Productive use of an automounter requires the appropriate equipment.
Pucks:
MacCHESS accepts ALS pucks, Uni-pucks and Rigaku pucks for its BAM-2 automounter.
Sample holders:
Pin height should be 18-19 mm, so that crystal height in the assembled sample holder with the base on a level surface is about 22 mm. Pin height should be uniform for all your sample holders. No bent pins. Slightly bent pins will work (~< 2mm), but slow the task of centering the crystal. Severely bent pins may cause a gripper crash which could destroy the sample, along with other samples in the puck. Copper pins may work but are not recommended. The sample mount itself may be a nylon loop, a micro-manufactured polymer loop, or a mesh; they all should work.
The pin bases ("caps") used should not have plastic parts or screw threads. They should not have square shoulders which would impede the gripper as it approaches the sample holder from above. Generally, pins listed as ALS- or SPINE-compatible should work fine. pins labeled SSRL-compatible are not fine. Vendors are pretty good about listing automounter compatibility in their product descriptions, but if you have questions, please inquire.
The MAcCHESS automounter does not have a barcode reader, so barcoding of pins is not relevant for use at our beamline.
Suitable sample bases from Hampton Research include the CrystalCap ALS, CrystalCap ALS HT, and CrystalCap SPINE HT.
Suitable bases from Mitegen include the B1A(ALS), B3S(ALS) and B5(SPINE); regular or reusable versions.
Unsuitable pins from Hampton Research include the CrystalCap, CrystalCap Copper and CrystalCap Copper HT.
Unsuitable pins from Mitegen include the B1(SSRL) and the B3(SSRL).