Pioreactor 20ml v1.5 → XR Upgrade Kit

Extend the Pioreactor’s optical density measurement range by over three orders of magnitude.

The XR Upgrade Kit adds multi-angle light scattering (45° and 135°) alongside the existing 90° channel. This enables reliable OD measurements from early growth through very dense cultures, without relying on dilution steps, external spectrophotometers, or heuristics.

Unlike single-angle OD, the Pioreactor XR uses angle-dependent scattering to produce signals across regimes where standard  90° OD breaks down. 135° scattering improves sensitivity during early growth and low biomass. 45° scattering remains usable at high cell densities where 90° OD saturates.

Together, these channels extend the usable OD range by approximately 100× lower and 10× higher than standard configurations.

XR is designed for users who are hitting OD limits, including:

• turbidostats operating near saturation
• late stationary-phase or high-density cultures
• growth-rate estimation over long experiments
• experiments where dilution adds error or overhead

This upgrade kit includes:

• XR top vial holder with fixed 45° and 135° optical geometry
• two XR optical channels for multi-angle scattering
• pre-sized STEMMA QT cables for XR routing
• required fasteners for installation