Chapter 06 – SETTINGS AND ADJUSTMENTS

6.4 PHOTOMETER
6.4.1 Electronic adjustments of the Photometer

Make sure that the Photometer Halogen Lamp and the Reactions Plate cuvettes
are brand-new before applying the following electronic adjustments procedure.

1. Turn on the Ilab Aries system (instrument and computer) and launch the Diagnostic program.
2. Select "Miscellaneous” folder and request an Instrument General reset. Wait until the reset
instrument procedure has been completed.
3. Make sure that all the Home Sensors of the Sampling Arm, Reactions Plate, Reagents Plate,
Samples Plate and the Filters Wheel light up in green.
4. Remove the Reactions Plate cover (Fig. 7) and place 500 µL of distilled water in the
cuvette # 1 of the Reactions Plate.
5. Replace the Reactions Plate cover (Fig. 7) on its plate (in order to avoid external interferences
of light in the reading).
6. Select “Optic” folder and verify that the Photometer Halogen Lamp is in “ON” state.
7. Make sure that the voltage on the J2 connector of the “Photometer Lamp Board” (Fig. 52) is
equal to 5.8 Volts ± 0.1 . If it not be so, turn the R6 trimmer (Fig. 52) for adjusting the voltage.

Keep plate
Halogen lamp

Lamp fastening screw

J2 connector of the
Photometer Lamp
Board

Photometer Lamp Board

[P/N: 30-01576-01]

R6 trimmer of the
Photometer Lamp Board

Fig. 52 – Photometer [P/N: 15-02448-00]

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 Chapter 06 – SETTINGS AND ADJUSTMENTS

Make sure that the Reactions Plate cuvettes are perfectly clean. If it not be so,
perform the “Washing cuvettes” operation (form “Start Work”).

The electric light and the daylight can influence the readings of the Photometer.
Therefore, bring down the Raising Top and close the Reactions Plate with its
cover (Fig. 7) before to perform the reading operations.

8. Click the “Dark” button, click the "START Sample Channel Conversion" button and make
sure that the adjacent text box shows a counts value equal to about 100 ± 50. If it not be so,
turn the OFFSET trimmer of the “Pre-Ampl./ADC Board (Sample Channel)” in order to set
the correct counts value (Fig. 53) [important note: the setted value must not be 0].

Reactions Plate

OFFSET trimmer of the

“Pre-Ampl./ADC Board”
(Sample Channel)

GAIN trimmer of the

“Pre-Ampl./ADC Board”
(Sample Channel)

Reaction
cuvette

Washing
Station

Fig. 53 – GAIN and OFFSET trimmers of the “Pre-Ampl./ADC Board” (Sample Channel)

9. After the Sample Channel OFFSET adjusting, click the "STOP Sample Channel Conversion"
button.
10. Click the "START Reference Channel Conversion" button (in the “Dark” position) and make
sure that the adjacent text box shows a counts value equal to about 100 ± 50. If it not be so,
turn the OFFSET trimmer of the “Pre-Ampl./ADC Board (Reference Channel)” in order to set
the correct counts value (Fig. 61) [important note: the setted value must not be 0].

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 Chapter 06 – SETTINGS AND ADJUSTMENTS
11. After the Reference Channel OFFSET adjusting, click the "STOP Reference Channel
Conversion" button.
12. Determine the filter which transmits the highest signal (for the Sample Channel), selecting all
buttons of the filters (from 340 nm to 690 nm) and, for each one of them, performing
the following steps:
a. click the ”START Sample Channel Conversion" button;
b. read the counts value shown in the adjacent text box;
c. click the ”STOP Sample Channel Conversion" button.
13. Make sure that the counts value of the filter which transmits the highest signal (for the
Sample Channel) is between 58.000 and 62.000. If it not be so, turn the GAIN trimmer of
the “Pre-Ampl./ADC Board (Sample Channel)” in order to set the correct counts value
(Fig. 53).
14. Select all buttons of the filters (from 340 nm to 690 nm) and, for each one of them, performing
the following steps:
a. click the ”START Sample Channel Conversion" button;
b. make sure that the counts value shown in the adjacent text box is between 29.000 and 62.000;
c. click the ”STOP Sample Channel Conversion" button.
15. Determine the filter which transmits the highest signal (for the Reference Channel), selecting
all buttons of the filters (from 340 nm to 690 nm) and, for each one of them, performing
the following steps:
a. click the ”START Reference Channel Conversion" button;
b. read the counts value shown in the adjacent text box;
c. click the ”STOP Reference Channel Conversion" button.
16. Make sure that the counts value of the filter which transmits the highest signal (for the
Reference Channel) is between 53.000 and 57.000. If it not be so, turn the GAIN trimmer of
the “Pre-Ampl./ADC Board (Reference Channel)” in order to set the correct counts value
(Fig. 62).
17. Select all buttons of the filters (from 340 nm to 690 nm) and, for each one of them, performing
the following steps:
a. click the ”START Reference Channel Conversion" button;
b. make sure that the counts value shown in the adjacent text box is between 35.000 and 57.000 ;
c. click the ”STOP Reference Channel Conversion" button.
18. Remove the Reactions Plate cover (Fig. 7), empty the cuvette # 1 of the Reactions Plate and
replace the Reactions Plate cover on its plate.
19. Click the “Exit” button to exit from the Diagnostic program.

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