Pipette Tracker and Collect XL Connects Multi-Channel Pipette Weighing System

A new interface is now available from Labtronics to connect with a multi-channel pipette calibration balance system used for pipette calibrations with the Pipette Tracker and Pipette Tracker Pro through the Collect XL software.

The Collect XL software, from Labtronics, is able connect multiple RS232 interfaces directly to the same ExcelR sheet simultaneously. A special ExcelR template was created for this application to re-organize the readings to what Pipette Tracker expects. Within Pipette Tracker, the calibration that was run on the multi-channel balance system can be started like normal. By using a new interface from Pipette Tracker's run-time calibration window to ExcelR, the re-organized weight readings are stored within the Collect XL ExcelR method template and transferred directly to the calibration window, which applies the appropriate environmental Z-factor, tolerance limits and method Pass/Fail criteria to each weight reading as they are transferred in.

"Several of our customers have recently been asking us for interfaces of the multi-channel balance systems to the Pipette Tracker calibration software, to allow them to continue using the best pipette calibration software available, but also take advantage of the significant time savings offered by these weighing systems" says Mike DeWitte, Vice President at Labtronics Device Integration Group. "Pipette Tracker has always been able to interface directly with any standard analytical balance or scale during gravimetric pipette calibrations, but the order of weight readings output by these instruments, and the fact that several multi-channel balance systems could be used within the same calibration, was a slight challenge when interfacing directly with Pipette Tracker; however, handling these instruments through Collect XL's RS232 interface to ExcelR and configuring and interfacing between Pipette Tracker and ExcelR through its interface manager was no problem".