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* ''add your project ideas here''
* ''add your project ideas here''


= Microscopes, Colorimeters, Spectrophotometers, "Cheaposcopes" =
== Spectrophotometers ==
* Open Spectrophotometer Project.  To provide a open source hardware LED-based spectrophotometer.  http://openwetware.org/wiki/Citizen_Science/Open_Spectrophotometer_Project
== Cheaposcope ==
* The cheaposcope: development of a low cost fluorescence microscope for teaching.  We've exploited recent developments in LED technology, optical filters and cameras in an attempt to construct cheaper instruments for fluorescence microscopy and detection.  http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/Haseloff/imaging/cheaposcope/cheaposcope.htm
= Fermentors, Bioreators =
* An automated home-built low-cost fermenter suitable for large-scale bacterial expression of proteins in Escherichia coli.  We have developed an automated fermentation system for cost-efficient upscaling of protein expression in bacteria. The system, built for use by nonbiotechnologists, can be assembled mostly from standard laboratory equipment and allows a largely unattended growth of bacteria to OD 25 (at 600 nm) in a 12 L vessel.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=6660&itool=Abstract-def&uid=18687068&nlmid=8306785&db=pubmed&url=http://www.biotechniques.com/article/000112830
* An Algae Bioreactor from Recycled Water Bottles.  In this instructable, we describe how to build a photo-bioreactor that uses algae to convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy. The energy that is produced is in the form of algae biomass. The photo-bioreactor is built from plastic recycled water bottles. By designing the apparatus to be compartmentalized, we are able to do many experiments in parallel.  http://www.instructables.com/id/An_Algae_Bioreactor_from_Recycled_Water_Bottles/
* How To Make an Algae Test Photo Bioreactor...Part One.  This gives a step-by-step instructions on making an algae test photo bioreactor. This can be used in any application that calls for testing and/or growing algae, to determine maximum growth rates, best nutrients, etc., such as... Making algae biodiesel, Animal feed, Organic fertilizer, Cosmetics, Health food supplements and many more.  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-an-Algae-Photo-BioreactorPart-One/
== Basics of Growing Algae ==
"How to get started growing algae at home."
Needed:
*a space that can be easily heated or cooled depending on the weather.
*cool white flourescent lights 35-40 watts.
*aquarium aereation pump. tubing, and airstones... tees(all this from walmart.)
*shelves depending on how many cultures you want to grow
*glass jars one quart, and one gallon for as  many cultures as you plan to grow
*aquarium sea salts (Instant ocean) I cup per gallon of distilled water.
*dial thermometers
*graduated measuring cups
*Ph. papers
*Nutrient solution
*algae cultures( often come in 50 ml tubes )
*growing instructions come with the cultures.
Setup:
*when you receive the culture add the contents of the tube to 250 ml of water (salt or fresh)
*keep lights on 24/7
*keep aereation on 24/7
*once the 250 ml turns green add another 250 ml and so on untill you have a liter of green algae
*take the green  liter and add it to a gallonglass jar,
* once you have a gallon you can seed a ten gallon aquarium or you can add the gallon to larger tanks or  to  a closed loop ecosystem
*and in  two weeks, voila! youll have algae growing.
*unenclosed ponds are unstable and prone to contamination by outside influences such as acid rain, water fowl that carry  wild algae on thier feathers , animals , temperature variations.windbourne pollutants. night time temperature variations.etc
::The above is from http://www.ecogenicsresearchcenter.org/biodiesel.htm  (lots of pictures there)
= Incubator, Shaking Incubator =
* BUILD YOUR OWN INCUBATOR. Here's how to turn your flock's extra eggs into a whole new generation of omelet providers, including detailed diagrams, temperature, humidity, movement and ten tips.  http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1982-03-01/Build-Your-Own-Incubator.aspx
== Bob Horton's Shaking Incubator ==
Note the date on this project.
* Bob Horton horto005 at maroon.tc.umn.edu
* Wed Mar 6 11:06:24 EST 1996
Bob's Homemade Shaking Incubator Design
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my design for an easy-to-build and inexpensive laboratory
shaker/shaking incubator. It will undoubtedly remind many readers of
something they may have built for the Science Fair in the 5th grade, but
as far as I know, the use of record-player power and the hanging
platform are original. And, hey, you can't argue with the price.
Three figures are attached. The attachments are MIME-encoded, and should
be decodable with any MIME-compliant newsreader, including the one built
into NetScape 2.0. The figures are small, black and white drawings in
GIF format, and should be viewable from any web browser, once they are
decoded. 
Figure 1: Parts for the Home-Made Shaker.
http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/methods/attachments/19960306/73d4d331/shake1.gif
Figure 2: Additional Parts for the Shaking Incubator.
http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/methods/attachments/19960306/73d4d331/shake2.gif
Figure 3: Portrait of the Final Product.
http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/methods/attachments/19960306/73d4d331/shake3.gif
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The shaking platform is cut from a particleboard sheet the same size as
the top of the box; the rest of the sheet is used to reinforce the top
of the box. The platform is suspended from the edge of the top opening
with strings. Slipknots are used in the strings to make them easy to
adjust until the platform is more-or-less level. Then the knots are
secured in place with tape. The strings and holes are arranged so that
the strings hang as vertically (i.e., parallel to one another) as
possible. This way the platform will remain essentially level as it
swings around in a circle.
A bolt is mounted on the turntable, and passed through a hole in the
platform, so that when the turntable spins, the shaker moves in an
orbital motion. Note that it takes very little work on the part of the
record palyer motor to move the platform in a horizontal circle, even if
it carries significant weight.
The heat source (light bulb), fan, and thermostat are mounted on a
particleboard base, and wired so that the fan is always on, but the
light bulb is turned on and off by the thermostat in classic Jr. High
School Science Fair fashion. The whole heat-control unit is placed in
the incubator box, and a thermometer is used to calibrate the
thermostat. The thermostat I use keeps the box somewhere 35 and 38
degrees centigrade. I think a regular home thermostat would work better,
but the bugs don't seem to mind.
The fan blows air around fast enough that air in the whole box is very
close to the same temperature. But I put the thermostat probe behind the
fan so it would not detect radiant heat, and the light is below the
platform so it doesn't shine right on the cultures.
I covered the areas of the cardboard walls and the portion of the bottom
of the platform that come close to the light bulb with foil, to reflect
some heat so they wouldn't be quite as likely to catch fire. If you fold
several thicknesses of slightly wrinkled foil together, they make a nice
shield against radiant heating (this was the suggestion of Mike Herron,
from the lab across the hall).
The box is sealed with masking tape, except for the top opening. A lid
(not shown) is made of an additional cardboard sheet, edged with soft
foam weather stripping. This type of flat lid limits the height of
culture flasks to the distance between the shaking platform and the top
of the box; alternatively, a raised lid made of a second box would allow
more room.
This shaker has three speeds; 33, 45, and 78 rpm. The fastest setting is
still somewhat slower than typical bacterial culture conditions, but it
works OK if you leave plenty of air in your flasks. A faster motor could
be substituted for the record player, but it wouldn't be as cute.
The heating unit and the record player can both be plugged into a power
strip, so a single convenient switch can be used to turn the whole thing
on and off.
The tools required are fairly simple:
* wrench, pliers, screwdriver, etc. to remove any parts of the record
player that stick up too high.
* drill to mount the bolt on the turntable, and make holes for the
strings.
* knife to cut cardboard and strip insulation on the wires.
* jigsaw to cut the platform from the particleboard.
My estimate of the cost of materials is as follows:
* cardboard box, string, tape, etc.: $0.00
* record player: $0.75 (yes, I can get them in Minneapolis for 75 cents
at the "Digger's Delight" behind Goodwill on Como Avenue near Highway
280. Otherwise they may run you 5 bucks apiece at a garage sale).
* thermostat: $3.50 from AxMan surplus, University Ave., St. Paul. At a
hardware store, these cost about $12.
* fan: $7.50. I used a 120V AC box fan, about 4 inches in diameter
(AxMan Surplus). I couldn't find one the right size at Digger's, but
keep your eyes peeled.
* light socket: $0.85 (hardware store)
* weather stripping: ~$3
* power strip: ~$3.50 (only used for the Shaker Deluxe).
* thermometer: $1.19
*I scrounged the light bulb and the particleboard. (Retail ~$3?) 
So I have over $20 invested in my shaking incubator, and it could easily cost over $23 if you had to buy particleboard and stuff. Old record players also make great sample rotators, if you set them at a steep angle, or they can be used to wash gels and blots, if you put your pan on the turntable and slightly raise one end of the record player. The only shaking incubator I have in my current lab is of this design (serial number 00000001). I have used it to grow 50 ml E. coli cultures in LB, in regular 500ml Erlenmeyers, and 1.5ml cultures in TB in 15 ml snap-cap tubes. I have recently used this incubator to clone a cDNA sequence for a novel human neurotransmitter receptor subunit. But I'll try not to let Real Science interfere too much with inventin' stuff. :)
Happy shakin'!
Bob Horton


= Open Source Gel Boxes =
= Open Source Gel Boxes =

Revision as of 07:02, 2 October 2009

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DIYbio FAQ v1.5: "The biohacker's FAQ"

This FAQ for DIYbio is actively maintained by it's editors, and by you! Edit your contributions directly or email updates to the DIYbio email list, diybio@googlegroups.com.
Major contributors (in alphabetical order):
The contents of this FAQ are copyright under the OpenWetWare Copyright policy (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported). When quoting any content of this FAQ elsewhere, include a full hypertext link back to the main FAQ page.

This topic DIYBio Projects is part of the DIYBio FAQ

Please update this FAQ mercilessly with Q&A !

Project Ideas

The following are project ideas (brainstorming) which have been discussed on DIYbio google group. Research papers or existing products similar to these ideas can be found, with the DIYbio aspect of lowering the cost, open sourcing the design, and allowing latest technology (such as USB or network, for electronics devices) to be added as enhancements.

  • Using LEDs as spectrophotometer, colorimeter, etc. Some projects already exist around the web.
  • Using USB/networkable microcontrollers for thermocyclers.
  • Printing or patterning various substances or microbes with inkjet printers.
  • Making Taq
  • Imaging system for Electrophoresis Agarose Gels (or Gel Box that includes the imaging system built-in)
  • add your project ideas here


Microscopes, Colorimeters, Spectrophotometers, "Cheaposcopes"

Spectrophotometers


Cheaposcope


Fermentors, Bioreators


  • An Algae Bioreactor from Recycled Water Bottles. In this instructable, we describe how to build a photo-bioreactor that uses algae to convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy. The energy that is produced is in the form of algae biomass. The photo-bioreactor is built from plastic recycled water bottles. By designing the apparatus to be compartmentalized, we are able to do many experiments in parallel. http://www.instructables.com/id/An_Algae_Bioreactor_from_Recycled_Water_Bottles/


  • How To Make an Algae Test Photo Bioreactor...Part One. This gives a step-by-step instructions on making an algae test photo bioreactor. This can be used in any application that calls for testing and/or growing algae, to determine maximum growth rates, best nutrients, etc., such as... Making algae biodiesel, Animal feed, Organic fertilizer, Cosmetics, Health food supplements and many more. http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-an-Algae-Photo-BioreactorPart-One/

Basics of Growing Algae

"How to get started growing algae at home."

Needed:

  • a space that can be easily heated or cooled depending on the weather.
  • cool white flourescent lights 35-40 watts.
  • aquarium aereation pump. tubing, and airstones... tees(all this from walmart.)
  • shelves depending on how many cultures you want to grow
  • glass jars one quart, and one gallon for as many cultures as you plan to grow
  • aquarium sea salts (Instant ocean) I cup per gallon of distilled water.
  • dial thermometers
  • graduated measuring cups
  • Ph. papers
  • Nutrient solution
  • algae cultures( often come in 50 ml tubes )
  • growing instructions come with the cultures.

Setup:

  • when you receive the culture add the contents of the tube to 250 ml of water (salt or fresh)
  • keep lights on 24/7
  • keep aereation on 24/7
  • once the 250 ml turns green add another 250 ml and so on untill you have a liter of green algae
  • take the green liter and add it to a gallonglass jar,
  • once you have a gallon you can seed a ten gallon aquarium or you can add the gallon to larger tanks or to a closed loop ecosystem
  • and in two weeks, voila! youll have algae growing.
  • unenclosed ponds are unstable and prone to contamination by outside influences such as acid rain, water fowl that carry wild algae on thier feathers , animals , temperature variations.windbourne pollutants. night time temperature variations.etc
The above is from http://www.ecogenicsresearchcenter.org/biodiesel.htm (lots of pictures there)


Incubator, Shaking Incubator



Bob Horton's Shaking Incubator

Note the date on this project.

  • Bob Horton horto005 at maroon.tc.umn.edu
  • Wed Mar 6 11:06:24 EST 1996

Bob's Homemade Shaking Incubator Design

This is my design for an easy-to-build and inexpensive laboratory shaker/shaking incubator. It will undoubtedly remind many readers of something they may have built for the Science Fair in the 5th grade, but as far as I know, the use of record-player power and the hanging platform are original. And, hey, you can't argue with the price.

Three figures are attached. The attachments are MIME-encoded, and should be decodable with any MIME-compliant newsreader, including the one built into NetScape 2.0. The figures are small, black and white drawings in GIF format, and should be viewable from any web browser, once they are decoded.

Figure 1: Parts for the Home-Made Shaker.

http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/methods/attachments/19960306/73d4d331/shake1.gif

Figure 2: Additional Parts for the Shaking Incubator.

http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/methods/attachments/19960306/73d4d331/shake2.gif

Figure 3: Portrait of the Final Product.

http://iubio.bio.indiana.edu/bionet/mm/methods/attachments/19960306/73d4d331/shake3.gif

The shaking platform is cut from a particleboard sheet the same size as the top of the box; the rest of the sheet is used to reinforce the top of the box. The platform is suspended from the edge of the top opening with strings. Slipknots are used in the strings to make them easy to adjust until the platform is more-or-less level. Then the knots are secured in place with tape. The strings and holes are arranged so that the strings hang as vertically (i.e., parallel to one another) as possible. This way the platform will remain essentially level as it swings around in a circle.

A bolt is mounted on the turntable, and passed through a hole in the platform, so that when the turntable spins, the shaker moves in an orbital motion. Note that it takes very little work on the part of the record palyer motor to move the platform in a horizontal circle, even if it carries significant weight.

The heat source (light bulb), fan, and thermostat are mounted on a particleboard base, and wired so that the fan is always on, but the light bulb is turned on and off by the thermostat in classic Jr. High School Science Fair fashion. The whole heat-control unit is placed in the incubator box, and a thermometer is used to calibrate the thermostat. The thermostat I use keeps the box somewhere 35 and 38 degrees centigrade. I think a regular home thermostat would work better, but the bugs don't seem to mind.

The fan blows air around fast enough that air in the whole box is very close to the same temperature. But I put the thermostat probe behind the fan so it would not detect radiant heat, and the light is below the platform so it doesn't shine right on the cultures.

I covered the areas of the cardboard walls and the portion of the bottom of the platform that come close to the light bulb with foil, to reflect some heat so they wouldn't be quite as likely to catch fire. If you fold several thicknesses of slightly wrinkled foil together, they make a nice shield against radiant heating (this was the suggestion of Mike Herron, from the lab across the hall).

The box is sealed with masking tape, except for the top opening. A lid (not shown) is made of an additional cardboard sheet, edged with soft foam weather stripping. This type of flat lid limits the height of culture flasks to the distance between the shaking platform and the top of the box; alternatively, a raised lid made of a second box would allow more room.

This shaker has three speeds; 33, 45, and 78 rpm. The fastest setting is still somewhat slower than typical bacterial culture conditions, but it works OK if you leave plenty of air in your flasks. A faster motor could be substituted for the record player, but it wouldn't be as cute.

The heating unit and the record player can both be plugged into a power strip, so a single convenient switch can be used to turn the whole thing on and off.

The tools required are fairly simple:

  • wrench, pliers, screwdriver, etc. to remove any parts of the record

player that stick up too high.

  • drill to mount the bolt on the turntable, and make holes for the

strings.

  • knife to cut cardboard and strip insulation on the wires.
  • jigsaw to cut the platform from the particleboard.

My estimate of the cost of materials is as follows:

  • cardboard box, string, tape, etc.: $0.00
  • record player: $0.75 (yes, I can get them in Minneapolis for 75 cents

at the "Digger's Delight" behind Goodwill on Como Avenue near Highway 280. Otherwise they may run you 5 bucks apiece at a garage sale).

  • thermostat: $3.50 from AxMan surplus, University Ave., St. Paul. At a

hardware store, these cost about $12.

  • fan: $7.50. I used a 120V AC box fan, about 4 inches in diameter

(AxMan Surplus). I couldn't find one the right size at Digger's, but keep your eyes peeled.

  • light socket: $0.85 (hardware store)
  • weather stripping: ~$3
  • power strip: ~$3.50 (only used for the Shaker Deluxe).
  • thermometer: $1.19
  • I scrounged the light bulb and the particleboard. (Retail ~$3?)

So I have over $20 invested in my shaking incubator, and it could easily cost over $23 if you had to buy particleboard and stuff. Old record players also make great sample rotators, if you set them at a steep angle, or they can be used to wash gels and blots, if you put your pan on the turntable and slightly raise one end of the record player. The only shaking incubator I have in my current lab is of this design (serial number 00000001). I have used it to grow 50 ml E. coli cultures in LB, in regular 500ml Erlenmeyers, and 1.5ml cultures in TB in 15 ml snap-cap tubes. I have recently used this incubator to clone a cDNA sequence for a novel human neurotransmitter receptor subunit. But I'll try not to let Real Science interfere too much with inventin' stuff. :)

Happy shakin'!

Bob Horton

Open Source Gel Boxes

Gel Box 2.0

Hosted on OpenWetWare, Open Gel Box 2.0 is now available to buy; includes transilluminator. Contact Tito.


Electrophoresis Gel Box Power Supply

  • See Open Gel Box 2.0 Power Supply on OpenWetWare. Working unit has been constructed.


3D Printed Gel Boat and Comb Set

To: DIYBio google group
From: Cathal <cathalgar...@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 17, 10:07 am

I've just published my first designs on Shapeways, for a $100 Gel Boat
and Comb set.
Sit these into a plastic container with some graphite electrodes at
either end, and you have a complete gel electrophoresis kit.
I intend to make more designs and share them both on this shop and
with the open-source community in the near future!

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/labsfromfabs

The designs are open source, and are available on Thingiverse.com for
those with access to a 3D printer.. just be sure and let me know the
results please! I'm awaiting my own 3D printer right now so I'm
itching to see results.

Note: Because of the opaque nature of the printed plastic, UV
visualisation will have to be Top-down.

Gel Box from Tupperware or other

  • add your gel box project here
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