Integrated Practices
We have also taken into account the needs and thoughts of the public to improve our project.
Dark Bench
Idea
Our project forced us to grapple with the inconvenience of having to handle chemicals that are destroyed, when exposed to too much light. The laboratory, that was kindly made available for us, is located in a building with a glass front and many people work there with us. Working protected from light without causing us or others inconveniences seemed impossible. That is how the idea for the “Dark Bench” emerged.
The most important questions we asked ourselves and others working with light sensitive materials were: Does our design really constitute an advantage opposed to the usual solutions like aluminum foil and cardboard? And: Can we make it affordable?
Design
The Dark bench is a light controlled space which facilitates the handling of the photo-sensitive caged amino acids. It is entirely made using laser-cut parts and readily available resources to make it a Do-It-Yourself and inexpensive device. As all the parts are assembled with help of angles and hinges, the Dark bench can be dismantled and assembled with little effort.
It´s features comprise:
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That was Dr. Mishlers concern, when he gave us some feedback to the design of our model. At first he seemed to be interested in our Hardware part, but was skeptical if having the advantages would be worth the price. We estimated the costs to build one darkbench at about 200 $.
We are very content with the design of our “Dark Bench”. We think it is convenient to work with and can help avoid production of unnecessary waste.Cost Calculation
Detailed calculation.
*As on 16th October 2016
Component
Specifications
Quantity
Costs*
[€/piece] Costs*
[$/piece] Final*
[€] Final*
[$]
Opaque plexiglas 4mm
50X100 cm
5
22.45
24.63
112.25
123.15
Transparent plexiglas 3mm
25X50 cm
1
7.5
8.23
7.5
8.23
Screws
M3X10
155
0.05
0.05
7.75
7.75
Screws
M3X16
10
0.08
0.09
0.8
0.9
Screws
M3X20
25
0.09
0.10
2.25
2.5
Washer
3.2mm
200
0.02
0.02
4
4
Angles
3X3X3cm
18
0.41
0.45
7.38
8.1
Hinges
4X2.5cm
18
0.82
0.90
14.76
16.2
Door Knob
-
1
2.39
2.62
2.39
2.62
Long sleeve gloves
-
1
1.69
1.85
1.69
1.85
Adhesive
-
1
1.05
1.15
1.05
1.15
Cable ties and Mounts
1.9X1.9cm
1
2.29
2.51
2.29
2.51
Foam Rubber sheet 3mm
10X60cm
1
1.13
1.24
1.13
1.24
Foam rubber Sheet 6mm
30X30cm
1
1.71
1.88
1.71
1.88
Plastic Sheet
50X100cm
1
1.25
1.37
1.25
1.37
UV foil
blocks λ<540 nm,
50X30cm1
3.87
4.25
3.87
4.25
Neodymium cube magnets
4X4X4mm
2
0.29
0.32
0.58
0.64
LED Strips
625 nm, 150 cm,
12V, 2.7W1
1.47
1.61
1.47
1.61
Regulated Power Supply
12V, 600mA
1
9.35
10.26
9.35
10.26
Switch
1A
1
1
1.10
1
1.10
Total*
184.47
202.37
Assembly
LIPs Stick
Steps to build your own LIPs Stick
Conclusion
The manual for building the “Dark Bench” can be downloaded here.