In August 2023 we released MinKNOW 23.07 that introduced a new basecaller, Dorado. This software architectural change resulted in some PromethION A100 / A-series towers unexpectedly powering off during sequencing.

We have identified the issue as the interplay between the GPU power consumption when using MinKNOW (23.07. or greater) and the electrical voltage configuration specific to regions operating at 95-125V.

This software-induced change now requires the data acquisition units to be plugged into 200-240 voltage supply in order to run MinKNOW from version 23.07.5 onwards. Earlier PromethION 24/48 DAU equipped with the GV100 GPU remain unaffected as do other devices (GridION, MinION Mk1C, P2 Solo, MinION Mk1B). Please note there is no change to the power requirements for the PromethION 24/48 Sequencing Unit.

I do not know what mains voltage I am on, how do I check?

Your PromethION A100 will automatically check and prompt you to update to MinKNOW 23.07.12 (when released) if you are running on 200-240V. If you are on 95-125V you will not receive a prompt.

If you want to check manually, please do the following.

Open up a terminal by searching for terminal and pressing enter

Copy the command and paste into the terminal window by right clicking and pressing paste (ctrl + v shortcuts will not work)

sudo IPMICFG-Linux.x86_64 -pminfo | grep "Input Voltage"

You will see an output similar to the one above. The first and second row correspond to the each of the power supplies. If you see one Input Voltage showing 0 V, please ensure you have both cables plugged in.

How do I upgrade to a 200 to 240V circuit?

If in an affected region (e.g., North America) and you have confirmed your A100 tower is not plugged into 200-240V using the steps above. We recommend you try the following:

Enquire with your facilities whether a 200-240V circuit is already available or can be installed with 2 of the following sockets: L6-20R or 6-20R*.

Use the table below to source appropriate power cables in the US.

If you have an A100 tower you will need to transfer the ferrite cores. To do this you will need to transfer the ferrite cores (black boxes shown below) to the new cables by detaching them by pressing on the plastic latches.

The A-Series towers will not require the ferrite cores.

Finally, power on the DAU and sequencer and confirm you are now receiving 200-240V. Update MinKNOW using either the pop-up notification or manually using the instructions below:

Open a terminal by searching for ‘terminal’ and pressing enter.

Copy the following commands line-by-line and paste into the terminal windows by right clicking and pressing paste (ctrl + v shortcuts will not work)

sudo rm /etc/apt/preferences.d/a100_power_issue_pin

You may now be prompted through the MinKNOW user interface to update to the latest version. If not run the following commands:

sudo apt update sudo apt install ont-promethion-release

Power cycle the data acquisition unit and tower to finish the update.

Please reach out to technical services at support@nanoporetech.com for further details.

*Alternate solutions (e.g., a transformer / UPS) will be validated in due course and this FAQ will be updated accordingly.

How do i tell if my PromethION is an affected A100 or an A-Series?

If you have physical access to the DAU, the side panel with indiciate A100 or A-Series beneath the illuminated PromethION logo (please see below).

Alternatively, open a terminal by searching for ‘terminal’ and pressing enter.

Copy and paste the command below by right clicking onto the terminal window (ctrl + v shortcut will not work)

cat /etc/oxfordnanopore/configs/identity.config | grep "ProductCode"

Compare the terminal output to the list below to confirm the data acquisition type you have.

ProductCode=PRO-PRCA100 = A100 Data acquisition unit

ProductCode=PRO-PRCAMP = A-Series Data acquisition unit

ProductCode=PRO-PRC048 = P48 (GV100 GPU) Data acquisition unit

ProductCode=PRO-PRC024 = P24 (GV100 GPU) Data acquisition unit

I don't have an PromethION A100 / A-Series DAU, can I update?

Yes, if you have a previous data acquisition unit you will not be affected by this issue. You will be able to update to future versions of MinKNOW.