We strongly recommend that, upon receiving your MinION, MinION Mk1C, GridION, or PromethION device, you complete the hardware check using the Configuration Test Cell (CTC) and the MinKNOW software to ensure your device is working correctly.

You can access the CTC protocol using this link or by viewing the Nanopore Learning video for MinKNOW: Hardware Check.

Before preparing your own DNA samples for sequencing, we recommend that you practice library prep and sequencing using the control Lambda DNA (LMD). That allows you to become familiar with the nanopore sequencing workflow without the potential complications caused by the sub-optimal quality of your own DNA sample.

Here you can find the different protocols to perform the Lambda Control Experiment.

If you are working with our RNA kits, then the following protocol can be used to perform a control run using RNA Calibration Strand (RCS).