Reichert Darkfield Quebec 3325 User manual

TheReichert
Darkfield
Quebec
ColonyCounterManual
3325/3326/3327/3328

ReichertDarkfieldQuebec®
ColonyCounterModel
3325/3326/3327/3328
InstructionManual
1.0Introduction
TheREICHERTDARKFIELDQUEBEC®ColonyCounterprovides
efficient,accurateandconvenientcolonycounting.Even,glarefree
illumination over the entire culture plate assures clear, quick re-
sults. By touching the colony with the counting probe (Models
3327/3328),coloniesarerecordedonthedigitaldisplay;theyap-
pearbright andarereadilydistinguishedfromotherstructures.
2.0Unpacking&Assembly
CarefullyremovetheREICHERTDARKFIELDQUEBEC®Colony
Counterancaccessoriesfromthepackingbox andinspectthem
to assure damage dic not occur in shipping.
Place the instrument on a hard, flat surface.
A leg located on the bottom can be set at either a tilt angle or
locked flat tc the instrument base.
Similarly, the 1.5X magnification lens may be raised or lowered
for uses preference.A1.5X auxiliary lens (Catalog No. 3331) is
available as an accessory and is designed to be placed over the
existing lens to increase the tota magnification to 3X.
TheREICHERTDARKFIELDQUEBEC®ColonyCounter(Model
3327&3328) includesafive-digit LC.D.counterwith aresetbut-
ton, a ground contact and counting probe (Figure 1). An optional
push button counter also is available.
Thecountingprobe(Models 3327/3328 only)isshippedwith the
needletipreversedforprotectionfromdamage.Toassemblethe
countingprobeforuse,loosentheknurlednut,removetheneedle,
place the blunt end in the chuck and retighten.
The ground contact has a magnetic base and is attached to the
instrument case so the arm extends over the culture plate and
touches the surface of the agar.
Thepushbuttoncounterplugsintothe two-holereceptacle at
therearofthe colony counter.
3.0TestingtheInstrument
Before using the REICHERT DARKFIELD QUEBEC®Colony
Counteritshouldbetested.Plugtheelectricalcordintoagrounded
120V/60cycleACoutlet(Model3325/3327)or230V/50cycleAC
outlet(Model3326/330.
Turntheinstrumentonusingtheswitchlocatedontherearpanel.
Touch the tip of the counting probe to the ground arm probe. A
countshouldregisteronthe LC.D.display,ifthe colonycounteris
operational.
ToreturntheL.C.D.displaycounterto“0”depresstheresetbutton.
4.0CareoftheCountingProbe
Careshould betakentokeepthetipof thecountingprobesharp.
If the needle is blunt, small colonies will be difficult to count and
accuratelyregister.
Theprobetipstouchingmediaand/orcoloniesshouldbecleaned
asdictatedbygoodlaboratoryprocedures.Solutions of70%iso-
propylalcohol,iodine/alcohol,Lysol®Brandorformaldehydemay
be used to clean the tip without harm.

5.0OperatingtheColonyCounter
Tocount directlyonthesurfaceofthenutrientmedium,place the
uncoveredcultureplateonthecultureplateholder.Loosenthetwo
thumbscrewsontheholdertocenterthecultureplateonthecount-
ingplate.
Plugthegroundcontactandthecountingprobeintoeitherelectric
receptacleonthebackoftheinstrumentPositionthe groundcon-
tactwithmagneticbasenearthecultureplatesothattheL-shaped
tip makes contact with the surface of the agar.
Countsareautomaticallyregisteredbysimplytouchingeachcolony
withtheneedlepointof thecountingprobe(Figure2).Toprevent
the possibility of spurious registration resulting from the “entry”
and “exit” of the probe tip into the medium, a pulsed delay circuit
will admit only one count over a short time period. This feature
does not interfere with the maximum counting speed of a skilled
operator.
6.0BulbReplacement
TheREICHERTDARKFIELDQUEBEC®ColonyCounterillumina-
tionsourceisastandard40wattsoftwhite-typeincandescentbulb.
(50Wfor230Voperation)
7.0CleaningtheCountingPlate
Remove the screw on the left side of the instrument face. Swing
the magnification lens aside and open the black front section at-
tachedtothelowerhinge.The countingplateisheldinplacewith
four screws attached to the back of the front panel. Loosen the
screws and slip the plate out of the retainer.
Clean the counting plate with a solution of mild detergent and
water.DONOTUSEANABRASIVE CLEANSER.Itwill damage
thewhitegridon the countingplate.
Dry the counting plate with a lint-free cloth. Place the counting
plate back into the retainer until it is firmly seated.Avoid leaving
fingerprintsonthesurfaces,theymaycauseinaccuratereadings.
Ensureplateisinstalledwithrulingsfacingbulbtoavoiddamage.
Tightenthefourscrewsandreturnthe frontsectiontotheoperat-
ing position. Replace the screw on the front of the instrument.
The REICHERT DARKFIELD QUEBEC®Colony Counter is de-
signed to insure reliability, long life and minimal maintenance.
ContactyourlocalReichertrepresentativeforadditionaloperating
orservice information.
7.0Fuses
TheREICHERTDARKFIELDQUEBEC®ColonyCounterhastwo
fuseslocatedinafusedrawernexttothepowerswitchontherear
panel.The instrument must be unplugged to allow access to the
fusedrawer.
8.0Specifications
TheREICHERTDARKFIELDQUEBEC®ColonyCounterbears
thefollowingmarks:UL,cUL•Models 3325and 3327are rated
120VAC,40 watts
•Models3326 and 3328arerated 230VAC,50 watts
OperatingConditions
• Indoor use only
• RH 80% up to 31°C decreasing linearly to 50% RH at 40°C
•Pollutiondegree2
• Altitude up to 2,000m
•Temperature5°Cto40°C
• Main supply voltage ±10%
• Installation CAT II

Reichert Analytical Instruments
Reichert, Inc.
3374 WaldenAve.
Depew, NY 14043
USA
Toll Free: 888-849-8955
Phone: [phone]
Fax:[phone]
email: [email protected]
www.reichert.com
Reichert GmbH
Hubertusstrasse 4
D-82229 Seefeld
Germany
Tel: [phone]
ISO-9001 Certified
©2003 Reichert, Inc. Depew NY, USA 3325-101 Rev. E