With the CytoSMART® Lux3 BR, it is possible to perform an offline experiment when there is no internet access. However, we recommend to only use this when absolutely necessary and not for long-term experiments. Furthermore, images will be stored locally on the laptop connected to the CytoSMART® Lux3 BR instead of in the Cloud, eliminating the option to create time-lapse videos, perform analyses or set notification thresholds.
Switch to Offline Mode:
When there is no internet access, the live view of the cells indicates that by changing the internet button (Fig. 6.1A). Additionally, you are not able to start an experiment (Fig. 6.1B). The button to quickly capture a raw image (Fig. 6.1C) is enabled. This raw image will be stored locally on your computer, and the file location will be automatically opened in Windows Explorer.
Fig. 6.1. No internet connection. A) Check icon to see if the system is connected to internet. B) Start experiment button is disabled when no internet. C) Capture raw image. D) Menu to switch to offline mode.
To be able to start an offline experiment, you need to indicate that you want to use the system in offline mode. This can be achieved by clicking “Mode” (Fig. 6.1D), which provides you with the option to “Switch to Offline mode”.
Configure Experiment :
Once in offline mode, you will see the live view of the cells (Fig. 6.2). At this step, please configure your focus and exposure settings. Please refer to section 4.1 for more details.
Fig. 6.2. Live view of cells in offline mode.
Start an Offline Experiment :
After selecting “start offline experiment”, the offline experiment menu will appear (Fig. 6.3).
Fig. 6.3. Start offline experiment. A) Define a name for the offline experiment. B) Define snapshot interval. C) Choose between a custom end date or an open-ended experiment (automatic stop). D) Start an offline experiment.
An experiment name is required to continue (Fig. 6.3A). Next, you can select the desired imaging frequency (Fig. 6.3B). A drop-down menu will appear with different intervals to choose from.
Important: Since biological cells can be susceptible to light, it is advised not to use a higher recording frequency than needed.
You also have the option to leave the experiment running until you stop it or to enforce an automatic stop via the drop-down menu (Fig. 6.3C).
Once you are satisfied with the information you have added for your experiment, select “Start my experiment” (Fig. 6.3D). Now the offline experiment will begin and the system will automatically go into sleep mode in between imaging.
Access Experiment Results
Once an experiment is running, a live view of the cells is displayed (Fig. 6.4). To access the obtained results, select “Open experiment location” (Fig. 6.4B). This will open a folder containing all the images (.jpg) of the offline experiments. You can review the image files from the offline experiment or transfer them to a USB flash drive or other data storage device.
The button to quickly capture a raw image (Fig. 6.4C) will be disabled during a running experiment.
Fig. 6.4. Experiment running view. A) Stop the experiment button. B) Open the folder where the experiment data is stored. C) The button to capture a raw image is disabled during a running experiment.
End an Offline Experiment
To end an experiment, select the red “Stop experiment” button (Fig. 6.4A) from the live screen and select “OK” in the dialog box to confirm.