1. BioSpec/PharmaScan
2. AVANCE III HD / ParaVision 6.x ff
3. System Manual Avance III HD
4. Preparation Tables and Animal Cradles
5. Using MASS
6. Handling

Handling

Adjusting the height of the trolley

The height of the trolley needs to be adjusted to match the height of the slide rails on the trolley and in the magnet bore. For height adjustment, four trolley height adjustment screws can be found underneath the upper table plate of the trolley. This adjustment needs to be done only once during the installation of the system.

Using the trolley docking mechanism

To insert the animal cradle into the magnet bore, the trolley needs to be docked at the magnet front. To do so, the two rods of the docking mechanism on the trolley are inserted into their counterparts on the magnet front and the trolley is pushed towards the magnet until the mechanism has locked.

To remove the trolley, push down the handle on the left/right side of the docking mechanism and pull away the trolley. During the MR experiment the trolley should not be attached to the magnet in order to avoid vibrational interferences.

Moving the animal cradle into the magnet bore

In its neutral position, the brake module is activated. To move the animal cradle into the magnet bore, insert the push rod into the opening of the brake module and turn it 180° in clockwise direction such that the ruler on the rod is visible. This will release the brake and allow to move the sliding carriage with the animal cradle to its desired position.

Note that the large sliding carriage has an additional locking mechanism at the end of the table. By pulling, the locking mechanism has to be released prior to pushing the sliding carriage.

Once the animal cradle is in its final position remove the rod again by turning the rod counterclockwise. Removing the rod will automatically activate the brake.

Positioning of the animal cradle

To allow for reproducible positioning of the animal cradle, a ruler is installed on the push rod of the MASS and a laser crosshair is installed at the magnet bore. Activate the laser crosshair by toggling the switch button on top of the laser. Move the animal cradle into the bore until the desired position is indicated by the laser crosshair position on the ruler. Switch-off the laser light when not used.