The Echo® MS system is an ultra-high-throughput system that analyzes samples at a speed of up to 1 sample per second. To achieve fast acquisition speeds, MS data is collected for an entire batch—or the entire well plate—into a single experiment in a file. Post-acquisition, SCIEX OS software parses the data from that single experiment into an individual experiment for each well and then saves it back to the same file.

To do this, the acquired data is “barcoded” using a marker well, so that the parser knows which data came from which sample well. While creating an acquisition batch, the user identifies a marker well that is used by the system to generate a pattern of droplets, or a barcode, at the beginning and end of a 384 or 1,536 sample plate run. This barcode comprises a series of ejections that start with a narrow peak made of a single droplet, which is followed by quiet space, then a wide peak containing 15 droplets, then quiet space, then finally a narrow peak of a single droplet. The software identifies this droplet pattern and uses it to assign the ejections to samples within a batch. An ill-formed barcode can prevent the data from correctly parsing, which may result in a lost acquisition run.

To learn more about data splitting on the Echo® MS system and troubleshooting file-splitting issues, please log in to your SCIEX.com account and access the online course Performing file splitting for data acquired using the Echo® MS system in the SCIEX Now Learning Hub.