LAUSR

The separation of suspensions and immiscible liquids by the laboratory centrifuge is widely used in such fields as chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and clinical medicine. In this paper, an Arduino-based microcentrifuge was fabricated using a computer DVD (digital versatile disc) drive. The hardware part consisted of inexpensive mechanical and electronic parts such as the recycled parts of a computer DVD drive, an Arduino microcontroller, a motor driver, a magnetic sensor (for speed measurement), and a display. The microcentrifuge provided a wide speed range of 1,000–10,000 rpm. The fabrication process is easy, and the total fabrication cost of the fabricated microcentrifuge is less than $25. Since the fabricated microcentrifuge has open-source hardware and software parts, it is appropriate for educational purposes and laboratory settings.