FAQ
This page lists the most common questions that customers have. If your issue isn't listed here or you have further questions, feel free to contact Zeitz-Instruments. We will answer your questions as quickly as possible.
- We need some spare parts. Where can we get them?
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Please feel free to visit our shop or contact Zeitz-Instruments. We will send you new components as quickly as possible.
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- The glass clamps are closed. How can I open them?
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Should the glass holders be closed when attempting to insert a blank try the following:
- Press READY and then BREAK.
- Wait a few seconds.
- Press READY again.
- The glass holders should now be completely open. If not, repeat the procedure.
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- How do I change the heating filament?
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- Switch on the device, keep hold of the pulling rod and press start. Wait until the heater appears and switch it off immediately.
CAUTION: Be very careful not to touch the heater! Visit the Maintenance page for detailed instructions on how to change the filament by accessing the heater manually. - Use an Allen key to loosen the grub screw as well as the knurled screw and change the filament.
- Tighten both screws slightly and adjust the filaments position by alternately shifting it inside the upper and the lower clamp. Do try not to deform the filament.
- Thighten up the screws by a final turn of about 30 to 60 degrees. Use the Allen key as a lever for the knurled screw.
- Switch on the device, keep hold of the pulling rod and press start. Wait until the heater appears and switch it off immediately.
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- How do I change a program for patch-pipettes to one for whole-cell-pipettes?
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- Select the patch-pipette program you want to change.
- Press P(B) and then select s(TH).
- Reduce the value of s(TH) (e.g. if s(TH) reads 015, type 010 and press E).
- If the result is still unsatisfactory, try to increase F1 and F2 slightly.
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- Why do we need to change the heating filament so frequently? / The heating clamps produce sparks
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Always make sure that the two small screws for the heating filament are well tightened. Otherwise the bad contact causes sparks that will corrode the filament as well as the heating clamps. First, tighten the screws slightly to adjust the filament and then tighten them up by a final turn of about 30 to 60 degrees. For the knurled screw use the Allen key as a lever.
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- Technical data
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Glass types:
- Borosilicate
- Aluminosilicate
- Quartz (DMZ-Quartz-Electrode-Puller only. Note: The Quartz-Puller exclusively pulls quartz glass!)
Glass dimensions:
- Min. length: 75 mm
- Min. outer diameter: 1.0 mm
- Max. outer diameter: 2.0 mm
Physical dimensions:
- Width: 48 cm
- Depth: 30 cm
- Height: 26 cm
- Weight: 29 kg
Warranty: 2 years
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- Which type of glass can we use with the puller?
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You can use glass made of soda lime, borosilicate and aluminosilicate. The DMZ-Quartz-Electrode-Puller is capable of pulling quartz glass exclusively. The blanks can have a diameter of 1 to 2 mm.
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- What is the best program for patch clamp electrodes?
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P10 is the recommended program for a patch-electrode. Verify all parameters given in the list for P10 with those in the puller.
Program 10:Param P(A) P(B) H 400 520 F(TH) 018 018 s(TH) 017 015 t(H) 050 030 s(H) 030-045 000 t(F1) not used 090-105 F1 not used 090 s(F2) not used 002 F2 not used 090 AD 121 245 -
- Which glass is the 4.5mm heating filament recommended for?
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The 4.5-mm heating filament is recommended for pulling glass with an o.d. of 2 mm or aluminosilicate or common soda glass.
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- How to deactivate the polishing process?
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Press P(B) and then AD; a three-digit number (xyz) will appear in the display. Press 0 (zero) on the numeric keypad and "enter" by pressing E (the enter key). The display should now show 0yz. Press Enter (press E).
If you make a mistake, clear the display (press C) press the correct numbers (0 y z) and press enter.