Setting up location devices

About this topic

Because a location that can be accessed by the robot requires a teachpoint, the location is treated as a device in the software.

This topic describes how to set up the following location devices:

•	Plate Hotel

•

Platepad

•

Waste Bin

Plate Hotel

Description

A Plate Hotel is a vertical rack that stores microplates. The microplates sit on individual shelves and are not stacked directly on top of one another. Therefore, the microplates can be accessed randomly.

 

Setup workflow

 

Step	Procedure	See...
1	Install the Plate Hotel.	Automation Solutions Technical Support
2	Add the Plate Hotel in the device file.	Adding the Plate Hotel in the device file
3	Create a profile for the Plate Hotel.	Creating a profile in Plate Hotel Diagnostics
4	Set and verify the robot teachpoints for the applicable slots.	Applicable robot user guide, such as the BenchCel Microplate Handler User Guide

Adding the Plate Hotel in the device file

To add the Plate Hotel to the device file:

1	In the device file, add the Plate Hotel device. See Adding devices for instructions.

2	In the Devices area, select Plate Hotel, and in the Plate Hotel Properties area, provide the following.

 

 

Property	Description
Name	The name of the Plate Hotel device.
Profile	The profile associated with the device. Select the desired profile from the list. If you have not created a profile, see Creating a profile in Plate Hotel Diagnostics, and then return to this step to select the profile.

3	In the Devices area, expand Plate Hotel, and then select Slot 1.

4	In the Plate Hotel Slot 1 Location Properties area, type or set the following:

 

 

Property	Description
Allowed/prohibited labware	Permitted labware class for the selected location. For example, you might specify that only tip boxes are allowed at a given location. For details on labware classes, see the VWorks Automation Control Setup Guide.
BCR on south/west/north/east side	The location of the barcode reader and the desired barcode reader device. Use this field only if a barcode reader is installed on the device.
Use for deadlock avoidance	Option to permit the location to be used for deadlock avoidance. Select Yes to permit labware to be moved to this location to avoid a deadlock in the system. Select No if you do not want to move random labware to this location to avoid a deadlock.
Door	This property is not applicable for the Plate Hotel.

5	Repeat step 4 for the remaining slot locations.

6	Select File > Save.

Creating a profile in Plate Hotel Diagnostics

To create a profile in Plate Hotel Diagnostics:

1	In the VWorks software, open Plate Hotel Diagnostics.

 

The Plate Hotel Diagnostics dialog box opens.

 

2	Click Create a new profile. The Create Profile dialog box opens.

3	Type a name for the new profile, and then click OK. The new profile name appears in the Profile Management area.

4	In the Profile settings area, type the number of slots in the Plate Hotel.

5	When you are finished, click Update this profile to save the changes.

6	Click Initialize this profile.

7	Return to the device file and select the profile for the Plate Hotel device.