Overview of Status of Analysis, Design, Fabrication, Tests, etc.
Need to conduct more tests to determine temperature offset values when heating. Heater will need to be set past 100 degrees in order for the sample to reach 95
Heater is efficient and provides ample ramp rate, but fan is a little slow. We must find a solution to speeding up cooling
Code is not complete, and we will need to make adjustments based on temperature offsetting
Accomplishments from Previous Week
Design have been changed due to temperature differences between the heater and sample during cooling process.
The change in design with the fan below the heater has proven to be successful; there is less lag when cooling the sample
Housing has been finished and dimensions have been more or less finalized
Double-sided tape has been proven to be a simple solution to fixing the sample to the heater
Goals for Next Week (list names after each item). Use specific and measurable objectives.
Having final prototype of device and confirmation during the sponsor presentation (Seonghan)
Having the code ready for our final device (Chung and Josh)
Determine offset values for variable ambient temperatures. Will likely use an incubator provided by our sponsors' colleagues to simulate different temperatures (Jimmy)
Test with real samples and see if we get positive results (All)
Sponsor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)
Instructor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)
Mar 27: Meeting with Kapil and Edgar
Using tape instead of a clamp to hold the sample down to the heater would prevent any non-uniformity in conduction due to cool spots
Keep an eye out for bubbles and condensation on the sample as they may cause problems for the pcr
For now, a fan is fine, but a peltier junction is preferred especially for larger sized thermal cyclers
Comments from Other Students in the Class (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)
2/27 Final Design Review in Class
Having batteries in case of power shutdown ( especially for some countries)
Mount the fan on the bottom of Delrin to increase the cool rate
Save time for testing
Risks and Areas of Concern
Issues with heating offset; we must determine an accurate temperature to set the heater to so that the sample reaches 95 degrees
Not being able to cool fast enough might be a problem. Currently the ramp down rate is about .5 degrees per second. We would like 1 degree per second
Resources or Information Required but not Available
Schedule
Describe upcoming milestone
Update Gantt chart.
Budget (list amount spent and amount remaining)
Total spent = $1,924.72, $575.28 remaining
Progress on Report and Webpage
Will await for response on peer reviews