Lab maintenance

Correct EM-CCD switching off procedure

- leave EM-CCD cables plugged in 

- turn off the camera's program and the COMPUTER as well, to make sure the fan is switched off.

Protocol for cleaning the microscope objectives

- After an oil objective is used, the oil should immediately be wiped away with a lens tissue. (If not, this oil can not only attract dust, but it can drip down onto the stage or it can seep into the barrel of the lens, creating a sticky lens and/or causing permanent damage to the optics).

- Once you have removed all or most of the oil, squirt a few drops of methanol on a lens tissue (NOT on the objective lens) and gently wipe off all of the remaining oil until the objective looks clean.

- Make sure at all times that you only allow the lens tissue and NOT your fingers to come in contact with the objective lens.

ÄKTA

Our ÄKTA can be booked on the 'Booked' system by other members of the department. 

The MIW group ÄKTA chief manages user access, inductions, and maintenance of the instrument.

One person in each group is responsible for training subsequent members of that group to use the ÄKTA. 

- New users must fill in, and sign, a user request form.

- Their K-number is then given access to the computer which controls the ÄKTA.

- Instructions for keeping the ÄKTA in good shape, and logging every use, are stuck to the instrument. 

MQ Machine (Direct-Q 3 UV)

The system is plumbed into the mains water. This is fed through a reverse-osmosis filter unit, called the SmartPak. Water is stored in a tank in the machine; when the dispense button is pressed, it is fed through the SmartPak again, and passes out through a "final filter". There are many "final filters" available; we use a white one called a BioPak. That's the white brick with a nozzle that the water comes out of.

Here is the general maintenance schedule:

(1) Find the MQ manual in the cupboard where the consumables are kept.

(2) Familiarise yourself with the warning lights (one is a red double-tank symbol, the other for the UV lamp) and the 'Maintenance' sections of the manual.

(3) When the red tank light starts flashing on the machine, the SmartPak is wearing out. No need to panic, continue using the machine as it will be fine for a while, but over the next couple of weeks the machine will begin to struggle to produce 18.2 MOhm.cm water. When it can no longer do so, replace the SmartPak (see the manual; this is an overnight job, as the new SmartPak needs soaking and rinsing). This generally happens about once a year, so we usually order one SmartPak per year. We have a consumer supply agreement (CSA) with Merck to provide us with a SmartPak each year.

(4) This is a good time to also change the "final filter" (the BioPak, the white thing the water comes out of); see the manual. NOTE The SmartPak should be changed first, before the BioPak, otherwise the SmartPak rinses go into the brand new BioPak and it's contaminated with muck.

(5) Change the BioPak every six months or so (sooner if people suspect their water is contaminated with bacteria). So the schedule should be: change the SmartPak and BioPak at the beginning of the cycle, and change BioPak again six months (ish) later. [The BioPaks are warranted for 90 days (3 months), but JTS usually left it longer before changing it. Feel free to review this practice if you find water quality is not as desired.]

(6) Do a full tank clean once a year. This involves flushing the system with hydrogen peroxide (you'll need to have this to hand) to clean it. It will ruin any SmartPak or BioPak filter, so is best done when the SmartPak needs changing. The items needed for this (tubing and a syringe) are with the MQ manual and consumables. This will also take the machine out of action for a day.

(7) Regarding the UV lamp. There is a timer in the machine that runs to 500 days. When it gets to zero, it tells you the lamp needs changing. In the past we have reset the timer, since the lamp is still operational (if the lamp was broken, the warning light would continue to flash after resetting the timer because the broken lamp would result in a open circuit in the machine). [Feel free to review this practice too, if it is felt the UV lamp is not doing its job of sterilising the water.] 

Weird Smells Log

Log any unidentifiable smells in the wet lab and laser lab here to be reported to Vicky.