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Scientific instrumentation and computing hardware
Latest news in scientific computing and development of low-cost hardware for laboratory instrumentation. The pages in this section contain links to web sites with DIY instructions for building hardware, specialised components and open-source or low-cost software, with a focus on Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
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While watching the video I was wondering why there was so much complex electronics for the AZIZ – LED Microscope Illuminator Project. I was thinking that a simple dial to vary the intensity would be all you would need. If you are thinking the same thing have a look at the video starting around the 4 minute mark. By having modes that allow you to spin lighting patterns and vary the light...
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A photomultiplier tube is a device used to measure very low levels of light. It’s a common tool of particle physics when trying to detect just a few photons. It turns out that running a tube at room temperature will not provide the best results. To improve the accuracy and sensitivity of his equipment [David Prutchi] built this thermoelectric photomultiplier tube cooling rig.
You can’t...
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Microscopes magnify light. It makes sense that having more light reflecting off of the subject will result in a better magnified image. And so we come to Aziz! Light! It’s [Steves] LED light ring for a stereo microscope. It’s also a shout out to one of our favorite Sci-Fi movies.
He’s not messing around with this microscope. We’ve already seen his custom stand and camera add-on. This...
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[Hans Peter] wanted to move away from using full Arduino boards in his projects. One of the components he rarely used after the development stage is the USB hardware. Once the firmware is flashed to the chip he didn’t need it any longer. So he tried his hand with some really small SMD parts by building this USB to serial Arduino programmer.
The chip he went with isn’t the FTDI part we’re...
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April Fools was almost a week ago, but we couldn’t resist sharing one of our favorite fake news stories of the week. ThinkGeek announced the release of a newPlay-Doh 3D printer that works in tandem with the iPlay-Doh 3D app that you download to your iPad to create any design you can dream up. The (imaginary) device can print up to three colors at once by blending them like soft-serve ice...
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You've heard of MakerBot, Cubify and Solidoodle. And if someone finds out you're into ID and asks 'Hey, what do one of those 3D printers go for?' you can spit out a ballpark figure, and maybe some basic stats.
But there are tons of other 3D printers available on the consumer market, and plenty of questions you might not have the answers handy to: Which can I most easily buy if I'm in India,...
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Alamode is an Arduino compatible development board that extends that lovin' feeling to the Raspberry Pi. With Raspberry Pi ‘A la Mode, you can write a program on the Pi in any language you want, to control or monitor your Arduino application, making Internet integration and control super easy. In addition you can even program the AlaMode directly from the Pi. Or, turning things around,...
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The DeltaMaker, a recent success on Kickstarter, is an elegant 3D printer built on a delta robot platform. Delta robots have been used for picking and packaging applications in factories for decades, thanks to their impressive speed and agility. The DeltaMaker uses MakerSlide aluminum extrusions paired with Delrin v-wheels on bearings to move quicker than normal printers; the Z axis in...
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Arduino microcontrollers are beloved by students and hobbyists because they’re affordable, small and versatile. Those are the same exact traits that the RFduino microcontroller possesses. In addition, it has one thing that other Arduino boards don’t have: built-in Bluetooth connectivity.
The RFduino was developed by Open Source RF, an electronics shop that makes Arduino-compatible...
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[Will] was toying with the idea of creating a scrolling LED marquee to display messages as his wedding in May. But you’ve got to crawl before you can walk so he decided to see what he could do with the MAX7219 LED driver chips. They do come in a DIP package, but the 24-pin 0.1″ pitch chip will end up being larger than the 8×8 LED modules he wanted to use. So he opted to go with a surface...
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The OpenLabTools Project is a new initiative that will provide a forum and knowledge centre for the development of low cost and open access scientific tools at the University of Cambridge, with an emphasis on undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. The programme starts this year with a number of projects that will be offered to establish the core components required for such tools; these include data acquisition, sensing, actuating, processing and 3D manufacturing. Protocols, designs and tutorials will be published on the openlabtools.org website. These components will be form the basis of new open source instruments, developed and maintained by a community of undergraduate and graduate students of the University, and shared widely.
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The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized single-board computer developed in Cambridge by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science in schools. The low cost hardware is finding a myriad of additional applications, including scientific applications. |
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Makespace is a community workshop in Cambridge for making things, meeting people, working on projects and learning new things. |
