• Store calibration plates or array cards in a dark place until you are ready to use
them. The uorescent dy
es in the wells of calibration consumables are
photosensitive. Prolonged exposure to light can diminish the uorescence of the
dyes.
• Do not allow the booms of the plates or array cards to become dirty. Fluids and
other contaminants that adhere to the booms of the consumables can
contaminate the sample block and cause an abnormally high background signal.
• Conrm that your centrifuge is clean. Before centrifugation, wipe down the
bucket(s) using a tissue.
• Vortex and centrifuge all calibration plates to ensure complete mixing and that all
reagents are contained at the boom of the wells. The calibration plates must be
well mixed and centrifuged before use.
Preparing array cards for instrument calibration
IMPORTANT! P
erform the following procedure only if you are verifying the
performance of a QuantStudio
™
7 Flex System with an array card sample block. The
QuantStudio
™
6 Flex System does not support the array card sample block.
• QuantStudio
™
7 Flex System Array Card Spectral Calibration Dye Kit:
– Array Cards, empty
– Array Card Spectral Calibration Dye Kit, including: FAM
™
dye mix, VIC
™
dye mix, ROX
™
dye mix, ROI dye mix, Background Buer, FAM
™
/ROX
™
dye
mix, and VIC
™
/ROX
™
dye mix
• TaqMan
®
Array Card Sealer
• Centrifuge with array card buckets and array card carrier clips
• Permanent marker or pen
• Pipeor, 200-µL (with pipee tips)
• Powder-free gloves
• Safety glasses
IMPORTANT! W
ear powder-free gloves while creating the calibration array cards.
This procedure explains how to create all of the array cards required to calibrate the
QuantStudio
™
7 Flex System, but not all of them are required for a monthly
maintenance. Before preparing array cards for calibration, determine which
calibrations are required (see “Calibration and maintenance schedule“ on page 27).
Not
e: For more information on the array card loading procedure, contact Technical
Support.
1.
Remove the tubes of calibration solutions from the freezer, allow them to thaw,
then vortex the tubes to mix the contents well.
2.
Remove the array cards from their box and place them on a clean, dry surface.
Required
mat
erials
Fill the calibration
T
aqMan
®
Array
Cards
Chapter 2 Calibr
ate the instrument
Preparing array cards for instrument calibration
2
QuantStudio
™
6 and 7 Flex Real-Time PCR Systems v1.6 Maintenance and Administration Guide
37