here: Administrative Tasks : Generating Plate Definition Files

Generating Plate Definition Files

It is possible to programmatically build a full MANTIS plate definition with the ability to customize every available variable. Read the description in the table and pay close attention to the formatting for Rectangular and Circular plate-type definitions.

Rectangular Plate

The Rectangular Plate Definition File Format Sample

Legend:

■ Space

No.	Variable	Description	Acceptable Value
No.	Variable	Description	Sample Value	Variable Key
	Version	Version of plate definition parser within the MANTIS software. Each MANTIS software version comes with a parser version. The current plate definition parser is compatible with the previous software versions, but we recommend upgrading the software to accommodate the parser to read the plate definition accurately.	3	Plate definition parser version (file format)
	Plate Specification	Specifies the plate definition settings to adjust the dispense behavior.	Custom-Plate-96-with-2-drops	Notes for plate
			8	Number of plate rows
			12	Number of plate columns
			9.0	Row pitch in mm
			9.0	Column pitch in mm
			47.872	Plate height in mm
			SBS%32Adapter.ad.txt	Reference plate’s filename. Values in the Adapter are default values.
			zdrop:1.4	Zdrop height in mm
			velocity:100	Motor’s speed/velocity during dispense in percentage (%)
			minsd:4	Minimum number of Small Diaphragm dispenses that must be done prior to using the Large Diaphragm
	Well/Drop	Defines the Well/Drop specification according to the datasheet and A1 location. Note: You can use both Well and Drop specifications in a specific plate definition, for example when you are using the MRC 2 Crystallization plates.	Well/Drop	Dispense location
			1	Index location: 1 corresponds to the first well/drop location 2 corresponds to the second well/drop location
			X	X-axis marking
			11.005	X-axis value for A1 location
			Y	Y axis marking
			7.865	Y-axis value for the A1 location
			Z	Z-axis marking
			-40.707	Z-axis value for A1 location
			3	Well length in mm
			3	Well width in mm
			Rectangle	The well’s shape (Rectangle or Circle)

Circular Plate

The Circular Plate Definition File Format Sample

Legend:

■ Space

No.	Variable	Description	Acceptable Value
No.	Variable	Description	Sample Value	Variable Key
	“Circular Data”	Defines the circular plate specification to adjust the dispense behavior.	“PlateType"	”circular” — Defines the plate’s shape.
			"Adapter": "SourceFileName" "Origin": “X” “Y” “Z”	SourceFileName: “SBS Adapter.ad.txt" — Defines the reference plate’s filename. Values in the Adapter are default values. Origin — Defines the plate’s X, Y, and Z axis values: X:-47.548 Y: 42.974 Z: 53.136
			"CenterPoint": “X” “Y” “Z”	Defines the X, Y, Z-axis values towards the plate’s center point location. X: 15.0 Y: 50.0 Z: 0.0
			"A1Point" “X” “Y” “Z”	Defines the axis values of the A1 location on the plate. X: 1.0 Y: 31.0 Z: 0.0
			"NumberOfWell"	2 — Defines the number of wells/vials on the plate.
			"IsNamingClockwise"	true — Defines the dispense direction (Clockwise or Counterclockwise) from the A1 location.
			"RepeatNumberingCount"	12 — Defines the well naming convention. For example, when setting it to 12, MANTIS will name the first well A1 and after well A12, it will start naming wells with B1 until B12, and so on.
			"Wells": “ID” “Name” “Location”: “X” “Y” “Z” “TLBLocation”: “X” “Y” “Z”	ID: 1 — Defines the well location to be dispensed. Name: “A1” — Defines the well location to be dispensed repeatedly. Location — Defines the X, Y, and Z axis values of the A1 location on the plate. X: 0.99999999999999467 Y: 31.000000000000004 Z: 0.0 TLBLocation — The X, Y, and Z axis values to determine the gap of chip and plate surface. X: 0.99999999999999467 Y: 31.000000000000004 Z: 9.665
	Note	Notes for plate	"Circular 2 Wells"
	ZDrop	Defines the Zdrop height in millimeters (mm) when the chip moves to each well during a dispense. Set the Zdrop value when you are using a deep-well plate to prevent collision between chip nozzle and plate.	0.0
	Velocity	Motor’s speed/velocity during dispense in percentage (%)	100.0
	MinSDPump	Defines the minimum Small Diaphragm used in the first dispense of each well.	0

Generating Plate Definition Files

Related Topics