I met up with Josh and Xia for some awesome Korean BBQ on Friday. Got my first look at the thermal cycler, which is working!

We spent about an hour making sure that the LCD screen displays the most relevant text in the right places. I also brought a case prototype and we talked about industrial design and how to make the samples the most prominent part of the device. We saw that a good way to make the device more friendly was to isolate the gigantic power supply from the core unit.

We’ve established that a successful project:

1. works (heats up and cools down, able to hit temperature targets of 4C and 100C)

2. can be constructed yourself. for instance, the power supply was chosen because it is cheap and easy to find.

3. has a parts list online.

4. has a software interface

Next steps:
Goal 1. Josh is going through and trying a set of alternative components (i.e. a different fan, different peltiers) to see if any big leaps in performance/design can be made. He expects to be done with this by the end of the week.
Goal 1. Josh will also work on the heating element for the lid. It’s important that this happens soon before trying to build the rest of the casing.
3. Tito now has a good impression about the type of case design that is needed. Overall size, airflow, ease of construction, and lid heating are major concerns.