MedTec AutoBlot 3000H User manual

AutoBlot 3000H
Guide to Operation
.
MedTec, Inc.
November 2010

2
2010 by MedTec, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of MedTec, Inc.
Disclaimer
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
MedTec makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this
material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties or
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. MedTec shall
not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or
consequential damage in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of this material.
Contact Information
MedTec, Inc.
600 Meadowland Drive
Hillsborough, NC 27278 USA
Telephone: Fax:
919.241.1400 USA 919.241.1420
Website: www.medtecbiolab.com
Document Control Number: WI-102-1 Rev 1

3
CONTENTS
Setting Up the AutoBlot Page 5
General Description
Safety
Normal Operating Conditions
Unpacking the AutoBlot 3000H
Keypad Conventions
Validating for Cross Contamination
Design of the AutoBlot System
Running an Assay Page 11
Prepare for an Assay Run
Start the Test
Positive and Negative Controls
The PAUSE Key
Resetting the AutoBlot
Power Off
End of Assay Alarm
Programming an Assay Page 15
Assay Steps
Alarms
Edit Mode PAUSE
Maintenance Page 19
Troubleshooting Guide Page 26
Technical Specifications Page 28
Parts and Contact Information Page 29

4

5
SETTING UP THE AUTOBLOT 3000H
General Description
The AutoBlot 3000H fully automates the Western blot assay. Following
the manual addition of test samples, the AutoBlot incubates, washes, and
performs subsequent reagent additions as defined by the operator during
the programming phase. It permits easy setup with walk-away
performance, sounding an alarm when the test is complete.
The 3000H model has a heated platform, magnetic stirrer, and heated
bottle plate for hybridizations and stringent washes that require heat.
The unit is fully programmable from the front panel and stores up to ten
protocols within the unit, allowing for full customization of blot assays for
dispense, incubation, and aspiration.
The AutoBlot dispenses and aspirates up to twenty strips in 90 seconds.
This means the automated assay runs as quickly as the manual assay.
The 3000H comes standard with six pumps.
The 3000H complies with the essential requirements of the
applicable European laws or Directives with respect to safety, health,
environment and consumer protection.

6
Set-Up
Safety
The AutoBlot 3000H is designed for safe operation. However, for your
safety and the safety of others, the AutoBlot should be operated as
specified in the Guide to Operations. Failure to do so could result in
injury to yourself or others, or damage to the equipment. There are
various symbols on the unit relating to safety.
The international CAUTION label on the back of the unit
indicates a potentially hazardous situation that could result in injury. You
must refer to the Guide to Operations for instructions on the proper use
and operation of the AutoBlot.
The international HOT SURFACE label on the heated platform
bottle heater block indicates surfaces that are hot to the touch.
The black DIRECT CURRENT symbol printed on the serial
number label indicates the unit runs on DC power.
Cautionary Note: If the event that a motor locks up while the AutoBlot
is running, an alarm sounds and an error message displays. There is no
danger to the operator should this occur. Refer to the Troubleshooting
section for suggestions on corrective action.

7
Set-Up
Normal Environmental Conditions
The AutoBlot 3000H is designed to be safe under the following
environmental conditions.
•Indoor use.
•Altitude up to 2000m.
•Temperature 5°C to 40°C.
•Maximum relative humidity 80% for temperatures up to
31°C decreasing linearly to 50% relative humidity at 40°.
•MAINS supply voltage fluctuations up to ±10% of the
nominal voltage.
•Transient overvoltages typically present on the MAINS
supply.
•Applicable RATED POLLUTION 2 degree.
•Category II installation.
Unpacking the AutoBlot 3000H
Carefully unpack the instrument and inspect for damage that may have
occurred during shipping. Notify the carrier immediately if there is any
damage. Save all packaging in the event the instrument needs to be
shipped or moved, or if the unit needs to be stored for a long period of
time.
Box Labeling: The shipping box is labeled to indicate the following:
•the instrument must remain flat and packaged with the
arrow indicating which end is up.
•the instrument is fragile and must be handled carefully.
•the shipping box is not waterproof.

8
Set-Up
Place the AutoBlot on a level work surface. Verify that the voltage shown
on the manufacturer’s label is the same as the voltage in your facility.
Connect the power cord to the external power supply (the unit comes
standard with a 24VDC, 5.41 A max power supply. DO NOT use another
power supply – this could present a hazard). Plug the power supply into
the back of the unit. Connect the power cord to a grounded receptacle.
NOTE: It is important that the AutoBlot 3000H is set up in a location
that is away from windows and radiators and free from drafts. It is
temperature sensitive.
The AutoBlot uses a power supply that permits a wide range of voltages
and frequencies. Although line conditioners and surge protection are not
required, the instrument may be plugged into either.
Turn the AutoBlot on by pressing the ON/OFF switch on the back of the
unit. “O” represents OFF and “I” represents ON. The dispense arm
moves to home position and the screen displays the company name and
software version number.
Attach the two (2) aspirate tubes to the fittings on the lid of the waste
bottle. The tubes are labeled “Connect to Waste Bottle”. Either tube can
connect to either of the fittings.

9
Set-Up
Included with your unit are 4-6 clear straws that can be attached to the
end of the tubing that goes into the bottles. These straws help the
tubing stay down in the bottle. Cut the flexible tubes to the minimum
length needed to place the tubing in the bottles. The shorter the tubing,
the less volume is required when priming the pumps.
Keypad Conventions
There are five (5) keys on the keypad.
•ENTER is used to make a selection or to tell the AutoBlot to
proceed with a process.
•ALARM silences alarms that turn on at various stages in the
program.
•PAUSE accesses various functions during a run, such as stop
rocking, prime the pumps, temperature display and skip a
step.
•The YES and NO arrow keys are used to select numbers and
to accept or decline a process.

10
Set Up
Design of the AutoBlot 3000H System
Ready for a New Test is the first prompt you receive when the
AutoBlot is turned on. From here you can recall and run a previously
programmed assay. This routine also contains the Pump Prime routine.
Edit Mode is used for programming the steps of a new assay or editing
the steps of a previously programmed assay (see Programming an Assay
on page 15).
Check Heaters is used to validate that the heaters and heater ribbon
cable are working properly.
No
Ready for a New Test?
Yes or No
Yes No
Enter Edit Mode?
Yes or No
Recall Assay Name
Run Assay
No
No
Calibration Mode?
Yes or No
Purge Tubing?
Yes or No
Check Heaters?
Yes or No
No

11
Set-Up
Calibration Mode is used to calibrate the volume dispensed from each
pump. The platform temperature can also be verified in the Calibration
routine.
Purge Tubing is used to clean and empty the pump lines after an assay
run (see Purge Tubing Routine on page 20).
Validating for Cross Contamination
Before running patient samples, the instrument needs to be validated for
the absence of cross channel contamination with each manufacturers’
Western blot kit. To validate the instrument, run a complete panel with
alternating negative and positive controls. Check for any positive bands
that show up in the negative controls.
RUNNING AN ASSAY
Prepare for an Assay Run
Before beginning an actual assay, there are a few things that must be
prepared first.
•Mix the reagents.
•Wash all of the bottles thoroughly with DI water. Fill the
bottles.
•Lock the pump pressure pads in place.
•Prepare the samples.
Start the Test
Press YES at the
Ready for a New Test? prompt. Select the assay to be
run from the list of available pre-defined assay programs. If your assay is
not listed, program it now (see Programming an Assay on page 15), then
return to this section for instructions on running the test.

12
Running an Assay
The AutoBlot starts pre-heating the tray platform and bottle plate as soon
as an assay is selected. It is important that the aspirate cover remains
closed during preheat. In addition, the reagent bottles should be in place
on the heated bottle plate. While the system is preheating (approx 30-45
minutes) denature your samples and load the tray with strips. NOTE: If
you receive an error message during preheat, check the heaters using the
Check Heater Routine. This routine runs a one minute resistance test
that checks the heaters and the heater ribbon cable. If you still receive
this error message after running the Check Heater Routine, change the
platform ribbon cable and then run the test again.
Prime the pumps (each pump must be primed before running an assay in
order to introduce liquid into the pump lines). Follow the prompts to
prime each pump. During the priming routine press YES multiple times
until fluid dispenses into the drip tray. The first time you press YES the
pump dispenses 2 ml into the line. Each subsequent time you press YES
the pump dispenses 1 ml. Once a pump is primed, press NO to move on
to the next pump to be primed. You will only need to prime the pumps
before the first assay run of the day. Once liquid is introduced into each
line there is no need to prime again.
Indicate the number of strips to be run by using the arrow keys to
increment through the numbers on the display.
Load the strips into the tray. Strips 1-10 are loaded beginning in the
trough immediately to the right of the center well (do not place strips in
the center well. Strips 11-20 are loaded beginning in the trough
immediately to the left of the center well.
No strip
1 →1020 ←11

13
Running an Assay
It is important that you prepare enough solution to dispense into the
troughs that contain strips as well as into the center trough and in one
additional trough next to the last strip. In order to regulate the
temperature, liquid is dispensed into the center trough and in one empty
trough just aside the last strip. For example, if strips are placed in
troughs 1-13, liquid dispenses in the center trough and in trough 14.
Now add the prepared samples.
When the platform has reached operating temperature (there is a
countdown timer on the display), you will be prompted
“Start Assay”.
Press ENTER at this prompt.
Now you are prompted
“Load Tray”. Press ENTER at this prompt to turn
off the heater while you are loading the tray. Open the aspirate lid and
place the loaded tray onto the heated platform. The time that the
heater is turned off for loading trays should be kept to a minimum (5-10
seconds) in order to make sure the platform temperature does not drop.
After the tray is loaded, close the tray lid and press ENTER at the
“Close
Tray Cover”
prompt to turn the heater back on.
As the automatic processing of the protocol begins, the various steps of
the assay are displayed on the front of the instrument. Prompts come on
at various points of the assay run instructing you to prepare samples, and
to add reagents (if programmed for manual addition of reagents).
Positive and Negative Controls
Positive or negative controls should be placed in the troughs farthest
from the aspirate arm drip tray; the negative control should be the
furthest from the tray (looking at the front of the unit, these controls will
be to the far left). This ensures that any problems (i.e. incorrect arm
movement, loss of reagent, cross contamination) show up in the controls.

14
Running an Assay
The PAUSE Key
The PAUSE key may be pressed any time the tray platform is rocking (the
tray rocks during incubation) in order to tweeze a strip, prime a pump, or
skip to another step in the program.
1:Stop Rocking
Temporarily stops the platform from rocking.
2:Prime Pumps? Enter the Pump Prime Routine.
3:Temp= Displays the temperature after 10 minutes
into a heated step.
Note: 2:Prime and 3:Temp are not available while the instrument is
dispensing or aspirating.
Resetting the AutoBlot
To reset the AutoBlot, simply turn the instrument off. The instrument
must be off for at least six (6) seconds in order for it to reset. When the
AutoBlot is turned back on it displays
Continue Test?. Press NO to reset
the instrument to the beginning of the test. Press YES to continue the
assay at the point the AutoBlot was turned off.
Power Off
If power is lost for less than five (5) seconds, the test continues
automatically when power returns. If power is off for longer than five (5)
seconds the unit displays how long the power has been off and prompts
Continue Test?. Press YES to continue the assay at the point power was
lost. Press NO to reset the unit.

15
Running an Assay
End of Assay Alarm
The end-of-assay alarm comes on at the completion of an assay. Press
ALARM to turn off this alarm and acknowledge the end of the assay. The
alarm automatically turns off after two (2) minutes and then prompts
Purge Tubing? If you have completed all assay runs for the day, it is
important the tubing be cleaned via the Purge Tubing (see Purge Tubing
on page 20). If you have another assay to run, press NO to skip the
Purge Routine and begin another assay.
Overnight Assays: If you run an assay overnight that will finish before
you arrive the next day, set your last step to a single DI rinse cycle with
the aspiration turned off. This way the DI water remains in the tray
overnight so the strips do not dry out. When you return the next day the
system prompts you to aspirate the tray to complete the assay.
PROGRAMMING AN ASSAY
Most units come pre-programmed with your specific assay. Typically,
pre-programmed assays from the manufacturer are locked and cannot be
edited. If the AutoBlot does not have your assay already stored in its’
memory, create the assay in Edit Mode. To enter Edit Mode, press NO at
Ready for a New Test? , then press YES at Enter Edit Mode? Use the
arrow keys to scroll through the list of assays. Each assay is listed with a
corresponding assay number (1 through 10). A previously defined assay
can be selected for editing, or a new assay can be programmed by
selecting an assay with the name EMPTY. Press ENTER to make your
selection.
You also have the ability to change the assay name. An assay name can
be up to five characters long, including blanks. Press ENTER to select a
letter or number and advance to the next letter space. The AutoBlot
stores up to ten programs in memory. Once an assay is saved, simply
recall it after
Ready For a New Test? and begin. If modifications are
needed, recall the assay in Edit Mode, and make the changes. To save a
change, simply make the change and press ENTER.

16
Programming
NOTE: If your assay is pre-loaded and locked, you cannot unlock it,
change the pumps names, or change the assay. You can, however,
change the assay name and view the assay steps.
Assay Steps
Assay programs in the AutoBlot are made up of a series of individual
steps, or tasks, that are defined through the Edit routine. For example, a
step might be a substrate incubation or a DI Rinse. The steps that define
the assay are selected from a list of available steps displayed while in Edit
Mode. Incubation times, reagent volumes, rocking speeds, and cycles
are also defined at this time. Define each step in your assay by toggling
through the choices using the arrow keys. Press ENTER to accept the
step name. Save the assay routine by exiting Edit Mode.
Step Name Description
EMPTY Defining a step as “empty” ends the program at that
point. Use only when modifying previously defined
assays.
SKIP Skip a step in a previously defined assay.
SOAK A Soak step dispenses solution into the trays and then
prompts you to add the strips.
SAMPL A Sample incubation step prompts you to add samples.
WASH, DIH2O,
SUBST, CONJ1,
CONJ2, HYBRD
Default step names that can be customized for your
specific assay requirements. To rename the pumps, go
to
Enter Edit Mode and press PAUSE. Scroll through
the options until you find
Change Pump Names .
PUMP1, PUMP2,
PUMP3, PUMP4,
PUMP5, PUMP6
Additional pump names for assays requiring steps
other than already defined in your custom assays.

17
Programming
NOTE: If you program an unheated step between two heated steps,
then the unheated step should be no longer than one (1) minute in
duration or the heater shuts off and the fans turn on (to cool the unit). It
is important that a consistent temperature be maintained for your heated
cycles.
Alarms
The following alarms can be programmed into an assay:
Assay Step Alarm
The Assay Step Alarm turns on before the beginning of an incubation
cycle. The first alarm comes on five (5) minutes before the end of the
prior step and is an indication to prepare the reagent. Press the ALARM
key to turn off this alarm. A second alarm will come on as a reminder to
prime the pump.
Variable Substrate Incubation Alarm
The Substrate Variable Incubation
feature should be utilized for assays
where the color development time is variable and some operator
interaction is necessary in order to fully develop the bands. The variable
substrate option is available only when a substrate step is defined. In
order to do this, one of the custom pump names must be SUBST.
Variable substrate allows you to observe the bands as they develop on
the strip and to control the length of incubation as these bands develop.
If a variable incubation time is selected an alarm sounds at the end of the
incubation time, giving you the option to continue the incubation or end
it. If variable substrate incubation is used, be sure to program the
minimum incubation time to allow time for band development.
The Variable Substrate Alarm comes on at the end of the preset
incubation time. Press ALARM to turn this alarm off.

18
Programming
The AutoBlot then prompts:
Continue Incubation
Press No to Stop
Substrate incubation continues until NO is pressed.
Edit Mode PAUSE
When PAUSE is pressed at the
Enter Edit Mode? prompt, the AutoBlot
enters a routine where the following features can be changed:
Erase An Assay Erase an assay.
Change Pump Names Change the custom pump names. NOTE: if
your pre-programmed assays are locked,
then you cannot change the pump names.
Lock Assay Lock an assay so it cannot be changed or
erased (can be unlocked here also). NOTE:
An assay that has been locked by the
manufacturer cannot be unlocked.
Modify Alarm Change the cycle time of the alarm (how
long the alarm stays on/off).
Temperature Offset Raise or lower the temperature up to 1°C in
increments of 1/2°(generally used for
developmental purposes only).
Denature Timer If set to YES, there will be a five (5) minute
timer for denaturing the samples.
Denaturing should be done on the bench,
not on the instrument.

19
Maintenance
MAINTENANCE
The AutoBlot is relatively maintenance-free. However, there are several
tasks that should be performed at the end of each day’s run in order to
keep the instrument in good working condition. In addition, it is
recommended that the AutoBlot receive a more thorough Preventive
Maintenance checkup annually by a MedTec trained Service Technician.
Daily Maintenance
•Wipe down the instrument with a damp paper towel.
•Lift the tray cover and the orange heater pad. Wipe off any spills on
the tray platform under the heater.
•Using isopropyl alcohol, wipe off the surfaces of the aspirate arm and
dispense arm.
•Wash out all bottles to ensure a clean solution for the next assay.
Use DI water and a 2% bleach solution as recommended on page 20.

20
.Maintenance
•Clean both the aspirate and dispense tips with an alcohol swab.
These tips must be kept clean in order to prevent clogs and to ensure
that fluids are properly aspirated and dispensed. In order to prevent
possible contamination, DO NOT use the same swab on the dispense
tips that was used on the aspirate tips.
•Purge tubing (see below) when you are finished using the instrument
for the day. You will also be prompted to wipe out the drip tray.
Purge Tubing Routine
The tubing should be kept clean to ensure good pumping action. Use the
Purge Tubing Routine to clear the pump tubing after the completion of an
assay. Each pump should be purged. This routine is accessed at the
completion of an assay or after the Pump Calibration Routine.
Lift the pump tubes free of all bottles. Place all of the tubes into a bottle
of appropriate cleaning solution and press ENTER at the
Place Tubes in
Cleaner
prompt. It is recommended you use a 2% bleach solution (2 ml
of generic brand bleach to 98 ml DI water) or a commercially available
preparation that will not interfere with the assay but still remove any
latent bacteria. The bleach should be standard 5% sodium hypochlorite,
no scents, no dyes. The tubes will soak in the cleaning solution for five
minutes to disinfect the tubes and then you will be prompted to
Put
Tubes in DI.
Place the tubes into a bottle of DI water and press ENTER. The system
dispenses DI water through each pump tube and soaks the tubes for five
minutes in order to dissolve any accumulation of salts. Then DI water is
pumped through each tube again and the system prompts
Remove Tubes
From DI.
Remove the tubes from the bottle of DI and place them on a
clean paper towel. Press ENTER and the tubes will be pumped dry. The
system now prompts
Clean Drip Tray. Wipe out the drip tray. Press
ENTER when it is clean and the system prompts Release Press Pad.
Unlock the pressure pads on the pumps so the tubing can relax and press
ENTER to complete the Purge Tubing Routine.