Everyone knows to stop at a red light, slow down for a speed bump, or to walk carefully when there is a “caution, wet floor” sign. Signs are there to give us a hint about what we should do next, and luckily for you, DNA Sequencing machines give you signs to help you out.
The laser in the 7900HT and 7300/7500 machines can occasionally raise some problems if not replaced at the designated time. However, these machines won’t make you play any guessing games. Here are some messages you could come into contact with if your laser needs replacing:
- At the start of a run: “Warning -- Cannot detect sufficient current from lamp. Either lamp is not installed properly or needs to be replaced.”
- During a run: “Warning -- Cannot detect sufficient current from lamp. Either lamp is not installed properly or needs to be replaced.”
- “Warning -- The lamp usage has exceeded 2000 hours. We recommend replacing the lamp soon to ensure optimal assay performance.”
- “Error -- laser is not on, run failed when the instrument and laser are on.”
- “Error 10056, problem with laser not on.”
In addition to these messages, pay attention to a weak signal strength or failed collaboration runs.
If you see the first three notifications, the answer to your problems is simple, as well as inexpensive. You can order a new lamp from SeqGen for a fraction of the manufacturer price. Replacement shouldn’t be difficult, but feel free to give us a call if you need any assistance. See the picture below for guidance during replacement.
We do replace lamps as a routine step during a preventative maintenance visit.
In the case of the 7900HT, the fix is a bit more costly and will require a service engineer visit. Service contract customers receive no extra charge for this repair. For those not on our service contract, no worries! SeqGen is still here to help for a price that is considerably less than the manufacturer. The best way to lengthen the life of your laser is to always remember to turn off your machine when you’re not using it. However, in the case of an argon laser machines (3130/3730/7900), we recommend that customers leave the machine on unless the machine won’t be used for more than a week.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to let us know!
