Discussion Category:  PCR / Thermal Cyclers

bio-rad cfx384

When the cfx384 is finished booting up, the message "storage card not found" shows up on the screen and the computer does not recognize the cfx384.

What to do?

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Asked by

mthalken
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avatar placemarkReply by
Notsch

Quote mthalken

When the cfx384 is finished booting up, the message "storage card not found" shows up on the screen and the computer does not recognize the cfx384.

What to do?

I have the same issue but with the Bio Rad c1000 Touch Thermal Cycler. After rebooting it shows "storage card not found"

Can anybody help?

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avatar placemarkReply by
Bodasafa

Hi,

I believe you both ahve the same problem.

The micro sd card has most likely lost its format. It has information on it required for the machine to boot up properly. The card is located on the back of the main display panel inside. You can take it out and read it on a PC. You will probably find its blank.

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avatar placemarkReply by
ataulhaleem

how to fix?

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SOL_

I fixed this problem by opening the case to the instrument and inserting a blank ExFAT formatted SD card. Biorad would not service the instrument and told us to buy a new one when I contacted them about this problem.

To open the case remove the phillips screws on the top of of the instrument. Remove the bar across the back of the instrument that is used to eject the block (hex screws). Remove the beige plastic panels around the instrument's waist and finally, remove the small 8mm nut on the bottom of the instrument that hold the front of the case together. Mounted on the circuit board on the back of the screen is an SD card slot with a 2GB standard SD card held in with a blob of hot glue. I removed the SD card and found it to be dead - it would not mount on any computer I tried. SD media is not durable, it is not suprising that the card failed after ~ 10 years of service. 

I reformatted a 4 GD UHSII SD card in Ex FAT format (assumed this might work given that the instument runs Windows CE) and inserted it into the slot on the back of the screen and reassembled the instrument. 

It now works! Apparently only user filed are stored on the card as the standard biorad thermal cycling protocols are still on the instrument. 

Good luck! 

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avatar placemarkReply by
SocoTKD

^^ Perfectly described SOL! Where is the upvote button?

Another occasional issue is card seating. On many C1000's, there is a little blue blob of silicon adhesive at the rear of the card, presumably to hold it in place? It seems to occasionally pull the card contacts off the seat creating a bad connection and even allowing dust build up at the contact points.

Remove the blue blob (the card locks in place on its own), give the contacts a good cleaning and re-seat. Assuming that the issue isn't the above mentioned formatting issue, all should be well on reboot. (And since you are in there anyway, do your TC a favor and vacuum out the accumulated dust bunnies.)

Cheers!

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avatar placemarkReply by
KMK

Hi,

in my C1000 there is FAT32 formatted SD card.

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