Just an additional small correction : the Imaging system from
Formulatrix does handle 24 and 48 wells plates, and it does a great job
at it. It can even image capillaries, we gave it a try for fun.
Ingrid
-----Original Message-----
From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Flip Hoedemaeker
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 2:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] Crystal Imaging Systems - possibilities and
recommendations
Just a FYI, these imagers can be used (and are used) with external
chillers to reach a temperature of 4C in a 22C room. If you do not have
the chiller option, you can indeed reach +/- 4 deg from ambient.
Flip
-----Original Message-----
From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Watier Yves
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] Crystal Imaging Systems - possibilities and
recommendations
> We are currently contemplating the acquisition of an automated imaging
> system for crystallization screen plates (96-well).
Thanks to Zolt, Renaud and Catherine from Sanofi-Strasbourg, we bought
last year a "Formulatrix Rock Imager".
The system is composed of a big box, containing your 96 wells
microplates, a computer and a barcode printer, When you want to add a
new plate, you define it into the software, a lot of commercials screens
are already predefined. You print the barcode and put the plate in a
empty place of the container, Pictures are taken on different focusing
levels then merged to have a single image.
Visualizing your drops is easy, full screen, and the picture is really
clean, you score then with the numpad of the computer. You know
instantly the condition, and you can see the growth of the crystal (or
more useful, proove the dissolution of a crystal in the weekend).
If you're not sure you can see and change the focusing parameters and
the polarizer in live.
By default the image taken is the whole drop, but when a crystal is
identified you can draw a rectangle on the image and a optical zoomed
image will be take at each next occurrence of the schedule.
/Pros/
-Really easy to use, and a real *gain of time* and *comfort*, you can
eventually access via a web browser to see and score your plates (you
don't need to be on the computer who control the formulatrix).
-No vibration (Pelletier).
- advanced users can do sql-like request on the imaging database.
/Cons/
- The graphical interface is "rich" and you can easily be lost at the
beginning. So for large institutes, it will probably an issue, and
someone who know the software will probably prepared the barcodes for
everyone..
-The worst is that the temperature is regulated, but not cooled. We
where expected to put it inside at 22'C and ask a 4'C temperature, it's
not possible, to have a 4'C inside the container you need to put the
formulatrix inside a 4'C room (or at least 8'C).
- You can't (or probably in option) put inside 24 well plates, only
robot's plates.
Regards,
--
Watier Yves
PhD Student, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) Experiments
Division / Materials Science Group
ID31 high resolution powder diffraction beamline.
6 Rue Jules Horowitz, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble, Cedex 9, France. Office:
10.01.06
Tel. (+)33(0)4.76.88.29.67 Fax. (+)33(0)4.76.88.27.07
http://www.esrf.fr/UsersAndScience/Experiments/MaterialsScience/ID31/
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