• For operation of the trough use FirmWareX 4.2 (FilmwareX 4.2 Manual)
  • For operation of the BAM use BAMware (BAMware manual )
  • For operation of the dipper arm use Kbn_LayerX_Pro

All 3 of these can be found on the top right of the desktop of the computer in the trough room.

Details on FirmWareX 4.2

This is the primary software that will be utilized for transfers.

Calibration of the Sensor:

  1. Navigate to Setup
  2. Select Sensors from the 3 tabs
  3. Change probe type to DyneProbe
  4. Select Calibrate
  5. Obtain a hydrophobic sample cup from the cupboard labeled LB Parts in the trough room, fill with Millipore water.
  6. Calibrate based on surface tension, the surface tension of the medium (water) is 72.8. Probe in air first then in the medium.
  7. Save and exit

A zeroing of the sensor is automatically performed by the calibration, but it may be done again from that same tab.

Resetting the Trough Area:

Occasionally the barriers and the trough controller will become out of sync and the area will be incorrect. To fix this perform the following steps:

  1. Open the trough.
  2. On the motor treads, there are 2 knobs on either side with a white line. Turn each knob so that the white line points towards the opening of the trough. The barriers are now unlocked.
  3. Move each barrier to its respective edge of the trough. Turn the knobs back TOWARDS the direction the barriers need to move (i.e. towards the center).
  4. In the FirmWare software navigate to Setup -> Barriers.
  5. Change the mode to manual.
  6. Click Next, then click Done.
  7. The barriers should now be fully open and the area should display 16480 mm2.

Setup of Instrument Parameters:

  1. Navigate to Notebook
  2. Fill out any relevant information for your experiment
    • Press Film under Define Film and edit the concentration and volume applied so that it is accurate to the experiment being performed.
  3. Navigate to Measurement
  4. For manual opening of the barriers, select Manual from the measurement mode dropdown, this is useful for the initial setup and cleaning of the trough.
  5. For a constant pressure experiment (as is typically done for Fantrip), select Constant Pressure from the dropdown list.
  6. Fill out any parameters as needed, the minimum speed is 1 mm/min

How to properly restart the trough:

Unfortunately the software is not the most stable thing in the world and sometimes breaks. Generally a restart of the computer + trough will be enough.

  1. Turn off trough controller, the switch is on the back of the controller.
  2. Restart computer.
  3. Wait about 30 seconds after login, then turn on the trough controller.
  4. Wait about 30 seconds from turning on the controller to launch the program.

If you try to launch the program with the controller off you will likely get an error code that can only be resolved by a restart.

If this does not solve the error codes from the program, please take a screenshot of the error message it provides so we can provide it to Kibron for assistance.

Connection to BAM:

If using the BAM, it is possible to connect the trough data to the BAM images.

  1. Select Tools in Firmware, then select Connect to BAM
  2. Write down the port under the Send To region.
  3. Open BAMWareX
  4. Select Tools in BAMWareX, then select Connect to FWX
  5. Change the port under the Listen To region to the port number from step 2.
  6. Hit apply.

Details on BAMWareX

Operating the laser

  1. Press on the button Laser is Off – LOCKED
  2. Enter the laser password, R1332C, it is case sensitive.
  3. The box should turn red and say Laser is On
  4. Click the box again to turn the laser off. Press Lock to turn the laser off and require the password again before turning on.

WARNING: The BAM contains a 532nm green Class 3B laser for operation. During normal operation this beam is entirely contained within the trough housing, but for an abundance of caution users should wear protective eyewear (OD 6+ at 532 nm) during operation of this instrument. Avoid opening the instrument while the laser is on, (indicated by a red LASER ON in the BAM software). The software should automatically turn the beam off if the housing is opened, but it is recommended to turn it off manually beforehand if the housing needs to be opened.

Recording Visual Data (Video/Images)

The primary form of data obtained from the BAM is visual information about the generated monolayer. Therefore it is important to know how to use the software to obtain it.

  • Both video and images can be recorded under the sampling tab. Image files should be taken with the Include Axes box ticked to have an accurate scale bar. To record still images simply click on the Snap button. The program may appear to freeze for a few seconds, but the image will be saved to the location specified by the Save to… button below the Include Axes box. The file will automatically be named with the information about pressure, area, and time. This data is NOT included anywhere else in the file and must be recorded if one wishes to rename the photo.
  • Video can be recorded by first checking the Pressure and Area boxes under the Annotate section. The file name and destination must be set BEFORE beginning to record the video. If this location/name is not specified the file will be corrupted and not be usable for analysis. FPS is typically set to 5 for current operation, higher FPS is possible but requires a better USB port. Use Fixed FPS for a real time video, using Only Updated Frames generates a time lapse of the experiment based on the frame rate selected.

Generally a video is recorded to monitor all portions of the experiment. One can then play back the video and take screenshots from the video (using Windows screenshot tool Win + Shift + S).

Last modified: May 3, 2024