SX-Series Pro-Data Upgrade
Overview
The Pro-Data stopped-flow upgrade is much more than a simple software upgrade. It comprises extensive replacement of all electronic hardware in the photometric unit(s), PMT detectors, sample handling unit and monochromator(s) plus a full refurbishment of the sample handling unit. The RISC OS Acorn computer is replaced with the latest network-ready PC running Windows™ XP and the Pro-Data suite of Applied Photophysics instrument control and data handling software. In short, it will give you an all-but-new stopped-flow spectrometer with all the performance and other benefits of the latest SX20 model. The Pro-Data stopped-flow upgrade carries a 12-month warranty and is available now for modernising the operation and functionality of existing Applied Photophysics stopped-flow systems purchased since 1990.
All-new modular electronics
The modular design of Pro-Data electronics is unique amongst stopped-flow instruments and offers
our customers a solution that is future-proof because it can be upgraded and expanded, reliable
because we have used modern design and manufacturing techniques and easy to support because of
on-board self-test and diagnostics which will ensure rapid and accurate fault diagnosis.
Future-proof. The rack into which the pcb modules are mounted can accept up to six cards in addition to the power supply modules. The basic configuration, which includes dual-channel acquisition, SHU and monochromator control, will use only four card slots, which leaves plenty of capacity for expansion in the future.
Reliable. The electronics component count is minimized through the use of programmable logic devices (PLDs) and digital signal processors (DSPs) to ensure maximum reliability. All the boards are multi-layer boards using surface-mount components, which confer the benefit of simplifying the board layout and improving reliability. Every board has been designed for automated test as part of its manufacture, which again improves reliability by eliminating human error. And, perhaps not least, there are fewer cables and thus fewer connectors and soldered joints, again enhancing reliability as well as making the system much neater.
Easy to support. Should a module fail, it can be identified and replaced very easily. Each module has its own on-board self-test procedure which is executed on start-up or can be initiated whenever required by the operator. This gives confidence that the electronics are performing correctly and makes it easy to carry out remote fault diagnosis, where the local operator runs a test that generates information that can be sent for interpretation to the technical support group at APL. In the unlikely event that a fault does develop, the faulty board would be replaced with a new one, which means that the repair is quick and simple, keeping disruption of your work to an absolute minimum.
Enhanced performance
The Pro-Data upgrade will enhance many aspects of the operation of your stopped-flow instrument and the speed and capability of modern electronics and software will transform its responsiveness.
Dual-channel data acquisition is standard on the Pro-Data stopped-flow upgrade and each channel has its own dedicated 16-bit A/D converter which together with advanced features such as automatic gain control and 64-bit digital over-sampling are applied to ensure the highest precision and resolution for all measurements. Dedicated A/D converters mean that signals can be measured simultaneously (rather than alternately, as for multiplexed systems) thereby improving the signal-to-noise that can be achieved for a given sample in a given time. The wide dynamic range of the A/D converter means that no manual adjustment of the gain or offset is required.
Electronic Hardware Upgrade
The sample handling unit (SHU) undergoes upgrading with the removal of the old SHU control card and mains power transformer (the Electronics Unit powers the SHU and monochromator following the upgrade). The SHU is fitted with an upgrade adaptor board connected to the internal wiring of the SHU and a replacement backplate to accommodate the new, simpler external cabling (one cable replaces four). The new SHU control is via the Electronics Unit.
Before and after pictures of the sample handling unit upgrade
The monochromator control electronics housing is replaced with an upgrade housing that contains an upgrade adaptor board connected to the motor control wiring of the monochromator. The new monochromator control is via the Electronics Unit.
Before and after pictures of the monochromator upgrade
The absorbance and fluorescence photomultiplier detectors are fitted with electronic mounts as part of the upgrade. The existing photomultiplier tube is refitted to the new electronic mounts and vibration-proof foam fitted to the housing. The external cabling is simplified with a single cable connected to each detector in place of the two existing cables. Instruments dating from pre-1996 will benefit from amplified signal detection following the upgrade.
Before and after pictures of the Absorbance and Fluorescence detectors
Powerful new network-ready PC running all-new software under Windows™ XP
Windows™ XP software provides a familiar modern interface to the operator and provides all the tools necessary for data acquisition, visualisation and analysis. Much useful third-party software is available for Windows™ operating systems and direct exchange of SX data with third-party applications is straightforward.
The Pro-Data user interface for acquisition and presentation is context-sensitive and extremely easy to use. Many time-saving devices have been introduced, such as drag-and-drop template set-up, whereby a previous set of experimental parameters can be recalled instantly for use by dragging the appropriate data file and dropping it on the interface. For more complicated stopped-flow experiments, for example fluorescence polarisation, there is a simple-to-use set-up wizard. Extensive on-line help complements a comprehensive manual and further aids the efficient use of the instrument.
Pro-Data permits direct export of multivariate data to our proprietary Pro-K for PC and Pro-KII global analysis applications. Pro-K for PC is supplied as standard with the Pro-Data stopped-flow upgrade and a fully functional trial version of Pro-KII is bundled with the software. Pro-Data software is fully compatible with old files collected using the RISC-OS platform – such data can be read and analysed without problem.
Pro-Data has more flexible data acquisition modes than have previously been available, for example logarithmic data acquisition over a wide range of timescales. In addition, a new intermittent data acquisition mode is available for very slow reactions. Photo-diode array multi-wavelength kinetics is faster, with up to 1000 spectra per second now achievable and, in addition, you can average repeat shots.
Pro-Data viewer provides the means of visualising and analysing data and can be installed as an independent program on any number of computers for portable data visualisation and analysis. It is straightforward to export from Pro-Data viewer both raw and fitted data in a format suitable for import to third-party programs. Likewise, publication quality traces can be cut and pasted directly from the viewer interface into such applications as Microsoft™ Word.
As standard, the Pro-Data upgrade enables fully automated acquisition of multiple-wavelength ‘SpectraKinetic' data sets, a collection of kinetic traces recorded at a number of selected wavelengths. The Pro-Data upgrade includes APL's proprietary global analysis software Pro-K for PC which enables the global analysis of these data sets. Such analysis yields more robust kinetic parameters and allows fitting to more complex reaction mechanisms than is possible with single wavelength data. It also yields the absorbance spectra of the reaction intermediates. A limited execution but fully functional copy of our world-beating second-order global analysis package Pro-KII, which globally analyses concentration-dependent, multi-wavelength data, is also included in the upgrade.
The robust Pro-Data architecture is now common across most of APL's products, both for software and hardware. All future developments and improvements will be focused on Pro-Data , although all current configurations on the RISC-OS platform will continue to be supported.
Real-life Pro-Data upgrade before…
Here is an example of a well-used stopped-flow that has seen better days. The system was originally purchased as an SX.17MV in 1991 and was upgraded to a DX.17MV in 1992. It had been in use more or less constantly throughout its life. It required a comprehensive upgrade that was rather more extensive than would be the case for most but it illustrates very well what can be done if necessary.
…and after.
The sample-handling unit and the monochromator are original. They have been thoroughly cleaned up and serviced, including replacement of consumables. The PC, running all-new Windows™ software, and electronics are new – this is the heart of the Pro-Data upgrade. On this system, the lamp power supply, igniter and housing have also been replaced, upgrading from a spark-gap to a soft-start unit. Finally, a new photo-diode array accessory was installed. Once upgraded, a system has performance equivalent to that of the latest SX20 and will produce excellent results for many years to come.
Sample-handling unit details.
Before and after refurbishment
A standard element of the upgrade is the complete refurbishment of the sample-handling unit, primarily involving replacement of the stopped-flow consumable components (flow-tubing, valves and syringes). In this case, it was an essential part of the process but in the hands of our expert field engineers, the unit has been restored to as-new condition. The system is ready for another 12 years of hard work!
Further real life instrument upgrades
Example 1 – SX17 upgrade
Example 2 – Photodiode array and glove box operation
Example 3 – Dual channel fluorescence operation
Example 4 – Fluorescence polarisation operation
Bring your instrument right up to date – contact us!
The Pro-Data upgrade is compatible with all Applied Photophysics SX and DX models of stopped-flow instruments purchased after 1991. Upgrading your SX or DX with Pro-Data will give you all the performance and other benefits of the latest SX20 model at a fraction of the price of buying a complete new system because many of the expensive components can be refurbished. Breathe new life into your kinetics research: contact the Technical Support Department (techsup@photophysics.com) at Applied Photophysics for a quote and join the growing list of establishments benefiting from running the Pro-Data software.
Academia Sinica, Taiwan - Astra Zeneca - Bayer - Bristol Myers Squibb - Bristol University - Brookhaven National Laboratory - Burke Medical Research Institute - Cape Town University - Cardiff University - CEA, Grenoble - Chinese Academy of Sciences - Colorado State University - Diamond Light Source - Duke University - Durham University - ETH Honggerburg - ETH Zurich - Florida State University - Genentech - GlaxoSmithKline - Howard Hughes Medical Institute - Imperial College, London - Infinity Pharmaceuticals - Institute of Biochemistry, Moscow - Johns Hopkins - Kansas University Kennesaw State University - Kings College, London - Kyoto University - Manchester University - Max Planck Institute, Dortmund - Max Planck Institute, Goettingen - Merck & Co - MIT - Michigan State University - Monash University - Montpellier University - Moscow State University - NIH, Bethesda - North Carolina State University - Novo Nordisk - Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Ohio State University - Osaka University - Oxford University - Penn State University - Portsmouth University - Queen Mary’s College, London - Rutgers University - Solvay Pharmaceuticals - Souka University - Technical University of Munich - Technical University of Kaiserslautern - Texas A&M University - Tottori University - UCB Celltech - Umea University - University of Alabama - University of Alberta - University of Basel - University of California San Diego - University of California Santa Cruz - University of Cambridge - University of Florida - University of Foggia - University of Frankfurt - University of Guelph - University of Halle - University of Kansas - University of Lisbon - University of Ljubljana - University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey - University of Montana - University of Montreal - University of Otago - University of the Negev - University of Newcastle, Australia - University of Newcastle upon Tyne - University of North Carolina - University of Pennsylvania - University of Reading - University of Surrey - University of Sydney - University of Texas Medical Branch - University of Turin - University of Victoria, Canada - University of Washington, St Louis - University of Zaragoza - Uppsala University - Wayne State University - Weizmann Institute