Re: OpenPCR's Thermocycler - Is is reliable?

It's a really nice machine and depending on what you're trying to do
is very sufficient. Check out http://cofactorbio.com/ for an even
cheaper alternative if you just want to run a couple samples at a
time. I used an OpenPCR machine for a set of classes this summer
though and for running straightforward protocols found it in no way
inferior to a commercial machine.

--Derek

On Dec 28, 7:30 pm, Jacob <lakopa.palu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I am a biotechnology hobbiest located in Oregon, and I have always
> loved biology and genetics. I was granted the amazing opportunity two
> years ago to go to the medical school OHSU in Portland, Oregon, to
> sequence a section of my own DNA. It was there that I learned to run a
> thermocycler, do PCR, and load a gel tray. Ever since then, I have
> been wishing I could get more into the field, but alas, I am still
> just a lowly high school junior, so it may be a while. Or so I
> thought.
> I found out about OpenPCR a month ago, and I have been frantically
> gathering funds since then to purchase one of their thermocyclers,
> which is the first ever that is in my price range. I was very excited
> to buy one, and surprisingly even more excited to trudge through their
> 60-some page instruction book to figure out how to put the damn thing
> together, until a friend brought up a point I shrugged off at first,
> but now it really concerns me. "What if it doesn't actually work?"
> Seeing as I am sinking over $600 into this machine along, not to
> mention all the other costs associated such as reagents and pipettes,
> I would like to know if any of you here have had experiences wit the
> device, and how it worked for you. From what I can tell, and the
> videos that show the device, it seems like it's a very robust and well-
> made device. But even so, I'd like to how well it is working for any
> of you who may have one. Is it reliable? Are the parts robust? Is the
> cycling precise? Any kinks, flaws, or extra hacks I should know
> about?
>
> Thank you!
> --Jacob

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DIYbio" group.
To post to this group, send email to diybio@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to diybio+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/diybio?hl=en.