Cleaning The Dna Engine Cycler; Cleaning The Chassis And Block; Cleaning The Air Vents - BIO RAD PTC-200 Operation Manual

DNA Engine Operations Manual
Cleaning the DNA Engine

Cleaning the Chassis and Block

Clean the outside of the DNA Engine cycler and Alpha
tissue whenever something has been spilled on it or the chassis is dusty. A mild soap
solution may be used if needed.
Clean block wells with swabs moistened with water, 95% ethanol, or a 1:100 dilution
of bleach in water (see the Slide Chambers Alpha Unit Operations Manual for instruc-
tions on cleaning the Slide Chambers
wells with water afterward to remove all traces of bleach. Clean spilled liquids out of
the block as soon as possible; dried fluids can be difficult to remove. Do not clean the
block with caustic or strongly alkaline solutions (e.g., strong soaps, ammonia, bleach
at a higher concentration than specified above). These will damage the block's pro-
tective anodized coating, possibly causing electrical shorting.
If you use oil in the block (a practice not recommended by Bio-Rad; see "Using Oil to
Thermally Couple Sample Vessels to the Block," chapter 4), clean the wells whenever
the oil has become discolored or contains particulate matter. Use a swab to determine
whether cleaning is needed. Clean the block with 95% ethanol as described above. Oil
buildup must be prevented. Old oil harbors dirt, which interferes with vessel seating
and diminishes thermal coupling of sample vessels to the block.
Caution:

Cleaning the Air Vents

Clean the air intake and exhaust vents with a soft-bristle brush, a damp cloth, or a
vacuum cleaner whenever dust is visible in them. The air intake vents are located on
the bottom, lower front edge, and back of the machine; the air exhaust vents are
located on both sides (see figs. 2-1, 2-3, and 2-4). If these vents become clogged
with dust and debris, airflow to the Alpha unit's heat sink is hampered, causing per-
formance problems related to overheating. The air intake vents are particularly likely
to collect dust since their holes are much smaller than those of the air exhaust vents.
Tip: To prevent problems with overheating, institute a regular program of checking for
dust buildup, particularly for robotics installations.
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® Cycler
™ Alpha unit's slide slots). If using bleach, swab
Do not pour any cleaning solution into the block's wells and then
heat the block, in an attempt to clean it. Severe damage to the
block, the heated lid, and the chassis will result.
™ unit with a damp, soft cloth or