Frequently Asked Questions: Modulus Microplate

Note: If your question is not answered in this document, we encourage you to contact us toll free at 888-636-2401 or 408-636-2400 x 119. You may also use our online contact form. Your question will be answered by one of our trained sales, technical, or applications specialists.

What is the price of the Modulus Microplate?
The price may vary based on your application and accessory requirements. To receive a quote customized to your needs, use our online quotation form (click here).

Can I get temperature control with the Modulus Microplate?
Most of the assays the Modulus Microplate is designed for are measured at room temperature. Most labs are temperature-controlled. The evaporation of the assay reagent over time affects the accuracy of the measurement. At a higher temperature, the evaporation rate is higher thus having a bigger effect on the accuracy of the measurement. In addition, condensation damages delicate optical systems. If your assay requires a set temperature, then the Modulus Microplate is not recommended.

How do I get good mixing on the Modulus Microplate without a shaking feature?
For assays requiring good mixing, we recommend the use of injectors. The injector is designed to provide good mixing when the reagent is injected into the well. If you do not wish to purchase an injector system, then we recommend putting the microplate on an orbital shaker, mix, and then read. To keep the instrument price affordable, we've elected to not include shaking in our design at this time. However, please let us know the type of applications you are using that require shaking. We will definitely consider adding this feature into our design in the future.

I am looking for a Microplate Reader that can read 384. Can the Modulus Microplate do this?
The Modulus Microplate is targeted for lower throughput labs. It is not intended for the ultra high-throughput screening labs. The Modulus Microplate can be developed to read 384-well plates. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

The Modulus Microplate detects luminescence, fluorescence, and absorbance. Can it also read fluorescence polarization (FP) and time-resolved fluorescence (TRF)?
The readers marketed with fluorescence polarization and time-resolved fluorescence detection capabilities are more expensive than the Modulus Microplate Multimode Reader. The Modulus Microplate may have additional FP and TRF modules available in the future, but currently does not.

The Modulus Microplate reads from the top. My cell-based assays need bottom reading for sensitivity. Will the Modulus Microplate still work for me?
For cell-based assay requiring whole cells in suspension or attached to the bottom of the plate, bottom reading fluorescence may or may not perform better than the Modulus Microplate. We would encourage you to try the Modulus Microplate to verify that your assay(s) do, in fact, require bottom reading only.

While we have not yet tested the Modulus Microplate for cell-based assays at Turner BioSystems, we will be glad to work with customers who are performing attached cell-based assays to explore possibilities and to jointly develop application notes. Please contact us if you are interested.

Why are the fluorescence filters on the Modulus Microplate Multimode Reader individual fluorescence optical kits, not tunable monochromator or filter wheels or filter slides?
The individual fluorescence optical kits are optimized for the intended applications. Each optical kit has wavelength matched LED, excitation and emission filter set to provide the best performance. With individual fluorescence optical kits, more optical kits can be easily added as new applications are developed. This design approach also allows us to customize the optical kit best suited for your application. Please contact us for your custom optical kit needs.

The injectors are on the outside of the instrument instead of inside like in your Veritas. Will ambient light affect the reagents?
We've taken every precaution to minimize reagent exposure to ambient light, such as using black tubing and covering the syringe pump. We also recommend the use of brown bottles for reagents. If brown bottles are not available, use foil to cover the container.

The Modulus Microplate reader's injector volume is in 5 µl increments. Do you have an injector that with volumes down to 1 µl?
No. We only supply the 5 µl increment injectors. Our injector systems were designed and engineered with precision in mind. It is more precise to inject 5 µl than 1 µl and injection volume variations can affect assay results. We found that the majority of the assay protocols for injectors use volumes in increments of 5 µl (i.e. 10 µl or 50 µl or 100 µl). It is rare for assay protocols that require increments of 1 µl. If you have such a requirement, contact us with your specific requirements.

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