Automated Nucleic Acid Purification Support—Troubleshooting

The protocol will not start without the tip combs inserted into the tip comb holder.

If the starting material is too viscous, the magnetic rods will not be able to collect the particles. Dilute the sample and check that the sample is properly homogenized and lysed.

This happens sometimes, but it will not affect the yield because the sample has been released from the particles.

A potential cause is that the plastic tip comb has warped slightly due to its design. This is why they are packed in pairs, so that they maintain their shape. Flex the backbone of the tip comb and try again.

Turn the machine off, and inspect it for any visible damage. Make sure the correct head is being used for the protocol being run. If the machine shows no visible damage, turn the machine back on. This should reset the machine. If the problem immediately occurs again, turn the machine off and gently move the magnetic head apparatus to the center of its travel path, then turn the machine on again. If the problem persists, the head may need to be realigned by a service call.

Unfortunately, freezing of the RNA binding beads will render them nonfunctional. Please discard them.

At lower temperatures, the components of the Lysis/Binding Solution and Wash I Solution may precipitate. To get rid of the precipitate, just warm the solutions to room temperature and invert bottles gently to solubilize the reagents before use.

Wipe the magnetic rods with a soft cloth or tissue paper soaked in a mild detergent solution, soap solution, or alcohol.

The protocol will not start without the tip combs inserted into the tip comb holder.

If the starting material is too viscous, the magnetic rods will not be able to collect the particles. Dilute the sample and check that the sample is properly homogenized/lysed. Adding low amounts of detergent will improve the collection of magnetic particles as well. Quickly centrifuge the plate to sediment the particles to the bottom of the plate.

This happens sometimes but it will not affect the yield because the sample has been released from the particles.

No, once a protocol was stopped, it will restart from the beginning. The extraction procedure can either be finished manually by using a magnetic stand or a modified version of the original KingFisher Flex protocol would have to be created that begins at the point where the run was stopped.

Please follow these recommended steps:

1. Press the ESC key on the keypad to return off the main screen.
   
2. Select 1 to enter the manual screen.
   
3. Select 2 to return the tips to the holder. The instrument will also move all axes to the original position.
   
4. Turn off the machine, remove the card, reinsert the card, restart the instrument, and run the protocol without reagents present.
   
   Should the same error code still appear, try the following:
   
   Turn off the machine, remove the card, reinsert the card, restart the instrument, and under the manual menu, choose option 2, return tips. Then run the protocol without reagents.