Instruction manual

12 World Precision Instruments

Gasket Color Green Black Red White

Pipette Diameter (mm) 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.65

3. Connect the other end of the small tubing to the appropriate port on the front of the

PicoPump.

WARNING: DANGER OF INJURY EXISTS IF THE PIPETTE IS INSECURE.

HIGH PRESSURE CAN CAUSE EJECTION AT HIGH VELOCITY.

NOTE: Long lengths of tubing tend to decrease the time response of the system due to

a loading effect of the increased volume. For fastest possible response, keep the tubing

length (and diameter) as small as possible.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

CAUTION: Be careful NOT apply too much pressure when turning the knobs fully

counterclockwise to minimum pressure. They cannot be adjusted to 0.0 PSI.

Over-tightening the knobs damages the regulators.

CAUTION: The regulators leak a small amount of gas as a part of their normal

operation. To conserve tank contents, make sure to turn off the main gas supply

pressure when the PicoPump is not in use.

Techniques In Microinjection

The PicoPump was designed for demanding tasks like the microinjection of ﬂ uid into

cells. In this section, we will look at several important things to keep in mind when

working with the PicoPump.

Setting the Hold Pressure

The Hold pressure is used to counterbalance the capillary action of the ﬂ uid backﬁ lling

into the pipettes. If you insert an empty pipette into ﬂ uid, you can see a meniscus rising

from the capillary tip.

1. Set the Solenoid Input Selector Switch to the Hold position.

2. Set the Hold pressure by adjusting the regulator setting until the meniscus stops

at the desired position. In many applications, colored dye or ﬂ uorescent dye is

dissolved in the injection ﬂ uid. The capillary effect may be observed with the color

change at the tip of the pipette. When the ﬂ uid ﬂ ows into the pipette, the color of

the tip becomes lighter. If the hold pressure is higher than the capillary pressure,

the ﬂ uid oozes out of the pipette. The solution around the pipette will be colored.

Adjusting the Hold pressure prevents this from happening.

Understanding how capillary action causes the front ﬁ lling of the pipette helps you to

correctly use the Hold pressure. The ﬂ ow rate is determined by the capillary action and

the tip size. Since the tip size is often determined by the requirement of the application,

controlling the hold pressure becomes the main option to eliminate the uptake of ﬂ uid by

capillary action.