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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Construction of a Low-cost Mobile Incubator for Field and Laboratory Use

DOI: 10.3791/58443-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Assemble a functional low-cost incubator from readily available materials
  • ✓ Build heating and power control units for field microbial cultivation
  • ✓ Validate incubator performance for drinking water microbial testing
Protocol

This paper describes a method for building an adaptable, low-cost and transportable incubator for microbial testing of drinking water. Our design is based on widely available materials and can operate under a range of field conditions, while still offering the advantages of higher-end laboratory-based models.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~4-6 hours (assembly and initial testing)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Assemble heating unit components

Construct the heating element assembly using commonly available materials. This unit provides thermal regulation for the incubator chamber.

▶ 01:03
2
Build control unit power supply

Assemble the power supply and control circuitry to regulate heating output and maintain stable operating temperature across field conditions.

▶ 02:22
3
Integrate electrical core and incubator shell

Connect the electrical components to the insulated incubator chamber and verify all connections for safe operation.

▶ 04:29
4
Validate incubator performance under test conditions

Run representative shell testing to confirm temperature stability, uniformity, and reliability for field-based microbial culture applications.

▶ 05:52
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