One of the First Photometers for Labs

You might got your basic training in the laboratory with one of ours…

Based on nearly 70 years of photometry experience, Eppendorf has developed many different photometers over the time. From the first massive bulky mechanical set-ups to digital multi-functional compact BioSpectrometers, we made a long journey.
In co-operationship with Professor Buecher in 1950, the first Eppendorf photometer was developed for clinical requirements. The instrument used the principle of spectral lines and thus enabled photometry to be used for routine laboratory applications. Above all in the UV range, it smoothed the path for enzyme diagnostics.

The microliter system of microtubes, a personal centrifuge, pipettes, and the thermoblock was launched in 1963. This system was supported by the Eppendorf photometers, an already established product group in the labs of that time. The filters of the photometer for different wavelength were set manually by changing the position of the filter cartridges.

The Photometer 1101 is part of an exhibition for laboratory equipment somewhere in Germany, probably mid to end of the 1960s. The product range is still limited to one centrifuge, one set of pipettes, one thermoblock, and one photometer – all fitting on one table.

In 1977, the first microprocessor-controlled Eppendorf Photometer (PCP 6121) was launched. Eppendorf was one of the first equipment manufacturers to integrate microprocessor technology in its analysis systems.

The historical summary shows some of the photometer instruments and cuvettes developed since beginning of the 1950s.

Keep your eyes open, an Eppendorf photometer from the 1970s might still be in one corner of your lab or in one of the teaching labs downstairs.