Quadra 4 Operator Manual
Tomtec
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Quadra 4 General Information
Tomtec uses a different design philosophy on the Quadra 4 compared to most
competitive multi-well pipettors. Rather than move a complex, heavy, pipetting head
over the microplates, the Quadra design fixes the head firmly in one place. The shuttle
is used to move lightweight plates and reservoirs to the stationary head. This results
in a very reliable design. All of the electronic control wiring is fixed in place. Moving
wiring is subject to breakage. An intermittent breakage in a control line is extremely
difficult to diagnose. This has the additional advantage of being able to easily change
the pipetting head for very different applications. Four bolts and a plug in connector
complete the change over.
The 6-station shuttle, under software program control, can quickly position any station
under the pipettor head. More importantly, the shuttle can be automatically loaded and
unloaded via the stackers for those applications requiring the processing of more than
6 devices. Thus, in comparison to large flat bed pipettors, the Quadra design can
handle 50 devices, plates and reservoirs, to and from the pipettor with walk away
automation.
A stage is provided under the pipettor head to lift the various devices to the tips for
precise vertical control. Depending on the application, this can be a simple stage with
touch off control or it may be a full indexing stage for reformatting or serial dilution
testing protocols.
The straight forward design of the Quadra 4, lends to very easy and intuitive software
control. Complex protocols requiring various microplates and reservoirs can be
created to run in a walk away mode of operation, while only requiring 30 inches of
bench top space.
Tomtec has elected to supply the Quadra 4 in a variety of configurations. This is to
allow the end user the freedom of selecting the most cost effective model for their
specific requirements. This operator's manual describes the various elements that are
available. Not all of these features are on all models.
This is our top of the line model. It includes stackers, an indexing stage, and has a full
pneumatic system for use with additional accessories.
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