1. Major Features in This Version 

1.1 The 32 Karat Software version 5.0 combines support for Beckman Coulter, Inc. System Gold™ HPLC components and the P/ACE™ MDQ CE systems into a single software package. It is an upgrade from 32 Karat Software versions 3.0 and 3.1 for HPLC and version 4.0 for CE. For the most recent information on hardware modules, see the appropriate Installation and Maintenance manuals. For HPLC this is part number 718147, revision AB, and for CE this is part number 149923, revision AB.

1.2 The 32 Karat 5.0 software interfaces with the System Gold HPLC hardware through the System Gold Data Acquisition and Control Board, commonly referred to as the Gold Board. There are two versions of this board, referred to as the ISA and PCI versions. The designation indicates the type of expansion slot in the personal computer workstation that the board requires. 32 Karat Software version 5.0 supports BOTH the new PCI Gold Board and the older ISA Gold Board. Recent model PC workstations do not have ISA type slots; the PCI Gold Board MUST be used in these computers. Information on installing the new board may be found in the latest revision of the System Gold Installation and Maintenance manual (see paragraph 1.1). (32 Karat Software version 3.1 also supported the PCI Gold Board. Earlier versions of 32 Karat software, System Gold software and Gold Nouveau software supported only the ISA version.)

1.3 This software interfaces with the P/ACE MDQ capillary electrophoresis systems through a PCI-IEEE board. This is the same board used with the 32 Karat version 4.0 software. The ISA-PCI board used by P/ACE MDQ software versions 2.3 and earlier is NOT supported by 32 Karat software version 5.0.

1.4 The 32 Karat Software version 5.0 supports two devices for analog data acquisition. The SS420 board is supported in the same way that it was in earlier versions of 32 Karat software. This board can only be installed in computers that have an available ISA slot. Information on installing and configuring the SS420 board may be found in the current versions of the System Gold HPLC or P/ACE MDQ Installation and Maintenance manuals (see paragraph 1.1). Version 5.0 also supports the SS420X data acquisition device. This device is placed outside the PC (no slot required) and connects via a 9-pin serial port cable. Information on installing and configuring the SS420X device may be found in the latest version of the System Gold HPLC or P/ACE MDQ Installation and Maintenance manuals.

1.5 Issues with vial incrementing in the MDQ Sequence Table have been resolved. If a sequence is built using a method that increments vial positions, that sequence table cannot be edited. See the software HELP for more information.

1.6 The part of the software that handles PDA data has been completely rebuilt. Users familiar with the previous PDA software will notice changes in the window layout and the locations of various controls. See the HELP file for more details.

2. System Requirements 

2.1 Minimum computer workstation requirements are:

Pentium 500 MHz or faster
128 MB RAM or more
10 GB Hard Drive or larger
SVGA Display with 1024 x 768 resolution, True Color capable
Windows* NT* version 4.0 with Service Pack 6 or higher OR Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2 or higher
CD-ROM Drive
Suitable hardware communications board (see paragraph 2.2)

2.2 Hardware Communications:

2.2.1 For HPLC, the type of available expansion slots (ISA or PCI) will determine the type of Gold Board required. The software will support up to two Gold boards, which must be of the same type; do not mix ISA and PCI Gold Boards in one workstation.
2.2.2 For P/ACE MDQ, a PCI compatible IEEE board is required; an ISA compatible IEEE board cannot be used.
2.2.3 For analog input the SS420 board can be used only in an ISA slot system; the SS420X device requires an available serial port and does not use an expansion slot.

2.3 32 Karat Software is designed to work with Beckman Coulter System Gold HPLC modules. Modules with the most recent firmware versions should be used with this software. At the time of this software release the current versions of firmware are: 

2.4 32 Karat software version 5.0 supports P/ACE MDQ systems operating with firmware versions 4.0 and above. There are two major changes between these two firmware versions: Firmware version 5.0 has an improved algorithm for capillary coolant temperature control which provides more stable operating conditions at coolant temperatures above 30 °C. Firmware version 5.0 enables Timed Fraction Collection, a new method event that directs the outlet of the capillary to move from one vial position to another at pre-set timed intervals. See the software HELP file for more information on this feature.

2.5 Many printers, particularly less expensive ones, are not provided with Windows NT/2000 driver software. Generic drivers are available which allow these printers to work under Windows NT/2000, at least to some degree. Performance of printers that are not Windows NT/2000 compliant may result in printed output that is distorted and difficult to read. The use of such printers with the 32 Karat software is not recommended.

2.6 The 32 Karat Software version 5.0 does not use the hardware key (dongle) that was required with the Gold Nouveau software and the P/ACE MDQ software. Do not install the hardware key on any computer running the 32 Karat version 5.0 software.

2.7 Existing licenses for 32 Karat Software versions 3.0 and 4.0 will support version 5.0. The 5.0 version has been designed to allow installation on top of the older versions of 32 Karat software, thus preserving your instrument configurations and project definitions. A new license is required when the version 5.0 software is installed on a system that has not had a previous installation of 32 Karat Software version 3.0 or 4.0.

2.8 Follow the installation and licensing instructions provided with THIS version of the software. It is essential that the workstation be restarted immediately before the software is installed. If in doubt about the software installation process, contact your local Beckman Coulter representative for assistance. There may be a charge for this service.

2.9 The 32 Karat software version 5.0 contains a number of modified report templates. When the 5.0 software is installed on top of an existing 3.0 or 4.0 installation, the report templates associated with existing projects will not be updated. The new report templates will be associated with any new projects that are created.

3. Known Issues

3.1 The 32 Karat version 5.0 software, SS420 board, and SS420X device all use floating point numbers for time values. Because of differences in the way each of these rounds floating-point numbers, some small discrepancies may be noted in time displayed for the same events when recorded by these different devices.

3.2 If the network name of the workstation is changed, the license will become invalid. The workstation name is often changed when a system is connected to a network. If the PC name must be changed, the software license must be uninstalled BEFORE the name is changed, then reinstalled after the name change. See the latest version of the document for information on uninstalling and reinstalling a license.

3.3 DO NOT use a version 3.0 uninstall diskette to remove the license from a version 5.0 installation—you may lose your license. Use a version 4.0 or 5.0 uninstall diskette. Any version 3.0 uninstall diskettes should be discarded.

3.4 In Advanced Reports, values of %RSD and Standard Deviation for Migration Times (CE) or Retention Times (LC) that are equal to zero may be reported as "-1." For these parameters in Advanced Reports, "-1" should be considered equal to "0.0"

3.5 In the Project Administration Wizard, on the "General Project Settings" page, clicking on HELP will open Help for "Changing a Project's Settings" instead of Help for "General Project Settings." The correct Help can be found in the Help contents.

3.6 During the interval when an instrument is opening, DO NOT click the "Stop" button or attempt to close the instrument window. Allow the instrument to fully open before STOPPING or CLOSING it. Stopping or Closing prematurely may "crash" the workstation.

3.7 When a sequence controlling a P/ACE MDQ is executed, certain errors that are fatal for a method are not fatal for a sequence. These include pressure failure, current leakage, injection parameter mismatch, and detector light level errors. When these errors are encountered, the "Action on Failure" designated in the sequence table will not be triggered. The run during which the error occurred will abort, and the next line in the sequence table will be started.

3.8 When data is collected from the analog output ports of the MDQ instrument, full scale will be lower than the specified range to account for negative shifts. The maximum output scale is 1 volt using a 0.000001 multiplier. Analog output should be calibrated using your analog input device.

* All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Where applicable, the PCR process is covered by patents owned by Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., and F. Hoffmann-LaRoche, Ltd.