TEMPEST is a low-maintenance liquid dispenser. For optimal operations, proper care and preventative maintenance should involve the following procedures:
Replacing the older chips with the new ones is important to maintain optimal performance of the TEMPEST instrument. When chips have reached their maximum lifespan they must be replaced to prevent instrument damage. This procedure provides instructions to swap your TEMPEST chips.
The most important aspect of TEMPEST maintenance is regular washing of the chips. Run a wash cycle at the end of each dispense session, or when switching between reagents within the same chip. Recommended wash solutions include either 70% ethanol or 10% bleach, but other options are available (contact FORMULATRIX support with questions). When rinsing with wash solutions, you must follow the wash cycle with a water rinse cycle to remove excess wash fluid. You can also wipe the bottom of the nozzles with a 70% alcohol-soaked or 10% bleach-soaked towel to remove residual reagent from the underside of the chips.
Warning: Do not wipe the tops of the chips with alcohol or they will crack.
Starting Up the TEMPEST after an Extended Period of Inactivity
After a certain period of inactivity, typically around two weeks or more, TEMPEST may need to be exercised prior to use for maximum dispense performance. Follow this guide when running your TEMPEST after long periods of inactivity.
Testing TEMPEST Chip Dispense Accuracy
To ensure the dispense volume accuracy of the TEMPEST chips, you can perform the dispense accuracy test at any time as needed before the chip lifetime expires. This gravimetric test is a quick way to verify that your chips and TEMPEST instrument are performing as intended.
If your TEMPEST has generated motor or encoder errors, you may want to test motor movement for an extended period of time to ensure proper motor and encoder operation. Go to the Test Device Motors feature to test the TEMPEST motor sequence and simulate dispense-head movements used during operation.
If you dispense multi plates with different plate definitions of your preference, you might want to test the plate movements by simulating the plate holder and stacker functionality. This test is useful following creation of a new plate definition or following edits to an existing plate definition. Most stacker-related issues are due to inaccurate plate height or plate stacked height in the plate definition settings.
PFE chips require special care prior to long-term storage to prevent the thin PFE diaphragm material from sticking or stiffening during storage. After a period of inactive use, exercising the chip diaphragm before the next experiment can help you to ensure accurate dispense volumes.
Run the regulators and solenoids test for early error detection with the pressure and vacuum in TEMPEST from the Pneumatic System Check wizard. The test automatically runs at the start-up or can be manually run for troubleshooting.
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