DIY Fluorometer #SHDB17

• Materials

  Here’s a list of materials we used:

  • for the case: ..* MDF wood (3mm) ..* aluminum foil ..* lots of tape
  • for the measurement device / electronics: ..* Arduino Uno ..* LED (470-513mm, http://www.led-eshop.de/PDF/5mm/B-470-513_C.pdf ) ..* Lux Sensor TSL2591 (https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/datasheets/TSL25911_Datasheet_EN_v1.pdf) ..* Filter, https://www.knightoptical.com/stock/optical-components/uvvisnir-optics/filters/long-pass-filters/acrylic-longpass-filters/colour-filter-acrylic-type-50x50mm-510nm-long-pass/
  • for the server / client device; display: ..* Raspberry Pi
  • for the experiments: ..* Biozym 10 uL SafeSeal-Tips filter low binding, with the bottommost two rings cut off ..* DNA dye: GelGreen ..* DNA sample: BIORON 1kb DNA Ladder (no stain), 0.2 mg/mL ..* Eppendorf micropipettor (variable 0.5-10ul) ..* 0.2 mL PCR tubes

   

• Finish line, we are coming!

  We finished our prototype – today is maker fair time!

  Why not have a look at our video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfViwg0XwZA

  We put our documentation on http://discourse.opentechschool.org/t/documentation-dna-measurement/2283 and are going to give a presentation later. Check it out if you are around!

  We want to share the most impressive images here:

  

   

• Laser cutter, fuck yeah!

  After having the physical design in mind, we had to go for some fancy laser cutting (definitely had to, couldn’t do it otherwise…)!

  And that’s how it looks like when you have Aravinth copy’n’pasting the official #SHDB17 logo on your design before “print out” on #TUBerlin’s laser cutter:

  

  In the back you can see the laser cutter producing the first real cuts. Awesome!

   

• How does this project work?

  Well, it’s easy, isn’t it?

  

  We have a dye which becomes fluorescent when it is bound to DNA.

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  This is our basic physical setup:

  

  We use a LED which should emit in the range of 490 to 513 nm (you can find its datasheet here: http://www.led-eshop.de/PDF/5mm/B-470-513_C.pdf .

  We used textmarker to simulate DNA dye. In the picture above you see how the textmarker solution starts to fluoresce, when the LED is shining on it.

  Awesome!

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  Also, Lisa gifted some cool (and cheap) filters.

  

  This filter is absorbing most of the light of the LED away (mind that the LED is turned on here as well, and looked blueish in the previous pictures)!

  But, when you have your sample in the light pathway you see (i.e. your eye measures) the light emitted from your sample. That’s the fluorescence we’re chasing for!

  

   

• Who we are

  This is us:

• Michal Koudelka @gen-failure
• Moritz Ebeling-Rump @gen-failure
• Lisa @lthalheimer
• Theron @pftburger
• Robert @rgiessmann

 

• Designing the case of our DIY fluorometer

  In principle, we just want to build a light-proof case. The “L” form however would be nice to generate a 90° angle:

  

  We designed the basics of the case on http://www.makercase.com.

  The design is getting ready here in real-time; check it on github: https://github.com/diy-fluorometer/hardware

  The general idea is to make the case as modular as possible.

  General dimensions of the case are going to be 150x150x50mm.

  Later, we will prepare inserts into the case, to block away scatter light and to position the LEDs, filters, and detectors at variable distances.

   

• First post

  We want to build a DIY fluorometer. Cool, right?!