Read these safety instructions before operating firefly.
firefly is designed and engineered with your safety in mind. If you use firefly in a manner not
specified by SPT Labtech, the protection provided may be impaired.
Do not try to operate the instrument or carry out maintenance tasks unless you have been trained to do so.
Do not operate firefly if the instrument is visibly damaged unless a reliance engineer has
confirmed that it is safe to do so.
1.2.1 Hazard summary
DANGER: AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED MOVING MACHINERY
DANGER: HOT SURFACES
1.2.2 Warning symbols on firefly
Take care when accessing the basement of a Genomics instrument if either of the thermal
modules have been used for heating, as they will remain hot for several minutes.
Take notice of the warning triangles alerting you to parts which may be hot.
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The plate thermal module is on the left (shown left) and the reservoir thermal module is on the right (shown right).
If the thermal modules have been used for cooling, do not access them immediately. Wait several
minutes before accessing them; this allows them to warm and avoids the possibility of cold burns.
Handle thermal blocks with care as residual heat/cold will take time to stabilize back to safe
temperatures after use.
1.2.3 Accessing firefly
To access firefly:
- If you are loading materials using ‘Setup & Loading’, select ‘Get Access’. The software will control moving the heads and decks to positions which give you easy access to the area you need, then stop the instrument.
- If you reach a ‘user interaction’ step in a protocol, once the instructions are shown on screen, you can open the instrument. Heads and decks may be moved to safe positions before the door is opened but this depends on the protocol design, so be cautious when accessing firefly.
- If you need to access firefly immediately, slide up the door. The door is interlocked so firefly stops as soon as it is opened.
CAUTION: Take care as heads and decks may not be in positions which give you easy access.
INFORMATION: You can move both heads back and forwards but not up or down after triggering the door interlock. The decks are always free for the user to slide when the door is open.
To access firefly when it is unpowered, you can open the door and move the decks and heads manually.
1.2.4 Stopping firefly
1.2.4.i Stop
Use the Pause or Stop buttons if you need to stop firefly while running a protocol outside of a user interaction step.
Pause enables you to continue running your protocol, by pressing the button again. Stop ends protocol execution as well as stopping the instrument.
NOTE: firefly will not stop immediately you click Stop or Pause, it will finish the current protocol step first.
If you use Stop, firefly will remind you to check and reset your instrument before further use.
1.2.4.ii Emergency stop
firefly has an e-stop button to stop the instrument immediately, if this would be safer than opening the door in an emergency.
Don’t use the emergency stop if you want to stop the instrument but there is no danger. As firefly will stop instantly, you may damage or waste your reagents.
You can open the door e.g. to remove materials, after you have used the e-stop.
CAUTION: Take care as heads and decks may not be in positions which give you easy access.
INFORMATION: You can move both heads back and forwards but not up or down after triggering the e-stop.
After you have used the emergency stop button, you will need to twist it clockwise to unlock it before you can restart.
CAUTION: Do not do this until you are sure that firefly is in a safe condition.
firefly will power up when you reset the e-stop but you will need to manually restart your protocol.
1.2.5 Reagent safety
WARNING: for fire safety, the maximum recommended quantity of 80% ethanol to use in firefly is 200mL.
WARNING: FIREFLY’S ENCLOSURE DOES NOT PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM BIOLOGICAL OR CHEMICAL HAZARDS.
You must carry out risk assessments for the reagents you plan to use, and take appropriate safety measures.
1.2.6 Moving firefly safely
Moving firefly after commissioning onsite could be dangerous and should be undertaken by trained reliance support engineers. Contact reliance for assistance if you need to move your instrument.
WARNING: FIREFLY WEIGHS 122.5KG AND MOVING IT SAFELY WILL REQUIRE CAREFUL PLANNING AND 4 PEOPLE TO CARRY OUT THE LIFT. INCORRECT LIFTING MAY DAMAGE THE MACHINE AND IN THE WORST-CASE CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH.
INFORMATION: Moving firefly could affect alignment, impacting its performance. Contact reliance for assistance if you need to move your instrument.
1.2.7 Ergonomics
firefly’s touchscreen is mounted on a rotating bevel, so you can adjust its viewing angle to be comfortable in use. It cannot be removed from the instrument and is primarily intended to be used for running protocols. Use the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if needed.
When you are designing protocols, you will find it easier to use a freestanding PC or laptop, and install the standalone firefly app (See section 2.3).
1.2.8 firefly EMC (electromagnetic compatibility)
No specific EMC precautions are required when operating firefly.
INFORMATION: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
1.2.9 firefly noise levels
firefly airborne noise emissions do not exceed 70 dB(A).