Bio-Rad Gene Pulser Xcell™ Electroporation Systems - Manual (Page 18)

3.3 Manual Operation
3.3.1 Manual Operation (Quick Guide)
• From the Home screen:
• Press Enter to select exponential decay;
• Press 2, then Enter to select exponential decay but specifying a time constant;
• Press 3, then Enter to select square wave.
• Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll through the parameter value spaces on the screen.
When a parameter value is highlighted, use the keypad to enter a value, then press Enter to accept
that value.
• When the necessary parameter values have been entered, the Pulse button on the Gene Pulser
Xcell is active.
• Press the Pulse button to electroporate the sample.
• Press the Back key to return to the Protocol Detail screen and to deliver another pulse.
3.3.2 Electroporation using Exponential Decay Pulses
See Section 4.1 for a discussion of electroporation using exponential decay pulses.
• When the Home screen (Figure 3.2) is selected, the number 1, corresponding to “Exponential
protocol” is highlighted as the default choice. Press Enter to view the Protocol Detail Screen. If the
number 1 on the Home screen is not highlighted, press 1 or use the Up or Down Arrow keys to
highlight “Exponential protocol”, then press Enter to select. The Protocol Detail screen appears
(Figure 3.3).
• The following combination of parameters may be entered:
Capacitance + Voltage
Capacitance + Voltage + Resistance
The three variables may be selected in any order, however, the set voltage will determine whether the
high voltage or the low voltage circuit is to be used and will limit the range of the capacitance as
indicated in Table 3.1. If a value for the capacitance is chosen that outside the range of the system, this
value will default to the closest allowable value.
Specifying a resistance value requires that the PC Module be attached. This is always recommended with
high resistance media (i.e., >600 ohm) such as water, sucrose, glycerol, sorbitol, or polyethylene glycol. The
PC Module places a resistor in parallel with the sample to reduce the resistance of the circuit. In this way,
the time constant of a high-resistance sample may be reduced and controlled.
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