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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