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Hardware pre-flight check

Before your first experiment, let's do a quick hardware pre-flight. You'll complete two short checks:

  1. Run a hardware self-test.
  2. Create a stirring calibration.

Both steps are safe to repeat.

Step 1: Run a self-test​

This self-test catches wiring or hardware issues early, before you run your first culture.

  1. Insert a closed vial with water and a stir bar into the Pioreactor.
  2. Open the Inventory page in the UI.
  3. Click Self-test on your Pioreactor card, then click Start.

The Pioreactor will run a short series of checks and report back with passes and failures.

When the results arrive, you'll see a list of successes and failures:

info

The self-test is optional, but we strongly recommend running it after your initial setup. Even if a test fails, your Pioreactor may still be usable - it just helps you catch issues early.

Want details on each check and how to interpret failures? See Self-test reference.

Step 2: Create a stirring calibration​

A stirring calibration helps the Pioreactor hit the RPM you ask for quickly.

Keep the same vial (water + stir bar) in place for this step.

  1. Open the Protocols page in the UI.
  2. Set Pioreactor to the unit you're calibrating, and Device to stirring.
  3. Click Run protocol to begin the calibration.

  1. Let it finish - it takes about 1 minute.

When it's done, the calibration is saved automatically. If anything looks off, you can run the calibration again.

You're done with pre-flight checks. Next up: set up your first experiment.