Hygiena Dualo 32 Instruction sheet

Product Instructions
Dualo 32®
Product No. MCH230008

Product Instructions:
Revision A, September 2023
Dualo 32®
Product No.: MCH230008

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This manual will teach you what you need to know to start running your Dualo 32®instrument.
It describes everything from connecting your instrument to the network to data analysis for your
qPCR experiments.
Contents include
1. SETUP
Learn how to install your Dualo 32 - from setting it up on your workbench,
to configuring the instrument and installing the software.
2. TIPS
Learn some useful tips for using your instrument.
3. EXPERIMENT
Learn the basics of setting up an experiment on your Dualo 32.
4. ANALYSIS
Learn how to easily analyze your results.
5. EXPORT
Learn how to export your data for use with other software.
6. MAINTENANCE
Learn how to look after your Dualo 32.
7. TROUBLESHOOTING
If you ever have a problem with your instrument, learn how to troubleshoot it here.
8. WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
9. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
1. SETUP
Installing your Dualo 32
You should have the following items in the Dualo 32 flight case:
1. Dualo 32 qPCR Instrument
2. Power Supply Unit and Mains Cable
3. Ethernet Cable
4. USB Drive
Please keep the flight case and outer box the Dualo 32 came in, in case you need to protect
your Dualo 32 during storage or shipment in future.
Lid
The lid ensures that tubes are seated correctly in the wells, provides optical isolation, includes
a heated lid to reduce condensation, and prevents dust falling into empty wells.
USB Port
Insert the USB drive here to run an experiment from the USB drive.
Lid
USB Port
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SETUP

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Display LEDs
The Dualo 32 uses display LEDs to help you understand what the instrument is doing.
Here is a summary of these display LEDs.
Blue Initializing
Green Idle
Red Lid open - please close the lid
Yellow Tubes loaded
Blue Running, low temperature
Pink Running, medium temperature
Red Running, high temperature
Cyan Experiment complete
Red-Flashing Fault detected
Dualo 32 Connections
The Dualo 32 has three connections. One in the front and two in back as shown below:
This is to connect your Dualo 32 to the
provided power supply unit.
This is for connecting your Dualo 32 to
your LAN or computer.
Ethernet PortPower
Ethernet Port
Power
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SETUP

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Powering on your Dualo 32
Place the Dualo 32 on your lab bench and then connect AC power to the power supply unit.
After a few seconds, your instrument will turn on. The display LEDs will light up blue and then
turn green if a lid is closed or red if not. Your Dualo 32 is ready to run. The Dualo 32 uses a
3-pin IEC mains connector. If you are not using a grounded supply, then you must provide an
additional ground connection.
Connecting your Dualo 32
to a Network, PC or Laptop
Connect one end of the Ethernet cable to the instrument and the other end to a LAN port, or
directly to your computer. Once your Dualo 32 is connected to a LAN, you can connect to your
instrument via Wi Fi if your network supports it.
Dualo 32 Connection Modes
USB
USB
1. Direct network connection
3. USB drive connection
2. Local area network connection
LAN
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SETUP

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Dualo 32 Heated Lid
The Dualo 32 heated lid will get hot. Please do not touch it. The heated lid will be preheated to
105 ºC if user activity is detected. This enables your run to start as soon as possible. After
5 minutes of inactivity, the heated lid will be turned off to conserve energy.
Installing your Dualo 32 Software
WINDOWS (MAC OS X also available)
Double-click on the Dualo 32-Windows-Installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install
your Dualo 32 software on Windows.
HEATED LID
DO NOT TOUCH
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SETUP

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Configuring your Dualo 32
Please select Configuration
Please select Dualo 32
To add your new Dualo 32, select the Add button.
You will now be presented with a list of available instruments.
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SETUP

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Double-click on the instrument
you wish to connect to, or press
Select with the instrument
selected. The instrument will
now be added to the list of
Registered Instruments for
use in the software.
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SETUP

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
2. TIPS
Here are some great tips to keep in mind while running the Dualo 32 instrument.
1. Lid gets warm
2. Do not leave the lid open
3. Spin the tubes
4. Remove all bubbles
5. Keep the lab clean
6. Keep the instrument clean
7. PC settings
Lid gets warm
The Dualo 32 lid can get warm during operation. This is completely normal.
Do not leave the lid open
If the lid is open dust may fall into the wells and affect the performance of the instrument.
Spin the tubes
This will ensure all well contents are at the bottom of the wells and will improve performance.
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TIPS

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Remove all bubbles
Bubbles can cause optical artefacts as shown in the graph below. Ensure that no bubbles are
present in reaction volumes.
Keep the lab clean
Please keep your work space clean, including all lab equipment like surfaces, pipettes and tube
racks. This will keep the instrument clean and help maintain good results.
Keep the instrument clean
We recommend a routine cleaning of the instrument. To do so, follow the cleaning guide in the
Maintenance Section.
PC settings
Please disable all power saving settings e.g., sleep and hibernate.
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TIPS

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Click New to create a new experiment.
3. EXPERIMENT
This section will teach you everything you need to know to get started with Dualo 32 experiments.
You will learn how to create, save, open and close experiments. You will also learn how to set up
sample information. Finally we will show you how to run your new experiment from the software,
and from the USB drive provided.
Choose a New Experiment
Below is the Dualo 32 home screen.
EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Choose a Template from the list by highlighting it,
then click Select. By using a template you will be
selecting pre-set parameters - temperature profile,
optical and analysis settings to run an experiment.
Choose Add to put a new Template to the list.
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EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Experiment Summary
Once you have chosen a new experiment from a template, the Experiment Summary will be
displayed as shown below:
By default, the experiment name will be
“New Experiment” with a date and time
stamp, which can be edited.
The summary will give you information
about the instrument you are running, the
settings chosen and any useful notes you
choose to add about your experiment.
EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Open an Experiment
By selecting Open, you can open an experiment as shown below:
USB Run
To open a USB run, navigate to the USB location using the Open dialog window shown below.
Select Experiment File in the Files of Type drop down menu and then double click on the USB run.
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EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Saving an Experiment
Once a run has finished, it can either be automatically saved to a pre-set location on your
computer or manually saved by you. The experiment must be saved before the software is
closed to ensure that data is not lost.
Automatic Saving
When starting a run, you will be prompted with the window displayed below.
To automatically save your data when the run has finished, click Browse and choose the
location to save your run to.
Make sure the first checkbox is selected and your experiments will be automatically saved. To
prevent the software from showing this dialog again, select the second checkbox. You can
change these settings later by clicking Configuration and selecting General Config.
Manual Saving
Once your run has finished, you can save your experiment manually by clicking Save or Save
As. The first time an experiment is saved, you will be prompted to select a location and filename
to use. After this, you can click Save to use the same location, overwriting the previous version,
or Save As to choose a new location.
Closing an Experiment
To close an experiment, select Close. If the experiment has not been saved, the following
dialog box will appear:
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EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Samples
You will now learn how to set up samples which can be defined as follows:
Samples or targets do not need to be defined before starting a run. They can be added to an
experiment, while it is running or once it has finished. With a new experiment created, please
select the Samples tab as shown below:
Adding Samples
Samples can be added and removed from the experiment by selecting + and - in the
Samples panes.
The order of samples can be altered by clicking the Up and Down arrows in the
Samples panes.
Assigning Samples to Wells
Assign wells by selecting them and clicking Set. Samples can also be unassigned by selecting
wells you wish to un-assign and clicking Clear.
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EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Assigning Targets to Wells
Targets can be assigned to wells as a Standard, Unknown or Negative by clicking Std.,Unk, or
Neg., respectively. Assignments can be cleared by clicking Clear with the targets and wells you
wish to clear selected. For more information about different types of standard controls, please
contact technical support.
Starting a Run from the Software
To start a run from the Dualo 32 software, select Start Run. You will be presented with the
auto-save options (unless you have chosen not to be prompted) and then be asked to choose
an instrument from the list of Registered Instruments. Select an instrument and press Select
to begin the run.
Starting a Run from a USB Drive
To start a run using a USB drive, select Start Run. When you are asked to choose an instrument,
select Start run from USB. You will then be prompted to find the location of your USB drive.
Once selected, press Save and safely remove your USB drive as normal. The USB drive can
now be placed into the instrument and your experiment will start automatically.
EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Loading Strips into your Dualo 32
In order to ensure that the heated lid is balanced, please make sure that the mount contains at
least a strip in rows A and D (as shown in blue below) or single tubes in wells A1, A8, D1 and
D8. These positions can be filled with tubes containing reagents, or empty tubes.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
A
B
C
D
EXPERIMENT

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MCH230008 - Dualo 32®
Click on the Auto. Quant. analysis in the Analysis
pane on the left hand side of the screen.
ANALYSIS
4. ANALYSIS
Depending on the chosen template, different types of analysis are pre-set.
Auto Quantification
Quantifiers
If you have assigned standards with different known quantifiers to your experiment, for example
a dilution series, you will be able to see your reaction efficiency by selecting Quantifiers. Here
you will be shown the relationship between Cq and input template quantity, plus a variety of
statistics derived from the standards.