BIO RAD TC20 Instruction Manual
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BIO RAD TC20 Instruction Manual

Automated cell counter
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TC20
Automated Cell Counter
™
Instruction Manual
Catalog #145-0101

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Summary of Contents for BIO RAD TC20

  • Page 1 TC20 Automated Cell Counter ™ Instruction Manual Catalog #145-0101...
  • Page 2 Copyright ©2011 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Reproduction in any form, either print or electronic, is prohibited without written permission of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Excel is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
  • Page 3 TC20 Automated ™ Cell Counter Instruction Manual...

  • Page 4: Warranty

    A Warning! label in this manual warns you about sources of injury or harm, including risk of electrical shock. Warning! Do not attempt to repair or remove the outer case of the TC20 automated cell counter or other accessories. If you open this instrument, you put yourself at risk for harm to body or equipment from electrical shock.
  • Page 5 Ministere des Communications du Canada This Bio-Rad instrument is designed and certified to meet EN61010* and the EMC requirements of EN61326 (for Class A) safety standards. Certified products are safe to use when operated in accordance with the instruction manual.
  • Page 6 Bio-Rad Laboratories is not responsible for any injury or damage caused by the use of this instrument for purposes other than those for which it is intended, or by modifications of the instrument not performed by Bio-Rad Laboratories or an authorized agent.

  • Page 7: Table Of Contents

    TC20 ™ Automated Cell Counter Specifications ..........4 Kits, Reagents, and Accessories............... 4 Chapter 2 — Setting Up the TC20 Automated Cell Counter ......7 System Components..................8 Unpacking the System Components..............8 Setting the Date and Time................. 8 Setting up Gating ....................9 Setting up Automatic Data Export and Sample Naming .........

  • Page 8: Chapter 1 - Introduction

    Chapter 1 — Introduction...

  • Page 9: Instrument Overview

    Getting all the data you need about your cell cultures is fast and easy; the TC20 cell counter and disposable counting slides eliminate the need for tedious setup, cleaning, or maintenance.

  • Page 10: User Interface

    LCD screen Keys for navigation USB ports A and B Slide port Power switch Fig. 1. TC20 cell counter. User Interface The user interface contains a color LCD screen and the four navigation keys listed below: Home — for accessing the...

  • Page 11: Tc20 ™ Automated Cell Counter Specifications

    19 × 15 × 25.4 cm Weight: 2.2 kg Kits, Reagents, and Accessories TC20 kits, reagents, and accessories are specially designed for use with the TC20 automated cell counter. These products are optimized to ensure accurate and reproducible cell counts. Counting Slides The counting slide (Figure 4) is a disposable polygon plastic slide with a dual chamber composed of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).
  • Page 12 Thermal Label Printer The thermal label printer (Figure 5) can be connected to the TC20 cell counter via the USB port A or USB port B. The printer, which uses a direct thermal printing method, provides labels with results that can be placed into a laboratory notebook.

  • Page 13: Chapter 2 - Setting Up The Tc20 Automated Cell Counter

    Chapter 2 — ™ Setting Up the TC20 Automated Cell Counter...

  • Page 14: System Components

    The TC20 cell counter uses a date/time stamp to track cell count results stored on the instrument. The date and time should be set on the TC20 cell counter before the first count. Resetting the date/time stamp after using the TC20 cell counter will not affect stored results.

  • Page 15: Setting Up Gating

    If you select No, the size gates will flank what the TC20 cell counter presumes to be the population of interest.

  • Page 16: Setting Up Automatic Data Export And Sample Naming

    If the Data autosave is disabled, then the Sample name and Serialize sample name features are automatically disabled. TC20 cell counter checks sample names already saved on the USB flash drive. If a sample name is already present on the flash drive, then you will be prompted to select another name.

  • Page 17: Chapter 3 - Performing Cell Counts

    Chapter 3 — Performing Cell Counts...

  • Page 18: Loading Slides

    Performing Cell Counts Performing Cell Counts Loading Slides Handle the TC20 ™ counting slides using the edges and avoid touching the optical surface of the slides. Important: When loading the sample, place the pipet tip at a 45° angle at the bottom of the sample loading area (half circle at outer end of the chambers).

  • Page 19: Counting Cells On The Tc20 Automated Cell Counter

    5. If the slide is removed, results from the last count will remain on the screen until a new slide is inserted. When a new slide is inserted and the instrument starts counting, the previous result will be stored on the TC20 cell counter using a date/time stamp to track the count.

  • Page 20: Counting Samples With Multiple Cell Populations

    Then open the exported JPEG on your computer using the TC20 data analyzer and move the size gates until only the cells you are interested in are annotated in the image. Use the displayed size gate positions (in microns) as a guide for subsequent counts on the TC20 cell counter.

  • Page 21: Current Count Options

    Dot (.) — indicates the end of the name, cursor will move to the Use name? field To name a sample: 1. Insert a counting slide into the slide slot of the TC20 cell counter to initiate a cell count. 2. At the end of the count you will be prompted to select a sample name (Figure 14).

  • Page 22: Printing The Current Cell Count

    Performing Cell Counts Printing the Current Cell Count The TC20 thermal label printer can be connected to the cell counter for printing results from the most recent count. The printer, which uses a direct thermal printing method, provides labels with results that can be placed into a laboratory notebook.

  • Page 23: Viewing The Histogram And Gating From The Current Count

    (Figure 16). For samples with trypan blue, two plots are used to show the number of live and dead cells (Figure 17). Important: The TC20 cell counter accurately counts samples with single or mixed cell populations. If you work with mixed cell population samples containing cells that vary greatly in size you should enable the User defined gates in the Gating setup menu.

  • Page 24: Chapter 4 - Saved Count Results

    Chapter 4 — Saved Count Results...

  • Page 25: Viewing Previous Counts

    The JPEG image (with a metatag containing count data) from the most recent count can be exported as well; it can be opened on your computer and further analyzed using the TC20 data analyzer software. To export all results from previous counts: 1.
  • Page 26 To automatically export image from current count: 1. Insert a counting slide into the slide slot of the TC20 cell counter to initiate a cell count. 2. If the USB drive is inserted, the image from that count will automatically be exported to the flash drive.

  • Page 27: Deleting All Counts

    Saved Count Results Deleting All Counts To delete all counts stored in the instrument: 1. From the Home screen, use the down arrow key to select Options, and press Enter. 2. From the Options screen, use the down arrow key to select Delete all counts, and press Enter.

  • Page 28: Chapter 5 - Maintenance And Troubleshooting

    Chapter 5 — Maintenance and Troubleshooting...

  • Page 29: Performing The Tc20 System Verification Test

    Important: If the cell counter fails the system test procedure, a reason for the failure will be displayed on the System test screen. The TC20 counter will indicate either cleaning the verification slide and repeating the test or contacting Bio-Rad Technical Support.

  • Page 30: Cleaning The Tc20 Automated Cell Counter

    Maintenance and Troubleshooting Cleaning the TC20 Automated Cell Counter The TC20 cell counter requires little maintenance but with long and constant use it requires some cleaning and other maintenance. The instrument should be cleaned on a regular schedule to remove debris or dirt that might interfere with proper function.

  • Page 31: Updating The Firmware

    Battery The TC20 cell counter uses a 3 V lithium coin cell battery with a 10-year expected lifetime to maintain the date setting. If the date changes without user input, it may indicate that the battery is getting weak. Contact Bio-Rad technical support for assistance with battery replacement.

  • Page 32: Troubleshooting

    Please repeat the test with Failure of system test. Repeat the verification without the verification a clean slide slide. If the problem persists, contact Bio-Rad Technical Support team (see Bio-Rad Laboratories Resources for details). Slide removed during focusing. The slide is removed during counting. If the slide is removed during Reinsert slide to continue or focusing, counting is interrupted.

  • Page 33: Ordering Information

    USB key, USB cable, 30 double chamber counting slides, 1.5 ml trypan blue dye 145-0103 TC20 Automated Cell Counter with Label Printer, 120–240 V, includes instrument, power supply, USB key, label printer, 1 roll of labels, USB cable, 30 double chamber counting slides, 1.5 ml trypan blue dye...
  • Page 34 Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Web site www.bio-rad.com USA 800 424 6723 Life Science Australia 61 2 9914 2800 Austria 01 877 89 01 Belgium 09 385 55 11 Group Brazil 55 11 3065 7550 Canada 905 364 3435 China 86 21 6169 8500...

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