Before you start
Your setup: — change
Parts: the components of this guide. Archived AEP0.1.1 instructions: AEP0.1.1_Assembly.md.
- Buy the Bill of Materials. A LabCrafter kit lacks only the SodaStream blue screw-in cylinders, two 250 ml GL45 “Duran” bottles, nutrient solution and inoculum.
- Check your Hydrogen-oxidising bacteria: microbes that grow on hydrogen and CO₂. The electroPioreactor is built to grow them as a sustainable protein source. culture grows well Growing on organic carbon, such as sugars, instead of on hydrogen and CO₂. A quick way to check a HOB culture is alive before it goes into the reactor..
- Unpack the kit and tick off every part under Count what you received.
- Gather everything under Tools.
Tool notes
- The computer needs a microSD reader, or an SD reader with a microSD adapter, and The free Raspberry Pi app that writes the Pioreactor operating system image onto the microSD card. to flash the card.
- The gas cylinder wrench is 28 mm.
- The analytical balance needs only 0.1 g accuracy, for pump calibration: a jewellery scale will do.
- Cryogenic gloves must be safe to at least -80 °C.
- Add any other PPE your supervisor, department, employer or H&S advisor requires.
- Recommended, not required:
- a multitool or needle-nose pliers, for assembly and tubing;
- a multimeter, for checking Splitting water with an electric current: hydrogen at the cathode, oxygen at the anode. It supplies the hydrogen the HOB grow on.;
- a banded oil filter wrench, only if the CO₂ cylinder is hard to tighten.
Spares
Keep spares: at least one vial and one magnetic stir bar per few units, and silicone The 2 mm silicone disc in the vial cap. It seals the vial mouth, both electrodes and every needle port, and self-heals needle holes.. Vials break.
What changed from AEP0.1.1
| Area | AEP0.1.1 | AEP0.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel | Pioreactor 20 ml v1.1, ~15 ml working volume | Pioreactor 40 ml v1.5 + XR upgrade kit, ~30 ml working volume |
| Computer | RPi Zero 2W / RPi 4 4GB, micro-USB or USB-C supply | RPi 5 1GB, 27 W USB-C supply |
| Vial cap | Separate cap + ElectrodeTopStop, cap o-ring + 2 electrode o-rings | One-piece Vial Cap and electrode holder, single silicone septum |
| The positive electrode: a titanium tube coated with mixed metal oxide (IrO₂-Ta₂O₅). Oxygen forms on it, and CO₂ flows down its bore into the vial. | Platinised titanium rod, 100 mm | MMO (IrO₂-Ta₂O₅) tube, 100 mm, CO₂ delivered through its open base |
| Electrode fixing | M3 bolt through A nut held in a pocket in the printed part, so a bolt can be tightened into it with one tool. | Ring terminal + thumb screw, M3 nut and spring washer |
| Ports | Flexelene 135C tubing | Stainless steel needles |
| Gas sealing | PTFE tape on every threaded joint | O-rings where possible, An anaerobic thread sealant: it cures only without air, inside a tightened thread. Fixtures in 10 to 60 minutes at 22 °C; full pressure after 24 hours. anaerobic thread sealant elsewhere |
| CO₂ inlet | Drops the cylinder's pressure (about 60 bar when full) to a working pressure, about 1 bar here. Its flathead screw fully anti-clockwise is closed. tightened onto the cylinder against escaping gas | KegLand KL15578 pin-adjustment adapter: tighten first, then open the pin |
| Bubbling gas through the culture. Here, CO₂ from the cylinder flows down the anode on a timer set in the electroPioreactor job. control | pioreactor-relay-plugin + experiment profile YAML | electroPioreactor plugin (electrolysis, sparging and Optical density: how cloudy the culture is, read from scattered light. It tracks cell growth. pausing in one job) |
| Dropped | Bubble counter, pinch slider inoculation port, jubilee clips | Inoculation is now by syringe through the septum |
Count what you received
| Part | Quantity | In the package from |
|---|---|---|
| 0.2 µm hydrophobic vent filtersMedia bottle vent, product bottle vent, CO₂ in, two gas out, one spare (kits from 2026-09-24). | 6 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 1/16" barb to female luer lock | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 1/16" barb to male luer lock | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 1/4" BSP to 1/8" BSP reducing hexagon nipple | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 1/8" barb to male luer lockOne is fitted in the CO₂ Bubbling gas through the culture. Here, CO₂ from the cylinder flows down the anode on a timer set in the electroPioreactor job. step; the other is a spare. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 1/8" blanking plug | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 12 V peristaltic pumpsSold as a pair with pump tubing: one pair per Pioreactor. | 2 | all |
| 12 V power supplyBarrel jack, for the The Pioreactor circuit board that plugs onto the Raspberry Pi's pin header. It carries the PWM and LED outputs and the 12V barrel jack.; separate from the USB-C supply. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 250 ml GL45 borosilicate bottleRegional consumable, not supplied by LabCrafter: one media and one product bottle per Pioreactor. | 2 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| 27 W USB-C power supplyFour or more units may instead share one multi-port charger. | 1 | all |
| CO₂ needle valve | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| CO₂ regulator | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Crimp connector (TE Connectivity AMP 1-104479-0) | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Crimp housing (TE Connectivity AMP 487526-1) | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Cylinder-to-regulator adapterRegional: the LabCrafter kit's adapter suits UK and EU cylinders (KegLand KL15578). Elsewhere source the local equivalent. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Dovetail holder, CO₂ cylinder3D printed (Printables model 855700). | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Dovetail holders for GL45 bottles3D printed, sized for the 250 ml A standard 45 mm screw thread on lab bottles such as Duran. The media and product bottles and their multi-port caps use it. bottle. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| GL45 capsMulti-port GL45 cap with A standard medical screw fitting. A male luer (the spigot) screws into a female luer (the socket). In this build, male ends mark outlets. connectors, one per bottle. | 2 | all |
| Luer lock cap | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| M3 nutsArrive fitted in LabCrafter kits. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| M3 spring washersArrive fitted in LabCrafter kits. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| MMO anode, 100 mm long, 6 mm OD, 4 mm ID, 70 mm active lengthArrives fitted in the vial cap in LabCrafter kits. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Male-to-male luer lock adapterOne on each of the two gas outlet needles, fitted in the Ports step. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| O-ring, 8 mm ID, 2 mm CS | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Pioreactor 40 ml v1.5Boxed with its vial, stir bar and v1.5 optics parts; check those against Pioreactor's own contents list. | 1 | all |
| Polyurethane CO₂ tube, 1 m6 mm OD × 4 mm ID. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Precision Temperature Upgrade KitOptional: only if you ordered it.Only with temperature kit | 1 | all |
| Pumping dovetail platform3D printed (Printables model 679663). | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Raspberry Pi 51 GB or larger. | 1 | all |
| Ring terminalsArrive fitted in LabCrafter kits. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Silicone feed tube, tubular anode100 mm of 1 mm ID / 3 mm OD silicone. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Silicone septum, 2 mm thick, 60 Shore AArrives seated in the vial cap in LabCrafter kits. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Silicone tubing, 50 cm1/16" ID, 1/8" Optical density: how cloudy the culture is, read from scattered light. It tracks cell growth.. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| SodaStream CO₂ cylinder (blue screw-in)Regional consumable, not supplied by LabCrafter: buy locally. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Solenoid valve3-way venting (3/2), 12 V coil. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Stainless steel cathode, 100 mm long, 6 mm diameterArrives fitted in the vial cap in LabCrafter kits. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Stainless steel needle portTops up the four needles that ship with each Pioreactor (not counted here). | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Thumb screwsArrive fitted in LabCrafter kits. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Vial cap and electrode holder3D printed in PC-CF. Arrives with The 2 mm silicone disc in the vial cap. It seals the vial mouth, both electrodes and every needle port, and self-heals needle holes. and electrodes fitted in LabCrafter kits. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Wiring, electrode cablesOne red (The positive electrode: a titanium tube coated with mixed metal oxide (IrO₂-Ta₂O₅). Oxygen forms on it, and CO₂ flows down its bore into the vial.), one black (The negative electrode: a stainless steel rod. Hydrogen forms on it, so it shows about twice the bubbles of the anode. It must never be wired as the anode.); fixed to the electrodes in LabCrafter kits. | 2 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Wiring, solenoid | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| XR upgrade kitContains the XR top vial holder, the O-ring and the extra A small Pioreactor sensor board that reads light from the vial. The eye-spys are chained together with STEMMA-QT wires.. | 1 | all |
| microSD card32 GB or larger. | 1 | all |
| Part | Quantity | In the package from |
|---|---|---|
| 28 mm gas cylinder wrenchTool. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Analytical balanceTool, 0.1 g accuracy, for pump calibration. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Banded oil filter wrenchOptional tool, if the CO₂ cylinder is hard to tighten. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Computer with microSD card readerTool. An SD card reader with a microSD adapter also works. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Cryogenic glovesPPE, safe to at least -80 °C. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Eye/face protectionPPE, one per person. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Lab coatPPE, one per person. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Loctite 577 thread sealantOne tube covers many builds. | 1 | LabCrafter, Self-sourced from the BoM |
| MultimeterRecommended tool, for checking Splitting water with an electric current: hydrogen at the cathode, oxygen at the anode. It supplies the hydrogen the HOB grow on.. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Multitool and/or needle nose pliersRecommended tool. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Phillips PH0 screwdriverTool. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
| Spare magnetic stir barShared spare, not one per unit. | 1 | all |
| Spare vialShared spare, not one per unit. | 1 | all |
| Vernier callipersTool. | 1 | Self-sourced from the BoM |
Missing something? Contact your supplier: LabCrafter, Pioreactor.
Parts
- 1×Spare vialconsumable
- 1×Spare magnetic stir barconsumable
Tools
- 1×Computer with microSD card readertool
- 1×Phillips PH0 screwdrivertool
- 1×28 mm gas cylinder wrenchtool
- 1×Vernier calliperstool
- 1×Analytical balancetool
- 1×Cryogenic glovestool
- 1×Eye/face protectiontool
- 1×Lab coattool
- 1×Multitool and/or needle nose plierstool
- 1×Multimetertool
- 1×Banded oil filter wrenchtool
Check your work
Checking the parts checklist on this page against the kit, what did you find?
Email your supplier from the Missing something? line under the checklist.
LabCrafter does not supply these regional consumables. Buy them locally: links in item 1.
Show the answer
Answer: Every row ticked, nothing short
- If you see One or more rows short of a part: Email your supplier from the Missing something? line under the checklist.
- If you see Only the SodaStream cylinders or GL45 bottles absent: LabCrafter does not supply these regional consumables. Buy them locally: links in item 1.
Which items under Tools are not yet to hand?
Pump calibration needs only 0.1 g accuracy: a jewellery scale will do.
Get them before CO₂ gas train: you need both before making the CO₂ cylinder joint.
Get it before the step that lists it.
Show the answer
Answer: None: every tool and all the PPE
- If you see Only the analytical balance: Pump calibration needs only 0.1 g accuracy: a jewellery scale will do.
- If you see The cryogenic gloves or eye protection: Get them before CO₂ gas train: you need both before making the CO₂ cylinder joint.
- If you see Another tool on the list: Get it before the step that lists it.
Step checked