Agilent Capillary Array Installation on Parallel Capillary Electrophoresis Instruments

Created by Carlos Vargas 11 months ago | Last modified by Shweta.S 1 month ago

This Information Applies To: 5200/5300/5400 Fragment Analyzer, Femto Pulse, ZAG, Oligo Pro II

Issue:

This article explains the steps to take after installing a brand new array in the Agilent 5200/5300/5400 Fragment Analyzer, Femto Pulse, ZAG, and Oligo Pro II systems.

Steps to follow

Capillary array replacement steps are detailed in chapter 8 of the Fragment Analyzer user manual, Femto Pulse user manual, ZAG DNA analyzer user manual, and chapter 9 of the Oligo Pro II user manual.
After the new capillary array has been installed, perform the following steps in the order in which they are listed.

1. Update the Array Serial Number - After the installation of the new capillary array, log in as a user with administrator privileges. To update the serial number in the instrument controller software, click Admin > Configuration (Figure 1). The Configuration Settings dialog box will then appear. Select Device Settings, enter the new serial number, and change the information in the drop-down lists on the Device Settings tab as appropriate (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Configuration command from controller software.

Figure 2. Update device settings and enter new array serial number.

2. Conditioning method run - For the Fragment Analyzer, Femto Pulse, and ZAG DNA Analyzer, run a Method C Flush to ensure optimal performance. Figure 3 shows screenshot from Fragment Analyzer controller software with Method C selected. Please note for Oligo Pro II, it is recommended to do a conditioning run. There is no Method C method file on the Oligo Pro II by default.

Figure 3. Conditioning method setup

3. Normal separation run – Next, a separation can be run either with samples, or with each well containing diluent marker or blank solution only.

4. Capillary array alignment - Once the run is finished, in the controller software, click Utilities> Capillary Alignment and perform a capillary alignment according to steps listed in the instruments' respective user manual. Briefly, there are two ways to perform a capillary alignment, though Method A is the recommended and easiest method of alignment. Figure 4 shows an example screenshot for Fragment Analyzer and instructions are included in Chapter 4 of each of the instrument user manuals.