The CO7000 is a portable colorimeter designed for use by doctors and medical technologists in small and medium sized clinics.

The unit has been tropicalised to protect it in hot and humid conditions (to 45°C and 70%, respectively); the 10 gelatin filters are encased in glass to prevent fungal growths appearing and the PCB has been conformally coated so that individual components are sealed to prevent corrosion. The instrument is powered by an internal rechargeable NiMH battery or by external power allowing it to be used where the power supply could be unreliable.

The CO 7000 is very easy to use as there are only three buttons, and the wavelength required is selected by rotating an integral filter wheel. The filters are at 400, 440, 470, 490, 520, 550, 580, 590, 680 and 700 nm enabling assays in the wavelength range 400 to 700 nm to be measured, and the instrument has been designed as an “open” system so that test kits for clinical and medical applications from virtually any supplier can be used.

Examples of routine assays that can be measured in serum and plasma include Albumin, Cholesterol, Glucose, Creatinine, Total Protein, Urea and those in cerebrospinal fluid include Glucose and Total Protein. The samples can be measured in either standard 10 mm pathlength cuvettes (a minimum of 400 µl is required) or in 10/12/16 mm diameter test tubes (adapters are included with the instrument). There is a drain hole at the bottom of the cell compartment so that spillages do not affect the instrument.