Any way to use PGM chips without barcode on a chef/PGM?

[pfeifferr]

Hello,

I had been using the Ion Torrent PGM with Ion 316 and Ion 318 chips and prepping libraries on the OT2. However, I now have an Ion CHEF, which i found out cannot use my supply of sequencing chips that don't have the barcode on them.

Lifetech will not take them back or trade them towards barcoded chips. I cannot find any option to add a barcode to the chips, like a sticker or anything. Does anybody know a way around this?

If not, I will have many boxes (4 packs) of Ion 316 and Ion 318 chips that i will sell at a large discount since they will no longer work for me. Would also do some sort of trade for barcoded 318 chips if this is an option.

Thanks in advance.

[r.rosati]

Hi,
the information on the chip barcode is nothing much; lot number and chip type, I think. Why do you say that adding a sticker is not an option?
[Edit: it appears that the barcodes are individual]

[pfeifferr]

I inquired with lifetech, both through the sales rep, technical support, and service engineers. All of them told me that their are no stickers available that will go on the chip that will work. The chef reads the barcode throughout the run, and then you need to scan it in on the PGM when running.

Do you know of a solution for this? Have you had any experiences like this?

Thanks

[r.rosati]

What I mean is that the chips are apparently labeled in batch. If you can attach a sticker with the right information on it, and I mean information taken from a real 318 chip (not the one image that's on the website), I don't think the Chef will complain that all your chips have the same code. (Unfortunately we only ever used 314 and 316 chips.)

[r.rosati]

...I gave you a very unorthodox answer, didn't I? If you're working with diagnostics, I understand that you can't alter the chips. I'm afraid I don't have a solution then.
If you work on research though, the barcode itself is technically the only difference with the old v2 chips, AFAIK, and a v2 chip with a tag attached should perform just as well as a GS1 datamatrix-labeled chip.

[pfeifferr]

Unfortunately, the chef uses the codes for tracking, and they must be unique. It will not let you accidentally re-load a previously used chip because it will recognize the barcode as used

[r.rosati]

I see. Getting them right would take some experimenting.