Incubator (Class 1)

Synopsys

Build your own incubator and start growing microbes under controlled conditions. During the class you will also get to know the fundamentals of microbiology. We’ll use our purple pigment bacteria as a standard, but you can also choose your own favourite biological agent. A crash course Arduino programming and soldering is included.

Schedule

• Introduction
• Microbiology fundamentals & Biological safety instructions
• Arduino programming & soldering
• Art & Biohacking
• Incubator design
• Documentating your designs
• Microorganism cultivation & enrichment practical intro
  • Contamination test
  • Isolation of Yoghurt bacteria
  • Isolation of Beer yeasts
• Tour around your lab

Incubator Design

This week we will build our first Open Hardware lab device: the incubator. Download the design files here:

• Functional and technical requirements
• SketchUp assembly
• SVG laser cut files
• Fritzing wiring
• Arduino code

Bill of Materials

In order to take part in this class you will need the following materials:

• Incubator materials
• Microbiology practical materials

Assignment

Set up your own documentation site on Github.

Additional reading and hacking

• Microbiology
  • Microbiology
  • Introduction to Microbiology Culture Techniques YouTube video
• Arduino
  • Getting started with Arduino
  • Ladyada Arduino Tutorials
  • Soldering YouTube video
• Incubators
  • Climaduino
  • Biodesign DIY Incubator
• Github
  • How the heck do I use Github
  • Git cheatsheet
• Additional Practicals
  • Isolation of Bioluminescent bacteria
  • Isolation of Nitrogen-fixating bacteria
  • Isolation of Sulphur-oxidizing bacteria

Feeling lazy?

Go ahead and buy an incubator:

• Lucky Reptile