Copyright: @(#)MID: Luminoskan $Revision:   1.1  $


CONTENTS

LUMINOSKAN TRANSMIT PROGRAM  (Revision 1.4)

CONTENTS

1. GENERAL

1.1.  INTRODUCTION

1.2.  INSTALLATION

1.3.  SHORT GUIDE HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM

2.  MENUS

2.1.  READER

2.2.  SETTINGS

2.2.1  MEASUREMENT SETTINGS

2.2.2  DISPENSING SETTINGS

2.2.3  TIME AND TEMPERATURE SETTINGS

2.2.4  SHAKE SETTINGS

2.3.  COMSETTINGS

2.4.  SINGLECMDS

2.5.  EXIT

2.6.  HELP

3.  CONTROLS

3.1.  MEASURE

3.1.1.  MEASUREMENT MODES AND TYPES

3.1.2.  MEASUREMENT DATA

3.2.  DISPLAY

3.3.  DISPENSE

3.4.  TEMPERATURE ON/OFF

3.5.  TIMER START/STOP

3.6.  INCUBATE BEFORE MEASUREMENT

3.7.  SHAKE START/STOP

3.8.  PLATE IN and PLATE OUT


INTRODUCTION
1.1.  INTRODUCTION

The Luminoskan Transmit program is designed to control the Labsystems' Luminoskan in the WindowsTM 3.1 environment. All the reader's functions can be performed such as measuring, incubation, dispensing and shaking. The control operations are made in the main window with menus, buttons and check boxes. Parameters to be used are also visible in this window, but changing of them is made in the Settings window.

Through this program it's possible to transfer measurement data easily via clipboard to other Windows programs (e.g. spreadsheet calculation program) for further processing. Data can also be saved to the data file for later use. However this program performs no calculations with the measured data.

It is not allowed to sell, transfer or distribute to the public any copy of Labsystems Transmit software. The program disk may be copied for backup purposes only.


INSTALLATION
1.2.  INSTALLATION

Program setup is made in the Windows environment. The setup starts by running the "setup" program from the diskette.

Insert the diskette into the relevant drive of your computer.

Select in Program manager:  File, Run and type "a:setup". If your drive is e.g. B, simply substitute the relevant letter for A i.e. "b:setup".

Specify the name of the directory where you want to install the Transmit and its parameter files.

Select the appropriate devices (Multiskan, iEMS, Fluoroskan II, Luminoskan) to be installed.

Program will copy some files to the Windows directory and makes a directory, where it will copy the Transmit program files. It will create also a group and icons for the installed Transmit programs in Program manager.

The hard disk space requirements:

At least 600 kBytes free space on the disk containing the Windows directory. The Luminoskan Transmit requires about 200 kBytes additional space.

NOTE:	To ensure that the spreadsheet programs can convert measured data to values, the Windows must have a point as a decimal separator. You can check it in the Windows Control Panel (International - Number Format).


SHORT_GUIDE
1.3.  SHORT GUIDE HOW TO USE THE PROGRAM

After installing the Transmit program, open the program by double clicking the Luminoskan Transmit icon. Before using the program for the first time, you may have to change the default options or settings.

Select from the Transmit main menu Reader - Set Options and specify Luminoskan options and its program version (see Section 2.1 Reader).

Set the Communication parameters on the ComSettings window (see Section 2.3 ComSettings).

Connect the Luminoskan to the computer by selecting Reader - Connect Reader from the Transmit main menu. This command turns the computer control on and enables the Transmit controls.

The control operations are made in the main window with menus, buttons and check boxes. For changing the parameters go to the Settings window (see Section 2.2 Settings).

The Display button opens the data window where the measurement data can be seen. The data is also transferred automatically to the clipboard after all measurements (see Sections 3.1.2. Measurement data and 3.2. Display). Separator characters are inserted between the readings in the clipboard data (see Section 2.3. ComSettings).


READER
2.1.  READER

Connect Reader:

The Connect Reader command turns the computer control on and enables also the Transmit controls.

Disconnect Reader:

The Disconnect Reader command turns the computer control off and disables also the Transmit controls.

If the reader sends an error message, it will always be displayed and if some sequence is unfinished the rest of it will be cancelled.

If there is no response from the reader within a certain time period, program gives an error message and disables it's controls.

Set Options:

By opening the Reader Options window the parameters dependent on the Luminoskan hardware and software version and options are set.

- Number of the pumps

- Plate Mixer

- Temperature control

- Detector gain control

Transmit enables controls only for the selected options.

NOTE: 	This window is available only if the reader is "disconnected".

If in the Settings window the pump number has been defined to be greater than defined in the Reader Options window a warning will be given when leaving the window with OK. The user must correct the pump number in the Settings window to be equal or smaller than in the Reader Options window.

The table below gives some general rules to the settings:

(The program version of the reader can be seen momentarily, when the reader is switched on.)

Reader Type/Model	390 or 391	391/EL	391/RT	391/RS

Progr Version	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.2

No. of Pumps	Not available	0	2	2

Mixer	Not available	No	Yes	Yes

Temp. Cont.	Not available	No	No	Yes

Gain Cont.	Not available	Yes	Yes	Yes

NOTE:	"Not available" means that the corresponding options are not available via the computer control but they can be used directly via the reader's internal program and the keyboard.

Check that the Reader option parameters are correct before using the program for the first time or if your reader has been upgraded. This means that e.g. more pumps or other options have been installed. If parameters are incorrect, the reader can get invalid commands.


SETTINGS
2.2.  SETTINGS

In the Settings window all the parameters related to the commands can be changed. If value other than in allowed range is entered program beeps and that keypress is not accepted. In most cases it is not possible to check the validity of the entered value in the middle of the entering, but the program makes the final check when the cursor is moved to the next parameter or by pressing the OK button. The program gives an error message "Invalid value" and it returns the control back to the appropriate parameter to be corrected. In all the parameters the number of accepted characters is restricted. To enter (a) new character(s) the old one(s) have to be deleted first because pressing a key always inserts a character.

Pressing the OK button saves current parameters and they are now available in the control window. Pressing the Cancel button doesn't save the parameters. In this case all the parameters remain unchanged both in the control window and in the parameter file.

Luminoskan Transmit manual gives information related particularly to this program. Further information of the acceptable range for the parameters and their functions can be found in the Luminoskan Operating Instructions.


MEAS_SETTINGS
2.2.1  MEASUREMENT SETTINGS

The Measurement mode and type, Measurement area, Calibration mode and Gain setting are selected from the drop-down lists.

Measurement modes:

The following measurement modes are available:

- Protocol Mode

- Kinetic (Protocol)

- Normal Mode

- Multipoint Mode

- Kinetic

Protocol Mode:

In the Protocol mode the Luminoskan internal protocol is loaded into it's memory. The number of this protocol is given in the Protocol Number box in Transmit.

Kinetic Modes:

In the Kinetic mode the Number of Measurement Points can be from 2 to 40. The maximum Kinetic Meas Interval Time is 23:59:59. The minimum interval time is dependent on the parameter Total Time of individual wells and also on the block to be measured. Program makes an approximate calculation for the interval time. A warning is given if the defined interval time is shorter than the time calculated from the measurement configurations. However it is possible to accept also an interval time, which is not in the allowed range. In this case the kinetic measurement is performed as fast as possible and the actual times are displayed on the data window.

When the Number of Measurement Points, Kinetic Meas Interval time or Incubation Time is entered and control is moved to another field, the program calculates the Measurement Time and the Total Time. The Measurement Time is time from the beginning of the first measurement cycle to the beginning of the last measurement cycle. The Total Time is the sum of the Measurement Time and the Incubation Time.

In the Kinetic measurement mode the parameter Lag Time for the individual wells is not used. It is always 0 regardless of the value in the Settings window.

In the Kinetic (Protocol) mode the program prompts always the user to check the time needed for Luminoskan internal protocol. The Kinetic Meas Interval Time defined on the Transmit should be longer than the time needed for Luminoskan protocol.

Normal Mode:

In the normal mode the measurement is performed with current parameters and options to the defined measurement area.

Multipoint Mode:

In the multipoint measurement mode a separate Multipoint Parameters window can be opened for parameter selection. Lag Time, Total Time, Pump and Volume can be defined for each measurement cycle. If the pump number is defined to be 0, no dispensing is made during the respective measurement. In this case also the volume can be 0. If the pump number is valid, also the respective volume has to be defined for the particular measurement cycle.

Measurement Type:

The following measurement types are available:

- Single

- Peak

- Slope

- Integral

- Repeat Integral (Only for Normal Measurement Mode)

In the Settings window only those measurement types can be used, which are valid for the current measurement mode. Similarly only those time parameters are enabled, which are valid for the current measurement type.

The maximum value for the time parameters (Lag Time, Total Time, Integral Time) is 6000 seconds. The minimum time for the Lag Time is 0 and for the Total Time and the Integral Time 0.1 seconds. Only one decimal digit is accepted. If the User doesn't give any value, program sets the minimum value for the appropriate parameter.

In the Repeat Integral type the Number of Repeat Integral Points is depending on the number of the wells to be measured. The absolute maximum number of points is 3000. This is possible only when one well is measured. Respectively e.g. with the whole plate (96 wells) maximum number of points is 32.

Measurement Area:

The following measurement areas can be defined:

- Whole Plate

- Block

- One well

When entering the block corners in the measurement area, the accepted values are the microplate row (A to H) and the column (1 to 12) values. The letters are automatically converted to the upper case letters. The block has to be always rectangular. The upper left corner values must be less or equal to the lower right corner values. They are checked when user is leaving the editing field.

Calibration Mode:

The possible calibration modes are:

- At start

- Every well

- Only first (this is only in the Kinetic Mode)

At start means that the detector autocalibration is made before starting a plate measurement and also before every kinetic measurement cycle.

Every well means that the calibration is made before the measurement in each of the wells. In this case the first calibration in every measurement cycle is "Detector Autocalibration" and the others are "Background Calibrations".

Only first means that in the kinetic measurement the calibration is made only before the first measurement cycle and not between the subsequent measurements.

NOTE:	The time needed for the calibrations are always defined by the Luminoskan internal software and the corresponding value in the Transmit does not change it. The default value for the Total Time in the Luminoskan memory is 1 second. If it has been changed to be longer from the Luminoskan keypad, also the calibration times will be changed according to this new Total time regardless of the Transmit settings. Then the actual measurement process may last longer than calculated by Transmit. This concerns also the Incubation Time, if it is used with option Disp and meas start levels (See Section 3.6. Incubate before measurement).

Gain Setting:

The possible gain settings are:

- Low

- High

This parameter controls the detector gain in Luminoskan.


DISP_SETTINGS
2.2.2  DISPENSING SETTINGS

It is recommended to use the up and down arrows when entering the Dispensing volume in order to avoid incorrect values (the valid range is from 5 to 350 in the increments of 5). It is also possible to use the number keys and the program will check the entered values. The maximum pump number is according to the Reader Options window.


TIME_TEMP_SETTINGS
2.2.3  TIME AND TEMPERATURE SETTINGS

The Incubation Time format is hh:mm:ss (hours, minutes, seconds). Maximum accepted time is 23:59:59.

This concerns also the Kinetic Meas Interval Time.

NOTE:	The actual time separator may be other than colon depending on the Windows Control Panel (International - Time Format) settings.

The Incubation Temperature value can be from 20 to 43 degrees with the increments of one.


SHAKE_SETTINGS
2.2.4  SHAKE SETTINGS

Shake On Time and Off Time must be between 2 and 6000 seconds. Off-time can be also 0, which means that shake on-time is made only once.


COMSETTINGS
2.3.  COMSETTINGS

The communication parameters are selected in the ComSettings window:

- Communication port

- Handshaking

- Baud Rate

- ASCII code

To be able to utilise the data in e.g. spreadsheet programs a separator character will be inserted between readings by Transmit. This character is given as an  ASCII-code. The accepted values are all valid ASCII codes ( 0 to 255), most commonly used are TAB (9), COMMA (44) and SEMICOLON (59). Zero means that no character insertion will be made.

This window is available only if the reader is "disconnected".

NOTE: 	Be sure, that the communication parameters are the same in the program settings and in the reader, otherwise the data transmission will fail.

NOTE:	 Be careful not to enter a control code as the separator character, which can make data unusable.


SINGLECMDS
2.4.  SINGLECMDS

In the single commands window individual commands can be manually sent to the reader. Commands are selected from the list available and sent using the Send button. The command returning the data (e.g. measurement, temperature or version command) transfers it to the Data Window.

Transmit uses the default values given in the Settings window for the command parameters (measurement, dispensing, temperature, etc.). The commands and parameters can also be edited in this window, but these values are valid only as long as you are in this window.

Your can always send a command in this window, whether the controls in the main window are enabled or not. If you send e.g. the command "quit computer control", it is not possible to send commands in control window before "connecting" the reader again.

NOTE:	In this window you can send ONE command at the time. It is important to check that the command sequence and parameters are correct (e.g. it is not possible to measure the plate while it is still out). There is no time control for reader's response and data is not moved automatically to the clipboard in this window.


EXIT
2.5.  EXIT

The Exit command exits the program. If you have not disconnected the reader, it will be done automatically before exit. If there is unsaved data in the data window, the program prompts if you want to exit anyway or cancel it for saving the data. Here "saving" does not include the automatic data transfer to the clipboard after every measurement.

NOTE:	You can exit the program without saving the data if it has been already "pasted" to some other program after every measurement.


HELP
2.6.  HELP

This opens the help window containing the help file.


MEASURE
3.1.  MEASURE

Measure button performs measurement with selected mode. After the measurement the plate is moved back to the stand-by position (it is also the "incubating position").

In the Dispensing section there are option buttons (Options for measurement), which can be used to connect dispensing with measurement. (See Section 3.3. Dispense). Only those options are enabled, which are valid for current measurement mode and type.

In the Incubation section there is a check box Incubate before measurement, which can be used to perform automatic incubation phase before the measurement. (See Section 3.6. Incubate before measurement).

The Timer display in the Incubation section is used to show the times Incubation Time and Kinetic Measurement Time, if they are used in the measurement (See 3.5. Timer Start/Stop).


MEAS_MODES
3.1.1.  MEASUREMENT MODES AND TYPES

Normal Mode:

In the Normal mode the defined block is measured with the selected measurement type and it's parameters. If in the Dispense Section the option Dispense before meas or Disp and meas simultaneously is selected, the dispensing with the defined pump and volume is also performed together with the measurement. For further information of these options see Section 3.3. Dispense.

Multipoint Mode:

In the Multipoint Mode the measurement type is always Integral regardless of the settings. Maximum Number of Measurements is 10. The whole measurement cycle (with possible dispensing) is performed at one well at a time and then is moved to the next well. If dispensing is not required with certain measurement cycle the pump number is set to zero. The settings defined in the dispensing section are not effective in the multipoint mode. If the number of measurements is more than 5, there is a check box Change Line Display. It switches the display between first and last lines of parameters.

Protocol Mode:

In the Protocol Mode the measurement is performed using the Luminoskan internal parameters. If the Using Protocol box is selected, the internal protocol is loaded into the Luminoskan memory before the measurement. If the box is not selected, the measurement is performed using the parameters currently in the Luminoskan memory. The default value of this box is "selected". See the Luminoskan Operating Instructions for further information on creating and using internal protocols ("user programs").

Kinetic Modes:

In the kinetic modes the measurement cycles are performed using the parameters Number of Measurement Points and Kinetic Meas Interval Time. In the Kinetic mode each measurement cycle uses the parameters of Transmit for the individual well measurements. In the Kinetic (Protocol) mode the cycles are performed using the parameters of the Luminoskan internal protocol. In this case the measurement parameters such as measurement block, type and temperature must be specified on the keyboard of Luminoskan. See the example of the kinetic parameters in the Appendix A at the end of the manual.

NOTE:	With Luminoskan internal software version 1.1 only Protocol and Kinetic (Protocol) modes can be used.

Breaking the measurement:

The measurement and dispensing can be stopped before their normal end by pressing the Break button in the Measurement section. If the measurement is stopped by using the Break button or due to any reader error, the already measured data is automatically transferred to the Data Window and to the clipboard. After the break no further commands are proceeded and the plate remains at the current well position.

When using the Protocol mode, the measurement break is done by pressing the Luminoskan STOP key.

NOTE:	In the Kinetic (Protocol) mode the measurement break must be done first by pressing the Luminoskan STOP key and then the Transmit Break button.


MEAS_DATA
3.1.2.  MEAS_DATAMEASUREMENT DATA

After a measurement the data is always in the clipboard ready to "paste" to some other program. The data is also inserted automatically to the Data Window (See 3.2 Display). The data is normally in the microplate format and is displayed after the measurement have been performed. In the Repeat Integral type the data for each well will be displayed in one column right after the measurement.

The plate results are separated with a line containing measurement number in the Multipoint mode and measurement type in the Normal mode. If the measurement type is Repeat Integral, the well results are separated from each other with the well address. In the Protocol mode the result can contain from 1 to 3 "plates" depending on the Luminoskan internal protocol and they are not separated from each other. Different protocol measurements are separated with a line containing the protocol number or text "No Protocol" depending if it was loaded or not.

The results for the wells not measured are always printed as "-999.9".

KineticMode:

In the Kinetic mode the data format is different from the other modes because it is sorted by the time (See example print in the Appendix B at the end of the manual). At the beginning there are all measurement times in form "hh:mm:ss" so that the first time is always zero. If the Measurement Time is longer than 24 hours, the individual times are in "absolute" form containing both Date and Time.

If the dispense option Disp and meas starts levels is selected, the first measured points (measured together with dispensing) are printed in the plate format at the beginning of the data. These points are not used in timing of the kinetic measurement, but they can be used in checking the starting level of the reaction.

After the times there are eight groups, one for each microplate row. Every group contains data from twelve wells and each column contains results of one well in time order. So in the first group there are all results of row A and in the second group row B and so on.


DISPLAY
3.2.  DISPLAY

The Display button opens the Data Window, where the measurement data is collected. You can insert your own comments in the data window. It is also possible to save the whole contents of the data window to a file or copy it to the clipboard. If you save the data to a file, which already exists, the data will be inserted at the end of  the previous data. If the file name is new, the file will be created.

The data is always stored in the data window even if it's not visible. The separator characters are not in the data window, but they are inserted to the data automatically when it is moved to the clipboard or to the file.

NOTE:	Do not edit data lines in the data window. If the length of the data lines is changed, the program do not insert the separator characters into the measured data when it is copied to the clipboard or to the file from this window.

The Print operation prints the contents of data window to the Windows default printer. The printing is always made with 64 lines per page.

The Clear operation empties the whole contents of data window. Before clearing the data window the program gives a warning in case the data is not saved.

In the Normal mode data up to 40 plates can be inserted in the data window. The number of plates will be reduced if any extra information has been added to the data window  (e.g. your own comment lines)

In the Multipoint and Kinetic modes the number of plates is dependent on the number of measurement points. If the number of measurement points is eg. 10, it is possible to measure 4 plates without clearing data.

NOTE:	Remember to save or clear the old data to ensure that there is enough space for the new measurement data. Otherwise the measurement can not be started.

NOTE:	Saving the data to the clipboard destroys it's old contents. After each measurement only the last measured data is on the clipboard.


DISPENSE
3.3.  DISPENSE

The Dispense button performs dispensing using selected volume and pump into the block defined in the Settings window. The appropriate well is moved automatically under the dispensing tips before dispensing.

The Prime button primes the tubings of the selected pump.

The Empty button empties the tubings of the selected pump.

Dispensing can also be performed with the measurement using the option buttons (Options for measurement) described below. These options are available for Normal and Kinetic measurement modes.

In the Normal mode dispensing is performed together with the measurement on one well at the time. The functions of the options are as follows:

No dispensing:

No dispensing is performed together with the measurement.

Dispense before measurement:

Dispensing is performed and finalised before measurement starts.

Disp and meas simultaneously:

Dispensing starts simultaneously with the measurement. This option is possible for Peak, Slope and Integral measurement types.

In the Kinetic mode the functions of dispensing option buttons are as follows:

No dispensing:

No dispensing is performed together with the measurement.

Disp cycle before meas:

Separate dispensing cycle is performed to the defined block before the measurement starts.

Disp and meas start levels:

Before the actual kinetic measurement starts an combined dispensing and measurement cycle is performed to the defined block. These results (measurement number "0") are not taking into account in the actual kinetic timing. They can be used to follow the start levels of the reaction. The results of this separate cycle are shown in the plate format apart from the actual kinetic readings (See example print of kinetic results in the Appendix B at the end of the manual).

NOTE:	If in the kinetic mode there is a dispensing cycle, it is performed during the Incubation Time. If the incubation time is not used, the dispensing is performed just before the measurement (See Section 3.6. Incubate before the measurement).

In the Protocol measurement mode dispensing is controlled via the Luminoskan internal program. In the Multipoint measurement mode dispensing is controlled by it's own parameters. Dispensing option buttons are not available with these measurement modes.

The Break button in the Measurement section can also be used to stop the dispensing procedure.

NOTE:	The dispensing options described below are available only with the Luminoskan internal program version 1.3-0 or above. Using them with the version 1.2-0 or below, cause an error message to be received.

1. In the Normal measurement mode the option Disp and meas simultaneously with Peak or Slope measurement types.

2. In the Kinetic measurement mode the option Disp and meas start levels with Peak or Slope measurement types.


TEMPERATURE
3.4.  TEMPERATURE ON/OFF

The Temperature On/Off check box turns the Luminoskan temperature control on or off. In order to change the current temperature you must first switch temperature off and then switch it on again with a new temperature setting. Starting the incubation time does not set the temperature on.

The Temperature Monitoring On/Off check box starts or stops the continuous temperature monitoring. The temperature is read with three seconds intervals. An error message "No response from the reader" will stop monitoring automatically.


TIMER
3.5.  TIMER START/STOP

The Timer Start/Stop button starts and stops the timer. After the time has elapsed, program starts beeping with one second interval until the timer is stopped. In this way the timer can be used as a simple alarm timer. If Shake with timer box is selected, this button also starts and stops shaking.

The timer display is used also if the incubation is connected to the measurement. It shows the remaining time during the Incubation Time (lag time in kinetic). In the kinetic mode it shows also the remaining time during the Measurement Time.


INCUBATE
3.6.  INCUBATE BEFORE MEASUREMENT

If the Incubate before measurement box is selected, the incubation phase is automatically connected to the measurement. In this case the Incubation Time is started by pressing the Measure button. After the incubation time has elapsed, the measurement starts automatically.

If there is a dispensing cycle or combined dispensing/measurement cycle in the Kinetic mode, they are performed during the incubation phase. Before starting the incubation the program makes an approximate time calculation. The warning is given if the incubation time is too short compared to the time needed for dispensing. However it is possible to continue the measurement. In this case the actual incubation time may be longer than the time setting in Transmit.

NOTE:	In the Protocol mode selecting the Incubate before measurement box with the protocol containing incubation and/or shaking causes two incubation phases to be performed. Before starting the Luminoskan's internal protocol, the incubation time of Transmit is performed .


SHAKE
3.7.  SHAKE START/STOP

The Shake Start/Stop button starts the shaking sequence with current time parameters. If shake-off time is zero, the shaking is done only once. If it is not zero, the shake sequence continues until it is stopped with this button or with the timer. Even if shaking has been started with timer, it can be stopped with this button before time has elapsed.

If the Continuous shake box is selected, the shaking is continuous regardless of the time parameters. Also in this case the timer stops shaking, if the Shake with timer box is selected.


PLATE
3.8.  PLATE IN and PLATE OUT

The Plate in and Plate out buttons move the plate in and out respectively. Plate in command moves the plate to the "stand-by" ("incubation") position. The plate out command is never performed automatically after any procedure.