V4 Hardware Overview¶

The latest NT8 hardware version, V4, delivers enhanced performance for a more streamlined aspirate and dispense experience. Created with convenience in mind, this version is designed to improve durability and stability.

The V4 hardware utilizes separate motor board configurations, which helps to reduce electrical noise. This improvement minimizes motor skip issues and false sensor detection of LCP syringe, promising for a smoother aspirate/dispense experience.

The NT8 hood is designed with robust materials to ensure effectively air-tight seal when it’s closed. This way, humidity is controlled better and sample preservation is even more guaranteed.

Improved humidifier chamber design using 3D printing technology helps to eliminate the risk of chamber cracks. This way, humidifier leaks can be prevented.

The overall deck assembly has been optimized to promote greater stability especially if the instrument is being moved around with force applied to it. With a more stable design, you won’t need to recalibrate the stations much often!

The Plate Station depth is increased to ensure that a microplate is always fully seated when installed. The registration spring on the Plate Stations has also been redesigned to better accommodate low-profile microplates and minimize dent risk due to too much force.

For NT8 with Plate Copy option only. The V4 hardware uses Lite Touch Tip Ejection Pipetting System (LTS) as the High Volume tips. Using these tips eliminates the need for Plate Copy head lubrication, thanks to the clear-cut seal ring in each tip that compensates for the absence of O-rings in the Plate Copy head. This allows for system maintenance that is easier than ever.

Below, you’ll learn more about each part found on the instrument. The NT8 hardware is comprised of two major components: deck and head. Both are easily accessible at the front of the NT8 instrument.

The NT8 V4 Hardware - Front View

The head primarily contains tools, such as a set of 8 LV tips, to aspirate and dispense drops from 10 nL to 1.5 µL.

On the deck, you will find tip and protein reservoirs, microplate stations necessary to set up experiment plates, and so many more!

The NT8 Deck

Located at the front of the instrument, the NT8 deck contains everything needed for your dispenses including the plates, protein source, and tips.

The NT8 Deck

The NT8 deck is divided into the following stations:

Waste Station

Located on the left-side of the NT8 deck, the Waste Station is where the NT8 disposes of Low Volume (LV) tips. This waste station is conveniently designed to accommodate the 4-tip ejecting process, which is a critical sequence when preparing for a dispense into a 24-well plate.

Waste Station

OPTIONAL: LCP Mixing Station

This option is only available if you purchase NT8 with the LCP option. The LCP Mixing Station saves you time from manually mixing lipids and protein solution. Syringes are installed on the mixing station and the plungers will move from side to side until the liquid is homogenous. The mixing speed is also adjustable to meet your needs. Please read Preparing LCP Samples for detailed instructions.

OPTIONAL: LCP Calibration Station

NT8 with an LCP Option includes a Calibration Station for your LCP syringe. The calibration process is fully automatic and should be done after you mount the syringe on the NT8 head. Read Attaching The LCP Syringe for more information.

Protein Source Station

The Protein Source Station stores protein sample before it is dispensed into a plate. The NT8 supports both Low Volume (LV) and High Volume (HV) protein blocks, both of which come with a sensor that helps the NT8 Control Software to automatically detect the type of protein block being installed in the hardware.

Protein Block

When you purchase NT8, two protein blocks (low volume and high volume) come prepackaged in the accessories kit. Each protein block has three columns of eight drops each (24 total). The low volume protein block is capable of holding 3 μL while high volume protein block is capable of holding 13 μL. The protein sample is stored inside a disposable protein tray that is placed on top of the protein block and is secured by a magnet clamp.

Wash Station

The Wash Station is used to wash low volume pipette tips, allowing you to reuse them and reduce environmental waste. All eight LV tips are cleaned at the same time, both inside and outside parts. You can define the wash duration to meet your needs too!

Low Volume (LV) Tip Caddy Station

The Low Volume (LV) Tip Caddy Station is a repository that holds up to 384 replacement LV tips. Use these tips to aspirate protein sample from the protein tray.

, , Plate Stations

On the NT8 deck, there are designated areas for three SBS footprint microplates. Three microplates can be placed on the deck to transfer reagents from one plate to another. A hanging drop cover sheet can be placed on station #1 for setting hanging drops.

The NT8 accessories kit also includes a reference plate. Since V4 has utilized the laser sensor, it also uses a different Reference Plate which has a slightly different use compared to when it’s used for stage tuning in V3 hardware. The shallow engraved lines which previously connected the A1, A12, H1, H12 points were replaced with deeper grooves to accommodate laser scanning for precise X, Y, and Z coordinates. This method ensures a more accurate reference point as it eliminates the offset calculation.

Note

The reference plate can also be used as a medium to attach the

LCP plate and cover sheet necessary for LCP and hanging drop experiments.

Reference Plate

High Volume (HV) Tip Caddy Station

The HV tip caddy station presents in the NT8 deck if you purchase NT8 with this option. The HV Tip Caddy Station holds up to 96 replacement HV tips for the system.

OPTIONAL: Deep Well Station

The deep-well station is compatible with 96 deep-well plates, which are used to copies of your experiments.

The NT8 Head

The NT8 head contains tools for aspirating and dispensing liquids stored in the plates or trays on the NT8 deck. You can tell the NT8 to move the head forward and backward, up and down, or to the right or left.

What you can find on the NT8 head:

Low Volume (LV) Tip Attachments

Located in the bottom-left corner of the NT8’s head, LV tip attachments are where you install the LV tips for use in aspiration and dispense. There are up to 8 tip attachments (known as flexible fingers), that can travel independently +/- 0.5 mm vertically. This ensures pipette tips to contour to uneven plate surfaces.

All tips are also equipped with a sensor that indicates when a tip touches the surface, allowing the NT8 to drive down the surface of plate carefully. The tips will retract slightly away from the surface, allowing for a perfect dispense gap to set drops. This way, bubbles are eliminated and drop precision is improved.

Note

If the tip is touching a surface, the sensor will be off; otherwise it will be bright blue, as seen in the picture below.

Low Volume Tip Attachments

Note

When you see a tip number referenced in the text, 1 is the tip closest to the back of the instrument and 8 is the one closest to the front.

OPTIONAL: High Volume (HV) Tip Attachments

HV tip attachments are located in the bottom-right corner of the NT8’s head and are used for plate copy experiment. Each HV tip attachment is equipped with a sensor that detects contact with the liquid surface in a deep well plate. The HV tip attachment uses 200 μL pipette tips (eight at a time) to aspirate liquid from a deep well block and transfer it to a crystallization plate.

High Volume Tip Attachments
OPTIONAL: Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) Syringe Mount

If your NT8 includes the LCP option, there is an LCP Syringe Mount on the front left side of the NT8 head. It is compatible with a Hamilton LCP syringe.

LCP Syringe Mount
OPTIONAL: Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) Lever

Adjust the LCP Syringe Mount.

LCP Lever

Note

You can adjust the lever speed and height to fit the LCP syringe by clicking the Setup Joystick Speed button in the LCP Syringe Control panel and moving the lever button on the NT8’s head up and down, as needed.

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