Re: [DIYbio] Opentrons Add on Modules

On 12/28/2015 10:32 PM, Grant Gumina wrote:
> A friend and I have been toying around with building modules for the OpenTrons. We think it'd be cool to have a centrifuge,

Those need balance in your holder, even if it is low speed low cost plastic.  I'd plan on including an accelerometer in each
one to detect unbalance, plus timing marks on the custom plastic spindle, a detector for the marks.  Then users could re-balance
with hints of where to add weight, and fine tune an empty spindle to be balanced, and install a new spindle or different type and
re-balance.
But then, I'm a systems engineer...

> an arm that can open/close pipets,

I'd use a micropython microcontroller for that -- not sure what kind of mechanism.  Are you thinking of
a screw actuator for a micropipettor with plunger designed for a human thumb?  Sounds like custom plastics again...


and also a HEPA filter/Laminar Flow Hood attachment. Given the complexity of the first two ideas,
> we've started designing a filtration module for the OT.
>
> We're thinking that the market size is probably pretty small, so I'd love to get your feedback on this. Basically we're thinking
> about building an enclosure for the OT that'd have a blower adjacent to a HEPA filter - similar to the design discussed here
> <https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21searchin/diybio/hepa$20filter/diybio/YJUQsaZc70o/Mk3UN3yNMRMJ>.

If you are thinking of the vertical flowbox with fan on top, I like the small footprint of that design.


> Ideally, we'd like to sell them to OT owners (this is where the small market size comes in haha) and we're thinking that pricing
> could go as high as $500 depending on how we build it.

$500 US seems high.  I'm learning some low volume plastic molding tech soon so I can make niche products with plastic parts
that are high performance and low cost.  Also planning a HEPA media folding robot, but not next month.


> I'd love to get your general thoughts on the above, as well as to the following questions:
>
>  1. What kinds of experiments are you currently not able to run with an OT due to contamination concerns? (if you don't have an OT
>     - what kind of experiments would you like to run with one but can't for the same reason?)
no lab work yet.
>  2. What filtration systems are you using in your labs currently? (names/brands)
no lab work yet.
>  3. If you use a laminar flow hood, which class of hood do you use? (I, II, III, V)
no lab work yet.