Temperature and CO2 control for timelapse microscopy
This is a set of basic operating instructions for temperature and CO2 control on Okolab Cage incubators.
Cage incubators surround all or most of the microscope stand. Okolab's chambers have legs and are self-supporting so they do not rest on the the microscope, which makes it easier to disassemble all or part of the chamber when access is needed. Temperature is regulated by the Bold Line T Unit and the chamber is heated by warm air supplied via flexible ducting from a Heating Box. The Heating Box must be placed close to the back of the chamber or too much heat is lost from the ducting and the chamber does not reach set point. This places restrictions on where you can install microscope systems with Okolab chambers, so it is important to carry out a room survey ahead of installation. It is recommended that the flexible ducting should also be cut to length to reduce the distance the warm air has to travel to reach the chamber. The Bold Line CO2 Unit mixes air and CO2 to achieve the desired CO2 percentage. CO2 is supplied from cylinders or the building supply. Air is provided by an Okolab supplied Air Pump or from the building compressed air system.
Turning on and setting the temperature of the incubation system
Turn the system on and off using the switch on the left-hand side of the Oko-Touch controller (below, A). Set the temperature by pressing the temperature display and adjusting the set point as shown (B). The actual Oko-Touch display will differ from the diagrams below as the system is also capable of CO2 control.
Setting the CO2 concentration and turning on the supply
Adjust the CO2 concentration in the same way as you set the temperature by pressing the CO2 display and changing the set point (below, C)
In addition you must also specify the air source that the gas mixer uses to achieve the desired gas mix, otherwise the CO2 set point will not be reached. To specify the air source, press the cog button on the left of the Oko-Touch screen (below, D). Press Gas (E), then press Air Source (F). Press Air Pump to start supplying air (G). Press the Home button to return to the main display.
Turning off the CO2 supply and temperature control
Turn off the CO2 supply by reducing the CO2 set point to 0.0%. You must also turn off the Air Pump by setting the Air Source to Compressed Air (see G above). If no-one will be using the chamber after you, or if the next user wants to use the microscope at room temperature, then you should turn off the system using the switch on the Oko-Touch controller.