UW CHEMISTRY NMR

Dear Users

Please pay attention to the following picture.

 

The automatic sample loading Carousel in NEO500 is equipped with a Safety Mechanism that detects sample tubes that are too tall and prevents them from crashing into the sample Inject Aluminum casing and break.

This is a great feature that protects the Autosampler from damage and minimizes instrument downtime.

There is a flip side to this.  This Safety Lever is extremely sensitive (imagine the mechanisms in Elevator doors that prevent injury). This means that even if you nudge it inadvertently, the system triggers it as an error condition and the whole automation queue stops with the Indicator Light turning RED. 

We have noticed that, this is becoming more prevalent, due to the attempts by users to pull out their samples that are close to this lever.  In the picture above, these will be sample holders 1, 2, 3.

So, here is the protocol you need to follow :

• Pay close attention to the CLEAR label that says “DO NOT PLACE SAMPLES HERE…” and internalize it.
• If the carousel is in idle state (CONFIRM THIS), similar to what is shown here, you MUST first use the ADVANCE CAROUSEL button such that the samples from positions 1,2 and 3 in the above example, moves fully clear of the safety mechanism and you are able to access the tubes without any obstruction.
  • In the example above, holders 1,2,3  should be advanced to the current position of holders 21,22, 23.
    
• If a sample is in the magnet, YOU CANNOT MOVE THE CAROUSEL.  You MUST wait for the carousel to get to an idle state.
• DO NOT TRY TO YANK A SAMPLE OUT, WHILE THE CAROUSEL IS MOVING TO LOAD A SAMPLE !!! 

If you follow these instructions diligently,  we can have minimum of downtime of the instrument and everyone can enjoy the benefit of great quality data collection from NEO500.

 

THANK YOU FOR PAYING ATTENTION.

NMR Facility Manager

5/11/2023