The WATSON 4-Well Portable Thermocycler is a cost-effective solution for PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a DNA amplification technique in which few copies of DNA can be replicated to create trillion of copies in less than 90 minutes. In PCR, the starting DNA is repeatedly heated and cooled about 40 times in the presence of an enzyme and buffers to synthesize new DNA. The instrument consists of a 4-well heating block and heating lid. The temperature is programmable between 30°C and 105°C with ±0.1°C precision. The resistive heating and air forced cooing systems are controlled by a PID algorithm for cyclical heating/cooling of the heating block. The WATSON’s heating ramp rate is rated at 4 ±0.5 degrees/sec. The heating block is cooled by 5 CFM (cubic feet per minute) capacity cooling fan producing 2 ±0.5 degrees/sec cooling ramp time. The heated lid prevents water condensation during sample heating step. Power is delivered to WATSON by USB type C port with supplied USB AC wall adapter. WATSON is operated by a 4-positioned DIP switch. It does not require a computer or mobile phone for operation. It can store up to 16 different PCR programs in its flash memory. Users will need to alter DIP switch patterns to select the recommended PCR program for each individual assay specified in the manual. The machine comes with 16 default programs preloaded that can cover almost all assays that can be run on WATSON. Users can alter all programs using a desktop-based software. WATSON can operate in a harsh environment. Its plastic housing and mechanical components are manufactured with material to resist high temperature, chemicals, and high impact.