On Amazon you can buy these “60x” magnifying lenses for around $6. If the quotations didn’t tip you off, they are not 60x, we bought a couple different types and in general found them to be between 5x to 10x magnifying lenses with pretty intense spherical aberrations. However if that was all there was to […]
Technical Tuesday: Penny-Pinching Patterned Projection
Today is Technical Tuesday! A long delayed segment where we try to dive a little deeper into the actual costs involved in particular scientific techniques. We hope to show where you can save money, and what you might lose by saving that money. Today’s topic is dynamically patterning light with Digitial Micromirror Devices. With […]
Prosthetic Devices and More from the NIH 3D Print Exchange
We’d like to use the Prosthetic Devices curated by e-NABLE to plug the NIH 3D Print Exchange for a second time. These 3D-printable prosthetics allow for DIY assistive devices that can be easily customized and printed. The NIH 3D Print Exchange also has a wide variety of 3D printable labware, some of which we’ve covered […]
3D Printed Coverslip Holders and Spinners
Dyche Mullin’s lab at UCSF has several handy stl files for 3D printed parts. For instance, these very handy boxes for storing and transporting 22 mm coverslips after they have been cleaned or treated. They also have this delightful DIY coverslip spinner/dryer. But beware, /u/machinofacture from Reddit has an interesting objection, “I’ve made them before (out of […]
Print or Buy: Cheap Pipettes!
When I first joined a lab, someone told me the best pipette was the one that had been calibrated most recently. In that spirit, check out these 3D Printed Pipettes called “Biropettes” from open-labware.net. If you’re worried about quality, just calibrate it and check the accuracy. You know, just like you do for a regular […]