V&P Scientific, Inc.
5
Technical Note 269C
2.
Open the Serial Terminal program (V&P Scientific version or other).
3.
Turn on the SpinVessel® instrument as described.
4.
Select the appropriate COM port and click CONNECT to establish a line of communication
between the instrument and the computer.
5.
Create ASCII command strings as outlined in the diagram shown below to control the
instrument with the following parameters:
a.
Speed of rotation in revolutions per minute (RPM). Do not exceed 650 RPM.
b.
Number of rotations before reversing direction.
c.
Fraction of a rotation (input 0-9 for fractions of a rotation).
d.
Pause, in milliseconds, before reversing direction.
6.
Hit ENTER to send command and start rotation of the SpinVessel® instrument.
7.
To stop, type <0> and hit ENTER.
USING the 25 or 50 ml SpinVessel
®
SYSTEM
The optimal stirring mode is dependent upon the application and needs to be empirically
determined.
Factors to consider in determining optimal 25 or 50 mL SpinVessel operation are the
density of the particulates, their size and shape, as well as the volume and viscosity of the liquid. Start
with 500 RPM, 4.1 rotations and a 200 millisecond pause before reversing direction, then test to
determine the appropriate RPMs and number of rotations for the
particulate’s density, fragility, and
solution viscosity. We have found that smaller circumference SpinVessels® require higher RPMs than
larger circumference SpinVessels, because the critical factor is the linear speed generated at the
circumference not the RPMs. See page 501 of our
for a full discussion of this
phenomenon.
RPM
Fraction of
Rotation
< 500, 4, 1, 200 >
Pause
ASCII Command String API For SpinVessel®
Number of
Rotations
