Re: Gating live GFP-positive cells - question

Hi Derek, My name is Stephen Sullivan, a post doc in the Gurdon Institute 
(same place as Dr Mark Jackman, who has contacted you previously). I have 
been trying hard to get our Aria sorting properly for the last year now and 
over the past few months we realised that alot of our problems were caused 
by degrading nozzels (as I have read it is your major problem with you 
too). We have recently have had a new problem....sparking from the 
deflection plates. We had to get a new sorting chamber installed but the 
problem does not seem to have gone away....yesterday their was sparking 
between the deflection plates and chamber again (with an accompanying 
burning smell). It is nothing obvious like the detection voltage is too 
high (it is 4500V) or an unclean deflection chamber. Have you ever had this 
problem? The other question I wish to ask you is a broader 
question.....here at the institute we dont have a full or part time staff 
member committed to the Aria. Given that BD have no stopped advertising the 
sorter as not requiring a full time staff member, do you think that the 
machine can every be functional for long periods of time if it is only 
being used for 3-4 6 hour sessions a week? I have tried hard over the last 
year and have never had the machine functional for longer than 9 days 
straight. What do we should do here....continue as normal or tell the 
bosses that the machine needs a person commited to it full time. I would 
really appreciate your opinion. Stephen