Bio-Rad S3™ Cell Sorter - Manual (Page 123)

Instruction Manual | 113
Troubleshooting
Table 30. Troubleshooting table (continued).
Error
Possible Causes Troubleshooting Steps
High event rate (while trying Drop drive noise causing Toggle between the FSC/SSC trigger (in the
to run QC, or running a excessive event rate service panel)
sample at 500 eps) (>40,000 eps)
Perform a nozzle tip swap
Calibrate droplets (located in the Edit Droplets
window when logged in as administrator)
Too much light. Event rate Light leak in system, ensure all covers are closed
(~8,000 eps)
Check that the filter blocks or filters have not been
removed or that they are seated in proper position
If triggering on FSC, may be misaligned or ND
filter removed
Obscuration bar may need adjustment. Contact
Bio-Rad Technical Support
Inappropriate sample pressure. Perform Calibrate Sample Pressure Offset
Event rate (~2,000 eps)
Running samples at above Too much light Obscuration bar may be flat and may need
2,000 eps and getting adjustment. Contact Bio-Rad Technical Support
40,000 eps Threshold may be set too low, raise threshold value
Signal intensity is too bright. Add ND filter
Poor drop delay (uneven V, Bad side streams or center Set defanning manually until the center stream is
flat on one side) stream solid and tight
Adjust phase to ensure the side streams are tight
Recalibrate droplets located in Droplet Control
window on the admin tab or at the end of a nozzle
tip swap procedure
Side stream deflection not set properly. Adjust side
stream deflection on the admin tab
Very little volume is used Pinch in the sample line If sample line is partially clogged, run clean cycle
while performing cleaning multiple times with backflushing to remove clog
user logout or prior to
(after system shutdown)
Uses 2 ml of 10% bleach/
water takes approx. 1 min
Usually 2 ml of 70% ethanol
takes approx. 2 min
Waste Trough Filling, System Waste trough port clogged Clear debris from waste trough port and rinse with
goes into Safe Mode and overfilling bleach. Restart instrument and computer.
Trough is empty, droplet Check to see if trough has liquid or if waste trough
trapped on sensor that causes port is clogged. If not use canned air to clear
sensor to trip indiscriminately droplet form sensor as a temporary fix. Restart
instrument and computer. Contact service support
for repair or replacement.
Variable event rate during Agitator seal may be leaky Turn off the agitator to see if it resolves the varying
acquisition (changes at event rate. If it does, contact service support for
regular intervals) replacement.
Possible nozzle clog Clean nozzle tip
Hardware issue Contact Bio-Rad Technical Support
Waste container is Hydrophobic filter is wet Contact service support for replacement.
abnormally expanded
continues
If only a very small amount of liquid (200–300 µl)
is taken from the tube containing the cleaning
solution during a cleaning protocol, the sample
line may be pinched, and may need replacement.
Sometimes massaging the pinched area in the line
(if visible) may resolve the issue. Contact Bio-Rad
Technical Support