Maintenance. The FastPrep
®
Instrument requires no scheduled maintenance. Clean sur-
faces immediately after contact with sample solutions or reagents.
Cleaning. The FastPrep
®
Instrument should be cleaned if reagents or sample solutions
spill on or inside the unit. If a sample tube leaks during a run, the solution will be sprayed
on the inside cover. Always clean up any spray or spills immediately using a damp paper
towel. Always wear gloves when cleaning.
The components of the FastPrep
®
Instrument are chemically resistant and compatible with
most cleaning solutions.
The spoke plate can be removed for a thorough cleaning. To remove the spoke plate,
unscrew and remove the three knobs by gently pulling up on the knobs and turning coun-
terclockwise until they come completely free from the unit. Carefully remove the three
knobs, remove the spoke plate, and then remove the three washers and three springs
under each knob. Clean spoke plate with damp cloth or paper towel. Reassemble instru-
ment in reverse order.
APPENDIX 1
MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
The cell disruption process during a FastPrep
®
Instrument run is caused by the collision
of matrix and sample within the FastPrep
®
Instrument sample tube. The rate of collision
and energy of impact (both of which determine the effectiveness of the disruption process)
are a function of the FastPrep
®
Instrument speed settings and specific gravity of the bead
material used. The FastPrep
®
Instrument speed settings in meters per second refer to the
maximum vertical velocity achieved by a sample tube during reciprocating motion. The
rate of collision is proportional to speed, while the energy of impact is proportional to the
square of the speed. For example, a 50% increase in the FastPrep
®
Instrument speed
setting increases the rate of collision by 50%, and at the same time increases the energy
of impact by 125%.
The FastPrep
®
Instrument has been specifically designed to allow operation within an
ideal range of parameters for disrupting membranes from a wide variety of cell types.
When used with cell-specific protocols and kits (Qbiogene, www.qbiogene.com), cell
membrane disruption and nucleic acid yield is maximized.
APPENDIX 2
AN EXPLANATION OF FASTPREP
®
INSTRUMENT SPEED SETTINGS
8
