Matrix WellMate User manual

Matrix Technologies Corporation
22 Friars Drive
Hudson, NH 03051 USA
Phone: [phone]
www.matrixtechcorp.com
Rev. 1.6
May 2006
®
& WellMate Stacker
User Manual

Trademarks and Copyright
© 2005 Matrix Technologies Corp. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written
permission of Matrix Technologies Corporation.
WellMate is a trademark and Matrix Technologies Corp.
and the Matrix logo are registered trademarks of Matrix
Technologies Corp.
Third party products are registered trademarks of their
respective companies in the United States and/or other
countries.

Contents
®
III
Table of Contents
A. INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 1
B. INSTRUMENT OVERVIEW ...................................... 2
1. General Description.......................................................2
2. Keypad and LED Display...............................................6
3. Stacker Unit ...................................................................8
4. Specifications.................................................................9
5. Hazards/Precautions ...................................................12
C. CONFIGURING THE DEVICE................................ 13
1. Install the Tubing Cartridge..........................................13
2. Attach the Removable Plate Carriage/Stage...............16
3. Attach the Waste-Fluid Vessel.....................................17
4. Set Up Plates...............................................................18
5. Install Stackers (optional) ............................................21
6. Attach the Power Cord.................................................23
D. SETTING UP AND RUNNING THE
INSTRUMENT ........................................................ 24
1. Prime the Tubing Cartridge..........................................24
2. Create, Load and Save a Program in Memory ............25
3. Run a Program From Memory.....................................27
4.Program Lock Freature Instructions...............................29
5. Overwrite a Locked Program.........................................30
6. Set Up and Operate Stacker Base Unit.......................31
7. Operate the Instrument Manually ................................33
8. Adjust the X-Axis Stage Position .................................34
9. Adjust the Dispensing Speed.......................................36
10. Additional Functions ....................................................37
E. TUBING CARTRIDGE MAINTENANCE
AND RECALIBRATION.......................................... 39
1. Clean the Tubing Assembly .........................................39
2. Recalibrate the Tubing Cartridge If Necessary............40
F. HELPFUL HINTS.................................................... 43
G. TROUBLESHOOTING ........................................... 44

IV
Contents
H. APPENDICES......................................................... 47
1. Plate Setup....................................................................47
2. Chemical Compatibility..................................................51
3. RS-232 ASCII Commands for Remote Device
Activation...........................................................................53
4. WellMate Schematic .....................................................64
5. Customer Service..........................................................65
WARRANTY .................................................................. 66
PACKING LIST .............................................................. 69
LIST OF REPLACEMENT PARTS
AND ACCESSORIES .................................................... 65
INDEX

1
®
A. Introduction
The WellMate instrument from Matrix Technologies is a
high-speed, small footprint, 8-channel fluid dispenser for
6, 12, 24, 48, 96, and 384-well microplates. It repetitively
dispenses samples and reagents into microplates, with
high accuracy and efficiency. An optional stacker unit
provides higher throughput and walk-away capability.
You can program the WellMate unit with dispensing
protocols, setting dispense volumes, plate type, and more.
Features and applications of the WellMate instrument
include:
• Height-adjustable dispense head that accommodates
shallow- and deep-well plates and blocks.
• High-resolution, stepper-motor technology that allows
fast, accurate dispensing.
• Low-cost, replaceable tubing cartridges.
• Dynamic dispense volume range (1.0μl–2000μl),
programmable in 1.0μl increments.
• Easy programming that allows you to select individual
plate columns for dispensing.
• Memory-storage capacity for up to 18 files.
• Full RS-232 programming for ease of integration.
• Optional OCX driver interface for integration.
• Removable plate stage that allows easy cleaning of the
PTFE coated base.
• Optional stacker unit to process 25 or 50 plates in a
single run.

2
B. Instrument Overview
1. General Description
The WellMate instrument dispenses samples and
reagents efficiently through use of a peristaltic pump
mechanism and a unique, disposable tubing cartridge.
Operators can adjust nozzle height to customize use of the
instrument for different plate configurations (for example,
flat-bottom plates or V-bottom plates).
Your WellMate instrument package provides these items:
• Base unit.
• AC power cord.
• Two disposable 8-channel tube assemblies, with
silicone-based tubing and polypropylene nozzles.
One each of:
• Standard-bore tubing cartridge, for use with 96-well
(shallow or deep well) microplates.
οNozzle orifice ID 0.023 in (0.58 mm).
οDispenses volumes 20–2000μl.
οApplications include sterile plate filling and
dispensing of cellular materials, viscous fluids, and
beads.
οTo order replacement 5-pack, use item no. 201-
30001.
• Small-bore tubing cartridge, for use with 96- and
384-well (shallow or deep well) microplates.
οNozzle orifice ID 0.015 in (0.38 mm).
οDispenses volumes 1–200μl.
οApplications include sterile plate filling, dispensing of
high vapor pressure fluids, and dispensing of small
volumes (1–200μl) with enhanced precision.
οTo order replacement 5-pack,use item
no. 201-30002.

3
®
• Nozzle-height reference scale.
• Nozzle-height spacer guide.
• 7/64-inch Allen wrench (for use in tubing-cartridge
adjustment).
• 1/16-inch Allen wrench (for Y-axis arm).
• Universal-microplate removable stage.
• Waste-fluid vessel with tubing.
• Sample Microplate Starter Kit.
• Manual.
You can also purchase the optional WellMate Stacker unit,
which contains:
• Power Cord.
• Connection Cable.
• Priming trough with tubing and hardware.
• Chimney support brackets and hardware.
• Stacker base.
• 2 breakaway washers.
You must provide the following:
• Container of liquid to be dispensed.
• Liquid vessels (6, 12, 24, 48, 96, or 384-well
SBS-format microplates).
• RS-232 Dsub connection cable if you wish to control
the instrument from a remote device (To order: Matrix
item number 501-30019).
• Container to receive fluid drained from waste-fluid
vessel.
Instrument Overview

4
Instrument Overview
The following figure shows the primary components of the
WellMate instrument:
The WellMate base unit also comes with the following
components:
Disposable
Tubing Cartidges
Keypad
Removable Plate
Carriage/Stage
w/Spacer Guide
Waste-Fluid
Vessel Plate-type
Selector
Nozzle Head
Power Cord Removable Plate
Carriage/Stage
Waste-Fluid
Vessel
Nozzle Height
Spacer Guide;
Allen Wrench
Nozzle
Head
Removable
Weight
8-Channel Disposable
Tubing Cartridge

5
Instrument Overview
®
Note: Only one disposable tubing cartridge appears in
the previous photograph; however, two disposable tubing
cartridges are included in the initial system package: one
standard-bore tubing and one small-bore tubing.
The WellMate Stacker package comes with the following
components:
Power
Cord
Priming
Trough
Connection
Cable
Chimney Support
Brackets and
Hardware