Bio-Rad EXQuest Spot Cutter - Manual (Page 302)

Integrated Excision Tool
9-13
Well A1 position
The fields and buttons in this section are used to calibrate the position of the
microplate for proper loading of samples. The number fields contain the X and Y
coordinates (in millimeters) of well A1 on a plate in the spot cutter plate holder. Once
you have set the position of this well, the cutter robot will automatically “know” the
positions of the remaining wells.
To set the well A1 position, position your cursor over the number in the X or Y
coordinate field and press Enter on your keyboard twice. The tip will move to that
position without attempting to lower into the well. If the tip is not centered directly
over the well A1 on the microplate, you will need to adjust the numbers in each field.
You can either type a new value directly in each field, or (for small adjustments) use
the arrow buttons to adjust the tip by fractions of a millimeter. The cutting tip will
move as you either enter new numbers or click the buttons.
Note that the arrow buttons are oriented as if you were facing the front of the spot
cutter; also, if you are facing the cutter, higher numbers in the first field will move the
cutting tip to the right, while higher numbers in the second field will move the cutting
tip toward the back of the instrument.
When you are satisfied with the position of the cutting tip, click Test to lower the tip
into the well. The tip should be centered inside the well.
Park returns to the tip to its home position.
Wash Station 1 position
Calibrate the position of Wash Station 1 on the cutting platform by following the steps
described above for Well A1. Once you have set the position of station 1, the cutter
robot will automatically “know” the positions of the remaining wash stations.
9.2.b Spot Cutter Calibration
Before you can begin excising spots, you must calibrate the spot cutter. This
procedure requires a PVDF membrane.
Note: Before calibration, you should focus the cutter camera and align the wash station
position. You should make sure the spot cutter camera image is properly centered
using the Crop Left Margin setting.