How do I calculate the number of AnnoLog sensors needed?
The number of AnnoLogs you need is guided by what equipment and processes you need to monitor and the requirements specified by your laboratory quality management system.
Examples of some applications are:
- Benchtop incubators - How many incubators are used in the lab and how many wells/compartments each incubator has. E.g.: A MINC has 2 wells and each well has 4 compartments. Typically, you would place an AnnoLog in each well to monitor that the temperature of all the wells do not deviate outside of the required temperature range. It is surprising to see how incubators deviate over time, especially as they get older.
- Upright incubators - How many incubators are there and what area(s) you decide to monitor. For example: Per shelf or compartment and location(s) within the incubator.
- Media fridge - Typically, an AnnoLog is placed in the front and another towards the back of the middle shelf. Our recommendation is to initially spot-check various areas in the fridge for a week to get a better understanding of temperature variations in the fridge. Then, you will have a better understanding of the areas you want to keep a closer eye on. Typically, temperatures vary more when the fridges are older, when the ambient temperature varies significantly in the room where the fridge is, and how often and for how long the fridge door is opened daily.
- Heated stage(s) - You could tackle this in two ways:
- Divide up a stage in quadrants/sections (based on where the heating elements are located) and place AnnoLogs in each quadrant/section to monitor continuously; or
- Use AnnoLogs to do spot-checks of each quadrant/section of a stage by moving the logger periodically. This is fine if you know that the heated stage has steady temperature and the ambient temperature is constant, as you will have gaps in data collection when the section is not being monitored.
- Isolettes - You would use AnnoLogs to monitor the temperature of each isolette. Depending on your processes, you may assign an AnnoLog permanently to a specific isolette. Otherwise, you may configure an AnnoLog to an isolette prior to the start of a scheduled cycle and re-assign the AnnoLog to another job when the cycle is completed. It is worth checking the best location within the isolette as some have notable variances within the enclosure.
For a customised recommendation, contact us for a free consultation.