Project # 05417

Team Members:Jeff Youngs, ME

Jon Schneider, ME

Ashish Rathour, EE

Glenn Carroll, EE

Tai To, EE

Mayank Rathour, EE

Faculty Advisors: Faulty Coordinator:

Dr. Mark Hopkins, EE Prof. George Slack, EE

Dr. Wayne Walter, ME

Prof. John Wellin, ME

Project Sponsor

TRANSCATLocated in Rochester, NY

– Leading providers of calibration services and instrumentations.

Transcat Contact– Howard Zion

– Rainer Stellrecht

Mission Statement

The student engineering design team will investigate viable processes and approaches to semi automate the pipette calibration process for as many pipette as possible. The final design will consist of several pneumatic cylinders, a manually turning stand, several sensors to find the precise positioning of pipette, a computer interface for the technician, as well as the Artel PCS® and the Pipette Tracker® software.

Artel PCS®

• Colorimetric Calibrator• Uses Beer-Lambert’s Law

to identify the volume of the calibration fluid deposited in a vial from a known concentration of the fluid and a known volume and concentration blank.

• Uses serial communication to computer for statistical analysis by use of Artel’s Pipette Tracker ® software

System Design

Product Description

The product will be a semi-automated setup that contains the following components:

Test StandPlunger Depression DeviceAutomated Digital ControlsUser Interface

Scope Limitations

• Automates the human element of the calibration process– Depressing the plunger – Raising and lowering the pipette

• Maintains a .25% accuracy in liquid dispensed during the calibration process

• Performs three measurements at five equidistant points within the volumetric range of the pipette.

• Keeps the pipette vertical within +/- 1 degree• Prevent the light from contaminating the photosensitive fluids• Reduce mechanical or human vibrations within the system by a

factor of 97.5%.• Will integrate with the Artel PCS® colorimetric pipette calibrator.• Allows human control over the processes being performed

The design team will be responsible for a device that:

Scope Limitations

• Taking apart the micropipettes to perform manual replacement of parts

• Calibrating the Artel PCS® colorimetric pipette calibrator.

• Initiating changes to the Artel Pipette Tracker® software.

• Training individual users on the setup after the product has been integrated into the everyday process of calibration.

The design team will not be responsible for:

Components

Pneumatic Cylinders Actuation of the stand and pipette plunger

Air Control NetworkMicroprocessor Sensors

radial and vertical movement control

Raw material to build the standFixture to hold Pipette

Pneumatic cylinders

• 2 pneumatic cylinders– Double acting to provide gradual

movements

– Will have magnets on piston heads for traceability.

– Designed to work on at least 60 psi

• Stand Actuation– Vertical movement of stand and

fixtures attached to it.

• Plunger Actuation– Various pressures will be used to

go through the different actuation phases

Pneumatic controls• Solenoid Valves

– 2 way valves to open and close air supply for the exhaust ports for both cylinders and for the inlet port of the stand actuating cylinder.

– 3 way valve to switch the inlet port of the plunger actuating cylinder between the liquid dispensing and tip blowout pressure ranges.

• Adjustable Air Regulator• Adjustable Flow Control

Electrical System

• 5 Sensors connected to input through Dios SN754410 Driver.

• 3 Valves powered through SN754410 Driver.

• 12 VDC / 1Amp Power supply to Valves and Dios.

Microcontroller

• 40 pin DIOS chip• Controller Board with

RS232 Serial port• 33 I/O Lines• A simple GUI for

interface• External EEPROM

Option

The Sensors• 2 Hall Effect Sensors

Tracks the actuation of the stand that is created by the lower piston

• 1 Double Channel Optical Interrupt Switch Keeps track of the radial position of the

stand by use of a 2-byte incremental encoder

• 1 Magnetic Proximity SensorSenses if the calibrator’s lid is open.

Other Components

• Pipette holding fixture– Simple spring-loaded mechanical gripper– Rubber coating for extra tactile hold and for

form-fitting properties to increase universality of the fixture.

• Raw material needed to build the stand

• Miscellaneous electrical and mechanical components

Questions?