Note: Call Hamilton Company's Technical/Customer Service Department if you have questions about maintaining your MICROLAB 500 system.
Deciding When to Clean the MICROLAB 500.
How often you clean the MICROLAB depends upon how you use the instrument and
what you use in it.
We recommend that, if you use the instrument daily, the tubing and syringes should
be purged and primed at the end of each experiment and each work shift. Clean the
system by flushing it with Hamilton Syringe Cleaner, ethanol, or a with a 10%
chlorine bleach and deionized water solution.
Avoid using caustic or acidic cleaning solutions.
*Important: Leave the syringes and tubing filled with deionized water overnight. This is important if you are using buffers or other salt solutions which could accumulate or crystallize in the system. If buffers or other salt solutions are left in the fluid path overnight, crystals
may form and damage the syringe plunger tip.
*See "Cleaning the Fluid Path of MICROLAB 500" for complete details on cleaning the fluid path. If you still have questions, contact Hamilton Company's Technical/Customer Service Department.
Clean the MICROLAB 500's fluid path before using it for the first time. Use Hamilton Syringe Cleaning Solution to clean the fluid path. Click here for information on ordering Hamilton Syringe Cleaner.
To clean the fluid path, follow these steps:
Prepare a reservoir of cleaning fluid and place the fill tubing in the cleaning fluid reservoir. Use a tubing clip to secure the tubing to the side of the reservoir.
Place the hand probe into the cleaning fluid reservoir or a waste container.
Press the Step/Prime switch on the drive unit to start the priming cycle.
Continue the priming cycle until the fluid path is clean. The number of cycles needed to clean the fluid path will depend on the sizes of the syringes and the dirtiness of the system.
When the fluid path is clean, press the Step/Prime switch back to the middle position to stop the priming cycle.
Move the inlet tubing from the cleaning fluid reservoir and place it into a reservoir of deionized water.
Press the Step/Prime switch to continue the priming cycle.
Continue the priming cycle until the fluid path is free of all cleaning fluid. Dispense the rinse fluid into a waste reservoir.
Press the Step/Prime switch to the inactive position to stop the priming cycle.
Press the Step/Prime switch to the Step position and advance the syringe drive arm to the Home position.
The system is now clean and ready for use.
Note: When priming reagent after a deionized water rinse,
dispense the first shot into a waste container, since it will contain
a certain amount of the water droplets that remained in the tubing
line.
Warning! Follow your laboratory's safety procedures if you use
the MICROLAB 500 system to handle hazardous
materials.
When tubing and syringes come in contact with contaminated or hazardous samples,
follow safe laboratory practices in selecting and using a cleaning fluid to flush out
the tubing and syringes. Purge, clean, and decontaminate the MICROLAB 500 by
thoroughly flushing out all portions of the tubing and syringes.
Use a cleaner that is compatible with the fluids previously run through the system.
Depending on the sample that is being run, you may want to use de-ionized water,
urea, ethanol, or a 10% chlorine bleach and deionized water solution as a cleaning
fluid.
Clean syringe plunger tips by soaking them in Hamilton Syringe Cleaning Solution.
If you still have questions, contact Hamilton Company's Technical/Customer
Service Department.
Warning! Follow your laboratory's safety procedures if you use
the MICROLAB 500 system to handle hazardous
materials.
The MICROLAB 500 housing is moderately inert to chemical exposure. However,
some chemicals may discolor the surface of the unit.
If a spill occurs on the instrument's exterior, wipe the surface immediately. Wash
the surface using a damp cloth with water and soap or use a SANI-CLOTH™. Then
dry the area. Take care that liquids do not enter the interior of the MICROLAB
500.
To disinfect the exterior surface, wipe it down with a 10% chlorine bleach and
deionized water solution. Then dry the area.
Note: The cleaning guidelines presented here are meant as
guidelines only. If your particular applications require different
cleaning solutions, contact Hamilton Company for more
information.
For long-term storage, prime and purge the system with methanol to facilitate
drying. Remove the tubes and syringes. Cover the instrument to protect it from
damage. Store syringes in their original containers.
Replacing batteries while saving stored methods.
You can replace the batteries in the MICROLAB 500 and yet save all methods stored in memory. To change batteries while saving stored methods, follow these instructions:
Important: Read all the following instructions before replacing batteries. You MUST follow these steps to save stored methods.
Make sure the controller is plugged into the base unit. The controller must remain plugged into the base unit to save stored methods.
Make sure the base unit is powered on. The base unit must remain powered on to save stored methods.
Turn over the controller. Remove the single screw from the battery cover and set the cover and screw aside.
Pull out the two old batteries and replace them with two new AA batteries. Be sure to match the positive-negative symbols on the batteries and on the controller.
Important - Make sure you install the batteries correctly, according to the positive and negative symbols. If you reverse the batteries' positions and power off the base unit, all stored methods will be lost.
Replace the battery cover and secure it with the screw.
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