I hope it is ok to post this in this forum and in the DIY forum. Please let me know if this is an issue.
About a month ago, we posted a thread asking for information on how others cleaned their pipettes for use in DIY. We received a handful of replies and as always, we were very appreciative. However, I was just not satisfied. I kept thinking and brainstorming.
Let me back up a minute. I tried many different methods of dispensing flavors while learning DIY. We finally decided that pipettes and a pipette pump was the way to go for us. I ordered some 10 ml pipettes and just by luck ended up getting 12 additional pipettes due to some in the original order being defective.
I have been busy and at times had up to 20 pipettes to clean. Man, what a pain. Cleaning the pipettes was a very time consuming ordeal. Like I mentioned before, I did get some good advice here on the forum and eventually came up with a modified, yet better way to clean. It still was time consuming and thus I still was not satisfied. My mind kept spinning trying to figure out a better way.
I have a best friend named Tilley. He and I spend a lot of time together. We both geocache, play disc golf, camp/backpack and also teach at the same high school. He is an OUTSTANDING chemistry teacher whose dad is also a chemist. Tilley is probably the smartest guy I know.
I asked him to help me figure out a way to solve this issue. He and I brainstormed for a few days and just by chance, his class had just done an experiment and he had at least 50 pipettes that need to be cleaned. Lucky for me...Tilley was on board in my quest.
I have my first prototype completed and after a day or so of working out some kinks...I now have an automated pipette cleaner!
My sink supplies the H2O. Gravity aides in the siphon. The cleaner rinses the pipettes automatically in just under 2 minutes. I can set it up, get it running and then go sit on my .... for 30 minutes while the pipettes are completely rinsed 15 times. The tube fills up, creates a siphon which empties the tube while forcing water through each pipette. When the H2O reaches the bottom of the tube, the siphon is broken and the tube fills back up. At a 2.5 inches from the top of the tube...the siphon is activated again and the process is started all over again.
It works like a charm! Here is a video...click on the link below.
Man, it pays to be persistent. More importantly...it really pays to have brilliant friends!
Kyle&Ann
About a month ago, we posted a thread asking for information on how others cleaned their pipettes for use in DIY. We received a handful of replies and as always, we were very appreciative. However, I was just not satisfied. I kept thinking and brainstorming.
Let me back up a minute. I tried many different methods of dispensing flavors while learning DIY. We finally decided that pipettes and a pipette pump was the way to go for us. I ordered some 10 ml pipettes and just by luck ended up getting 12 additional pipettes due to some in the original order being defective.
I have been busy and at times had up to 20 pipettes to clean. Man, what a pain. Cleaning the pipettes was a very time consuming ordeal. Like I mentioned before, I did get some good advice here on the forum and eventually came up with a modified, yet better way to clean. It still was time consuming and thus I still was not satisfied. My mind kept spinning trying to figure out a better way.
I have a best friend named Tilley. He and I spend a lot of time together. We both geocache, play disc golf, camp/backpack and also teach at the same high school. He is an OUTSTANDING chemistry teacher whose dad is also a chemist. Tilley is probably the smartest guy I know.
I asked him to help me figure out a way to solve this issue. He and I brainstormed for a few days and just by chance, his class had just done an experiment and he had at least 50 pipettes that need to be cleaned. Lucky for me...Tilley was on board in my quest.
I have my first prototype completed and after a day or so of working out some kinks...I now have an automated pipette cleaner!
My sink supplies the H2O. Gravity aides in the siphon. The cleaner rinses the pipettes automatically in just under 2 minutes. I can set it up, get it running and then go sit on my .... for 30 minutes while the pipettes are completely rinsed 15 times. The tube fills up, creates a siphon which empties the tube while forcing water through each pipette. When the H2O reaches the bottom of the tube, the siphon is broken and the tube fills back up. At a 2.5 inches from the top of the tube...the siphon is activated again and the process is started all over again.
It works like a charm! Here is a video...click on the link below.
Man, it pays to be persistent. More importantly...it really pays to have brilliant friends!
Kyle&Ann
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