Venus 4.5 freezing at the end of run [unresolved]

Hamilton (Venus)
1

Hi everyone,

I’m back at it with another strange problem. Lately, the protocol we’ve been using for months without an issue is running into an unknown problem.

Basically, at the end of the run, when the tips are about to aspirate the very last set of samples to transfer for a normalization protocol, the method just freezes. Like, it’s stuck on processing the aspiration step. However, we cannot detect a possible cause since it doesn’t happen every time.

Pausing/unpausing and aborting the run doesn’t help (see three instances of the trace file below) since the method still needs to wait for the aspiration step to complete but it’s frozen so we have to force quit the Run Control, turn off the instrument, and initialize it to eject the tips.

What’s strange is that nothing was modified in the protocol, and this freezing happened three times in the past couple of weeks. Therefore, I am not sure if it’s even a software issue, a computer issue, a protocol issue, or all of the above.

Anyone experience something similar to this?

2025-05-09 12:58:16> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - start;
2025-05-09 12:58:23> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - complete;  > channel 1: STF_L_0001, 1 > channel 2: STF_L_0001, 2 > channel 3: STF_L_0001, 3 > channel 4: STF_L_0001, 4 > channel 5: STF_L_0001, 5
2025-05-09 12:58:23> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Aspirate (Single Step) - start;
2025-05-09 13:18:18> SYSTEM : Method has been aborted by the user - complete; 
2025-05-09 13:18:18> SYSTEM : Abort method - start; 
2025-05-09 13:18:18> Microlab® STARlet : Abort requested command - start;
2025-05-09 13:18:18> Microlab® STARlet : Abort requested command - complete;

2025-05-07 14:21:21> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - start;
2025-05-07 14:21:29> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - complete;  > channel 1: STF_L_0002, 17 > channel 2: STF_L_0002, 18 > channel 3: STF_L_0002, 19 > channel 4: STF_L_0002, 20 > channel 5: STF_L_0002, 21
2025-05-07 14:21:29> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Aspirate (Single Step) - start;
2025-05-07 14:35:18> SYSTEM : Pause method - start; 
2025-05-07 14:35:18> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - start;
2025-05-07 14:35:25> SYSTEM : Pause method - complete; 
2025-05-07 14:35:25> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - start;
2025-05-07 14:35:25> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - complete;
2025-05-07 14:35:25> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - complete;
2025-05-07 14:35:25> SYSTEM : Execute method - start; 
2025-05-07 14:43:16> SYSTEM : Pause method - start; 
2025-05-07 14:43:16> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - start;
2025-05-07 14:43:25> SYSTEM : Pause method - complete; 
2025-05-07 14:43:25> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - start;
2025-05-07 14:43:25> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - complete;
2025-05-07 14:43:25> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - complete;
2025-05-07 14:43:25> SYSTEM : Execute method - start; 
2025-05-07 14:44:53> SYSTEM : Method has been aborted by the user - complete; 
2025-05-07 14:44:53> SYSTEM : Abort method - start; 
2025-05-07 14:44:53> Microlab® STARlet : Abort requested command - start;
2025-05-07 14:44:53> Microlab® STARlet : Abort requested command - complete;

2025-05-20 14:19:07> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - start;
2025-05-20 14:19:14> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - complete;  > channel 1: STF_L_0002, 49
2025-05-20 14:19:14> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Aspirate (Single Step) - start;
2025-05-20 14:32:26> SYSTEM : Pause method - start; 
2025-05-20 14:32:26> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - start;
2025-05-20 14:32:29> SYSTEM : Pause method - complete; 
2025-05-20 14:32:29> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - start;
2025-05-20 14:32:29> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - complete;
2025-05-20 14:32:29> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - complete;
2025-05-20 14:32:29> SYSTEM : Execute method - start; 
2025-05-20 14:33:01> SYSTEM : Pause method - start; 
2025-05-20 14:33:01> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - start;
2025-05-20 14:33:25> SYSTEM : Method has been aborted by the user - complete; 
2025-05-20 14:33:25> SYSTEM : Abort method - start; 
2025-05-20 14:33:25> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - start;
2025-05-20 14:33:25> Microlab® STARlet : Pause command - complete;
2025-05-20 14:33:25> Microlab® STARlet : Resume command - complete;
2025-05-20 14:33:25> Microlab® STARlet : Abort requested command - start;
2025-05-20 14:33:25> Microlab® STARlet : Abort requested command - complete;
2

What’s the COM file saying?

3

The COM file does provide some insights into what is happening, but I cannot infer much from it. Below is a shortened and compiled version of the two aspiration steps in one of the runs with the method and COM trace file side by side. The first one is the successful aspiration step, right before the next one failed.

2025-05-20 14:17:39> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - complete;  > channel 1: STF_L_0002, 41 > channel 2: STF_L_0002, 42 > channel 3: STF_L_0002, 43 > channel 4: STF_L_0002, 44 > channel 5: STF_L_0002, 45 > channel 6: STF_L_0002, 46 > channel 7: STF_L_0002, 47 > channel 8: STF_L_0002, 48
2025-05-20 14:17:39> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Aspirate (Single Step) - start;

> 14:17:39.406 8AF#8000#00: C0TPid0292er00/00sx279 279 279 279 279 279 279 279sg299 269 263 248 257 251 260 270
< 14:17:39.413 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0293
> 14:17:39.459 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0293er00/00rt1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
< 14:17:39.712 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0294
> 14:17:39.756 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0294er00/00rt1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
< 14:17:40.025 8AF#8000#00: C0ASid0295at0&tm1&xp04690 04690 04690 04780 04780 04780 04870&yp3380 3290 3200 3380 3290 3200 3380 3290th2450te2450lp2322&ch000&zl1922&zx1872&ip0020&it0&fp0014 0012 0022 0009 0022 0011 0012 0010av00906 00782 01383 00584 01383 00699 00789 00665as1000&ta050&ba0000&oa050&lm2&ll1&lv3&ld00&de0020&wt10&mv00000&mc00&mp000&ms1000&gi000&gj0gk0zu0040&zr06180&mh0000&zo005&po0050&lk0&ik0000&sd0500&se0500&sz0300&io0000&il00000&in0000&

2025-05-20 14:19:14> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Tip Pick Up (Single Step) - complete;  > channel 1: STF_L_0002, 49
2025-05-20 14:19:14> Microlab® STARlet : 1000ul Channel Aspirate (Single Step) - start;

> 14:19:14.329 8AF#8000#00: C0TPid0299er00/00sx279 000 000 000 000 000 000 000sg315 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
< 14:19:14.335 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0300
> 14:19:14.380 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0300er00/00rt1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
< 14:19:14.444 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0301
> 14:19:14.489 8AF#8000#00: C0RTid0301er00/00rt1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
< 14:19:14.668 8AF#8000#00: C0ASid0302at0&tm1 0&xp04870 00000&yp3200 0000&th2450te2450lp2322 2450&ch000&zl1922 2450&zx1872 0000&ip0020&it0&fp0022 0000&av01383 00000&as1000&ta050&ba0000&oa050&lm2&ll1&lv3&ld00&de0020&wt10&mv00000&mc00&mp000&ms1000&gi000&gj0gk0zu0040 0000&zr06180 00000&mh0000&zo005&po0050&lk0&ik0000&sd0500&se0500&sz0300&io0000&il00000&in0000&

From what I can infer, some of the aspiration parameters are reverting to “0000” values, except for lp (LLD search height) and zl (liquid surface at function without LLD) changed to 2450. As to why this is happening, I don’t have a definite answer :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

4

Can you please upload the runtime logfile and com trace to the shared temp folder linked below:

Password is Hamilton23

5

Of course, the files are named:

Plate_normalization_Trace.trc
Plate_normalization_HxUsbComm20250520.trc

6

Hi @Nat ,

Thank you for posting the trace files. It is hard to determine fully without investigating the instrument itself, but this is showing the signs that there is a communication issue with one or more of your channels. Since this particular step was only channel 1 it seems to be pointing to channel 1 having the issue.

This “pausing” can happen if the ribbon cable to the channel becomes pinched or has a break in it which can be intermittent based on where the channel is in Y space. The result is the command is sent, but there is never a return from the channel which is what we are seeing here.

If this continues to happen, I recommend reaching out to your local service team to service the instrument and check the cables.

1 Like
7

Hi @BrandonBare_Hamilton

Thank you for the explanation; I will examine the cables, especially when it happens again. For further clarification, if more than one channel is being used (i.e., 5) yet one of them has a cable issue, as you described, then it will still cause the whole system to “pause,” correct?