Digital Designs and Scientific Hardware - Open-Source Lab: How to Build Your Own Hardware and Reduce Research Costs - page 163

CHAPTER 6
Digital Designs and Scientiic
Hardware
Abstract
Just as the power of the open-source design paradigm has driven down the cost of software to the point
that it is accessible to most people, the rise of open-source hardware is poised to drive down the cost
of doing experimental science to expand access to everyone. This chapter provides a selection of con-
crete examples of exceptionally low-cost open-source scientific tools for physics, engineering, biology,
environmental science and chemistry. Using the combination of open-source CAD, 3-D printing, and mi-
crocontrollers (OpenSCAD, RepRap 3-D printing and Arduino automation), the following research tools
have been designed, built and are described in this chapter: (1) a multicomponent open-source optics
library, (2) polymer laser welding system, (3) radiation detector, (4) oscilloscope, (5) colorimeter, (6) pH
meter, (7) PCR machine, (8) centrifuge, (9) spectrometer, and many other small useful tools.
Keywords
3-D printing; Centrifuge; Colorimeter; Laser welding; Oscilloscope; OpenSCAD; Optical equip-
ment; PCR; pH meter; pH; Radiation detection; Spectroscopy
6.1 OpenSCAD, RepRap and Arduino Microcontrollers
This chapter provides examples of scientific equipments produced using the open-source hard-
ware (OSH) paradigm. This section will provide the basic background in the use of the three
primary toolsets for OSH equipment. First, the use of parametric open-source designs using an
open-source computer-aided design (CAD) package is described to customize scientific hard-
ware for any application. This tool will then be used as the example for many scientific and en-
gineering disciplines throughout the chapter whenever possible. Second, details are provided
on how to use the open-source 3-D printers discussed in Chapter 5 to fabricate both the primary
components of scientific tools and how to construct complex, multicomponent engineering and
scientific devices. Finally, open-source electronic prototyping platforms, such as were discussed
in Chapter 4 , will be demonstrated to control complex scientific devices saving your lab time,
money, and improving your research productivity.
6.1.1 OpenSCAD
Although the RepRap can print STereoLithography (STL) files generated from any CAD pack-
age, the majority of the physical designs in this chapter were developed in the free and open-
source OpenSCAD 1 as it is currently the defacto “maker” standard. 2 It is the most flexible cur-