Bio-Rad PDQuest 2-D Analysis Software - Manual (Page 34)

The settings window allows you to:
• Select the Spot cutter model, either 25 cm or 30 cm.
• specify the microtiter plate size you are using, either 96 wells or 384 wells.
• specify the order in which you want to the load the wells on the microplate: A1, A2, A3,
… or A1, B1, C1, …
• specify Well A1 position, 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.
• Specify Wash Station 1 position, uses the same method as for microplate well A1 calibra-
tion. Once you have set the position of station 1, the remaining wash station positions are
automatically calibrated.
• specify the diameter of the cutting tip, 1.0 mm or 1.5 mm. The cut request circles that you
make on the image reflect the actual size of the cutting tip, and will change based on the
tip size selection.
Note that you must click "Done" for a change to take effect.
Focus Cutter Camera
Fig. 29. Focus Cutter Camera button.
The Focus Cutter Camera dialog box controls the camera exposure setting. Focusing and aligning
the camera are described in Sections 2.10 and 2.11 of this manual. Click on the Focus Cutter
Camera button to open the dialog. The platform light on the spot cutter will turn on and the cam-
era will focus on a small region at the center of the gel or membrane and begin taking continuous
exposures. At the top of the dialog, click on Auto-Expose to reset the exposure time of the cam-
era.
• The Time field shows the time of each exposure in milliseconds.
• The Ceiling field shows the highest pixel value in the focused region.
• The Levels field shows the levels of gray scale in the image.
All of these settings are automatically determined by the software, based on the position and
aperture of the camera lens. Always click on "Stop" before closing the Focus dialog window.
31