310 Genetic Analyzer Capillary, 47 cm (36 cm wtr - well to read) - FAQs

How often should I change my polymer and buffer?

Polymer in the syringe should be changed every three days. Do not return unused polymer to the bottle.

Buffer and water should be changed every 48 hours or, if the run lasts for more than 48 hours, after the run is complete.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments Support Center.

How often do I really need to clean the pump block?

The pump block needs to be cleaned when:

Installing a syringe.

Switching applications (i.e., from sequencing to fragment analysis).

Shutting down the instrument for a long period of time.

If the instrument has run for more than 4 days without any of the above occurring.

Appearance of unusual spikes in the electropherogram.

If the syringe containing the polymer has been on the instrument for more than a week, it is important to clean the syringe and the block, and to change the polymer. At room temperature, enough urea decomposition can occur in one week to cause transient current increases during electrophoreses. If polymer is allowed to dry in the pump block channel, the pump block may be ruined.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments Support Center.

How do you do a Test CCD 4-color?

The Test CCD 4-color module is used to make sure that the capillary window is aligned properly within the detection cell and that the baseline is below 2,000 rfu so that the data is not compromised. Before running the module, make sure that there is polymer in the capillary and that there is sufficient buffer in the buffer vial in position one of the autosampler.

To perform the Test CCD 4-color:

(1) After starting the instrument, open the 310 Data Collection Software.

(2) Prepare a sample sheet and create a new injection list for your run (an old sample sheet can also be used to perform this test).

(3) From within the new injection list, select a sample sheet.

(4) Under Inj.#, click on 1 (first line) and select Insert under the Edit pull-down menu to insert a blank line at the position 1.

(5) Configure the first injection to be the Test CCD 4-color Module

1. Choose any sample name from the pull-down menu in the Inj. Tube & Sample Name column.
2. Choose the Test CCD 4-color module in the Inj #1 Module column.

When I started my run on the Applied Biosystems 310 Genetic Analyzer, an error occurred: "Leak detected in the syringe pump" but I don't see any leaks. What else might cause this?

A leak is detected if the gel pump moves a greater distance than expected. Normal polymer usage is approximately 4 - 7 µL per injection which is equivalent to 1 - 2 encoder counts for the 1.0 mL syringe (seen in instrument run log). Actual leaks can occur at various locations on the system and should be carefully examined. The message may sometimes be generated by conditions on the system that mimic a leak - these also need to be considered. More information on troubleshooting this issue can be found on Pages 7 - 9 in the Errors Encountered on the Applied Biosystems 310 Genetic Analyzer Guide (http://tools.thermofisher.com/content/sfs/manuals/cms_042475.pdf).

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments Support Center.

How often should I change the capillary on my Applied Biosystems 310 Genetic Analyzer?

The capillaries are warrantied for a certain number of runs or one year from date of shipment, whichever comes first. If you notice that you are starting to get reduced data quality (e.g., shorter reads, trailing peaks in all 4 colors) even with the Sequencing Standard, these may be signs that the array requires changing.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments Support Center.