Re: [DIYbio] how many DIYpcr machines built by DIYbio folks so far?

Cyclercan was dead easy to build, the code was a fun learning
experience, and it seems to perform beautifully on test-runs with the
CSV-output graphing function. However, I have not yet run a reaction in
it to confirm that the tubes reach the desired temperatures as quickly
as the temperature sensor does. So, I dunno.

The two biggest costs with Cyclercan were the Arduino and the Heatgun.
You could get a cheaper heatgun than the artist's one I used, but
probably not for less than €15, and Arduino clones could bring the costs
as low as €10 if you have your own FTDI-USB cable.

So I'd estimate the lowest you could go with a rig like mine (bearing in
mind that Ireland is affectionately known to its citizens as the "Ripoff
republic") would be:
€10 Arduino
€15 Heatgun
€5 PC Case-cooling fan
€2 for two solid-state relays
€10 12V supply for case-fan
€0.5 LM35 temperature sensor
= €42.5

I'm not counting the coffee can or any sealants used. Using a lightbulb
as done by Russell is definitely the way to go for price reduction. You
could also try mucking around with Nichrome in front of the cooler fan
for hot/cold circulation by the same fan, which would drop costs
significantly for a hot-air design.

Nichrome sufficient for this need would probably be a euro, but you'd
need to invest in a better power supply than the one figured above to
give the required current, which might only reduce the overall costs by
5-10.

On 04/02/12 15:45, Jeswin wrote:
> So how many people have some type of DIYpcr machine?
>
> What kind and how does it perform so far? How hard was it to build?
> Any tips, problems encountered, and any ways to keep costs minimal
> would be nice to hear about.
>

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