This BYOC was designed as one of my goals of the ISAC SRL EL program to act as an additional aid to spark interest when teaching cytometry to students. It has been designed to be affordable ($500-$1500), 3D printable and fun to build. I have included build list and instructions and highlight there are many opportunities for improvement/modification. 

The BYOC Workshop was first held @ ACS 2016 in Sydney, Australia, @ ACS 2018 in Adelaide, Australia and conjointly with the Garvan Flow Facility @ ACS 2019, Melbourne, Australia. 

Check back for updates. 

Overview

The cytometer uses a <$50 adjustable 5-25mW laser (interchangeable) that is directed onto a jet in air stream. The stream is ejected throughout a 100um nozzle that is assembled using luer locks, cogs and HPLC tubing to allow injection of sample in a laminar flow. The laser is focused onto the stream and signals are detected using a 25mm, 25mm focal lens that directs the light onto the FSC/SSC/FL detectors. A diagram of the light path from excitation is shown in the diagram below. The signals are detected with a APD/Photodiode or PMT and then converted to a voltage output using a pre-amp. The signals can be viewed using an oscilloscope or can be displayed on a bivariate dot plot using a ADC connected to a computer. 

3D Printable Parts

Steering laser mirror mount - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3523131

Flow cell - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3902321

Detector - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3902266

Mounting - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3902335

Sample tube mount - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3902328

Flow control - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3902432

Laser mount - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3902366

2019 - Acrylic Parts

to be uploaded

Materials - 3D Printed Version (acrylic assists can be interchanged)

Instructions