Difference between revisions of "Team:UMaryland/Design"

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<p>However, after substantial testing, this design proved to be unoriginal, expensive, and inefficient. We were troubled to realize that the parts used to assemble it were not as easily accessible as we had hoped, which we felt would take away from the possible applications of this machine as well as the philosophy of its construction. In addition, although the price of this first prototype was relatively inexpensive compared to laboratory-grade PCR machines, the price still exceeded our goal, ultimately costing several hundred dollars. Finally, the final straw that led to our eventual redesign was the inefficiency of the hardware: we found that the Peltier units were not able to quickly cycle through the desired temperatures, causing the unit to take 5 to 10 minutes just to rise up to 95℃, where denaturation must occur between each of the 25 or so cycles. After considering this combination of factors, we embarked on a redesign of our machine to better suit the needs of the DIY market.</p>
 
<p>However, after substantial testing, this design proved to be unoriginal, expensive, and inefficient. We were troubled to realize that the parts used to assemble it were not as easily accessible as we had hoped, which we felt would take away from the possible applications of this machine as well as the philosophy of its construction. In addition, although the price of this first prototype was relatively inexpensive compared to laboratory-grade PCR machines, the price still exceeded our goal, ultimately costing several hundred dollars. Finally, the final straw that led to our eventual redesign was the inefficiency of the hardware: we found that the Peltier units were not able to quickly cycle through the desired temperatures, causing the unit to take 5 to 10 minutes just to rise up to 95℃, where denaturation must occur between each of the 25 or so cycles. After considering this combination of factors, we embarked on a redesign of our machine to better suit the needs of the DIY market.</p>
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<p> To combat the unacceptably slow temperature ramp rate, we made a decision to suspend construction on the Peltier-centered thermocycler in order to attempt making a rapid PCR machine out of a hair dryer. Before committing to this effort, we considered the danger of working with a hair dryer and the potential for failure: we were uncertain that the machine could be effectively controlled and had a narrow window of time within which to design and trouble shoot the machine. Nevertheless, we took the risk.</br><br><i>Please continue on to see the design of our machine.</i>  
 
<p> To combat the unacceptably slow temperature ramp rate, we made a decision to suspend construction on the Peltier-centered thermocycler in order to attempt making a rapid PCR machine out of a hair dryer. Before committing to this effort, we considered the danger of working with a hair dryer and the potential for failure: we were uncertain that the machine could be effectively controlled and had a narrow window of time within which to design and trouble shoot the machine. Nevertheless, we took the risk.</br><br><i>Please continue on to see the design of our machine.</i>  
 
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Revision as of 01:21, 2 October 2015