EEVblog #1366 - Mystery Bunker Item Teardown

Comments · 286

• SE

  @SeanBZA · 5 years ago · pinned

  The big transformer is needed for the peltier element heaters, so likely there is a model which not only can heat the sample, but also cool it. You need a beefy power supply to enable fast heating, as you might have a sample barely defrosted, and need to get it to the reaction temperature for whatever reagents you are using, typically anything from 30C to 70C, plus you will have a cleaning cycle, where the heaters will need to get the cleaning solution up to 90C to properly scrub the cell windows clean. &nbsp;Same for the pump, massive with the need to pump the cleaning solution through turbulently for cleaning scrub action, but then has to flow through the analysis solution slowly. <br><br>Quick test to see how narrow the filters are is to shine light through the 2 close ones, you will probably find nothing out the other side.<br><br>Pump uses the motor, controlling motor speed and using the microswitches as limit sensors, so it runs one way till it hits an end, then runs the other way to the other switch, so you can have a calibrated volume of fluid per stroke, and also adjust motor speed to do flow control from fast to slow. &nbsp;Valve allows the sample chamber to be isolated, so the volume reacting will not move. Adjustable filters probably there so you can choose a band for the photocell to get the fluorescing of the sample, as these typically use a reagent that either absorbs light depending on the reaction, or which emit light when excited, so that you need to remove the excitation light to get a result that is the emitted light from the sample only. Thus 2 ranges, depending on the selected excitation, so the filter response does not allow light through giving an offset. Going to guess the entire sample volume is made from ground quartz glass plate and tube, that has been sintered together, and the sample tubes are PTFE that has been press fitted into ground openings, and backfilled with an epoxy for rigidity.

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• ST

  @st_us · 5 years ago (edited)

  German Translation here: ELKO is not the capacitor Brand, it stands for ( Elektrolyt Kondensator) which means electrolytic capacitor. The Brand is ROE, Roederstein capacitors.

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• PE

  @PedroDaGr8 · 5 years ago (edited)

  These instruments were used for running assays to measure enzyme levels in the blood.<br><br>The prism method you mention for selecting wavelengths is called a monochrometer. On that note, monochromters no longer use a prisms. Almost all of the monochrometers I have seen in recent years use diffraction gratings as they are smaller in size, cheaper to make, and have more consistent output. Filters are almost never used for spectrophotometers anymore either. You pretty much only see &nbsp;them in the &nbsp;cheapest of cheap models. That being said, filters are still heavily used in fields like flow cytometery and flourescent microscopy.<br><br>The filters are normally dichroic mirrors, bandwidth is often +/- 5nm or larger. The filter material isn&apos;t too expensive US$200ish (though for a medical device it will be much pricier).

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• OM

  @omniryx1 · 5 years ago

  Dave: &quot;This is what I expected.&quot;<br>Translation: &quot;I have no clue.&quot;

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• TE

  @terminsane · 5 years ago

  the Applied Science channel guy recently did a video on creating these filters. its worth checking out

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• TA

  @tad2021 · 5 years ago

  The dark region on the PCB is likely from the light source. That would explain the unsharp shadow lines, it&apos;s from literal shadows.

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• TH

  @TheEPROM9 · 5 years ago

  The proccessor board is also a keeper with all those lovely vintage chips on in.

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• EL

  @Ellipsis780 · 5 years ago

  Those filters are definitely a keeper. A set of matched ones no less.

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• SW

  @swp466 · 5 years ago (edited)

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1nuSCaCbf4&amp;t=886">14:46</a> -- The PCB is maybe discolored from exposure to the halogen bulb?

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• VE

  @vegapiratradio · 5 years ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1nuSCaCbf4&amp;t=1227">20:27</a> this is elements peltier

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• MA

  @ManuelHefti · 5 years ago (edited)

  I worked in the lab for many years. What you basically can do is to measure concentrations of specific substances in liquids from the UV into the visual (sometimes also near infrared) range of light. Let&apos;s say your substance is red, it will block light from the blue and green spectrum range. The more concentrated your solution is, the less light of this range will pass. You&apos;ll need to do a calibration curve with different concentrated solutions in prior and you measure your sample then. Like this you can compare the transmission of the unknown sample against your calibration curve of the known samples and get the concentration of the unknown sample.

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• EL

  @electronicsNmore · 5 years ago

  Great teardown Dave! Love 80&apos;s electronic equipment. :-) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1nuSCaCbf4&amp;t=888">14:48</a> board discoloration is from the heat of the halogen lamp, you can see it at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1nuSCaCbf4&amp;t=830">13:50</a> exposing the exact area. The other areas of the board were probably protected by mounting brackets, etc.

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