RapidPick Colony Picking and Rearraying User Manual 10 Stern Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081 Tel: 973-376-7400 Fax: 973-376-8265 1
Index Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3 Section 1 – Workcell Operation .......................................................................................... 4 1.1 – Startup .................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 – Starting a Run – Checklist ...............................................................................
Introduction Hudson's RapidPick workcell is a customizable, automated colony picking and rearraying solution fit for any users’ needs. The RapidPick workcell comes with multiple options to fully automate and optimize the colony picking process.
Section 1 – Workcell Operation 1.1 – Startup All instruments must be powered and connected to the computer prior to starting the software packages. The desktop contains two main icons: SoftLinx V : Hudson’s Protocol Editing Software, used to run the PlateCrane and RapidPick Lite protocols. Picker : CP7200’s operating software The CP7200 picker software should be started prior to running SoftLinx. The picker must also be on before this software is activated.
The selected protocol will be loaded and shown in the main SoftLinx screen: At this point, the user can load all plates into the proper positions and start the system by pressing the play button. Additional information about SoftLinx V can be found in its help file or manual.
1.2 – Starting a Run – Checklist The following items should be checked prior to starting a SoftLinx RapidPick Protocol. This list assumes all calibrations and robot positions have been correctly saved. - All instruments have been turned on. - The Platecrane is on and in a safe position for movement, away from the picker. - The RapidPick software is active and marked as Online. - The RapidPick camera cap is off, and the camera is in position.
1.3 – Protocol Execution Protocols are used to run the full system. Protocols generally follow the same template of load plates, run the picker, and then unload plates.
1.4 – Log Data The RapidPick logs all colonies that have been picked, including image of plates, and saves them in multiple formats for the user to digest. Picker logs can be found in the following locations: C:\Picker\Pick Logs C:\Picker\Rearray Logs C:\Picker\Transfer Logs The Pick and Rearray logs are created by the picker software to denote source plate, target plate, and transfer wells.
A. View Picked Colony Data This selection allows the user to view Source/Destination relationships between each actual colony picked and the target well it inoculated. The user can view the data by either Colony Plate barcode ID, or by Target Plate barcode ID.
B. View Rearray Logs Similar tabular data is available from rearraying operations that have been run: The Source Plate ID and wells are shown with their Target Plate’s ID and wells.
Section 2 – Developing and Editing Protocols 2.1 – Protocol Editor SoftLinx V Protocol Editor allows the user to create and modify the protocols to be run by the system. The menu is accessed in SoftLinx V’s main screen: The user can either create a new protocol or open and edit one of the RapidPick’s template protocols. Each available instrument and activities are displayed in the toolbar on the left of the screen.
2.2 – Protocol Template Each SoftLinx RapidPick Protocol is built using the same template and has 3 sections: - Initial Loading of Plates - Main Process - Final Cleanup The “Initial Loading of Plates” section may consist of the following: - Preparation of the target plate. Target plates are filled by the Micro10x or prefilled prior to protocol execution. Lids are removed if they exist on the target plate. Target plates are moved to the picker. - Preparation of the source plate.
2.3 – RapidPick SoftLinx Steps The RapidPick interface has multiple steps that can be used in a SoftLinx protocol. Each one is shown in detail below. Pick Colonies – The basic colony pick, as done by the CP7200. The following window will appear when the step is placed or double-clicked. This allows for customization of parameters to optimize the pick. Parameters which are customizable are as follows: Picking Order: Colonies are picked either by size or as fast as possible.
Limit number of colonies to pick: Maximum number of colonies to pick within this scan. Pad Wells: Reserve the maximum number of wells that colonies are picked into, regardless of whether or not those wells were inoculated. For example, if the picker is told to pick 12 colonies, but detects only 8, 8 wells are inoculated and 4 wells are reserved. This is useful when inoculating multiple plates into one target well, where order of rows may be vital.
2.4 - Picking Segments The Pick Colonies and Segmented Picking commands allow users to focus the picking commands onto specific areas of a plate. Segmented picking allows users to pick out of up to 12 segments in sequence on a single plate. Access to creating segments can be found when editing Pick Colonies or Segmented Picking steps, or when the user accesses the setup screen of the RapidPick interface in SoftLinx.
2.5 – Common Issues The Picker software does not connect to the instrument or show an “Online” status. - Ensure the picker is on before the software is activated. - Ensure the picker communication cable is connected to COM 1 of the computer. It cannot be connected to any other COM port. - Ensure that wish84.exe is NOT running prior to starting the picker software, and ensure that no other picker software windows are running. This can be verified within Windows Task Manager.
The picker seems to be picking colonies accurately, but colonies are having issues growing. - Ensure that all target plates are sterile. Do manual picks with similar colonies and target plates to ensure proper growth. Use the picker pins to do so. - Ensure the water source is sterile. Flush a full bottle of clean water through the picker wash station. - Ensure that ½ of a picker pin is going into the heater station during sterilization.
