"Current = 0.0uA, Expected Range: 5 - 3000" Error on Parallel Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments

Answer

This Information Applies To: Agilent 5200/5300/5400 Fragment Analyzer, Femto Pulse, ZAG DNA Analyzer

Issue

After starting a run, the run is aborted with the following error: Current = 0.0uA, Expected range: 5 - 3000.

Steps to Follow

1. Check that the top compartment and the top two drawers are closed (Figure 1). If the top compartment or either of the top two drawers are open, the interlock stops the instrument applying an electrical current for the operators safety.
   

   
    
   
   Figure 1. Drawers and compartments of a parallel capillary electrophoresis system. The example shown is a 5200 Fragment Analyzer.
   The top compartment and top two drawers must be closed while the instrument is running. The lower drawers and side drawers can be opened. 
   1. Top compartments: capillary array and optics, 2. Side compartments: pump and reagent bottles, 3. Drawers.
   
   

2. Check that the white capillary array high-voltage supply cable is properly connected (Figure 2). If the array plug is not plugged in, the interlock stops the instrument applying an electrical current.
   

    
   
   Figure 2. Instrument top compartment. High-voltage supply cable. The example shown is a 5300 Fragment Analyzer.
   1. Holder with high-voltage plug, 2. High-voltage cable connection.
   
   

3. Perform a full power cycle, including unplugging and swapping the two USB cables. How to perform the full power cycle is described in the article Full Power Cycle for Agilent Parallel Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments.
4. Check that the reagents have not been mixed up. e.g., Conditioning Solution being loaded into the instrument instead of gel. Then flush the array with the correct reagents by performing a default conditioning or full conditioning method.
5. The inlet buffer must be replaced daily and be present for every capillary. Make sure that the inlet buffer is fresh and in the correct position for your instrument. Check the quick start guide for the assay that you are running to check where the inlet buffer should be loaded.
6. If you believe that one of the capillaries in the array could be blocked, see the article No Data From One or More Capillary on Parallel Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments.

After performing the troubleshooting steps, perform a sample run again to check if the correct current is now reached. If these steps do not help, contact Agilent support. To find the correct contact, visit the Contact Us page and choose your country.

Learn how to effectively maintain your Agilent Fragment Analyzer, Femto Pulse, or ZAG DNA Analyzer system: 5200, 5300 and 5400 Fragment Analyzer system manual on Agilent.com Femto Pulse user manual on Agilent.com ZAG DNA Analyzer system manual on Agilent.com

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

PR7001-2473