ChemoMetec NC-250 - Manual (Page 34)

7 Maintenance of NucleoCounter®
991-0251 Rev. 1.0 Feb-2013 18
The illustration above shows how to wipe the optical window. Place a clean Alpha Swab at
the inner part of the window, and then move it outwards and repeat t o cover the complete
optical window.
An object on the surface of an optical component can influence the collected image. A
contaminant will normally be visible as a faint object in the image. In case the
contamination is on the Slide it will not be visible when a new Slide is analyzed. If the
contamination is on the optical window it will be present on every image taken at this
view
4
of the optical window. If the contamination is present on every image taken no
matter which view is used it is most likely that other optical parts are contaminated. In
this case contact ChemoMetec A/S. An example of a relatively large contamination is given
in Figure 12.
Figure 12. An image showing a contamination of the optical system, visible as a white
cloudy phenomena in the upper right hand corner.
The presence of a contaminant (e.g. dust particles) will normally not influence the
counting of cells. The NucleoCounter® NC-250™ will distinguish between cells and
contaminants, since a cell generally is significantly smaller than contaminants.
7.1.4 Spill of liquid
If liquid has been spilled on the instrument it can contaminate elements of the optical
system. This contamination can show up in the image in several ways and have many
causes but a common feature is that it cannot be removed by the use of compressed air.
Even though such phenomena are clearly visible on the image it only rarely affects the
results of the NucleoCounter® NC-250™. Since it is possible to damage the optical system
while attempting to clean the system it is recommended that ChemoMetec A/S should be
consulted before the user attempts such cleaning.
7.2 Decontamination
In case decontamination of the NucleoCounter® NC-250™ is required please contact
ChemoMetec A/S before taking this action.
4
A slide can have as many as 40 views.