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Spotlight on Caminos de Agua

For the 2nd in our Spotlight series we are excited to highlight the work of Caminos de Agua. They are a non-profit developing technologies under open-source licenses in partnership with leading research institutions, other non-profits, and members of directly affected communities.

Introduciendo el trabajo de Caminos de Agua

To read in English click here Recién presentamos Spotlight, una nueva serie paralectores del boletín con proyectos científicos de hardware de código abierto, grupos comunitarios y empresas que apreciamos. Estos destacados grupos han desarrollado y/o están usando tecnología de código abierto de maneras únicas e inspiradoras alrededor del mundo.

Electrochemistry: Current dependence on scan rate

In this tutorial we use the Rodeostat potentiostat and a screen printed electrode to demonstrate current dependence on scan rate. We know that for freely-diffusible analytes like ascorbate, the anodic peak current depends linearly on the square root of the scan rate. This is described by the Randles-Sevcik equation. The

Making a multichannel open colorimeter

We modified the Open Colorimeter firmware to use athe Adafruit AS7341 multichannel light sensor board.

Unlock the audience for your open hardware innovations

This week we invited marketing genius and friend Lex Roman of Super Easy Digital to share some thoughts with the community on marketing open hardware

We answer questions - March

In March we received lots of great questions from the community! These were submitted to info@iorodeo.com or via our Contact Form. We are sharing four of these along with our responses this week. We will be compiling these and other frequently asked questions into a web page shortly.

Open Source Hardware Survey Results

At the end of 2022 we shared a short question survey with our community to learn a little about how and where our customers are using open science instruments and what they would like to see next. This week we are sharing some insights and trends from the survey.

Updates to Rodeostat firmware, python library & web app

This week we are sharing new updates to the Rodeostat firmware, python library and web app.

New higher current range Rodeostat potentiostat

We have added a new higher current range potentiostat to the electrochemistry product line! The new Rodeostat HC is very similar to the Rodeostat Open Potentiostat, except the measurable current ranges are ± 10, 100, 1000 and 10,000 μA. Rodeostat HCThe Rodeostat HC is a higher current range version of

We answer questions - February

This week we are debuting a new Newsletter format called "We answer questions!" As the name suggests, we are sharing (anonymously of course) a few questions we have received over the last month along with our responses. As these are general technical questions relating to our open hardware products, we

Rodeostat ItsyBitsy M4 Express available for order now!

We are excited to launch our new Rodeostat M4 version! The new design uses the Adafruit ItsyBitsy M4 Express microcontroller board instead of the Teensy 3.2 board (which is currently unavailable). The new design offers the same functionality and is available at our online store now! You can order

GOSH presentation video and slides

This week we gave a 20-minute presentation to the GOSH Community. We covered a few different topics outlined in the agenda below. It was particularly fun to revisit our journey over the last 13 years, from mostly consulting on custom open hardware instrumentation to shipping open hardware products around the

Global adoption of DIY Technology

Highlighting a recent paper by Tobias Wenzel

Rodeostat Firmware Guide | IO Rodeo x GOSH

New Rodeostat firmware guide & registration link for upcoming GOSH presentation

Bradford Protein Assay with the Open Colorimeter

Highlighting a project from the community which uses the Open Colorimeter to quantify protein concentration in milk

Rodeostat Product Guide

This is the documentation site for the Rodeostat Open Potentiostat. The Rodeostat is an open source potentiostat for performing electrochemical measurements which is designed to work with the Teensy 3.2 development board.

Open Colorimeter Product Guide

This is the documentation site for the Open Colorimeter. The Open Colorimeter is an open hardware science instrument for researchers, educators and hobbyists. It is used with colorimetric assays for environmental studies, water-quality monitoring, biochemistry and much more. This is a standalone, portable instrument which can be used either in

Rodeostat FeatherWing Product Guide

This is the documentation site for the Rodeostat FeatherWing. The Rodeostat FeatherWing is an open source potentiostat designed to be compatible with Adafruit's Feather/FeatherWing system.

pH FeatherWing Product Guide

This is the documentation site for the pH FeatherWing. The pH FeatherWing V0.2 is a pH electrode amplifier which is designed to be compatible with the Feather/FeatherWing system.

A Streamlit app for custom colorimeter calibrations

Highlighting the oc-calibration-app developed using Streamlit for the Open Colorimeter.

Open Hardware survey, OSHWA certification & upcoming changes to the online store

In this Newsletter: Open hardware survey, OSHWA certification & upcoming price changes

Spotlight on GOSH

GOSH is a global community of researchers, hardware developers, educators, community organizers and more dedicated to making open science hardware ubiquitous by 2025. In this newsletter we highlighted a few of their resources to introduce readers to their work.

New tools for creating a custom calibration for the Open Colorimeter

New documentation for creating custom calibrations for the Open Colorimeter.

New video tutorials & user guides for the Open Colorimeter

New instructional videos and user guides for the Open Colorimeter. Link to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

New tutorials for customizing the Open Colorimeter

Highlighting new tutorials for customizing the Open Colorimeter

Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite Open Colorimeter assays for water quality testing

Testing three water quality tests for the Open Colorimeter. These assays are ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.

Nitrate-API colorimetric assay

Colorimetric assay for measuring nitrate levels using API test kit. Range: 0-50ppm

Ammonia-API colorimetric assay

Colorimetric assay for measuring ammonia levels using API test kit. Range: 0-8ppm

Nitrite-API colorimetric assay

Colorimetric assay for measuring nitrite levels using API test kit. Range: 0-2ppm

New Rodeostat MX design

New Rodeostat MX design & Open Colorimeter updates.

Open Hardware Month & Colorimeter Documentation

October is Open Hardware Month. Update on Open Colorimeter documentation.

Open Colorimeter CircuitPython Firmware

Update on the Open Colorimeter CircuitPython firmware

Measuring blue food dye in sports drinks

Goal: Use the Open Colorimeter to experimentally calculate the molar extinction coefficient of FD&C Blue #1 Beer’s Law states that absorbance of a sample (Abs) depends on the molar concentration (c), light path length in centimeters (l), and molar extinction coefficient (ε) for the dissolved substance at the

Open Colorimeter hardware and testing

Open Colorimeter with Beer's Law experiments & measuring food dyes in drinks

Characterizing LEDs and sample absorbance spectra with a USB spectrometer

Characterizing LEDs and sample absorbance spectra with a USB spectrometer

New Rodeostat enclosure

Highlighting a new 3D-printed enclosure and a new 50K dummy cell.

Open Colorimeter hardware design update

Design of a new 3D-printed enclosure for the Open Colorimeter using FreeCAD

Rodeostat Publications

Chronological list of peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings using Rodeostat open source potentiostat.

Rodeostat in peer-reviewed publications

Highlighting ways the Rodeostat open source potentiostat has been used in science research and education

New Rodeostat Enclosure Design

Design of a new 3D-printed enclosure for the Rodeostat using FreeCAD

Testing 3D printed cuvette holders

Forum update, 3D printed cuvette holders and data from the environmental gas sensor project

Introducing the Open Colorimeter project

Updates on the new Open Hardware Colorimeter project including PyBadge firmware

Adding solar to the environmental air quality project

Design of a weatherproof enclosure for long-term data collection with environmental gas sensors

Rodeostat manufacturing & supply-chain issues

Rodeostat stock update, Environmental sensor project update and preliminary data

Adding a GPS feature to the environmental air quality project

Adding GPS to the environmental gas sensor device

Introducing the environmental air quality project

Designing an open source environmental gas sensor device for measuring VOCs

New colorimeter open hardware design expands flexibility

Our open hardware colorimeter is a popular tool for measurements analytes using colorimetric assays. We initially designed the colorimeter as an educational kit in 2012 with Kickstarter funding.

Archived projects

As we move into working on new products, we thought it might be useful to put together a list of all of our archived open hardware products. Most of the projects listed are no longer actively supported, however the documentation contains useful links to design files, BOMs and make instructions.

Rodeostat FeatherWing Assembly

The Rodeostat FeatherWing is sold as an unassembled kit. The kit includes the Rodeostat FeatherWing v0.3 board (PCB with all of the smt components), and a set of through-hole components.

pH FeatherWing Assembly

The pH FeatherWing [https://iorodeo.com/products/phfeatherwing] is sold as an unassembled kit. The kit includes the pH FeatherWing v0.2 board (PCB with all of the smt components), and a set of through-hole components. These are i) 3-pin screw terminal connector (blue), ii) 12-pin and 16-pin headers and

Rodeostat FeatherWing Hardware

Overview The Rodeostat FeatherWing is a potentiostat expansion board which is designed to be compatible with Adafruit's Feather/FeatherWing system. It is a single channel potentiostat which provides connections for one working, one reference and one counter electrode. It has a +/- 1.65V output range and comes in three

Making an open source COVID-19 face shield

Like many people, we have been alarmed at the reports of the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been following the work of many individuals and groups on social media making open source PPE as we try to

Rodeostat Multiplexer

The Rodeostat Multiplexer [https://iorodeo.com/collections/cheapstat-open-source-potentiostat/products/rodeostat-multiplexer-expansion-kit] is an expansion board for the Rodeostat potentiostat [https://iorodeo.com/collections/cheapstat-open-source-potentiostat/products/potentiostat-shield] which enables it to be used with up to seven working electrodes simultaneously. This is achieved by adding a multiplexing switch to the single working

Rodeostat Muliplexer Kit Assembly

The multiplexer kit [https://iorodeo.com/products/rodeostat-multiplexer-expansion-kit] is an add-on accessory for the Rodeostat [https://iorodeo.com/collections/cheapstat-open-source-potentiostat/products/potentiostat-shield] which expands the number of working electrodes that can be used with the Rodeostat from one to seven converting it from a single-channel to a multi-channel potentiostat. In

pH FeatherWing Hardware

The pH FeatherWing [https://iorodeo.com/products/phfeatherwing] is a single channel pH electrode amplifier based on Texas Instrument's LMP7721 [http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lmp7721.pdf] ultra low input bias current (3 fA) precision operational amplifier. The design of the pH electrode amplifier closely follows Texas Instrument's

Creating a pH meter using the pH FeatherWing

In this blog post we demonstrate how to create a pH meter using the pH FeatherWing, an Adafruit Feather M4 Express and a few additional components. The meter will display a continuous readout of the current pH and can be calibrated, via button press, at pH values of 4, 7

New Rodeostat Model-8V available

We are happy to announce that we have a new Rodeostat model available - the Rodeostat Model-8V. The Rodeostat Model-8V has output voltage ranges of +/- 1, 2, 4, and 8V. Whereas the original Rodeostat, the Model-10V, has output voltage ranges of +/- 1, 2, 5, and 10V. Other than

Bismuth modified carbon paste electrode for metal measurements

In the experiments described in this blog post, we made a bismuth modified carbon paste electrode for detecting heavy metals, lead and zinc, using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry and the Rodeostat potentiostat. This is a continuation of our experiments using electrochemistry to measure lead and other heavy metal pollutants

Rodeostat Web App Software

Software for IO Rodeo's open source potentionstat is now available. The software provides a user friendly graphical interface. The software, written in javascript, runs in a web browser and allows the user to configure test parameters, visualize test results and save data. Requirements * Serialport-bridge: Before using the Rodeostat software it

Serialport-bridge Software

Serialport-bridge is a computer program which gives javascript applications running in your web browser the ability to access and control USB/Serial devices connected to your computer. This software was developed by IO Rodeo in order to enable the distribution of application software as simple web pages. Before you can

Making a carbon paste electrode

In this blog post we describe making a DIY carbon paste electrode using graphite powder/mineral oil mix and a custom-made reusable holder.

Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry and metal testing

The Rodeostat python library has several electrochemistry programs currently implemented including cyclic voltammetry [https://blog.iorodeo.com/cyclic-voltammetry-with-the-rodeostat/], constant voltage, linear sweep, chronoamperometry [https://blog.iorodeo.com/chronoamperometry-with-glucose-test-strips/] and more. We have recently added a square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) program to the library. Stripping voltammetry is a powerful

Electrophoresis power supply - LCD display

We have recently updated the electrophoresis power supply [https://iorodeo.com/products/electrophoresis-power-supply] to include an LCD display as shown in the images below. The price of the power supply kits remains the same ($65 for a kit). We also have a fully assembled and ready-to-use power supply option for

Making a custom electrochemical cell

In this blog post we describe making a simple custom electrode mount that we used in cyclic voltammetry experiments with the Rodeostat potentiostat. The electrodes we used were purchased from CH Instruments but the custom mount could be easily modified for use with other electrodes.

Chronoamperometry with glucose test strips

In this electrochemistry experiment we used the Rodeostat [https://iorodeo.com/products/potentiostat-shield] potentiostat to measure glucose in liquids using commonly available glucose test strips. Glucose test strips are a type of biosensor - they convert biochemical reactions to an electrochemical signal. Each glucose test strip contains the enzyme glucose

Reversible Cyclic Voltammetry

In this blog post we carried out a cyclic voltammetry experiment with ruthenium hexamine Ru(NH3)6 a reversible redox couple.

Open source potentiostat features

In this blog post we give a quick overview of some of the main differences between two open source potentiostats: Rodeostat and Cheapstat.

Testing a lead colorimetric assay

In this blog post we describe our initial testing of a colorimetric kit for measuring lead in drinking water. In 2015, a Virginia Tech research team [http://flintwaterstudy.org/about-page/about-us/] found that over 40% of the homes in Flint, MI had elevated lead water levels with 25% of homes

Measuring emission spectra for the blue LED transilluminator

Our blue LED transilluminators [https://iorodeo.com/collections/gel-imaging] use a 470 nm LED array in combination with blue and amber acrylic filters for viewing DNA bands in agarose gels stained with DNA dyes. Images of gels stained with Greenview, GelGreen and others can be seen in previous posts on

Irreversible Cyclic Voltammetry

In this blog post we provide data from our testing of the new Rodeostat. We performed a side-by-side comparison between the Rodeostat and the Cheapstat potentiostat using ascorbate cyclic voltammetry experiments.

IO Rodeo Open Source Potentiostat

We have recently been working on a new potentiostat. The Rodeostat (initally referred to as a potentiostat shield) is an open source potentiostat for performing electrochemical measurements which is designed to work with the teensy 3.2 development board [https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/teensy31.html]. The Rodeostat is easily

Potentiostat dummy cells

One of our most frequently asked questions on the Forums [http://forum.iorodeo.com/] and via email is how to produce a calibration for the Cheapstat potentiostat. The Cheapstat potentiostat returns measured current values as raw unitless integers read from the ADC (analog to digital converter) at the output of

Online forum launched

We have launched a new online forum: http://forum.iorodeo.com. Our aim in launching this Forum is that over time it will become a valuable resource for people interested in open source science equipment and DIYBio and grow to become a place to view frequently asked questions and discussions

Using an imaging enclosure for photographing gels

Photographing gels is an important step in research projects that involve any kind of visual or quantitative DNA analysis by electrophoresis. Decent gel imaging requires a fairly simple set-up of a light-tight box with a transilluminator, camera and suitable filters. In research, teaching or DIYBio labs, finding a suitable light-tight