8530 Shatterbox
Page 12 of 28
SPEX SamplePrep LLC January 2010
5.0 OPERATION
The following sequence is typical. It supposes familiarity with the chief features of the
Shatterbox, as described in “
SETTING UP
.” First, these cautions:
Never operate the Shatterbox without a grinding container and friction disc clamped firmly in
place.
(If it is necessary to run the Shatterbox without grinding a sample, remove the grinding
element(s) from the container.)
Never remove the access panel in the back of the cabinet
unless the mill is first unplugged.
1.
Switch the power on. The timer display will light up. Initially it will flash the SPEX
SamplePrep logo and then display SPEX SAMPLEPREP/8530 SHATTERBOX, but this will
shortly change to the default timer setting of 3:00.
2.
Program the timer, using the buttons immediately below the numerical display. The left-
hand pair of buttons controls the minutes, and the right-hand pair of buttons controls the
seconds.
3.
Load the grinding container with sample. If running the Shatterbox without grinding
anything, remove the grinding element(s) from the container. Clamp the container into the
capsule retainer. Make sure that the friction disc is properly placed and the grinding
container is firmly seated. If the clamp is properly adjusted, the clamp lever should work
smoothly with some resistance at the top of its arc, but you should not be able to rotate the
container in place once the clamp lever is down. If the clamp is too tight or too loose,
adjust it.
4.
Shut the lid, and press the start button. There will be a brief pause while the lid locks down,
and then the Shatterbox motor will start. As it runs, the timer display will count down the
minutes and seconds remaining, in 5-second increments. When the timer reaches zero,
RUN COMPLETE will appear in the timer display for five seconds while the lid remains
latched; this gives the grinding mechanism time to slow down. Then the timer setting will
re-appear and the lid will unlatch, with an audible click.
Always wait for the lid to unlatch
before opening it.
Open the lid, unclamp the grinding container, and remove it for emptying and cleaning.
If ERROR: LATCH FAILURE is displayed instead of numerals when the start button is pressed, the
interlock has not properly engaged. Clear the timer by pressing the stop button, and correct
the problem.
