Elveflow’s MFS troubleshooting guide


General Information


The purpose of this guide is to help any Elveflow user to troubleshoot, diagnose and resolve problems quickly but also provide as well our support team with  a clear description of your situation, so that we can examine your case as efficiently as possible.



1. Possible causes, questions and recommendations:


Prior to any diagnosis, please make sure that the instrument you are connecting the MFS to is powered (i.e : OB1, Sensor Reader, AF1) and the power button is pressed (if applicable).



1.1 Is the sensor recognized by the ESI software ?


If not, please check the following:

  • When adding the sensor in the ESI, please make sure to declare the correct sensor type as digital or analog (depending on the one you ordered) 

  • Make sure to connect the cables and microfluidic connections as per the user guide indication (see “setup and use” section of the user guide). 

  • If you are using your flow sensor with AF1 or the sensor reader, please note that these instrument cannot read digital flow sensors.



1.2 Is the flow rate value constant, with value fluctuation? 


If yes, please check the following: 

  • Please check that the flow sensor has the correct communication type in ESI software (i.e. Analog/Digital). This case typically appears when a digital flow sensor is declared as analog. Please remove the sensor and declare it as digital if it is the case.

  • If you are using your flow sensor with AF1 or the sensor reader, please note that these instruments cannot read digital flow sensors.



1.3 Do you have any flow at all ? 


Check if you have any liquid coming out of the sensor outlet. If you don’t have any flow, check the following: 

  • Are your solutions filtered? Unfiltered solutions can cause sensor clogging.

  • Your sensor may need proper cleaning (using Hellmanex or IPA with high enough pressure or any better protocol based on the specific solutions you used). 

  • Try to loosen a little bit the connectors. Overtightening the fittings can sometimes induce a bad flow circulation. 

  • If you are using a microfluidic resistance, make sure to check if the resistance is not blocked or clogged as well, and clean it with IPA solution at high pressure (pressure depends on resistance but minimum of 1 bar is preferable). Sometimes replacing the resistance is the only way to solve the issue observed.



1.4  Is your flow control not responsive?


PID parameters are probably too low or still set with default values. It can take few seconds to several minutes in order to induce a flow response if PID parameters are too low. Please modify PID parameters to have a responsive flow control mode (see MFS user guide p2 and our step-by step video tutorial).



1.5 Is your flow control not stable?


In this case, you might see the flow value very unstable either in the “Sensor” mode or the “Regulator” mode. 

  • Please first check the tightening of all the connectors and tubings.

  • If your problem is with flow regulation using the “Sensor” mode, check if by using the “Regulator” control mode and choosing any pressure value if the flow rate value is stable ? If it's the case, you might want to adapt the total resistance of your microfluidic circuit and/or to adjust your PID parameters (please check the MFS user guide on p2 to help you on that matter). 

  • If you are using the “Regulator” mode and your flow is not stable, maybe you did not properly add your sensor. Please remove your sensor and add it again with taking care to choose the “Analog/Digital” mode, the “Channel” and the “Sensor model”. Please check in ESI software user guide about how to install a sensor.



1.6 Is your flow rate decreasing when the pressure increases?


In this case, you might be out of the operating range of your sensor (e.g: real flow rate is at 1000 µL/min and your FS3 maximum is at 80µL/min). Please run the tuning resistance module if you use an OB1 or add a fluidic resistance and test again your setup.

 


1.7 Did you disconnect any Digital Flow Sensor?


If you are using digital flow sensors, make sure that you have no digital flow sensor that is physically disconnected from your OB1, but still present in the software list of sensors in the ESI. If it is the case, please remove from ESI any digital flow sensors that are not physically connected to the OB1.




 2. Still got issues?


You can let us know if you still need help to get your Elveflow  sensor working sending us the documents listed below, taking care to elaborate on your issue in as much detail as possible,  so that we can examine your case as efficiently as possible.


In that respect, please send an email to customer@elveflow.com, with the following elements :

● Detailed description of the issue

● Picture of the sensor showing the connections (fluidic and electrical) and the information noted on the sensor. 

● The instruments you are using (OB1 (which version), AF1, Sensor Reader…). 

● Screenshots or video if possible

● Buyer name or Invoice reference and any instrument Serial Number (OB1, sensor, etc...).

● The following file C:\Users\Public\Documents\Elvesys\ESI\data\ESI.ini

● Any error code displayed by the ESI software (if applicable)