Recovering from a power outage

About this topic

A loss of power can be the result of either inadvertently turning off the power switch or a power failure. Regardless of the cause, a loss of power disrupts the communication between the Vertical Pipetting Station and the automation control software. You cannot resume a protocol that was running at the time of the power outage. To recover from the power outage safely, perform the following procedure.

 

CAUTION If a power outage occurs when the pipette tips are inside of a plate, the shelves will move to the outer position. The shelf movement can cause damage to a fixed-tip head.

Recovering from a power outage

To recover from a power outage:

1	On the Vertical Pipetting Station rear panel, ensure the power switch is set to the off (o) position and the air switch is set to the off (down) position.

 

2	Ensure that the shelves are moved out and clear of the pipette head, and remove any labware from the shelves.

If necessary, you can manually move a shelf to the out position.

3	If possible, cancel the run in the VWorks software.

 

CAUTION Before you click Abort, make sure the shelves are in the out position. Aborting a run causes the shelves to retract, which could cause a head collision.

For example, click Abort if an error message appears with options to Retry, Ignore, or Abort.

Alternatively, click Pause on the toolbar, and then click Abort process.

4	On the rear panel, press the power switch to the on (–) position.

5	Open Vertical Pipetting Station Diagnostics and initialize the correct profile. Ignore the low air-pressure warning. Wait until the pipette head moves upwards in the z‑axis to the top of its travel.

6	On the rear panel, set the air switch to the on (up) position.

The shelves should move to the outer positions.

7	Re-initialize the profile so that the system also monitors the air pressure.

8	To continue an interrupted protocol task manually, use the Processes tab in Vertical Pipetting Station Diagnostics. See Running a process using Diagnostics software.

Related topics

 

For information about...	See...
Safety guidelines	Safety guidelines
Stopping or pausing a run	VWorks Automation Control User Guide
Stopping in an emergency	Stopping in an emergency
Opening Vertical Pipetting Station Diagnostics	Opening Vertical Pipetting Station Diagnostics
Initializing a profile	Initializing the Vertical Pipetting Station
Reporting a problem	Reporting problems