Dual-Laser-Flow-Cytometer to Dual-Flow-Cytometer Conversion
F. L. Battye, J. Beall, W. Darling
The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute
A FACS II system which had previously been modified for dual-laser operation has undergone further development to allow greater utilization of the second laser. A flow cytometric optical bench has been added to the system to allow FCM analyses to be performed independently of any one-laser analysis or sorting simultaneously operating on the FACS II. Design of the new optical bench has been weighted towards simplicity, so that the construction could be handled in our own modest workshop facility, and towards low cost of the optical components and of the translation and positioning mechanisms used in laser and nozzle alignment. Further consideration was given to keeping the functional layout of the optics sufficiently similar to the FACS II for reproducible results to be obtained from each device. Additions to the electronics which were previously installed to cope with signals from the dual-laser system had been designed in such a way that no further extensive changes were required for operation of the system as two separate flow cytometers.