PerkinElmer readers

Revolution drives three instruments from this family. PerkinElmer’s life-sciences business is now Revvity, so current product information appears under that name — the drivers, and most people, still say PerkinElmer.

Driver	What it runs	Status
EnVision	A protocol by name, to a results folder	Current family is the EnVision Nexus
Opera	A method by name	Current family is Opera Phenix Plus / OptIQ
ViewLux	A protocol by number, to an output folder	Discontinued

There is no Operetta driver — if you need an Operetta driven from a schedule, get in touch.

EnVision

A multimode plate reader for high-throughput screening. Revvity’s current line is the EnVision Nexus family, in two configurations — EnVision Nexus One and EnVision Nexus — which they describe as building on 20+ years of EnVision. The Revolution driver was written for the earlier EnVision, so treat the figures below as the current family’s rather than your instrument’s.

96-well plate	6 seconds
384-well plate	14 seconds
1536-well plate	37 seconds

Those are Revvity’s stated maximum throughputs for kinetic cycle measurements.

Detection technologies: Revvity lists Alpha, HTRF, LANCE, DELFIA and luminescence, with support for HTS Alpha, a TRF laser and Ultrasensitive Luminescence, plus kinetic and scanning measurements and bottom reading.

Light sources: a UV Xenon flash lamp for standard detection, with an optional solid-state laser offering an “on-the-fly” detection mode for faster plate reads.

Supported methods

• Read — run a protocol by name, writing results to a results folder, with a timeout
• Load plate — load a plate, identified by barcode
• Unload plate — unload the plate

The EnVision is the only reader in this group whose load operation takes a barcode, which means the plate’s identity travels with the load rather than being tracked separately by the schedule.

Opera

A high-content screening system. Revvity’s current systems are the Opera Phenix Plus and Opera Phenix OptIQ; the Revolution driver runs a named method, which works the same way regardless of generation.

Revvity describes the Opera Phenix Plus as a confocal system for high-throughput imaging assays, phenotypic screening, complex disease models — live cells, primary cells and microtissues — and fast-response assays such as Ca²⁺ flux. Stated features include:

• Dual- or four-camera configuration with simultaneous imaging
• Frame rates up to 100 fps, with an optional pipettor module for fast cellular responses
• Synchrony Optics — a microlens-enhanced Nipkow spinning disk with pinhole distance optimised for thick and 3D samples

The Opera Phenix OptIQ is described for complex high-throughput applications including 3D organoids and organ-on-chip samples.

Supported methods

• Run — run a method by name

That is the whole control surface. Imaging setup, analysis and data handling all belong to Revvity’s software; Revolution decides when a method runs.

ViewLux (discontinued)

Revvity no longer lists the ViewLux, so no specifications are stated here. Installed units are still driven.

Supported methods

• Read — run a protocol by number, writing to an output folder, with a timeout

Note the difference from the EnVision: ViewLux protocols are addressed by number, not by name. A method that moves between the two instruments cannot carry its protocol identifier across.

Integration

The EnVision and ViewLux are both reached over the network by URL, alongside a database connection. The Opera runs a named method through its own software.

Prerequisites

• The instrument’s own software must be installed, with the protocols or methods the schedule calls already defined.
• The instrument must be reachable at the configured URL, and its database connection valid.
• Results and output folders passed by a method must exist and be writable.
• On the ViewLux, you need the protocol number — confirm it on the instrument rather than assuming it matches a name.

Device configuration

Property	Purpose
URL	Address of the instrument (EnVision, ViewLux)
DB Connection	Database connection used for recording (EnVision, ViewLux)

If you need more of this instrument driven from a schedule, get in touch — the driver is extended on demand.