Hi,
I’m setting up a method on the Biomek i5 (Software v5.1.10), and running a simulation of a basic transfer from a reservoir to a new piece of labware that I have defined in labware type editor.
I’m getting this error message:
“Error during validation, Cannot access labware of type Deep_48_FlatPyramid with Pod 1”
“Pod 1” = a 96 Multichannel head, 1200ul
“Deep_48_FlatPyramid” = new piece of hardware with 48 wells, with definitions in the labware type editor. It’s exactly the same as a 96 square deep well plate, except that instead of 12 wells along the x-axis it has 6 double sized wells. I’ve measured and re-measured the dimensions and I know that they are correct.
Is this error happening because there are 96 tips on the MC head, and it can’t figure out that it’s perfectly fine to have two tips that go into one big well?
Do I need to put a 96 well plate in the software instead, but know to use a 48 well plate in real life? Or is there some other way I’m missing that can align the software representation with what my labware actually is?
Thanks so much in advance for any ideas,
Jen
1 Like
Just in case - is the deck position where your plate is at accessible by the 96 head? If you have a dual armed system, you won’t be able to access the entire deck on the i5.
Some pictures of the definition might help as well.
Hi, thank you for responding.
The system only has 1 arm, and the plate is definitely accessible by the 96 head.
When I replace the 48 well plate with a 96 well plate in the software, no error pops up before I run the simulation. Ideally though I’d like to have the software representation align with real life. It’d just make it easier for anyone else using the robot.
Here is a picture of the well definitions in the labware editor:
Gotcha.
I don’t have a copy of the Beckman software installed and it’s been a while since I’ve had to make labware definitions. Might recommend looking at a single well SBS reservoir and seeing if there’s something in there the definition that flags the single well as accessible by multiple tips.
It might also be getting mad if the wells are shaped as a pyramid? Trying to hit the center of the well with each tip. Might try a flat bottom and see if it still errors out.
I was able to replicate this error in sim using a 96ch pickup from a full rack of tips, aspirating from a 300mL trough to a mock 48-well plate.
Using only 48 tips (setting avail tips in source rack to odd columns only) allowed for transfer from reservoir–>48DW without error, but in the simulation it was clear that the channels are aligned to the center of each well, which may be the source of the error.
I assumed that the 48DW wells were 18mm wide, and applied a [18/5]mm offset at 180° degrees from well center which aligned the tips with the natural 9mm 96DW well spacing, but unfortunately ran into similar errors with 96 tips equipped. To me, it seems like this error is a “96 tips does not fit into 48 wells” sort of robot logic that often pops up.
If I were you, I’d probably just use a 96 square-well for dispensing steps and either swap it out with the correct labware via instrument setup steps or script steps to silently and covertly handle this issue throughout the method. You could easily create a subprocess to swap back and forth between the two plate types for this purpose, and even set the well volume during this subprocess as well.
Thanks so much.
Alright, I’ll choose to live with putting on different labware than what’s on the screen in the mean time.
At least I know that it’s not just me being silly and missing something more obvious.
Cheers,
