Calibration

Talk about asking the $64,000 question.  I normally used a wipe board to draw pictures in order to explain this while I was working so maybe I will try making some drawings and upload them so that it will be easier to explain things.  The first question that I need to ask is what your background is relative to the use of the LS counter and how much you actually know about how the counter works.  After you tell me this I can better tailor my discussion notes to what you know.

I have used earlier models quite a bit, but have not done much work on one for the past few years.  We are now using a LS 6500 and have a calibration standard set that just expired (01Apr2014).  We want to use this set until the new ones arrive (about 3 weeks).  We wanted to know what the instrument did during calibration to estimate if this would have any effect on the calibration.

Hi Don,

I'd appreciate the "LS-6500 For Dummies" version, myself. I'm being asked to take on the servicing of our 3 three units, and I know zero about them aside from what I've observed of the mechanics while running. My background is a two-year Electronics Engineering Technology tech college diploma (Associates degree, if you're American). I've been servicing the lab, x-ray mammography, and CT contrast injectors here for near 13 years now, I've had on-site PM crash courses in Sorvall and Beckman ultra's (no disasters to date), and I back up the site biomed on patient equipment. The previous 16 years I was in photocopiers and other office products, and prior to that was 4 years in one-hour photo lab service, metallurgy and pizza delivery (thanks to a recession that hit while in college), and a bit of oilfield automation. 

If all that makes you afraid of me diving into a scint counter, feel free to say so. I promise not to be offended :-D

Jeff

Jeff,

   You certainly have a very robust background Jeff so I don't think the "LS6500 for Duumies" will be necessary and I have no reason to tell you that it's above your capabilities.  I will draw up some basic diagrams that will assist with the verbage I will share with you.  I will get back to you as soon as I get the drawings made and uploaded to my computer so that I can transfer them to this site.  What other models of LSC's have you worked on?  This too may help with what materials I need to make up to assist you.  What part of the country are you located?

Don

The difference in standard sets should not cause any differences in how the LSC performs or calibrates assuming that there are no other functional issues with the LSC since the last time the LSC was calibrated.  In fact, the expiration date on the Beckman manufactured LSC standards was kind of arbitrary in that I had customers use their standards for years after the expiration dates and had no issues with them.  Call it a marketing scheme as much as anything else.  This also assumes that the manufacturing process of the standards did not allow any air into the standards with results in oxidation eventaully taking place within the vial which then creates some internal quenching.

Please feel free to ask any other questions that you may have about the Beckman manufactured LSC, centrifuges, or spectrophotometers.

Don

Thanks Don.

I'm in Edmonton Alberta, and I have no experience on LSC's whatsoever.

Jeff

Don,  Thanks for the answer.  I thought that would be the case.  I didn't see how the C14 or H3 would expire in the time they had set.  Our management wanted further reassurance that it would be ok.  Thank-you for providing it.

Terry

Terry,

    No problem and if there's any other questions you have please feel free to ask?  I had over 32 years of experience with Beckman Coulter products so I have no problems with sharing what I learned.

Don