Weekly Progress Reports
Contents
March 14
Work
- Researched different printer methodologies (i.e., piezoelectric vs thermal drop-on-demand)
- Attempted contact with T. Boland and other leaders in the cell printing field
Risks identified
- Determining an existing printing platform on which to actually build the device will be difficult
- Key considerations include:
- How easy will this printer sync with my computer?
- How accessible are the printer drivers?
- Which printer is the least sensitive to having components removed or altered?
March 21
Work
- Confirmed the Canon BubbleJet 2100 printer as first platform to attempt construction; reasons include:
- T. Boland et al. have had success with altering this system for biological samples
- Claims that the printer drivers are accessible and modifiable
- Lack of filtration system (older printers do not have fine filters for ink clumps as many new printers do)
- Easy mechanism to modify (BJC2100 has one simple paper feed drive)
- Printer ordered from Ebay; due to arrive within one week
Risks identified
- Ebay listing described the printer as "for parts" so it may not be completely functional (fingers crossed!)
- Spring Break is putting a slight delay on things...
March 28
Work
- Downloaded printer drivers from a Canon BJC 2100 to attempt modifications
- Researched printer driver documentation and modification
Risks identified
- Modifying the drivers may be more difficult than previously thought; the only clear method is to back engineer the system from .dll files which will be tedious and an extremely long process
April 4
Work
- BCJ arrived, and cover and extraneous components were removed (e.g., cover and plastic base)
- Built small stands on which to mount the printer head and track
- Evaluated the use of a movable stage (which would utilize the stepper-motorized stage from the PSF lab); opted not to use this method and instead decided to utilize existing paper advancement mechanisms - More info on BJC2100 Attempt
Risks identified
- BJC 2100 does not sync well with modern OS (both Mac and Windows), making it difficult to manage
- Printer systems are less modular than originally thought, making it harder to actually separate each of the different components and mechanisms
- Which is easier: altering an existing system or building a completely new one?
April 11
Work
- Obtained second platform, HP Next steps: Risks identified:
* April 18
Work: Next steps: Risks identified:
* April 25
Work: Next steps: Risks identified:
* May 2
Work: Next steps: Risks identified:
* May 9
Work: Next steps: Risks identified:
Note: Much of this electronic documentation has been done retrospectively, taken from actual lab notebook.
