USER’S GUIDE HIGH INTENSITY ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR High Tech Model 60-Watt TABLE OF CONTENTS Warranty Important Safeguards SECTION 1 – INSTALLATION Inspection Electrical Requirements Installing the Ultrasonic Processor SECTION II – OPERATION Principles of Ultrasonic Disruption Functions of Controls, Indications, and Connectors Preparations for Use Tuning Using the Ultrasonic Processor SECTION III – SERVICE INFORMATION Return of Equipment SECTION IV – OPERATING SUGGESTIONS AND TECHNIQUES The Ultrasonic Process
WARRANTY Your Ultrasonic Processor is warranted and backed by the manufacturer for a period of three years from the date of shipment against defects in material and workmanship under normal use as described in this instruction manual.
IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS READ BEFORE INSTALLING OR USING THE EQUIPMENT Your Ultrasonic Processor has been designed with safety in mind. However, no design can completely protect against improper usage, which may result in bodily injury and/or equipment damage. Please observe the following warnings at all times, read the operating instructions carefully before operating the equipment, and retain this instruction manual for future reference.
SECTION 1 – INSTALLATION INSPECTION Prior to installing the Ultrasonic Processor, perform a visual inspection to detect any evidence of damage, which might have occurred during shipment. Before disposing of any packaging material, check it carefully for small items. The Ultrasonic Processor was carefully packed and thoroughly inspected before leaving our factory. The carrier, upon acceptance of the shipment, assumed responsibility for its safe delivery.
INSTALLING THE ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR The Ultrasonic Processor should be installed in an area that is free from excessive dust, dirt, explosive and corrosive fumes, and extremes of temperature and humidity. SECTION II – OPERATION PRINCIPLES OF ULTRASONIC DISRUPTION The ultrasonic power supply converts 50/60 Hz line voltage to high frequency electrical energy.
FUNCTIONS OF KEYS, CONTROLS, INDICATORS, AND CONNECTORS POWER SWITCH START BUTTON STOP BUTTON TEST BUTTON TUNE CONTROL Applies power to the instrument. Illuminates when power is on. When depressed, activates the ultrasonics. Also resets the TIMER and ENERGY CONTROLLER to zero. When depressed, de-activates the ultrasonics. When depressed, allows the power supply to be tuned.
PREPARATION FOR USE CAUTION If the Ultrasonic Processor has been left in a very cold environment for a prolonged period of time, do not operate until it has reached room temperature. To safeguard the fuse against failure, always switch the power supply off before connecting or disconnecting the footswitch plug. 1. Ensure that the POWER SWITCH, TIMER SWITCH, PULSER SWITCH and ENERGY CONTROLLER SWITCH set to OFF. 2. Plug the electrical line cord into the electrical outlet. 3.
TUNING Tune the power supply in accordance with the following procedures each time a new converter or probe is used. 1. Ensure that the probe is not immersed in the liquid and that it does not come in contact with anything. 2. Set OUTPUT CONTROL TO “100”. (to “60” with the 2mm (5/64”) probe) 3. Set TIMER ON / OFF SWITCH to OFF. 4. Set POWER SWITCH to ON, and rotate the TUNE CONTROL clockwise or counterclockwise until minimum (not maximum) reading (usually less than 30) is obtained on the POWER MONITOR.
USING THE ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR The speed control on an automobile, can, to a certain extent, be compared to an Ultrasonic Processor. The speed control is designed to maintain the vehicles rate of travel constant. As the terrain changes, so do the power requirements. The speed control senses these requirements, and automatically adjusts the amount of power delivered by the engine in order to compensate for these ever changing conditions.
CAUTION Do not operate the power supply unless it is connected to the converter. High voltage is present in the power supply – Do not operate with the cover off. Never allow liquid to spill into the converter. Never allow a microtip to vibrate in air for more than 20 seconds. When using a 2mm (5/64”) probe, never exceed “60” on OUTPUT CONTROL. Do not allow the vibrating probe to come in contact with anything but the sample. Do not operate the converter in an explosive, humid, or caustic atmosphere. 1.
IMPORTANT To ensure repeatability and accuracy, always depress the TEST button after changing the OUTPUT CONTROL setting. NOTE Whenever the pulser is used, the TIMER and ENERGY CONTROLLER will accumulate and register the time that has elapsed and the energy that has been delivered to the sample ONLY during the ON cycle. When working with a new application, or when time and energy settings are unknown, proceed as follows: a. Set TIMER to maximum (99 minutes / 59 seconds). b.
SECTION III – SERVICE INFORMATION Your Ultrasonic Processor was designed to provide you with years of safe and dependable service. Nevertheless, because of component failure or improper usage, the possibility does exist that it might not perform as it should, or that it will stop working all together. The most probable causes for malfunction are listed below and should be investigated. The unit was plugged into an electrical outlet that provides a different voltage from that required.
RETURN OF EQUIPMENT It is suggested that an Ultrasonic Processor in need of repair be sent back to the factory. In order to receive prompt service; always contact the factory before returning any instrument. Include date of purchase, model number and serial number. For instruments not covered by the warranty, a purchase order should be forwarded to avoid unnecessary delay. Care should be exercised to provide adequate packing to insure against possible damage in shipment.
OPERATING SUGGESTIONS AND TECHNIQUES DISRUPTING CELLS The disruption of cells is an important stage in the isolation and preparation of intracellular products. From research levels through to production, many areas of biotechno logy, particularly recombinant technology, necessitate the use of ultrasonics for cell disruption. Although some biological products are secreted from the cell or released during autolysis, many others require sonication to release intracellular material.
Microorganisms differ greatly in their sensitivity to ultrasonic disintegration. For example, the most readily disintegrated are the rod- like forms (bacilli), while the spherical organisms (cocci) are much more resistant. The group Mycobacteria, to which the tuberculosis organism belongs, is particularly difficult to disrupt. Generally, animal cells are more easily disintegrated that plant cells, and red blood cells are more readily disintegrated than muscle cells because they lack a protective cell wall.
If enzymes cannot be used, the following procedures should be considered: Freezing the sample at -70?C overnight, then thawing it in water immediately prior to ultrasonic processing. Most animal tissues can be processed fresh (unfrozen). It is important to keep fresh tissue cold and to process it quickly (within 30 minutes) after dissection. When working with fresh tissue, the cells must be sonicated immediately at the time the GITC lysis solution is added.
zymolase, glucalase and / or lyticase to produce spheroplasts that are readily lysed may also be useful. To disrupt filamentous fungi, scrape the mycelial mat into a cold mortar, add liquid nitrogen and grind to a fine powder with a pestle. The powder can then be thoroughly sonicated in lysis buffer to solubilize completely. As fungi may also be rich in polysaccharides, pretreatment with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) may be beneficial.
Various methods can be used to measure the efficiency of the disruption. For example, a visual count can be made using a microscope. For greater accuracy, a protein assay could be used. This procedure is widely recognized as a good method for measuring cell disruption by taking into account the amount of protein released after disruption. The disrupted cells are then tested and checked against this number for percentage breakage. There are several types of protein assays.
To inhibit sample loss in test tube due to sticking, siliconize the test tube as follows: Wash and dry the test tube thoroughly, coat with silicone, then air dry. “Sigmacote” manufactured by Sigma Chemical Co., 3050 Spruce Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, USA, phone (314) 771-5765, is ideally suited for that purpose. High viscosity and concentration are problematic. 2,000 cps and 15% concentration by weight are maximum limits.
