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ELx405 Plate Washer
The BioTek ELx405 is a robot-compatible full-plate washer. Agilent describes the ELx405 Select as the first deep-well microplate washer to aspirate and dispense into 96- and 384-well deep-well and standard-height microplates — one washer covering both plate depths.
BioTek is now part of Agilent, so current product information appears under Agilent’s name.
Two ways to drive it
Section titled “Two ways to drive it”Revolution declares two devices for this washer, and they are different control routes rather than different hardware:
| Device | What it runs | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| ELx405 Washer | An onboard program stored on the instrument | Serial, or URL |
| ELx405 Washer LHC | A protocol in Agilent’s LHC software | URL |
Agilent’s LHC (Liquid Handling Control) software is their stated route for computer control and third-party integration of BioTek washers and dispensers. Which device you use depends on where your wash programs live — on the instrument, or in LHC.
At a glance
Section titled “At a glance”| Plate formats | 96- and 384-well, deep-well and standard height |
| Manifold | BioTek Dual-Action, with independent filling and evacuation control |
| Flow rates | Low-flow rates available |
| Dispensing | Angled dispensing |
| Revolution control | Run an onboard program, or an LHC protocol; home all axes |
Specifications
Section titled “Specifications”Agilent publishes the following for the ELx405 Select, beyond what’s already in “At a glance” above.
| Wash control | Precise overfill washing with overflow protection |
| Automation | Robot compatible, full plate washer |
| Software | LHC, for computer control and third-party integration |
The Dual-Action manifold is the feature that matters for cell-based work. Independent control of filling and evacuation is what allows overfill washing without losing the cell layer, and Agilent pairs it with low flow rates and angled dispensing for exactly that reason — a monolayer that survives the wash is the point.
Supported methods
Section titled “Supported methods”ELx405 Washer (onboard)
Section titled “ELx405 Washer (onboard)”- Run onboard program — run a wash program stored on the instrument
- Home all axes — return the manifold and stage to their home positions
Home all axes is a recovery operation. A washer left mid-cycle after a fault has its manifold somewhere unknown, and that is not a state to present labware to.
ELx405 Washer LHC
Section titled “ELx405 Washer LHC”- Run protocol — run a protocol defined in LHC
Integration
Section titled “Integration”Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”- The programs or protocols the schedule calls must already exist — on the instrument for the onboard route, or in LHC for the LHC route. Revolution runs them; it does not author washes.
- For the LHC route, LHC must be installed and reachable at the configured URL.
- Buffer supply and waste must be connected and adequate for the run. A washer that runs dry mid-plate produces plates that look washed and are not.
- Labware must match what the program expects — a deep-well program and a standard-height plate are not interchangeable.
Device configuration
Section titled “Device configuration”| Property | Purpose |
|---|---|
| COM Port | Serial port, on the onboard-program device |
| URL | Address of the instrument or the LHC service |
If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.