Operating instructions – Bio-Rad Gene Pulser Xcell™ Electroporation Systems User Manual
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Section 3
Gene Pulser Xcell
™
Operating Instructions
3.1 Section Overview
This section describes the operation of the Gene Pulser Xcell. The following summarizes the organization
of this section.
Section 3.2 below describes the functions of the keys on the front panel, the Home screen on the LCD
display, and the Help functions built into the Gene Pulser Xcell.
•
The keys on the front panel of the main unit control the Gene Pulser Xcell. Section 3.2.1 describes
the uses of these keys.
•
The Home screen provides easy access to programs built into the Gene Pulser Xcell as well as a
direct method of manually entering pulse parameters to electroporate a sample. Section 3.2.2
describes these programs.
•
On-screen help is built into the software of the Gene Pulser Xcell. This may be accessed from any
screen as described in Section 3.2.3.
The Gene Pulser Xcell has three modes of operation: manual operation, pre-set protocols, and user protocols.
Section 3.3 describes the Manual mode, which may be used to rapidly program the parameters necessary
for delivering either an exponential decay or a square wave pulse.
•
Section 3.3.2 describes delivering an exponential decay pulse.
•
Section 3.3.3 describes delivering an exponential decay pulse but specifying a time constant
rather than a capacitance and resistance value.
•
Section 3.3.4 describes delivering a square wave pulse.
•
Section 3.3.6 explains how programmed settings may be saved as user protocols.
Section 3.4 describes the Pre-set protocols in which the pulse parameters have been optimized for a
number of commonly used bacterial and fungal species and mammalian cell lines.
•
Pre-set Protocols may be called up and used directly (Section 3.4.2) or may be modified prior
to being used (Section 3.4.3).
•
A modified Pre-set Protocol may be saved as a User Protocol (Section 3.4.4).
Section 3.5 describes a custom mode (User Protocols) in which users may store optimized pulse
parameters that they use in their own work.
•
User Protocols may be created in any of four ways:
•
In the User Protocols menu as a new protocol (Section 3.5.3).
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In the User Protocols menu as an edited (modified) program (Section 3.5.4)
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In the Manual menu as a new protocol (Section 3.3.4).
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In the Pre-set Protocol Menu as a modified protocol (Section 3.4.4).
•
User Protocols, once created and saved, may be called up and used directly like Pre-set
Protocols (Section 3.5.1).
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