Biofactory Preparations

At the start of the Biohack Academy we assume you have taken care of the following:

Hardware

• Laptop computer running Linux, Mac OS X or Windows
  • A tablet will not do
• Arduino UNO microcontroller + USB cable or a cheaper equivalent board such as Freeduino, Seeeduino or Sparkfun Redboard
  • Also check the suppliers page
• For those building at home: soldering iron, multimeter, helping hand, solder and heat shrink iPrototype
• M3 DIN84 or DIN933 (what ever you prefer) bolts and nuts DIN934 in several lengths, such as 10 mm, 20 mm and 30 mm

Software

• Text or code editor such as Notepad, Notepad++, gedit, etc
• Arduino IDE 1.5 for programming the Arduino microcontroller
• OpenSCAD for parametric 3D design
• SketchUp 8 Mac, Win, Linux (Needs Wine), for 3D drawing
  • SVG export plugin for exporting to lasercutter compatible file format
  • STL export plugin for exporting to 3D printer compatible file format
• Fritzing for documenting electronic circuits
• InkScape for editing vector drawings
• Cura for operating the 3D printer

Cloudware

• Register an account on the following website:
  • GitHub.org for sharing your code and during the first class you will set up your personal academy page using Github Pages
  • Youmagine.com for sharing 3D designs
  • cloud.netfabb.com for fixing broken STL files
  • issuu.com for sharing PDFs under Creative Commons license
  • fablab.waag.org for documenting fab moments in the Amsterdam Fablab
  • Disqus.com for commenting on the BioHack Academy syllabus

Wetware

In case you wish to do experiments at home you will need to following equipment:

• Fridge, freezer and stove
• Pressure cooker (6 Liters or more)
• Empty glass marmalade or vegetable jars
• Pasteur Transfer Pipettes (disposible single use are fine), 15 mL volume pipettes (don’t forget the pipetting balloon) and micropipettes (Gilson, Pipetman or go for cheap Huawei via Alibaba)
• A scale, 1 gram accuracy will do for most of the work. Perhaps also consider having a gold scale for smaller amounts eBay.
• Labogaz 206
• Lab coats