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NEPHELOstar Plus
BMG LABTECH NEPHELOstar Plus Laser microplate nephelometer. The BMG LABTECH NEPHELOstar Plus is a microplate nephelometer. Rather than measuring how much light a sample absorbs, it measures how much light insoluble particles scatter: BMG describes it as detecting insoluble particles in liquid samples by measuring forward-scattered light from a laser.
The Revolution driver names the NEPHELOstar Plus specifically. BMG states the original NEPHELOstar was discontinued in 2012 and replaced by the Plus.
At a glance
Section titled “At a glance”| Type | Laser-based microplate nephelometer (forward light scatter) |
| Light source | Self-monitoring laser diode, 635 ± 10 nm |
| Plate formats | Up to 384-well |
| Instrument software | BMG multi-user reader control and MARS data analysis |
| Revolution control | None yet — the driver is a scaffold. Its only operation writes a message to the log. |
Specifications
Section titled “Specifications”BMG LABTECH publishes the following for the NEPHELOstar Plus on its product page.
| Light source | Self-monitoring laser diode |
| Wavelength | 635 ± 10 nm |
| Laser output | 1 mW |
| Laser stability | <0.2% deviation |
| Laser lifetime | 20,000 hours |
| Beam width | Selectable, 1.5 to 3.5 mm |
| Intensity | Selectable, 0–100% |
| Scattering angle | Detects up to 80° full cone angle |
| Detector | Side-window photodiode |
| Plate formats | Up to 384-well |
| Shortest read times | 16 s (96-well), 47 s (384-well) |
| Shaking | Linear, orbital and double-orbital, user-definable time and speed |
| Incubation | 4 °C above ambient up to 45 °C |
| Reagent injectors | Up to 2 built-in; 3–500 µL per well; up to 420 µL/s; up to four injection events per well |
| Software | Multi-user reader control and MARS data analysis included; FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant |
| Dimensions (W × D × H) | 44 × 48 × 32 cm |
| Weight | 25 kg |
BMG qualifies the read times: they are the shortest possible and depend on assay conditions and liquid surface stability. Because the measurement is of light scattered at the liquid, a meniscus or surface that has not settled after a move affects the read, so allow for it when planning plate handling around this instrument.
BMG states the NEPHELOstar Plus is for research use only.
Supported methods
Section titled “Supported methods”None that reach the instrument. The Revolution driver for the NEPHELOstar Plus is a scaffold: it registers the device and its model so that a system can be configured against it, and it does not yet open any connection to the nephelometer. Initialising the device logs that no instrument connection is made.
- Debug — writes the given message to the device log and does nothing else. It exists so the scaffold can be exercised from a schedule; no command reaches the nephelometer.
A schedule cannot start a read, run a protocol, move the plate carrier or query the instrument’s state through this driver. Unlike the PHERAstar driver, it also does not drive the plate carrier out and in around a robot transfer, so the carrier has to be in the load position by other means. Any measurement made while a plate sits at the NEPHELOstar Plus is started outside Revolution.
Integration
Section titled “Integration”There is no transport configured: no serial or network connection, and no BMG software in the path. BMG’s own reader control software is how the instrument is operated today, and the Revolution driver does not use it.
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”- The instrument must be positioned so the system’s mover can reach its plate carrier, and the carrier must be at the load position when a transfer happens. Revolution does not command it.
- Any read must be set up and started in BMG’s software at the instrument. A schedule step cannot do it.
- Timing must be arranged by hand. Revolution cannot ask the nephelometer whether it is busy, so a schedule cannot wait on a read finishing.
Device configuration
Section titled “Device configuration”| Property | Purpose |
|---|---|
| — | The driver declares no configurable device properties. Only the standard device settings apply. |
If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.
Operations
These are available from a Run Device Operation step.
Debug
Writes the given message to the device log and does nothing else. This driver is a scaffold awaiting implementation, so no command reaches the instrument.
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| message | string | NEPHELOstar debug |
Raise Error
Makes this device report a failure on demand: the step fails with an error naming the device, and the operator is offered the usual error recovery choices. No command reaches the instrument and nothing moves, and the failure is raised in simulation as well as on a real system, so this is the step to use when rehearsing how a schedule handles a device failure.