Knowledge Base

The DanioVision Temperature Control Unit

Introduction

The Temperature Control Unit DVTCU-001x allows you to set up a temperature-controlled water flow underneath the well plate in the DanioVision Observation Chamber. The result is a constant temperature in the well-plate throughout an experiment.

If you purchase the Temperature Control Unit, you get all the accessories necessary to work with the DanioVision system.

Note: DanioVision users with a DanioVision Observation Chamber purchased before 25 January 2013 must upgrade their DanioVision Observation Chamber in order to be able to work with the Temperature Control Unit. Please contact your Noldus sales representative for more information.

Workflow

1. Connect the DanioVision TCU. See below.
2. Set up the DanioVision TCU. See the Setup section.
3. Temperature alarm (optional). See the Temperature Alarm section.
4. Carry out an experiment. See the Experiment section.

Important: After the experiment, drain the DanioVision Observation Chamber and the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit. Also keep the tubing far from sunlight to prevent algae growth inside the tubing. See Drain the System.

Connect the DanioVision TCU

Important: If you use a DanioVision system of version DVOC-0020/-0021, you need to upgrade your DanioVision Observation Chamber to be able to connect the Temperature Control Unit. Contact your nearest Noldus office for more information.

Important: Make sure you place the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit at the same level as the DanioVision Observation Chamber. If that is not possible, place the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit at no more than 1.3 m below the DanioVision Observation Chamber.

Accessories

The Temperature Control Unit includes:

• A 1.5 m color-coded drain tube. Note: For connecting the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit, you also need the color-coded tubes that come with the DanioVision Observation Chamber DVOC-0050.
• A cable for the temperature sensor with a cinch-plug on both ends.
• A 3-m network (UTP) cable to connect the TTL ports on the Temperature Control Unit and the DanioVision Observation Chamber.
• A bottle of liquid coolant and a funnel to fill up the coolant.
• The Basin Refill Tool, for filling the DanioVision basin with liquid without opening the DanioVision Observation Chamber.
• A power adapter GST120A24 and a power cord.

Connection Procedure

Connect the tubes between DanioVision and the TCU as follows:

1. Connect the tube with the green color code to the connectors with the green ring on both the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit and the Observation Chamber. This is the tube through which water flows into the DanioVision Observation Chamber.
2. Connect the tube with the yellow color code to the connectors with the yellow ring on both the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit and the Observation Chamber. This is the tube through which water flows out of the DanioVision Observation Chamber.
3. Connect the tube with the blue color code to the connector with the blue ring on the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit. This is the tube to drain the DanioVision system. Make sure this tube ends in a sink or container.
4. Connect the tube with the red color code to the connector with the red ring on the DanioVision Observation Chamber. This is the tube for the water overflow of the Observation Chamber. Important: Make sure that the tubes with red and blue color codes end in a sink or container. The tubes run obliquely downwards so that water flows spontaneously to the sink or container.
5. Connect the cable with the cinch-plugs to the temperature-sensor connectors on both the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit and Observation Chamber.
6. Optionally, connect the network cable between the TTL port on the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit and one TTL port on the Observation Chamber. This allows you to log temperature error messages and potentially use these in trial and hardware control in EthoVision XT. Important: If you have the DanioVision Observation Chamber version DVOC-0030 or older, you cannot use TTL2, because this port is used by the temperature sensor for the lens heater inside the observation chamber.
7. Connect the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit to the mains socket.
8. Connect the DanioVision Observation Chamber to the EthoVision XT computer.

Set Up the DanioVision TCU

Fill and Drain Cycle

Before you start using the system, it is good to make sure that the whole water circuit is clean. For these steps you need demineralized or distilled water, and a water container or sink.

Important: Always drain the system at the end of the experiments.

Fill the System

1. Turn on the DanioVision Observation Chamber. On the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit, switch the Operation mode to Fill/Drain.
2. Turn the Drain tap completely to Closed. Water will flow as depicted in the connection diagram.
3. Slowly start pouring water into the basin of the DanioVision Observation Chamber. Important: Stop adding water when the water level reaches the edge of the basin. As a result, the water starts flowing through the tubes. Pour more water a few times, until all bubbles in the tubes have gone and the basin is completely filled.

Drain the System

1. Keep the Operation switch to Fill/Drain and turn the Drain tap to Open. Water will flow out through the drain.
2. When the basin is empty, turn the Drain tap to Closed to remove all remaining water from the tubes and let it flow into the basin.
3. Turn the Drain tap to Open again, to completely drain the DanioVision Observation Chamber.

Normal Use with Set Water Temperature

1. Turn on the DanioVision Observation Chamber. Important: After you turned on the Observation Chamber, wait at least 15 minutes before you start an experiment in EthoVision XT.
2. Open the DanioVision Observation Chamber and locate the Anti-Moisture switch inside the chamber. Set the switch in one of the two modes:
   • On: Choose this when the room temperature is lower than the desired water temperature.
   • Off: Choose this when the room temperature is higher than the desired water temperature.
3. On the DanioVision Temperature Control Unit, switch the Operation mode to Fill/Drain.
4. Turn the Drain tap completely to Closed. Water will flow as depicted in the connection diagram.
5. Slowly start pouring water into the basin of the DanioVision Observation Chamber. Important: Stop adding water when the water level reaches the edge of the basin. We strongly recommend using demineralized or distilled water to minimize contamination of the system and the accumulation of calcium and salt. As a result, the water starts flowing through the tubes. Pour more water a few times, until all bubbles in the tubes have gone and the basin is completely filled.
6. Close the DanioVision Observation Chamber before you set the desired temperature in the next steps.
7. Set the Operation switch to On.
8. Next to the temperature display, hold the Set button for about 1 second; the display flashes showing the currently set temperature.
9. Use the arrow keys to set the desired temperature.
10. Confirm by pressing the Set button once. Important: If the difference between the actual and set water temperature is more than 0.5 °Celsius / 0.9 °Fahrenheit, an error code appears. This error message disappears as soon as the water temperature is within a 0.5 °C / 0.9 °F range of the set value again.
11. Wait until the set temperature has been reached. This takes on average 10 minutes, depending on the set temperature and the temperature in the room. During this process, the status indicated by the LED lights at the front is on Heating / Cooling. Once the temperature is stable at the set value, the status changes to Ready.

The DanioVision Temperature Control Unit is now ready to start an experiment. Make sure that the DanioVision Observation Chamber has been on for at least 15 minutes.

Displaying Celsius or Fahrenheit

You can choose to display the temperature in °Celsius or °Fahrenheit. To set the display, do the following:

1. Set the Operation switch to On.
2. Keep the Prg and Set button both pressed until the entry code 0 appears on the temperature display.
3. Use the arrow keys to change the entry code to 77 and press Set. Program c0 appears on the display.
4. Use the arrow keys to go to program c18 and press Set.
5. Use the arrow keys to set the temperature unit to Celsius = 0 or Fahrenheit = 1 and press Set to confirm.
6. Keep the Prg button pressed until you exit the program mode.

Temperature Alarm (Optional)

The temperature alarm allows you to log high and low temperature alarms in EthoVision XT. You can use the temperature alarm:

• In the Trial Control Settings, for example to stop the trial if the temperature alarm lasts for more than a certain time.
• In the Analysis profiles, to visualize when an alarm occurred together with the data.
• As a hardware log, which you can export.

Note: A temperature alarm should not happen if the TCU is in status "Ready". An alarm is therefore an unusual event in normal conditions. If the TCU is still in "Heating" or "Cooling" status, it is normal that a couple of temperature alarms occur.