DIY Gel System

[Avery louie]

Hello DIYBIO,

For the past few months I have been working on a gel system, including a gel power supply and transilluminator.  I have finally settled on something that I think works and I would like to share it with you.

The core ideas behind the box are that it should save you time, have a small footprint and be cheap and easy to assemble.  The kit I am selling only costs $200, and should take about an hour to build using only a screwdriver.

The footprint is 5.5x5.5 inches, which is smaller than most power supplies on their own.  In this package there is a variable-voltage (60-90V) power supply, and an illuminator.

The gel casting trays I have are cheap- $20 each.  This means you can buy a few and pre-cast gels, in parallel which saves you time.  They are also reusable.  Compare this to the hundreds of dollars for a gel chamber new, or the $10 pre-cast e-gels.  GelIS sits in a happy medium allowing you to choose what kind of gels you want to have on hand, for a reasonable price.

You can see pictures and notes on the development here, assembly instructions here, and you can buy one here.

Let me know if there are any questions.  More details on use and design to come in the next week or so, so follow my blog if you are interested.

--A

[Mac Cowell]

It's cool. What's your license / ip intent for the current Gelis system? I saw you have build instructions up on instructibles.

Awesome stuff Avery.

Mac

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[Avery louie]

My current ip decision is cc-by-nc-sa.  If you want to build one yourself, go for it.  If you want to sell them, it would be restricted by the nc clause.  However, there are two things to keep in mind:

1. The bom cost will be much, much higher.  When you make fewer boxes, you dont get the benefit of economies of scale.  Without shipping, the bom cost comes to $175 from four or five vendors, plus you need to do the laser cutting yourself.  This box was designed to be easy to assemble and cheap to build in 10s, as a kit not for a minimum one unit cost.

2.  Design files may be missing or not in a desireable format.  I do not have, a schematic of the power supply, or specs on the led panels- I just buy them.  I may also not supply the design files in a way you want.  My goal here is to provide people who buy the box a way to maintain it if need be, even if I stop selling parts.  That means I need to choose a stable format, like a detailed drawing in a pdf- sort of like distributing the source code instead of an executable.

That said, it is totally possible to build one youeself.  More importantly I am sharing the design decisions and the construction techniques in the spirit of open and hackable hardware.  The detailed design files really are worthless compared to pictures that show construction techniques or how the design works, since they only work for this particular set of parts.  The hard part was making it small and being able to be assemble it without soldering, not dimensioning the joints.

In relation to software it is a libre as opposed to gratis situation.

--A

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/diybio/CA%2BiLdW2-jX0yRedQEDAHY0LkBQBn6QE2YrteCaR1ATA2%3Dee7uA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nathan McCorkle]

Recently I found this boost converter DIY guide/calculator... ordered
some inductors from Taiwan for getting 1.8kV out, the same circuit
should easily work for the 60-90V supply you're using. How much are
you paying for that, found something for $10 shipped, so building a
PCB is gonna be hard to compete with those prices:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/100W-DC-DC-Boost-Converter-10-32V-to-60-97V-72V-80V-84V-90V-2A-Step/1414094817.html

Huh, just did a search for boost high-voltage and found a 7kV supply
for <$7 shipped... huh, maybe I won't be designing a kV boost after
all (for electroporation or capillary electrophoresis).
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-DC-3V-to-7KV-7000V-High-voltage-Generator-Boost-Step-up-Power-Module-free-shipping/1326494805.html



Ok, now a question about the gel box. I can't tell from the images if
the gel is cast between two plates, or if it's got an open-air top. I
don't see a gasket, do you need to tape the edges of the gel boat?

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-Nathan

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 1:44 PM, Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Recently I found this boost converter DIY guide/calculator...

Whoops, here it is:
http://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/an-introduction-to-dc-boost-converters/

[Avery louie]

It is cast into an open air top, like in this picture, only with a comb in it: http://tequals0.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/img_4911.jpg

As for the converter, I know how it works, but I couldn't reproduce it without further reverse engineering.  At the price I can buy them for vs the bill of materials, it is not worth it.

--A

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[John Griessen]

On 11/02/2013 12:47 AM, Avery louie wrote:
> The gel casting trays I have are cheap- $20 each. This means you can buy a few and pre-cast gels, in parallel which saves you
> time. They are also reusable.

Why does the electrode wire go over the edge on one side, and down to a joint in the plastic box on the other?

I'm referring to this photo:
http://tequals0.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/img_1991.jpg

John

[Nathan McCorkle]

In this photo they both look like they go up the side onto the top to
get wrapped around the screw:
http://tequals0.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/img_1396.jpg

I'm not clear if the tray has some kind of friction-fit/press-fit
connection to the power supply... I don't see anything that looks like
a banana plug socket or even springs. What happens if you (or someone
less aware of your experiment) bumps the rig while running a gel?

[Avery louie]

It doesn't actually go down into a joint, but that is a good idea.  The electrode has to go over one edge so it can make contact with the electrodes in the box.  these are recessed into the bottom slot of the box.

--A

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[Avery louie]

Its less good, but basically all that happens right now is it might turn off.  Future boxes will have small dimples for the feet of the gel box, which will lock it in place.  The other things that will be fixed for the boxes that are shipped are a little window for the voltmeter so you can see it better, and in the future an option to add more LEDs.  I am sure there are other issues that people can find, which is why I want to get them into peoples hands.

The good news on that is that the entire shell is replaceable and very flexibly arranged so as new mods come out, people can potentially buy parts and drop them in.  Plus it is easy to repair.  Drop a brick on it?  Spill acid on it?  Cheap repair, just get new plastics.  Need more volts?  Drill and mount some banana plugs and hook it up to a higher voltage.  etc.

--A

[Nathan McCorkle]

Cool! It looks like there's a diffuser in the kit, but I didn't
actually see it mentioned in my skimming of the instructions. Is it in
there?

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-Nathan

[Avery louie]

The bottom of the gel tray is the diffuser! :)

--A

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