Multichannel Systems MEA1060-Up-BC Manual - Manual (Page 30)

MEA Amplifier with Blanking Circuit for Upright Microscopes
30
5.3 Mounting the MEA Probe and Grounding the Bath
Warning: Do not use too much force. Otherwise you could damage the delicate
MEA or contact pins of the amplifier.
Important: Click Change MEA in the MEA_Select program before you remove the shielding or
open the amplifier. Deactivate the Change MEA mode only after having completely set up the
amplifier, including grounding the bath and shielding the amplifier. Otherwise, it can take very
long (several seconds to minutes) until the amplifier has recovered and is ready for operation.
5. Place the MEA amplifier as shown on the photo. In the MEA_Select program, click Change MEA.
All electrode inputs are connected with the amplifier's ground. This helps avoiding a large
DC offset and reduces the baseline restoring time significantly. See also the chapter
"Operating the MEA Amplifier", "Signal Amplification and Filters".
6. Open the lid of the MEA amplifier and place the MEA probe inside.
Important: MEAs are not symmetrical! That is, why the writing (for example NMI, LEITER,
MEA type) on the MEA chip should be on the right side viewed from the front, with the sockets
of the amplifier in the back. MEAs with one big internal reference electrode should be placed
with reference electrode to the left side in the amplifier. Otherwise, the MEA layout will not
match with the pin layout of the channel map in MC_Rack.
7. Replace the lid and close it carefully. Do not unpress the Change MEA button until you have
grounded the bath and replaced the shielding, that is, until the setup has been completely
finished.
Warning: Spilled liquid can damage or even completely destroy the electronics of the MEA
amplifier. Please be careful when setting up your perfusion system and when starting the
perfusion. Take care that the flow rates of the inlet and outlet flow match so that flooding
of the amplifier is efficiently prevented.
Grounding the bath
You can ground the bath with a plain silver wire or with an Ag/AgCl pellet. Only the Ag/AgCl
electrode provides a stable intrinsic potential. In practice, the plain silver wire will be ok for
90 % of applications. If you do not achieve satisfying results with the plain silver wire,
try an Ag/AgCl electrode.
If you use MEAs with internal reference electrode, you can use the reference electrode for
grounding the bath. This has the advantage that you can keep the culture chamber closed
and sterile (for example, with MEA-MEM semipermeable membranes).
Important: If you use a MEA with internal reference electrode , you have to connect pin 15
to ground with the provided cable. Setting electrode 15 to ground in the MEA_Select program
is
not sufficient for grounding the bath.