During a system test, the tool performs the following tests:

  • Confirms that the robot arm can move freely and can move to the home position. Home position of the robot arm is predefined.
  • Tests the control of the thermal mixer agitation and the heating with the thermal mixer.
  • Checks if the spectrophotometer is communicating properly with the instrument software.

Steps

  1. On the home screen, tap the Settings icon (gear), tap Service Tools, and then tap System Test.
  2. On the System Test screen, tap Run Test.
  3. The system displays status information while it performs the test.
  4. Tap Cancel to abort the run.
  5. Tap Back upon run completion to return to the home screen.

NOTE

The system test and the thermomixer test both cause the thermal mixer to heat up. Therefore, running either of these tests back-to-back can produce an error. Wait 15 minutes for the thermal mixer to cool down before running another test.

This service tool tests the system's ability to control the thermal mixer temperature, and check if it can agitate properly.

Steps

  1. On the home screen, tap the Settings icon (gear), tap Service Tools, and then tap Thermomixer test.
  2. Tap Run Test.
  3. The system displays status information while it performs the procedure.
  4. Tap Cancel to abort the run.
  5. Tap Back upon run completion to return to the home screen.

NOTE

The system test and the thermomixer test both cause the thermal mixer to heat up. Therefore, running either of these tests back-to-back can produce an error. Wait 15 minutes for the thermal mixer to cool down before running another test.

Description of PAL terminal menu items

Item

Description

Check Teaching

This item checks if the X, Y, and Z positions for the teach points of different modules are defined correctly. If a teach point position is incorrect, return to the setup menu to re-teach the module. Re-teaching can be performed in the Extended User level, not in the User level. Check teaching is performed in the User level.

Setup PAL module

This item selects the cover plate type to reserve one or more vials as a source vial (for example, for a reagent), and to define the vial type for the 6 positions. This action can be performed in the Extended User level, not in the User level.

Teach PAL module

The positions of the X, Y, and Z axes for the teach points of different modules can be defined using this item. This action can be performed in the Extended User level, not in the User level.

Activate Standby Temperature

This item activates the standby temperature of the heater in the thermal mixer. Standby temperature can be set if the thermal mixer heater needs to stay on in idle state.

Check Agitator

This item starts the spinning motion of the agitator. It is used to test the agitator function or to optimize the agitator spinning speed for particular experiment runs.