Project Overview
I just wanted to build a pcr machine, read the story if you are interested :)
Technologies Used
- Kicad
- Freecad
Story
You know, ever since I can remember, I’ve dreamed of curing aging. Yes, you heard that right! Picture me as a mad scientist, hunched over a bubbling cauldron, searching for the secret to eternal youth. At one point, I even thought about setting up a laboratory in my house, complete with a PCR machine. However, the price tags on those babies were astronomical! I mean, seriously, who can afford that? Plus, the idea of buying a second-hand one made my skin crawl. Can you imagine the things that machine has been through? It’s like buying a used car without knowing if the previous owner was a vampire!
So, with my experience in PCB (Printed Circuit Board) development and my past forays into the aerospace field, I figured, “Why not create my own?” I mean, how hard could it be? Spoiler alert: very hard.
The Dream Takes Flight
Armed with determination, I dove headfirst into the world of PCB design. I meticulously calculated the power requirements for the Peltier plates, hoping to harness their cooling prowess to create a homemade thermocycler. I started sketching out my designs, surrounded by pizza boxes and old coffee cups like a true inventor. Who needs a clean workspace when you’re chasing dreams of immortality, right?
After many late nights filled with caffeine and programming, I finally managed to create my PCB. I was proud of myself! Designing a PCB for “high power” (in this case couple Amps, don’t judge until them the most powerful system I was implementing were I2C lines) applications was no walk in the park, especially when the thermocouples I used turned out to be less precise than what the datasheet promised. It’s like buying a product that claims to be “restaurant quality” only to discover it’s more “last week’s leftovers.”
The CNC Dream
Now, you might think that once I had my PCB, the rest of the project would be a piece of cake. Oh, how naive I was! Enter the precision aluminum block, a crucial part of my design that would house the Peltier plates against the reaction tubes. I always dreamed of having a 5-axis CNC machine in my garage, turning raw metal into glorious creations. But alas, reality struck, and I realized that getting such a machine was about as feasible as finding Bigfoot in my backyard.
Every day, I sat down at my makeshift workspace, staring at my CAD designs for the aluminum block, dreaming of a world where I could whip up custom parts like a culinary master chef. But every time I looked up the cost of online CNC machining, my heart sank. It felt like I was trying to buy a ticket to the moon instead of just making a fancy metal box.
The Biohazard Dilemma
Just when I thought I could soldier on, I faced the stark reality of biosecurity. Even if I finished the thermocycler, could I really set up a biolab in my home? What about all those biohazard regulations? I could imagine the neighbors’ reactions: “Oh, don’t mind the weird noises and strange lights coming from their garage; they’re just trying to cure aging again!” The last thing I needed was a visit from the biohazard team.
I started to reconsider my life choices while cleaning up my workspace. Maybe curing aging was a little too ambitious for someone who still had to Google how to use a multimeter. Maybe I should stick to simpler goals, like perfecting my sourdough bread recipe or mastering the art of Netflix binge watching.
The Conclusion of the Great Experiment
As I cleaned up my design sketches and packed away my tools, I realized something important. Sometimes, dreams are just that, dreams. And maybe the world wasn’t ready for my homemade laboratory. But who knows? Maybe one day I’ll take another crack at it. Perhaps I’ll save up for that CNC machine, find a way to buy a brand new PCR machine, or discover the perfect formula for eternal youth in a much simpler way, like a magical potion brewed from coffee and chocolate.
So here I sit, a self-proclaimed aspiring scientist with a PCB in one hand and a half-eaten pizza in the other, pondering the universe’s mysteries. And while I may not have cured aging just yet, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons along the way. After all, who needs eternal youth when you have dreams, laughter, and an excellent pizza recipe? Cheers to the mad scientist within us all!
Links
Do you really want to build your own Thermocycler after reading that?