Our lab space is running super humid (for a lab anyway, around 70-80%) and a ton of condensation has been accumulating on our ODTCs while they sit open with the plate busy elsewhere. I think this is to blame for some failed plate pickups with the CORE paddles. Are there any tricks people have found to help make sure that plates make it out? I ask this in the Hamilton section since I assume there are some commands or returns in VENUS that I’m not using to their fullest or most creative extent. I’ve considered putting in some intermediate ODTC methods to burn off the condensation but am reluctant to do implement since it could add to the runtime of an already-long process. The right way to fix this is with the HVAC but that’s dragging along
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I think youre right that burning off the condensation would take a very long time. Can’t you have it sit closed? Or at least at a different temperature? What about running a dehumidifier in the lab space?
This suggestion is probably the most far fetched but what about a PCR plate shaped foam object that you can place in the ODTC plate holder to absorb condensation?
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I can just close it! Genius. I’m testing this now
As for the far fetched fix, i don’t have a PCR plate shaped foam object but I DO have some PCR plate shaped PCR plates!
I’d still be curious to know if anyone’s done anything clever with VENUS for a situation like this.
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I would be surprised if you had such a random and precise object lol, I guess to be more practical you could 3D print with a material thats fairly porous and absorbent like low infill PLA or nylon as a placeholder. Although I bet an actual PCR plate will work too.
In the spirit of combining both ideas and taking inspiration from 3D printing, you could use sillica beads roughly dispensed in the PCR plate. Move it into the ODTC and close the lid whenever it is sitting idle. Might need to be mindful of the weight of the plate in this case, maybe a lighter hygroscopic material would also do the trick.
Hi @pud I encountered the same, it would lead to broken ODTC’s in the end.
There are a few things you can do, but they all come back to knowing your process. In our example I knew that I had to do 4 ODTC sessions. So after each ODTC session would be completed and the plate would be transferred out of it. I would start a short protocol that would heat the ODTC to 90C and then run a 20C protocol. That protocol would finish and I leave the lid open. Each part of our assay is an activity and I know that when I start this activity I can start pre-heating my ODTC.
Sure, it’s easier to have 1 initialization protocol and end your protocols with the same temprature as your mount needs to be. But we had condensation all the time (especially in humid conditions in Texas) and this would be anoying to deal with. This was the easiest way for us.
I’ve ended up doing this more or less exactly. Closing the door whilst still at 4C helped only a little, plugging it up with an empty PCR plate would have worked I’m sure, but burning off whatever condensation has accumulated seems like the more robust solution. If it misses another plate I’ll probably bring in some computer vision or see what I can do with the “check if labware exists” option in with the core grippers without getting too many extra movements