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TEMPEST PFE Chip Care Guide
Following extended periods of downtime, the chip diaphragm may require exercising before use. The exercising process involves priming the chip using recirculate mode. This cycling softens the PFE membranes inside the chips to ensure proper dispense volumes. If this procedure is skipped, the internal diaphragms may close, and the chip will no longer function.
There are two tutorials included in this PFE chip care guide:
Make sure that the PFE chips are installed on TEMPEST.
Turn on the TEMPEST and ensure that it is attached to a laptop/computer/system through a USB cable. Finally, launch the TEMPEST software from your computer.
To exercise the PFE Chips prior to use:
Place a 96-well plate on the TEMPEST Plate Holder.
Fill the reservoir with distilled water and place the input tubing for all PFE chips into the reservoir.
Select Options under the Tools menu, and set the Recirculate Prime Volume for HV Chip option to 10,000.0 µL. Click Save.
Set the Recirculate Prime Volume for HV Chip Option to 10000.0 µL
Wash the chips by following the Washing the Chips guide. To ensure a thorough wash, set the wash volume to 5,000 µL or more.
Your PFE chips are now ready to use.
Storage of PFE Chips
The PFE chips should be stored with a layer of 35% Glycerol in the fluid channels to prevent the diaphragms from sticking and keep the chips in good working condition.
Required Supplies:
35% Glycerol solution
A reservoir for Glycerol
TEMPEST PFE chip(s)
To prepare the PFE chips for storage:
Prepare 35% glycerol solution in the reservoir and place the input lines for PFE chips into the solution.
In the TEMPEST software:
Click Tools and select Options.
Set the Recirculate Prime Volume for HV Chip in the Dispense Options tab to 1000 µL.
Click Save.
Set the Tubing Prime Volume for HV Chip (Recirculate) Option to 1000.0 µL
Note: You can reset the dispense settings to the default values by clicking the Restore Default Value button after finishing the storage procedure.
Click the Prime All button to run the assigned prime sequence to pump glycerol through the chips.
Create a dispense list for a 96-well plate and assign Reagent to add 9 µL of 35% glycerol solution into each well of your 96-well plate.
Run the dispense.
Fill the diaphragm with glycerol by cycling the manual valve control to open the large and small diaphragms (green) to leave glycerol inside the chip(s).
Valve Control Tab
Use a lint-free cloth to dab up any glycerol drops hanging from the PFE chip nozzles.
 Option to 1000.0 uL_502x450.png "Set the Recirculate Prime Volume for HV Chip Option to 1000.0 µL")
to run the assigned prime sequence to pump glycerol through the chips.