Overview
Echo liquid calibrations define the acoustic parameters the Beckman Echo uses to transfer liquids. Each calibration corresponds to:
A plate type (e.g., 384PP, 384LDV)
A liquid policy (e.g., aqueous buffer, protein, DMSO)
In Synthace, you do not select calibrations directly. Instead, you assign liquid policies to your liquids. Synthace then uses a configuration—set up by your Customer Success team—to map each plate type + liquid policy pair to the correct Echo calibration.
This article walks through:
How Synthace uses plate types and liquid policies to select calibrations
How these mappings are configured
How to assign liquid policies in your workflow
How to verify which calibration is applied
How Synthace selects Echo calibrations
1. Plate Types
Every source plate added to your environment’s Plate Library has a defined Plate Type (e.g., Labcyte_384PP).
This tells Synthace which set of Echo calibrations is available for that plate.
Each plate type may support multiple liquid calibrations in the Echo software. For example, a 384PP plate may have available calibrations for aqueous buffers, proteins, detergents, DMSO, and more.
2. Liquid Policies
A liquid policy in Synthace describes the general handling behaviour for a liquid (e.g., water, protein, viscous, solvent, detergent).
These are standardized Synthace labels—not the Echo’s native calibration names.
3. Mapping Policies to Calibrations
Because Echo’s calibration names (e.g., 384PP_AQ_CP) rarely match Synthace’s liquid policy labels directly, your Customer Success team configures a mapping for your environment.
This mapping links:
Plate Type + Liquid Policy → Echo Calibration
For example:
Plate Type | Liquid Policy | Echo Calibration |
Labcyte_384PP | water | 384PP_AQ_CP |
Labcyte_384PP | protein | 384PP_AQ_BP2 |
Labcyte_384PP | dmso | 384PP_DMSO |
Labcyte_384LDV | protein | 384LDV_AQ_P2 |
Labcyte_384LDV | solvent | 384LDV_DMSO |
Your device configuration may differ—your Customer Success representative will set it up based on the calibrations available on your instrument.
If you add new plates or require new liquid policies, contact us via the in-platform chat, and we will extend the configuration.
Why Synthace uses liquid policies rather than calibrations directly
Echo calibration names are often device-specific, cryptic, or inconsistent across instruments.
Synthace abstracts these into liquid policies so you can assign liquid handling behaviour without knowing the calibration codes.
This ensures:
Your workflows remain portable and reusable
The correct calibration is always chosen for the plate + liquid combination
Changes in the Echo configuration do not require you to update every workflow
Assigning a liquid policy to your liquids
You should assign a liquid policy to every input liquid that may be handled by the Echo.
Note: If you do not select a liquid policy, the Water policy will be applied to that liquid automatically. This policy is typically mapped to the 384PP_AQ_CP Echo calibration.
Step 1 — Define your liquids
In the Define liquids and plates element:
Add your liquid.
Expand the Liquid Policies section.
Add a new entry for the liquid.
Liquids can be referenced by:
Liquid Name
default(applies to all liquids not otherwise specified)Tags
Step 2 — Select the policy
Open the Select a Policy interface.
Search or scroll to find the appropriate policy (e.g., water, protein, dmso, detergent).
Click Select Policy.
Synthace will now use this policy whenever the liquid is used in an Echo transfer.
Verifying the selected calibration
After assigning policies:
Simulate your workflow.
In the simulation preview, click the transfer arrows.
You will see the liquid policy applied to each transfer.Download the device instructions file.
The column Source Plate Type (or similarly named field) will show the exact Echo calibration used.
This allows you to confirm that the correct plate type and liquid policy combination has been selected for the calibration expected for your device.
When to contact Customer Success
Contact us via the in-platform chat if:
You need to add new source plates
You need additional liquid policies
Your Echo software was updated with new or changed calibrations
You want to review the calibration mapping for your instrument
We will update your Echo configuration accordingly.
Check out this article to learn how to execute a Synthace workflow on the Beckman Echo with ease!