Piccolo xpress™ Installation Guide

Your Operator's Manual is the most complete, Essential reference. Always refer to the Operator's Manual for detailed instructions and troubleshooting guidance. Place the manual in a convenient place for easy access. Newsletters, product and manual updates will be automatically mailed to you and should be kept in your Operator's Manual. Following is the simple, 3-step installation process.

Step 1: Unpack the analyzer and accessories

  1. Remove the piccolo xpress™ chemistry analyzer from the shipping carton. Place the analyzer on a level surface that is free of hair, dust, and other contaminants. Do not place the analyzer near a sunny window or any other heat source.
  2. Check the components received with the piccolo xpress™ against the following figure to make sure everything required to set up the analyzer is included.

    The shipping carton also includes a USB cable, Abaxis Driver CD, piccolo xpress™ Operator's Manual (this manual), Warranty card, and Start-up kit (not shown above).
  3. After setup, complete the warranty card and mail it to Abaxis® within 10 days to start the warranty period. Customers are placed on the customer mailing list to receive any information pertaining to the piccolo xpress™ and ancillary products, such as software upgrades.
  4. Store all reagents appropriately as outlined on the reagent boxes.

Step 2: Set up and electrical connections

  1. Set up the piccolo xpress™ on a surface as follows:
    1. Level
    2. Free of vibration and sudden jolts
    3. Free of hair, dust, and other contaminants.
    4. Located in an ambient operating temperature of 15-32 ºC (59-90 ºF).
    5. Away from sunny windows and all other potential heat sources.
    6. At least six inches from any wall to provide adequate ventilation and access to the power connection and USB ports.
  2. Plug the power jack into the analyzer, then plug the detachable power supply cord into the power adapter and into a grounded electrical outlet. Make sure all connections are secure.

CAUTION: To prevent power surges or drain, DO NOT plug the analyzer into the same circuit as a centrifuge or any other high-current device. Abaxis also recommends using a surge protector of the same type used for computers.

Step 3: Analyzer Start up

  1. Press the Power button to turn on the analyzer. The display then shows the following:

    Note: If the display is blank (shows no message), remove the plug from the power adapter, then re-insert the plug and press firmly to make sure it seats correctly. During the warming period, the display reads as shown:

  2. After passing the self test and reaching operating temperature, the analyzer is ready to run the first reagent disc, and displays "Analyze":

    See Section 6.2, "Quality Control Features" for details about the analyzer self test. The analyzer may require additional time for the heaters to warm the analyzer to operating temperature.

  3. Check the analyzer date and time to ensure they are correct. Refer to Section 4.7, "Changing Date and Time" for directions.
  4. The analyzer can be connected to an external computer or printer to transmit or print patient and control results. See Section 10, "Connecting a Computer/ Printer" for instructions.
  5. Reference ranges are preset when the analyzer is shipped from the factory. The range values can be changed using the Customizing Reference Range feature described in Section 4.2.

If at any time, the normal sequence of events does not occur, refer to your operators manual or contact Abaxis Technical Support at 1-800-822-2947.