Bio-Rad Gene Pulser MXcell™ Electroporation System - Manual (Page 17)

Gene Pulser MXcell™ System Manual | Get Started
8
Introduction to the System
Your Gene Pulser MXcell electroporation system is designed for ease of use and intuitive
programming. This section provides an overview of how to operate the system:
• Overview of Gene Pulser MXcell system (page 8)
• Using the control panel and keys (page 9)
• Selecting operations in the home screen (page 10)
Overview of the Gene Pulser MXcell Electroporation
System
The Gene Pulser MXcell power module provides one of two distinct waveforms in a pulse:
• Exponential waveform (EXP)
• Square waveform (SQR)
To deliver a waveform, the power module contains a set of capacitors with a functional
range between 25 and 2475 μF that is selected in 25 μF increments. For square wave
pulses, the power module provides the large capacitance (2,475 μF) necessary for
delivering the pulse into low resistance media.
The power module selects an electronically controlled resistance of 50 to 1500
Ω. The
module controls the resistance of the circuit by placing resistors in parallel with the sample,
thereby providing a means of reducing the time constant of an exponential decay pulse.
This method provides an effective means of controlling the time constant when using
higher-resistance media, but has little effect on the time constant when using low-
resistance media.
NOTE: Only use low-resistance media such as GPEB (<1000 W) with the Gene
Pulser MXcell system.
The Gene Pulser MXcell electroporation system uses Gene Pulser electroporation plates in
12-, 24-, and 96-well formats that are specially designed for use with this system (see “Well
Sets and Quadrants in Electroporation Plates” on page 12).
Following a pulse, the results for each plate or well set display on the screen.
TIP: Visit the Gene Expression Gateway tools web page (www.bio-rad.com/
genomics/) to download a template to records your results.
When the Gene Pulser MXcell system delivers a pulse, it can use the following parameters:
• Voltage in volts (V)
• Current in microfarads (μF)
• Resistance in ohms (
Ω)
• Duration in milliseconds (ms)
• Number of pulse is the number of individual pulses (NP)
• Pulse interval is the time between each pulse