UVIprochemi Chemiluminescence Documentation System CAS8000

Features
Every aspect of the UVIchemi system has been designed without compromise to meet the most rigorous demands of chemiluminescence documentation. The sensitivity and image quality of the system is assured by the exceptionally low noise of the 12-bit cooled camera. The camera cooling efficiency is maximized by housing it in a separate compartment with its own cooling device. Because it is a dedicated system, the darkroom cabinet can be made as small as possible to eliminate light leakage and maximize sensitivity. The sample tray can be moved up or down to vary the field of view and the superb quality fixed focal length lens allows razor sharp focusing in all sample positions.

Highest Quality CCD camera
The CCD camera used in UVIchemi has a resolution of 1.3 million pixels which gives a clear and sharp image while the high quantum efficiency of 70% at 450nm ensures unrivalled sensitivity. The baseline noise level of the camera, which limits the sensitivity and dynamic range, is extremely low at less than 1% of the 12-bit scale of 4096 intensity levels. Noise remains low even at exposure times of more than one hour, giving the system extraordinary ultimate sensitivity. The camera noise is limited by efficient and direct on-chip cooling of the CCD sensor to -55°C below ambient by a two-stage forced-air Peltier device. A second Peltier actually cools the camera compartment to combat high ambient temperatures that would otherwise affect system performance. "Binning" mode, in which four CCD pixels are combined into one, can be used to increase sensitivity even further, but at the expense of image resolution.

Innovative Darkroom Cabinet
The UVIchemi darkroom cabinet is small and compact, which maximizes sensitivity by minimizing camera-sample distance and also saves bench space. The top camera compartment incorporates its own Peltier-cooling device, which keeps the compartment at <20°C regardless of the outside temperature. The lower sample compartment has six vertical positions for the sample tray allowing variation of the field of view and the distance from the camera. Simple manual adjustment of the high quality lens allows razor sharp focusing at any sample position. Gentle overhead LED illumination enables sample positioning without excessive glare. The doors to both compartments are sealed with highly efficient latches.

Simple and Convenient Software Interface
UVIchemi software incorporates the same characteristics of simplicity and convenience as all other UVItec software packages. A convenient, user-friendly layout, special acquisition toolbar and icon driven functions make use of the software less cumbersome and more intuitive. Special automatic functions are included to facilitate optimization of exposure times. The "Automatic Exposure" function performs short test exposures in "binning" mode and then calculates the optimum time for a full resolution exposure. The "Test Signal" function performs a series of binning exposures at user defined intervals and informs the user when the chemiluminescence signal is sufficiently developed for image acquisition. Other acquisition functions available include "live" image display - a high frequency video display useful for sample positioning and focusing; manual exposure where the user defines the exposure time before initiating acquisition; video mode, where a series of full resolution images of user defined exposure times and intervals are acquired. The acquired images can then be saved as TIFF files in either the full 12-bit or displayed 8-bit form.

Specification

Model	UVIprochemi
Camera Specifications
Resolution	1.3 million pixels
Output	12-bit (4096 grey levels)
Dynamic Range	>4 orders of magnitude
Quantum Efficiency	Direct, on-chip cooling of sensor to -55°C below ambient by two stage Peltier device
Darkroom Cabinet	DBT 8000 including: Separate sample and Peltier-cooled camera compartments. Two position filter holder. Overhead (epi)-UV/white light illumination. Pull-out tray for mini UV transilluminator. Single position chemiluminescence sample tray. Exterior control panel for all lighting options. Overall exterior dimensions 920 x 540 x 430 (hxwxd), mm
Lens	F1.4, 11.5 - 69 (6X) motorised zoom lens, independent software driven control of aperture, zoom and focus
Software Interface	PC based, linked to camera by PCI card interface, compatible with Windows® 98, 2000, XP