Introduction to the Agilent 7100 Capillary Electrophoresis System

8 Maintenance
Cleaning the Electrodes, Pre-punchers and Insulation Plate
13 Open the CE Control screen under Tools in the Lab Advisor software. Select
the Alignment Center. The alignment procedure can be started with the front
cover un-installed.
14 Follow the procedure to align the inlet and outlet electrode and the
replenishment needle.
The procedure consists of a prepare step and an alignment check.
The alignment is done while the pre-puncher of the respective lift is raised
until it is near the electrode or needle tip (prepare-button). Now you can
insert the capillary of the electrode alignment tool from the funnel of the
electrode. With careful puncture you can check if the electrode exit points
fit exactly to the pre-puncher funnel exit. The electrode or needle might
need careful manual bending to make it point towards the exect center of
the pre-puncher funnel.
During the alignment check (check-button), the electrode or replenishment
needle passes through the funnel several times. An improperly aligned
electrode slides along the pre-puncher funnel. The orientation is optimum if
the electrode does not move sidewards during this dynamic check.
NOTE
Although electrodes will most likely not need alignment thanks to their design, you should
still perform the check alignment procedure.
NOTE
The electrodes are fragile. Manual bending during alignment should be done only with
great care. Electrodes must be kept straight. Avoid curving.
214 Agilent 7100 Capillary Electrophoresis System User Manual