[sudo-discuss] [CCL] Tekla Labs is about to launch a DIY Lab equipment contest
Jake
jake at spaz.org
Wed Aug 21 16:44:51 PDT 2013
I think part of the problem with that is that if you want to make your
openPCR do the job in a reasonable time frame, you need to be able to
thermally cycle your fluids rapidly.
every bit of material you have that is thermally connected to the PCR
vials and heating/cooling apparatus is thermal mass that you need to
swing, which makes your energy demand greater on your heat pump, and/or
slows down your PCR time.
that's why the best material for touching the vials will likely be a thin
skin of aluminum, shaped like inverted cones on one side and flat surfaces
on the other side, but mostly hollow. Such a shape would be designed in
openSCAD, modeled with a 3D printout, and either cast at OMI or Jim's or
Bernards, or more likely ordered as a metal print from Pomoko or Shapeways
or something.
unless you don't care about PCR time, in which case yes, you can make your
own thermal manifold out of a block of aluminum or lead.
-jake
Aug 21, 2013 01:58:57 PM, patrikd at gmail.com wrote:
> Hi Hol,
>
> Why don't you guys use Hackteria's drill bit to drill the wells in the
> aluminum heat block? They designed and ordered a custom bit specifically
> to match the 17.5 degree cone angle used in OpenPCR, and they're willing
> to let other groups borrow it. Perfect example of leveraging the global
> DIY community!
>
> http://hackteria.org/wiki/index.php/Wild_OpenPCR
>
> Simon Field on the DIYbio list suggested a while back to cast the heat
> block from a lower-melt alloy. That's potentially something that anyone
> with a hot plate could achieve, and you could even use your own favorite
> PCR tubes to make a perfectly fitting mold.
>
>Patrik
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