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Setting Up Your Unchained Labs Lunatic & Stunner Plate Readers with Synthace

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process to set up your Lunatic / Stunner for automated measurements with Synthace.

Updated this week

Synthace's integration with Lunatic/Stunner offers you a powerful solution for measuring absorbance spectra with automatic data upload, controlled through SynthaceHub.

System Requirements

  1. You must have purchased an API access license from Unchained Labs for your device. Without this, you can use the device for data uploads only

  2. Your device needs to be connected to your lab network with a stable IP address.

  3. Unchained Labs' Lunatic & Stunner Client software is required for initial setup.

Adding the Device to SynthaceHub

  1. Log in to your SynthaceHub account.

  2. Navigate to the Devices section.

  3. Click "Add Device" and select either Unchained Labs Lunatic or Unchained Labs Stunner from the list.

⚠️ Important: Do not select the Data Upload Only version, as this only supports manual data parsing.

Device Configuration

  1. You'll need to set up a configuration file for your device, which includes:

    1. Protocol specifications

    2. Plate types

    3. Result columns

    4. Device information

A sample configuration file config.json looks like this

📎 A downloadable Lunatic - Global configuration.json file is attached at the bottom of this article and may be customised to your device.

Configuration File Requirements:

  1. The required protocol(s) (aka. “apps” in Unchained Labs) should each have an entry in AvailableProtocols with the matching Name.

    1. As per the requirements for the parser, all columns that need to be exported in the output .csv files should be listed for the relevant protocol.

    2. At minimum, this should include:

      1. Plate ID

      2. Plate Position

      3. Sample name

      4. All absorbance values (10mm)

    3. Additional columns (including custom ones which may be added for custom apps in the Unchained Labs' software), may also be listed.

⚠️ Any columns referencing the E1% extinction coefficient are liable to have misleading results, as this information is not currently sent to SynthaceHub (and consequently the vendor software.) The vendor software assumes E1%=10 as default.

Attached vs Standalone Devices

The Lunatic may be a standalone or an attached device for a liquid handler, in which case its position must be specified in the liquid handler’s own configuration.

  1. When planning workflows against a liquid handler which has the device attached, Synthace will generate integrated plate reader instructions which automatically open the device tray, load plates, perform measurements, unload plates, and close the tray again.

  2. When planning workflows against a liquid handler which does not have the device attached, standalone plate reader instructions will be generated, which prompt the user to load the appropriate plate in the device tray by hand and run the measurement.

  3. Data upload will proceed automatically.

Setting Up API Access

Follow these steps to enable API access for your device:

  1. Open the Lunatic & Stunner Client software

  2. Supply your activation code purchased from Unchained Labs

  3. Click the Add Activation Code button - a green tick should appear next to API/DropControl

  4. Transfer any protocols (apps) that need to be invoked via the API to the device firmware. They need to be stored on the device. If they are only defined in the Lunatic software, then they cannot be invoked via the API (Synthace.)

💡 Note the configured API TCP port: You may change it if required, but you need to restart the instrument for the change to take effect. The default setting is typically fine.

Network Configuration

To ensure reliable connectivity between Synthace and your device:

  1. Connect the device to your local network using an Ethernet cable

  2. Configure network settings in the DHCP / Static IP section. For reliable automation, use a static IP address (you may need to consult your IT department) to obtain the IP address of the device.

  3. Ensure the device's IP address is accessible from the lab PC running the Lunatic software

  4. It must be possible to ping the device’s IP address from the lab PC. Ensure that the API TCP port is also unblocked. This needs to be configured by IT.

Using the Device with Synthace

When running a workflow with your Lunatic/Stunner device:

  1. Ensure the Lunatic & Stunner Client application is closed before using the device via Synthace. Otherwise, the Unchained Labs software may interfere with the Synthace Device Plugin.

Important Considerations

  1. Synthace's planner does not generate sample definition files that include the E1% extinction coefficient for samples

  2. Auto-blanking is always used, applying a small blanking correction to raw absorbance spectra.

    1. You should include blanks on your plates and use blanking in Synthace’s data analysis tools.

    2. Since the blanks themselves will have the same water correction applied by the vendor software, these erroneous corrections will cancel when subtracted.

  3. Synthace doesn't recognise that Lunatic plates are microfluidic. You must remember that you can only pipet into them once, and cannot pipet out!

  4. Wells of the Lunatic plates are small, so using fixed tips is therefore challenging. Disposable tips (e.g. 10 ul DiTis) can reach the wells more accurately due to the tip shape.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during setup or operation, please contact our support team for assistance.

Attachment icon
Lunatic - Global configuration.json
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