Column chromatography and the subsequent analysis of the collected fractions using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) are immensely popular and frequently used methods in organic chemistry. To analyze the fractions, they have to be spotted onto the TLC plates, which can be a time-consuming task. Therefore, we have developed an automatic spotting device based on a conversion of a 3D printer kit, which could be easily built for around 500 €. All parts come directly from the 3D printer kit, are 3D printed, or are commercially available, such as syringes and tubing. In this manuscript, we describe the design and use of the spotting device. In addition, we provide a detailed step-by-step assembly instruction and all CAD files for easy replication.

OpenScout is a low-cost open source hardware and software mobile robot that can be used for both indoor and outdoor tasks, transporting up to 15 kg of payload. It is designed to be easily and cheaply (350 USD) buildable and modifiable by non-specialists, and to function as a new standard physical platform for robotics research and real-world tasks, replacing current proprietary options. It uses four-wheel differential drive steering, and a hinged body which enables the wheels to drive over small obstacles without the need for suspension. Example applications include last mile and factory floor delivery, site survey and site monitoring.

We present the hardware design of a high-fidelity, low-cost infrasonic-capable (6 Hz) passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) prototype instrument. The device allows temporal synchronisation using a variety of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) constellations. This allows the recordings made by independent spatially-distributed nodes to be synchronised in time for acoustic monitoring and localisation using, for example, time difference of arrival (TDOA). Each node is capable of sampling at 24-bit resolution with a sampling frequency that is adjustable between 8 kHz and 192 kHz. Audio samples are stored locally on a microSD card, along with timestamp and location metadata.

Multichannel pipettes are used widely to accelerate research and testing in life sciences laboratories and within the biomedical industry. Commercial multichannel pipettes cost several hundred to thousand U.S. dollars and are not accessible in many areas. This study utilizes an open source and digital distributed manufacturing model to design a USD$24 4-channel 200 micro-liter pipette. The design uses widely-available interchangeable off-the-shelf parts and custom components, which can be fabricated with a low-cost fused-filament RepRap-class desktop 3D printer. The manuscript describes the design, construction, and validation of an ergonomic open-source multichannel pipette, as well as the evaluation of pipetting parameters and quality control. The open source multichannel pipette is found to be compliant with ISO 8655 standards for precision and accuracy. The device has separate syringes that operate individual tips, which prevents cross contamination of specimens because there is no direct contact of different liquids with each other and no mixing with actuating air. Each syringe is easily replaced for different experiments and the source CAD files are provided to enable others to build variants or custom configurations of the open source multichannel pipette. <strong>Metadata Overview</strong> Main design files: <a href="https://osf.io/9tn6e/" target="_blank"><em>https://osf.io/9tn6e/</em></a> Target group: chemistry, biochemistry, biology, biomedical, medical, and associated disciplines Skills required: desktop 3D printing – easy, mechanical assembly – easy Replication: <em><a href="https://www.appropedia.org/Open_Source_3-D_Printed_ISO_8655_Compliant_Multichannel_Pipette" target="_blank">https://www.appropedia.org/Open_Source_3-D_Printed_ISO_8655_Compliant_Multichannel_Pipette</a></em> for comments and feedback. <em>See section “Build Details” for more detail</em>.

International audience