Project Objectives
· High Priority:
o Establishing Temperature Control (36-37oC)
· Secondary Priority:
o Establishing Humidity and CO2 Controls
· Constraints and Issues:
o There is only a finite/small space with which to work with, limiting the size of the overall controller
o Interchangeability of sample type (slides, culture plates, wells, etc.)
o Uniformity of heat distribution
o Implementation of controls for CO2 and humidity (visibility and difficulty of implementation)
· Ideal Design Solution:
o Ideally, the sponsor would like to be able to have a system in which the stage can handle different types of slides/samples and have both temperature and humidity controls to work with
o The sponsor has also suggested a magnetic “pop-off” system to prevent contact between the specimen/setup and the microscope lens; this adverts undesirable scraping of the two
Risk Reduction Strategy
Different heating methods can have different temperature distribution. Using hearing bars to hold the walls of the chamber at a set temperature might lead a high temperature gradient which is not desired.
Dimensions of the chamber are fairly small. Need to make sure the final design can fit within this space.
Intermediate Milestones
Identifying meaningful intermediate milestones is a critical for effective project management. Together with your sponsor identify such milestones, and specify specific performance requirements you aim to meet at each milestone.
Design and build plate for interchangeable samples. (week 1-4)Material selection, sensor analysis, CAD design, prototype design, system set up.
Apply temperature control. (week 5-7) Test and evaluate the designed system.
Apply CO2 control, possibly apply humidity control. (week 8-10)