Apropos Raspberry PI DIY Mass Spec using Raman Scattering

[sbrothy]

https://hackaday.io/project/1279-ramanpi-raman-spectrometer

It's a pretty nifty gadget this Raspberry thingy. A computer the size of a pack of cigs. :)

And a mass spectrometer... I'm not sure what such a device costs but I'm sure it pretty frigging expensive!

 

[harborsparrow]

Holy cow. I couldn't even manage to edit the video about it right now. It's good to know these things are going on out in the world.

 

[sbrothy]

Funny little anecdote (and a word of warning):

I don't own a 3D printer but the central library in my home town has one for the public to use (mainly for educational purposes as it turns out) so I enlisted one of the employees. I'm a devious social schemer (at least I like to think so :) ) so I approached a librarian with whom I'd previously had discussions about comics and science (read: a fellow nerd) for the purpose of using their printer for this mass spec project. He was extremely helpful. Actually so helpful that he pointed out (after the printer had worked 3 days straight all 24 hours effectively blocking access to the thing for everyone else) that the LASERs in the mass spec project would deposit so much heat into the components that special plastics had to be used (appearently he actually RTFM - a true nerd)... bottom line is that using this heat-resistent plastic would raise the printer's operating temperature causing it to release presumably toxic (and with my luck probably carcinogenic) gasses into the childrens lounge not far away.

The embarrassing conclusion was that I gave up and decided that this project calls for the ownership of a 3D printer too. And Reading The Fine Manual of course. :)

 

[harborsparrow]

"The embarrassing conclusion was that I gave up and decided that this project calls for the ownership of a 3D printer too. "

Not to mention a workspace far enough from human habitation for emissions not to matter. This is one reason we haven't yet invested in a 3D printer. We've been trying to keep plastic out of our living space, not invite it in. But, it makes me wish I had a detached garage.

I love the account of you with the nerd librarian person hogging up the printer :-)

 

[sbrothy]

Yeah, I know I'm straying too far off topic now but I'm sure you've heard of those islands of garbage plastic in the oceans. I'm sure islands of facemasks are next (if they float). They're already found at beaches. :(

Man, our children are going to be angry. Not only are we leaving an ecological mess, we're also spending money en masse that they'll have reimburse.