Asymptote VIA Freeze Series User Manual
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Asymptote VIA Freeze Series User Manual

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VIA Freeze system User Manual
Asymptote
Page 1 of 86
St John's Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS

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  • Page 1 VIA Freeze system User Manual Asymptote Page 1 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 2: Revision History

    Chris Creasey Moved menu structure to appendix 14/12/15 Chris Creasey Removed section on shipping bung 29/04/16 Chris Creasey Peter Dunkley Comments 16/10/2016 Stuart Milne Edit 09/01/2017 Emma Creasey Asymptote Page 2 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Overview of a Cryopreservation Run ..................16 Loading and unloading vials ..................... 17 Hardware overview ........................20 5.2.1 VIA Freeze™ Research......................20 5.2.2 VIA Freeze™ Duo ........................23 Asymptote Page 3 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 4 Cleaning products ......................... 42 7.1.2 Cleaning protocol ........................42 Heat transfer pad replacement ....................43 Servicing and Calibration ......................44 Plate loading/unloading ........................44 Sample placement/removal inside freezer ................44 Asymptote Page 4 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 5 Menu structure detail ........................78 Specifications and dimensions ..................... 81 11.1 VIA Freeze Research ......................... 81 11.2 VIA Freeze Duo ........................... 83 11.3 VIA Freeze Quad ........................85 Asymptote Page 5 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 6: Introduction

    Introduction Thank you very much for purchasing an Asymptote VIA Freeze™ product. This manual describes the operation of the VIA Freeze™ range of controlled rate freezers. The freezers use free piston Stirling coolers to freeze samples and there are three freezer...

  • Page 7: Safety

    The VIA Freeze™ Research is relatively light so can be lifted and carried by a single user with the front and rear handles. Asymptote Page 7 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 8: Operating Environment And Conditions

    3.5 Disposal At the end of the life of a VIA Freeze™ freezer, please contact Asymptote or your distributor to arrange disposal and recycling. The Stirling engine(s) contain(s) a small amount of pressurised helium and metals that can be recycled and should not be disposed of in general waste.

  • Page 9: Getting Started

    RJ45 socket at the back of the freezer. 5. If purchased please refer to and complete the IQOQ document. This QA document ensures and records that Asymptote QA installation and operational requirements are met. 4.2 Switching on and logging in...
  • Page 10 If you log in as an Admin, you will have access to certain system settings, which a normal User account is not able to view, for example being able to create extra Asymptote Page 10 of 86...
  • Page 11 Figure 4. To log in, use this keyboard to enter your username and password in the relevant fields, click ‘Accept’ on the keyboard, then press the ‘Log in’ button on the login dialog box. Asymptote Page 11 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 12 If the login attempt failed, e.g. because the wrong password was entered, an error message will be shown and the display will remain on the login menu. Otherwise, the main menu will appear on the display, see Figure 5. Asymptote Page 12 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 13: Notes On The Touchscreen

    If the user does not wish to use the touch interface, then a standard USB mouse and keyboard (not supplied) can be used instead by plugging them into the USB sockets at the back of the system. Contact Asymptote or your distributor if you have any problems with this or other accessibility issues.

  • Page 14: Notes On The Main Menu

    The button furthest on the left on the navigation bar contains the username of the current user. Pressing this button reloads the user interface in the unlikely event of a system crash. Asymptote Page 14 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 15: The Status Column

     Standby: The default mode, engines and heaters not powered.  Running: A freeze protocol is running and the engine is active.  Holding: The freezer is holding at a set temperature and is using the engine Asymptote Page 15 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 16: System Overview / Orientation

    This can be changed to suit the specific process and cell lines used. For a more thorough guide to cryopreservation please refer to 'ASY_0009_D_1_Asymptote guide to cryopreservation’. Asymptote Page 16 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 17: Loading And Unloading Vials

    VIA Freeze protocol should be the same to avoid the cells or samples being unnecessarily heated or cooled. This is shown in Figure 8. Asymptote Page 17 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 18 Alternatively, the vials can be loaded individually into a SBS plate in the system that has been precooled to the correct temperature using a dwell and hold in the protocol. This is shown in Figure 9. Asymptote Page 18 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 19 Figure 9 Loading vials individually into an SBS plate Asymptote Page 19 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 20: Hardware Overview

    5.2 Hardware overview 5.2.1 VIA Freeze™ Research Asymptote Page 20 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 21 Asymptote Page 21 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 22 Asymptote Page 22 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 23: Via Freeze™ Duo

    5.2.2 VIA Freeze™ Duo Asymptote Page 23 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 24 Asymptote Page 24 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 25 Asymptote Page 25 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 26: Via Freeze™ Quad

    5.2.3 VIA Freeze™ Quad Asymptote Page 26 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 27 Asymptote Page 27 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 28 Asymptote Page 28 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 29: Software Menu Structure

    These buttons are the main method for cycling through the screens and performing important operations. Each button has several different functions depending on what is displayed in the main window. Asymptote Page 29 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 30: Menu Icons

    6.2.1 Home screen On logging in, you will be presented with the home screen. The following icons will present themselves in the main window for navigation through the user interface. Asymptote Page 30 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 31: Settings Screen

    6.2.2 Settings screen Selecting the Settings icon on the home menu will take you to the Settings screen. The following options will present themselves. Asymptote Page 31 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 32: System Manager Screen

    6.2.3 System Manager screen Selecting System Manager on the home screen will take you to the System Manager screen, showing the following options. Asymptote Page 32 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 33: Service Screens

    6.2.4 Service screens Selecting Service Screens on the System Manager screen will take you to the Service Screens with the following options. Asymptote Page 33 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 34: Log Out And Shut Down Screen

    6.2.6 System mode icons The system mode icons are displayed the status column on the right hand side of the screen and display the systems current operation mode. Asymptote Page 34 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 35: Performing A Run

    6.3 Performing a run To perform a run on the freezer, press the ‘Select and Run Protocol’ button on the ‘Home screen’, this enters the protocol screen. Asymptote Page 35 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 36: Protocols

    Up to six protocols can be displayed on each screen. The left and right arrows at the bottom of the screen allow multiple pages of protocols to be viewed. Asymptote Page 36 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 37 When the protocol has been inspected, press either the ‘Back’ button to select a different protocol or the ‘Select protocol’ to confirm that this is the required protocol. Asymptote Page 37 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 38: Record Details

    ‘Cryo-plate’ – blue line – this is the current recorded temperature of the plate. ‘Setpoint’ – yellow line – this is the current target temperature of the plate. Asymptote Page 38 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 39 At any point during the run it can be stopped by pressing the ‘Abort’ button. Information about when to load and unload samples or plates can be in section 7. When a run is complete, press the ‘Finish’ button and confirm. Asymptote Page 39 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 40: Heating

    After a run has been completed and the ‘Finish’ or ‘Abort’ button has been pressed and confirmed, the freezer will enter a heating cycle. The ‘Status’ will now change to ‘Heating’. Asymptote Page 40 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 41: Exporting Run Data

    To export to an FTP server, the server address, username and password must be set in Settings > Change FTP. More details about records can be found in section 9.1. Asymptote Page 41 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 42: Routine Maintenance

    1 Before cleaning, ensure that a heating cycle has been completed and then switch off the freezer. 2 Unplug the power lead and any other cables or wires from the back of the freezer. Asymptote Page 42 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 43: Heat Transfer Pad Replacement

    9. When fully placed, ensure all four corners and edges are pressed down firmly and are flush with the top of the SBS mount. 10. Inspect the surface of the pad for any air bubbles and carefully push out to the Asymptote Page 43 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 44: Servicing And Calibration

    Due to the large number of sample formats that are available for use with VIA Freeze™ freezers, instructions for the use of specialist sample holders are supplied with them and not included in this manual. We recommend that you contact either Asymptote or your supplier to discuss your specific application and requirements.
  • Page 45 System manager is selected leading to: Create new protocol is then selected leading to: Asymptote Page 45 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 46 Which is the default starting profile for an edit. The first segment is highlighted and if this is edited the following dialog is displayed: Asymptote Page 46 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 47 In this example the rate has been changed to -2 degrees per minute to give the following protocol: Asymptote Page 47 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 48 The next segment can now be edited by pressing the right button at the bottom left of the screen: Asymptote Page 48 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 49 The second segment can now be edited and the hold at end of this segment should be checked to allow for sample loading: Asymptote Page 49 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 50 The new segment is shown above with a hold at the end and this should now be given a title and description and saved: Asymptote Page 50 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 51 The protocol should then be run by going back to the select and run protocol screen Asymptote Page 51 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 52 Selecting the protocol after checking the segments are correct: Asymptote Page 52 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 53 And entering the record details and press start: As the VIA Freeze is cooling the run can be held or aborted Asymptote Page 53 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 54: Sbs Plate Loading Outside The Freezer

    When designing SOPs that use the SBS trays outside of the cryo-chamber we recommend you discuss your proposed workflow with Asymptote who can advise as to best-practice. It is imperative that condensation build up is minimised during this use-case, various methodologies and SOP’s can be adopted to ensure correct operation.

  • Page 55: Advanced Operation

    The Records screen allows users to access a log of previously run protocols; the protocol information bar will display the time, date, user, protocol type and comments of each run. Asymptote Page 55 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 56 3) Selecting the Export Settings button will display a dialog box that will allow you to view and edit settings for exporting. Asymptote Page 56 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 57 Report type specifies whether you want just the csv (Raw data only) or both pdf and csv (Full report). Asymptote Page 57 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 58: Changing Password, Email And Ftp

    Via the System Manager menu an admin user can access the protocol editor to either create new protocols or edit existing ones. To create a new protocol, simply select Create New Protocol. Asymptote Page 58 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 59 Control the currently selected segment of the protocol with the controls in the bottom left of the main window. Asymptote Page 59 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 60 Selecting Edit Segment will access a pop up window whereby users can choose a desired state for the segment. Asymptote Page 60 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 61 Save in the bottom of the status column. The new protocol has been created and can be accessed via the Select and Run Protocols option home screen. Asymptote Page 61 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 62: Editing An Existing Protocol (Admin Only)

    9.4 Editing an existing protocol (admin only) As in section 8.5 the protocol editor can be accessed via the System Manager menu and existing protocols can be edited. Asymptote Page 62 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 63 Edit the title and description by selecting the input boxes. Asymptote Page 63 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 64 Finally select Save in the bottom of the status column. To view the newly edited protocol, go back to the Home screen and choose Select and Run Protocol. Asymptote Page 64 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 65: User Management (Admin Only)

    An admin user can access the User Management screen via the System Manager menu. Selecting the user information bar accesses a pop up window where the user can control the status of the selected user account. Asymptote Page 65 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 66 Selecting the Enable Automatic Login option brings up a confirmation box which when confirmed removes the need to log in to the system each time. The system stays logged in as the current admin user. Asymptote Page 66 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 67: Creating A New User

    The First name, last name and e-mail are optional. The password for the new user is set to asymptote by default and this can be changed from the My preferences or settings menu (depending on user type) on the home screen.

  • Page 68: Systems Administration

    The easiest way to gain access to the Linux environment, is to either SSH into the system via the IP address (reported in the Engineering Page), with user: Ubuntu, Pass: Asymptote, or to open a terminal on the local VIA Freeze™ system by CTL-ALT–T on a USB keyboard.

  • Page 69: Network And Security

    The VIA Freeze™ software is maintained by Asymptote. As new VIA Freeze™ software is released, Asymptote will contact you by email to make you aware of the new software. The update process requires a user to load the patch onto a USB device, connect it to the system, and to log in as an admin user and access the software update page.

  • Page 70: Setting The Time And Date

    To manually set the date and time of the system use the command $ sudo timedatectl set-time "Mon 2014-10-27 18:00:00" With correct values substituted in. Asymptote Page 70 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 71: Events

    To scroll through the pages of the list use the controls at the bottom left of the main window and use those in the bottom right to export or clear the log or to eject the USB safely from the system. Asymptote Page 71 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 72: Export Event Log

    USB port. 9.10 Alarms The Alarms panel is displayed in the Status Column. When no alarms are active, the panel will state “System is healthy. No action required”. Asymptote Page 72 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 73 A pop up will appear stating the type of alarm, a timestamp of when it occurred, its status (active: Yes or No) and whether or not it has been acknowledged. Select the Asymptote Page 73 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 74 To confirm acknowledgment, enter a comment into the input box to explain the nature of the alarm and how it was resolved. All details of alarms and their comments will appear in the alarms log. Asymptote Page 74 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 75: Remote Access

    (we recommend Firefox). In the address bar type in the IP address and append :8888/login. In this example the address to type into the web browser will be Asymptote Page 75 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 76 VPN (Virtual Private Network) then the system can be accessed from the internet. Should you have any problem connecting to the system we recommend you contact your system administrator since intranet settings may vary. Asymptote Page 76 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 77 Note on the VIA Freeze™ to exit the Engineering page scroll down to the bottom and press the Return to main menu button as shown in Figure 13 Figure 13 Exiting the Engineering Page Asymptote Page 77 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 78: Menu Structure Detail

    Ramp Dwell Equation Reset password Figure 17 state usertype Error! Reference source not found. Temperature Temperature Output Graph TC Selection Figure 15 Rate Figure 14 Complete menu structure Asymptote Page 78 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 79 Active (Click to Ramp Dwell Equation Edit Segment New Segment Suspend Delete Segment Change) Change user Change Reset Ramp Dwell Equation state usertype password Figure 16 System Manager menu A Asymptote Page 79 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 80 Login Screen Home Alarms and Log out or Event Log shutdown List of Events Eject USB Clear Export Log Out Shut down Figure 18 Home menu tree B Asymptote Page 80 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 81: Specifications And Dimensions

    RJ45 Ethernet 4 x T type thermocouples External dimensions (W x D x H) 29.3cm x 35.9cm x 44.9cm (11.5” x 14.1” x 17.7”) Net weight 14kg (31lb) Asymptote Page 81 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 82 Asymptote Page 82 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 83: Via Freeze Duo

    4 x T type thermocouples External dimensions (W x D x H) 44.6cm x 38.3cm x 61cm (93.7cm open) (17.6” x 15.1” x 24” (36.9” open)) Net weight 40kg (88lb) Asymptote Page 83 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 84 Asymptote Page 84 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

  • Page 85: Via Freeze Quad

    8 x T type thermocouples External dimensions (W x D x H) 63.8cm x 38.3cm x 61cm (93.7cm open) (25.1” x 15.1” x 24” (36.9” open)) Net weight 64kg (141lb) Asymptote Page 85 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...
  • Page 86 Asymptote Page 86 of 86 St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, CB4 0WS...

This manual is also suitable for:

Via freeze researchVia freeze duoVf1_30006Via freeze quadVf2_30010Vfp_30001

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