ChemoMetec NC-200 - Manual (Page 31)

7 Maintenance of NucleoCounter NC-200
991-0203 Rev. 1.1 Sep. 2012 17
7 Maintenance of NucleoCounter NC-200
7.1 Cleaning
7.1.1 Instrument enclosure.
Depending on the environment in which the NucleoCounter NC-200 is operated, it is
suggested that regular cleaning of the enclosure is carried out. When cleaning the
enclosure it is recommended to use a soft moist cloth and gently wipe the surface. Any
contamination, which does not come off immediately, should be rubbed gently wit h a cloth
wetted with mild detergent. Never use organic solvents or aggressive detergents to clean
the exterior of the NucleoCounter NC-200 as this might damage the surface. Cleaning of
the enclosure on a daily basis can be performed by using a mild deterg ent.
7.1.2 Cassette fixture
When cleaning the cassette fixture, great care must be taken against introducing any liquid
or dust into the NucleoCounter NC-200. Any liquid that enters the interior of the
NucleoCounter NC-200 can damage the optical parts and thus compromise the quality of
the cell counts.
The black surface of the cassette fixture is anodized aluminum and can therefore be wiped
off with a clean, dry and dust free cloth that reduces fiber contamination of the cassette
fixture.
An object on the surface of an optical component can influence the collected image. A
contaminant will normally be visible as a faint object in the image. In case the
contamination is on the cassette it will not be visible, when a new cassette is analyzed. If
the contamination is present on every image taken, it is most likely that other optical parts
are contaminated. In this case contact ChemoMetec A/S. An example of a relatively large
contamination is given in Figure 13.
Figure 13 An image showing a contamination of the optical system, visible as a white
cloudy phenomenon in the upper right hand corner.
The presence of a contaminant (e.g. dust particles) will normally not influence the
counting of cells. The NucleoCounter NC-200 will distinguish between cells and
contaminants, since a cell generally is significantly smaller than contaminants.