V1 Control Interface
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The development process for the incubator was divided in to several parts which were obtained commercially (if sensible = available in high supply, cheaper and reliable) or developed individually and later assembled:
Housing and power supply: repurposed thermoelectric wine cooler, obtained from Chal-Tec GmbH (Klarstein 10029816).
Heating and thermometry: For heating the internal thermoelectric, the heating plate of the wine cooler was inverted to produce heating, which combined with the integrated fan supports even temperature distribution. Temperature sensors from Sensirion AG (SHT31) were implemented inside the housing and are used for temperature regulation between 36 and 37°C ± 0.5°C (typical mammalian cell culture) and a possible regulation range between room temperature (20°C in normal conditions ) and 40°C
CO2 supply and detection: CO2 supply can come from different sources, eg. laboratory gas supply, as well as gas cylinders. Currently, CO2 is provided from a cylinder which fits into the Incubator housing for improved mobility. CO2 analysis is performed using a CO2 meter ExplorIR M 20 sensor, allowing regulation in the range of 0 - 20% ± 0.1%.
Control and user interface: Incubator control is based on an ESP32 microcontroller. Incubation parameters (temperature and CO2 ) can be adjusted directly on the device using an LCD display and 4 function buttons, as well as a browser based user interface inside a LAN connection
A mock-up of a smart phone app was established that would allow remote control and user-friendly interface.
