Molecular Devices SkanWasher 400 User manual

SkanWasher 400
User Guide
ANALL-INCLUSIVE AUTOMATIC MICROPLATE WASHER

1311 Orleans Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA
0112-0064 Rev. B
Copyright
© Copyright 2001, Molecular Devices Corporation. All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be photocopied or reproduced in any form with-
out the prior written permission of Molecular Devices Corporation, 1311
Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, California, 94089, USA.
Trademarks and Patents
SkanWasher is a trademark of Molecular Devices Corporation (MDC) and is
not to be used in any type of promotion or advertising without permission
from MDC. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
Disclaimer
Molecular Devices Corporation reserves the right to change its products and
services at any time to incorporate technological developments. This manual
is subject to change without notice.
Although this manual has been prepared with every precaution to ensure
accuracy, Molecular Devices Corporation assumes no liability for any errors
or omissions, nor for any damages resulting from the application or use of this
information.

SkanWasher 400 User Guide iii
Chapter 1: Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Key to Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Safety Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Package Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3: Parts and Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Wash Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Microplate Lift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
LED Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Instrument Rear Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Internal Washer Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Internal Vacuum Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Internal Pressure Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 4: Software Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Setup Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Edit Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Edit Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 5: Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Starting a Wash Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 6: Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Daily Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Empty Wash Head Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Weekly Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Advanced Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Clogged Probes or Rinse Inlet Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Replacing Probes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Microplate Lift Adjustment (Tilt and Vertical) . . . . . . . 31
Table of Contents

iv SkanWasher 400 User Guide
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Troubleshooting Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Advanced Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Aspirate Probe Horizontal Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Appendix A: RS-232 Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Communication Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Appendix B: Shipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Appendix C: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Physical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Chemical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Appendix D: Decontamination Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1
Appendix E: Wash Program Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1
Appendix F: Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I-1

SkanWasher 400 User Guide v
Figure 1: Waste reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 2: Wash and rinse liquid reservoirs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 3: Microplate holder, flat- or round-bottom plates . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 4: Microplate holder and lift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 5: SkanWasher 400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 6: Control panel, LCD and touch keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 7: Rear of the SkanWasher 400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 8: Aspirate probe height position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 9: Dispense probe height position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 10: Wash head inlet channel seal block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 11: Wash head outlet channel seal block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Figure 12: Microplate lift adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figures

vi SkanWasher 400 User Guide
Table 1: Wash Step Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Table 2: Troubleshooting Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table A-1: Character Commands Recognized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2
Table A-2: Character Replies Sent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3
Tables

SkanWasher 400 User Guide 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview
The need to thoroughly wash unbound antigens, antibodies, binding proteins,
enzymes, or receptors from a solid-phase binding support is one of the most
important steps in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The
SkanWasher 400 meets this demand and those of other numerous laboratory
assays now being performed in 96-well microplates where thorough washing
is an essential component of the assay.
The SkanWasher 400 is designed to wash 96-well microplates. The process of
setting up wash parameters is flexible and allows you to modify or choose the
following settings:
 Aspirate probe height and position in the well for low residual
volume.
 Dispense probe height and position in the well for washing the active
part of well.
 Inlet wash buffer flow rate for gentle or hard wash.
 “Overflow” washing.
 Microprocessor-controlled timing.
 Aspiration from the top of the well with adjustable lift speed.
 Wash all 96 wells simultaneously.
 Dispense only function.
 Dispense volume adjustment.

Introduction
2 SkanWasher 400 User Guide
About This Guide
Chapter 1: This section will give you an introduction to the manual and
details of what to expect in this Guide.
Chapter 2: Installation instructions will be outlined.
Chapter 3: Details will be given on unit parts to introduce common terminol-
ogy used throughout the manual.
Chapter 4: This section will detail use of the software to set up programs and
configuration of the instrument.
Chapter 5: General operations will be detailed.
Chapter 6: Detailed procedures will be listed for care and maintenance of
instrument.
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting tips, error messages, and advanced troubleshoot-
ing will be outlined.
Appendix: This section will include instrument specifications, RS-232 com-
mands, shipping information, and program sheets.
Key to Symbols
Symbols are used throughout this Guide to indicate important or helpful
information that is not directly part of an instruction. The symbols used are
the following:
 CAUTION: Alerts user to
situations that could result in
instrument damage or failure to
complete a procedure.
!! IMPORTANT: Information that
you need to know to perform a task
properly.
 TIP: Helpful information that can
simplify a task.

Introduction
SkanWasher 400 User Guide 3
Safety Features
The SkanWasher 400 is equipped with three sensors that help to safeguard
operation before the actual wash. When starting the program, the SkanWasher
400 automatically verifies the status of the following:
 Pressure pump operating at the correct level
 Microplate in the microplate lift
 Space remaining in the waste reservoir
Sensors can be disabled through the Setup menu / Edit Options. Consult
page 20 for procedure.
Serial Number
The serial number of the unit can be found on the back panel of the
instrument.
Package Content
The SkanWasher 400 system includes the following:
SkanWasher 400 Instrument
 Microplate lift
 Tool kit, including probe cleaner and hex wrenches
 Power cord
 Instruction manual
Reservoir and Tubing
 Buffer reservoir (4 L)
 Rinse reservoir (4 L)
 Waste reservoir (10 L) with level sensor and waste tubing (red)
 Tubing set
 Inlet tubing (blue and green)
 Pressure tubing (yellow)

SkanWasher 400 User Guide 5
Chapter 2: Installation
Step 1 Verify voltage is properly set for incoming line voltage.
 Check the current voltage setting in the red window of the voltage
setting switch.
Step 2 Change voltage setting, if indicated.
 Remove the switch using a small screwdriver inserted into red
window.
 Turn the switch until the proper setting faces outward.
 Reinstall switch.
Step 3 Connect the power cord.
 Insert the power cord into the receptacle located on the back of
the instrument.
 Plug the power cord into the main power outlet.
Step 4 Connect Waste Reservoir (refer to Figure 1).
 Connect the outlet tubing line (red) from the waste reservoir to
the Outlet port on the back of the instrument.
 Connect the waste alarm cable from the waste reservoir to the
Waste Alarm port on the back on the instrument.
 TIP: Save the packing material.
You may need it for later transport
of the unit.
!! IMPORTANT: Voltage setting
switch is located below the main
power receptacle on the back of the
instrument.
 CAUTION: Before connecting
the main power, ensure that the
voltage switch on the back of
the instrument is set correctly
for the incoming line voltage
(Step 1).

Installation
6 SkanWasher 400 User Guide
Figure 1: Waste reservoir
Step 5 Connect the Wash and Rinse Liquids (refer to Figure 2).
 Connect the Y-shaped pressure tubing (yellow) from the wash
buffer or rinse reservoir to the Pressure port on the back of the
instrument.
(The large connector at the end of the tubing will be used for
emptying of the head and will not be connected during normal
operation.)
 CAUTION: It is recommended
to use the reservoir bottles
provided by Molecular
Devices. These bottles can
withstand the high pressure (up
to 0.6 bar) created by the
internal pressure source of the
SkanWasher 400.

Installation
SkanWasher 400 User Guide 7
 Connect the tubing from the wash buffer (blue) or rinse reser-
voir (green) to the Inlet port on the left side of the instrument.
Figure 2: Wash and rinse liquid reservoirs
!! IMPORTANT: Only one reservoir
bottle can be connected at one time
for either wash buffer or rinse
solution since the unit has only one
inlet port. Two 4-liter bottles are
supplied with the instrument. Donot
fill the reservoir bottles completely.
Allow approximately 20% free
space for air pressure.

Installation
8 SkanWasher 400 User Guide
Step 6 Insert microplate lift.
 Select the appropriate plate type (roundor flat-bottomed wells) in
use by selecting the correct printed pattern on the side of the
microplate holder (See Figure 3).
 Push the plate holder onto the two rods on the microplate lift (see
Figure 4).
Figure 3: Microplate holder, flat- or round-bottom plates
Figure 4: Microplate holder and lift

SkanWasher 400 User Guide 9
Chapter 3: Parts and Description
Figure 5: SkanWasher 400
Wash Head
 The wash head contains 96 paired probes: the longer probes are used
when aspirating and the shorter probes are used when dispensing.
 The wash head is removable, using the two adjustment screws, to
allow access to its internal channels for cleaning and maintenance.
Microplate Lift
 The microplate lift ensures that the microplate is positioned
accurately during each stage of the wash program.
 The vertical velocity of the lift is fixed except during the aspirate
function: the longer the aspirate time, the slower the lift moves
upward toward the aspirate probes.This creates a very gentle
aspiration and avoids disturbing the coating in the well.
 The lift can accommodate both flat- and round-bottom plates. A
pattern of the plate type is printed on the side ofthe microplate holder.
To accommodate the other type of microplate, the microplate holder
is removed, turned around, and replaced.
 The lift automatically returns to the home position (lower) when the
instrument is powered on.
Wash Head
Microplate Lift
Adjustment Screws
Control Panel

Parts and Description
10 SkanWasher 400 User Guide
Control Panel
The control panel located on the front of the SkanWasher 400 contains eight
touch keys, three LEDs, and an LCD display, all of which are used to program
and control the instrument.
Figure 6: Control panel, LCD and touch keys
The control panel can be divided into three separate parts detailed below:
 LCD Display
Displays messages during programming, setup, and during a run.
 Setup/Program
The five dark gray keys ( [Setup] , [Program] , [Enter] , and the up
and down arrow keys) are used to select and enter parameters when
programming the SkanWasher 400. When the
[Setup] or [Program]
key is pressed, its corresponding LED will light.
 Wash
 The three light gray keys( [Start] , [Rinse] , and [Stop] ) are used
to run a pre-selected wash sequence or the rinse/prime sequence.
When the SkanWasher 400 is ready for wash, the Ready LED
light turns on.
 The [Stop] key is used to halt operation in the event of a problem.
 Press the [Stop] key to interrupt current operation, and the
LCD will display a stop message.
 Press the [Stop] key a second time to return to the main
menu. (The microplate lift will move down to home posi-
tion.)

Parts and Description
SkanWasher 400 User Guide 11
LED Display
There are three LEDs that light up indicating various functions:
Setup: LED will light when user is in setup mode.
Program: LED will light when user is in program mode.
Ready: LED will light when unit is ready for wash.
Instrument Rear Connections
Figure 7: Rear of the SkanWasher 400

Parts and Description
12 SkanWasher 400 User Guide
Part Description
Inlet port Located on the left side of the unit’s wash head. One liquid
container can be connected to this port. Two 4 L reservoir
bottles are provided with the system to accommodate a
buffer (blue color-coded tubing) and rinse (green color-
coded tubing) solution. Note: Only one reservoir bottle can
be connected to the unit at a time.
Outlet port Located on the back panel of the unit. The waste collection
reservoir is connected to this port via the waste tubing (red
color coded). It is recommended to use the waste reservoir
that is provided with the system.
Pressure port Located on the back panel of the unit. The Y-shaped pres-
sure tubing (yellow color coded) is connected to this port
from the buffer/rinse reservoir bottle. The larger connector
is used only during Empty Head Procedure and not during
normal operation.
Main power Located on the back panel of the unit. This contains the
main power receptacle, which includes the power switch
and fuses. A voltage switch located below the power cord
receptacle allows the user to set the instrument for the local
main voltage supply (110-220 VAC or 220-240 VAC). The
selected voltage setting will be visible in the red window.
Two power cords are included with the system to handle
either voltage settings.
Waste alarm
connector Located on the back panel of the unit. The waste alarm cable is connected to this port.
RS-232
connector Located on the back panel of the unit. A RS-232 interface cable is connected to this port to allow for communication
with a computer. Note: Instrument is not robotic friendly.
Microplate
holder Most commonly available 96-well microplates may be used with this instrument, including V- and C- shaped bottom
plates. The instrument is factory set for flat-and round- bot-
tom microplates. To ensure excellent aspiration and low
residual volume, the aspiration probe must be positioned at
the bottom of the well. This can be adjusted through the on-
board software.

Parts and Description
SkanWasher 400 User Guide 13
Internal Washer Parts
Internal Vacuum Source
The instrument is equipped with an internal vacuum pump that requires no
adjustment or preparation before use.
Internal Pressure Source
The instrument is equipped with an internal pressure pump that creates air
pressure in the liquid reservoirs, eliminating the need for gravity feed. The
pressure level can be adjusted between 0.0 and 0.6 bar (approximately 9 psi).
The air pressure is supplied through the small quick couplings on the rear side
of the instrument labeled Pressure port (Figure 7). The default air pressure
value is 0.25 bar (approximately 4 psi). The air pressure value can be set for
each wash program through the on-board software and adjusted for different
assays.
 TIP: Adjusting the level of the
air pressure also adjusts the flow
rate of the liquid entering the
microplate wells.