Agilent Technologies MX3000P, Setup And User Manual

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Observation Suggestion
After switching on the instrument, the upper
LED status indicator light does not indicate
Ready status (continuously lit) During instrument power-up, the upper LED should remain off for
2-3 minutes while the instrument warms up. If the LED does not light
continuously after the warm up period is completed, reboot the instrument
(power off the instrument, wait 30 seconds, and then switch the instrument
power on). If this does not address the problem, contact Technical
Services.
Error message “A Lamp Error has
Occurred” or “Lamp Power Error” This error is generated when the enabled software detects that there is no
current flowing through the bulb. Lack of current could simply indicate that
the bulb has failed or is unplugged, or it could indicate a more serious
electrical problem that requires repair. If changing the bulb and confirming
its electrical connection does not resolve this error, contact Technical
Support.
Error message “A Power Supply Error has
Occurred” It is possible that this error can be resolved be upgrading to the most
recent version of the MxPro software. If you are running version 3.0 or
earlier, contact Technical Services to obtain a software download key. If
you are already running version 3.2 or later, contact Technical Services for
further troubleshooting.
Very low amplification signal Low amplification signal could indicate that the lamp is starting to fail.
Check lamp, and replace if necessary. See
Changing the Lamp
.
If the reference dye is showing good signal but the fluorophore is not, there
may be a problem with the probe or the stock of dye that was used. If
using SYBR Green, verify the concentration. If using a new probe or a new
lot of a probe, the problem could be the fluorophore. You can test the
probe by performing a nuclease digestion to ensure it is unquenching as
expected: incubate 100 nM of probe in 25
µ
l of 1× buffer with 10 U of
DNase or S1 nuclease at room temperature for 30 minutes. This should
result in a fluorescence level increase of >5000 RFU. If another probe or a
stock of the dye is available, try that stock for comparison.
If amplification of the signal is seen in spite of the low fluorescence,
increasing the gain multiplier may still allow this probe to be used. If the
probe or dye stock has been stored in a way that might have exposed it to
light, low signal could also be due to photobleaching of the fluorophore.
If the samples are still available, run them on a gel to verify the presence of
amplified product. If the gel indicates that no amplified product has been
formed, assay optimization or new reagents may be necessary.
If low amplification signal only occurs intermittently and is cleared by
rebooting the instrument, it is possible that this problem could be resolved
by upgrading to the most recent version of the MxPro software. If you are
running version 3.0 or earlier, contact Technical Services to obtain a
software download key.
Sudden amplification signal loss or
downward drift during run
Check lamp, replace if necessary. See Changing the Lamp
.
The bulb may be failing. With a Mx3000P system, unfiltered light can be
seen coming through the read head whenever the lamp is on. If no light is
seen, or if it looks very dim or yellowish, the bulb has likely failed or is
failing. With a Mx3005P system, because the light path is blocked at any
time when a scan is not in progress, the only way to check the bulb is to
remove it from the instrument for direct inspection. The bulb filament will
normally appear as a tight silver spiral. A bulb that appears blackened,
deformed or broken should be replaced.
30 Mx3000P and Mx3005P QPCR Systems Setup and User’s Guide