{"product_id":"e-blot-touch-imager-western-blot-contact-imaging-system-bhq21100001","title":"e-BLOT Touch Imager Western Blot Contact Imaging System","description":"\u003ch2\u003eOverview\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Touch Imager is a benchtop chemiluminescence imaging system for Western blots that replaces the camera and lens of a conventional cooled-CCD imager with a large-format photosensor placed in direct contact with the membrane. The blot sits on the chip; the chip records the light where it is emitted. Nothing is focused, and nothing is collected across an air gap.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe practical consequence is speed and simplicity. e-BLOT specifies that more than 95% of samples are imaged within one second, and the instrument requires no detector cooling and no warm-up, so it is ready at power-on. A 158 cm² sensor covers a full membrane in a single frame, and a full well capacity of 1,250,000 electrons gives a wide intensity range in one exposure, so strong and faint bands on the same blot can usually be read without a bracketed exposure series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0949\/7424\/7277\/files\/eblot-touch-imager-membrane-placement-in-use.jpg?v=1787336726\" alt=\"Gloved hand placing a Western blot membrane directly onto the photosensitive chip of the e-BLOT Touch Imager\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\n\u003cfigcaption\u003eThe membrane is laid directly onto the photosensitive chip. Image courtesy of e-BLOT Life Science Co., Ltd.\u003c\/figcaption\u003e\n\u003c\/figure\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHow contact imaging differs from lens-based CCD imaging\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cooled-CCD imager forms an image the way a camera does: chemiluminescent photons leave the membrane in all directions, and only the small fraction that falls within the lens aperture reaches the sensor. Signal is therefore lost to distance and to the optics themselves, and the sensor is far smaller than the blot, so the image is a demagnified projection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0949\/7424\/7277\/files\/eblot-touch-imager-contact-imaging-zero-distance-diagram.jpg?v=1787336726\" alt=\"Diagram of e-BLOT contact imaging: light emitted by the membrane is captured by a photosensor placed directly against the sample, with zero working distance and no lens\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\n\u003cfigcaption\u003eContact imaging: with the sensor held against the sample there is no working distance and no lens, so emitted photons are recorded essentially where they are produced. Diagram courtesy of e-BLOT Life Science Co., Ltd.\u003c\/figcaption\u003e\n\u003c\/figure\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContact imaging removes both losses. Because the photosensor is comparable in size to the membrane and touches it directly, photons are captured at 1:1 scale with no lens in the path. e-BLOT states that this yields sensitivity and quantitative range approximately two orders of magnitude beyond a cooled-CCD system. These are the manufacturer's figures; they have not been independently benchmarked by BioHippo, and we present them as manufacturer specifications rather than as our own measurements. The side-by-side exposures e-BLOT has published are reproduced in the Validation section below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0949\/7424\/7277\/files\/eblot-touch-imager-158cm2-sensor-field-of-view.jpg?v=1787336726\" alt=\"e-BLOT Touch Imager shown open, annotated with its 158 cm2 field of view, 131 times the sensor area of a cooled CCD imager\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\n\u003cfigcaption\u003eThe 158 cm² field of view — by e-BLOT's calculation, 131 times the area of a typical 1.2 cm² cooled-CCD chip. Image courtesy of e-BLOT Life Science Co., Ltd.\u003c\/figcaption\u003e\n\u003c\/figure\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trade-off is worth stating plainly: because imaging is contact-based and 1:1, the sensor area sets the maximum blot size, and the system images blots and membranes rather than serving as a general-purpose gel documentation camera for stained gels under transillumination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003eParameter\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003eSpecification\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDetection principle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDirect contact imaging (lens-free)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLight sources\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChemiluminescence; epi-white illumination\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePhotosensor chip area\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e158 cm²\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFull well capacity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1,250,000 electrons\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExposure time\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u0026gt;95% of samples imaged within 1 s\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCapture modes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAutomatic, Manual, Customized, Extreme HD\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStart-up wait\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNone — no detector cooling required\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eData transfer rate\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1000 Mbps\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUser management\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMulti-user accounts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions (L × W × H)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e27 cm × 20.6 cm × 5.4 cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNet weight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4.35 kg\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePower supply\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e100–250 V\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOperating temperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4–30 °C\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOperating humidity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10–85% relative humidity, non-condensing\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSource: e-BLOT published Touch Imager specifications. Confirm the current revision on your quotation before purchase.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eTouch Viewer software\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe instrument is operated through e-BLOT's Touch Viewer software, which covers the full workflow on one screen:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcquisition\u003c\/strong\u003e — automatic, manual, customized and Extreme HD capture, with saturation indication.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eManagement\u003c\/strong\u003e — a gallery of saved images with review and sorting.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEditing\u003c\/strong\u003e — rotate, flip, crop, and zoom, applied non-destructively to the saved original.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAnalysis\u003c\/strong\u003e — automatic or manual lane and band detection for densitometry.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAccounts\u003c\/strong\u003e — multi-user login so images stay attributable in a shared-instrument lab.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHandling\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe photosensitive chip is the imaging surface and is handled directly, so two points from the manufacturer's instructions matter in daily use. Use only the supplied plastic tweezers when placing and removing membranes — metal tweezers can damage the chip surface. Clean the chip with the supplied soft cloth. The instrument is calibrated before sample imaging, and the indicator lamp turns green when it is ready to capture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"e-BLOT Life Science Co., Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Touch Imager","offer_id":53776223273325,"sku":"BHQ21100001","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0949\/7424\/7277\/files\/eblot-touch-imager-158cm2-sensor-field-of-view_adb0fd6e-194d-4eab-bcd3-315a8e5c49da.jpg?v=1787336782","url":"https:\/\/www.ebiohippo.com\/products\/e-blot-touch-imager-western-blot-contact-imaging-system-bhq21100001","provider":"BioHippo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}