In rare cases, it is possible that a leak occurs in the DRX chip holder. This will not cause damage to the DRX sensor system as all ongoing measurements and fluidic steps will automatically be stopped by the switchCONTROL software. In the event of a leak during a measurement, a clear notification will pop-up in the switchCONTROL window. By following the instructions below, your DRX system will be operational again within a few minutes:

  • In the switchCONTROL software: Go to „Chip
  • Select „Eject Chip Holder” and mark the flow channels that were used
  • Click “Ok
  • Remove chip. As there might be liquid below the chip, the chip may adhere to the chip holder. Thus, more effort than usual might be required to remove the chip. In this case, you can carefully lift up the chip with a clean pipette tip.
  • Dry the chip holder with lint-free tissues
  • The liquid handling system of the DRX instrument will be re-activated only, if the leak detectors are completely dry. So, please make sure to thoroughly dry the leak detectors, which are located in the corners of the chip holder facing away from you. Purging these with compressed air or nitrogen gas is usually very efficient. Furthermore, the drying process can be accelerated by heating of the open chip holder to 50 °C for about 5 minutes. To do so, please use the manual chip temperature control function of switchCONTROL.
Category: Instrument and Chip Handling