Bio-Rad Model 550, Ultramark, and Benchmark Microplate Reader Accessories - Manual (Page 7)

Section 3
Instrument Set-up
3.1 Initial Start-up
1. Place the instrument on a clean, sturdy table or bench. It is important to keep the instru-
ment in a clean, relatively dust free environment to ensure maximum performance.
2. Connect the power cord to the back of the instrument. Before connecting the instrument
to the main electrical supply, check that the AC voltage is appropriate for the instrument.
3. Turn on the power switch on the rear panel. The LCD will display the version number of
the on-board firmware. After about three seconds, the instrument will perform an initial
self diagnosis that requires about one minute. Allow three minutes for the instrument to
warm up (reach thermal equilibrium) before reading plates.
4. Install the printer paper. The thermal printer paper is treated on one side only, and must
be properly installed for the printer to function. The side of the paper that faces out from
the roll is the treated side.
a. Open the rear cover of the instrument.
b. Tear off a small piece of the beginning of the roll on a diagonal to form a point.
c. Place the roll of paper in the small pan-like holder positioned below the printer.
The roll should be positioned so that it will feed from the bottom.
d. While pressing the PAPER FEED key, feed the pointed end of the paper into the
paper feed slot in the underside of the printer until the printer grabs the paper and
feeds it through the slot in the top of the instrument.
e. Securely close the rear compartment.
Section 4
Operation
4.1 Overview
The Model 550 Microplate Reader has built-in software that allows the user to set the
locations of assay blanks, select assay filter(s), set the values of the analysis limits, and select
the report types to be printed. The software communicates through the two-line, 16-charac-
ter LCD and is controlled through the instrument’s membrane keypad.
The display shows the current mode of the on-board software. The software has eight
different modes: the PLATE READING mode, in which data are collected, and seven modes
for setting the reading and reporting parameters. The user presses the MODE key to toggle
between collecting data in the PLATE READING mode and setting parameters in one of the
seven other modes. The modes used to set parameters are: PRINT REPORTS, SET ANAL-
YSIS, SET REPORT TYPES, SET BLANKS, SET LIMITS, SET CUTOFF and SET CON-
CENTRATION. If the MODE key is pressed when the instrument is in the PLATE
READING mode, the instrument will switch into the PRINT REPORT mode. The user may
then step through the other six parameter-setting modes by pressing either ARROW key.
When the desired mode is displayed in the LCD, the user presses the ENTER key in order to
modify the mode parameters.
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