DIYNAFLUOR: A 40-DOLLAR OPEN-SOURCE DNA FLUOROMETER YOU 3D PRINT AND ASSEMBLE WITHOUT SOLDERING
The instrument that checks your DNA costs more than the sequencer it feeds — this one prints for under forty dollars.
by Will Anderson, Fiach Antaw, Sophie Kenny and colleagues in the Trau Group
ScienceOpen-hardware
Built withArduino3D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend
- license
- GPL-3.0
- repo
- repo ACTIVE104 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend · GPL-3.0 · 104 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
DIYNAFLUOR is a nucleic acid fluorometer, the instrument that tells you how much DNA is actually in a tube before you run a sequencing reaction. The popular commercial fluorometers retail for about 1,500 to 3,300 US dollars, which is more than Oxford Nanopore's 1,000-dollar MinION sequencer: the checking instrument costs more than the sequencer it feeds. DIYNAFLUOR costs under 40 dollars in parts, prints in a few hours, and assembles without soldering around an Arduino Uno, a 470 nm LED, two optical filters and a TSL2591 light sensor. It runs the standard Qubit High Sensitivity and Broad Range DNA assay kits. Verified side by side against a Qubit 4 in a working biotechnology laboratory, it reached an in-assay limit of detection of 0.0028 ng/µL with the HS kit and an average absolute bias of 0.018 ng/µL across the 0 to 10 ng/µL working range on a two-point linear calibration. Three more units were built from the instructions by researchers outside the design team. In the field it ran every quality-control measurement for a 16S and 18S metabarcoding library prepared from environmental DNA in Australian lake water, which was then sequenced on a Nanopore device and successfully identified Australian fauna. The optics sit in a printed press-fit filter cube, so print accuracy matters more than any manual adjustment, and the one fiddly step is cutting a tiny LED trace on the back of the sensor board so its indicator light does not spoil the measurement. The 40-page build PDF walks through it and ends with a verification assay. If you are in a laboratory that runs DNA quantification regularly and you want a backup instrument or a teaching device, this is exactly that.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Repository contains 3D print files (STL and STEP), a 40-page build instructions PDF, a complete bill of materials spreadsheet, Arduino firmware (.ino), and a Python desktop application for measurements.
- —Licence is GPL-3.0, which permits commercial use with source disclosure.
- —Build instructions were validated by three devices assembled outside the design team.
- —The Python application ships with a requirements.txt, and prebuilt Windows/macOS GUI builds are on the release page.
- —This is a research and education device; it is not medical-grade and not intended for clinical or diagnostic use.
- —The comparison data against the Qubit 4 is published in a bioRxiv preprint (DOI 10.1101/2024.12.16.626200), not yet peer-reviewed.
Parts to buy
9 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
An Open-Source DIo-It-yourself DNA Fluorometer That You Can Build
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the 40-page build instructions PDF in the repository (The PDF covers printing, step-by-step assembly, software installation and a verification protocol; read it before ordering parts)
- 2.Print all STL files from '3D Printing Files.zip' in matte black PLA(Standard PLA, 0.2 mm layer height, no supports needed for most parts)
- 3.Order components from the bill of materials spreadsheet(The optical filters are the most critical — verify wavelengths before ordering)
- 4.Upload the Arduino firmware and test the sensor(Install the Adafruit TSL2591 library, upload the firmware, then use the GUI's Fluorometer mode to check that the LED flashes and the sensor returns readings)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The 10 x 10 mm 470 nm and 525 nm bandpass filters are the hardest parts to source: the BOM notes that a single AliExpress store may be the only supplier, so order them first and check the wavelengths before you buy.
- The filter cube is the fussy part: the printed parts hold the LED, filters and sensor in line, so poor print tolerances lead to difficult assembly and unreliable readings. Print on a well-calibrated printer and run the verification assay from the build PDF before trusting any numbers.
- Use the ready-made Windows or macOS GUI from the release page if you can; if you run the Python app from source, install the pinned packages from python/requirements.txt first.
- This is a two-point linear calibration fluorometer, not a full multi-point curve like a commercial instrument. That works for the Qubit HS and BR kits because they are designed for two-point calibration, but if you try to run a different assay you may need to rework the calibration logic.
- The repository does not include the Qubit assay kits or the SYBR Safe dye — those are separate purchases. The low-cost SYBR Safe assay is under 13 cents per measurement, but you still have to buy the dye and prepare the standards.
- The bioRxiv preprint is not yet peer-reviewed — the validation data is solid and the side-by-side comparison against the Qubit 4 is in the figures, but it has not been through formal journal peer review.
Can I use this for clinical diagnostics or medical testing?
No. This is a research and education device. It is not medical-grade, not certified, and not intended for clinical or diagnostic use.
What assays does it run?
It is built to run the Qubit High Sensitivity (HS) and Broad Range (BR) DNA assay kits, which are the standard Thermo Fisher kits. There is also a low-cost SYBR Safe assay described in the preprint for under 13 cents per measurement.
How does it compare to a real Qubit?
Verified side by side against a Qubit 4: in-assay limit of detection 0.0028 ng/µL with the HS kit, average absolute bias 0.018 ng/µL across 0-10 ng/µL on a two-point calibration. That is close enough for quality control before sequencing. It is not a multi-point curve instrument, so if you need FDA-level precision or a full dose-response curve, buy the Qubit.
Do I need to solder anything?
No. The sensor connects with a STEMMA QT cable and the LED with plug-in hookup wires and a single through-hole resistor, and measurements are triggered from the desktop GUI. The one delicate step is scraping through a tiny LED trace on the back of the TSL2591 sensor board with a hobby knife so its indicator light does not interfere.
Where do I get the Qubit assay kits?
Thermo Fisher or any lab supplier. They are not included in the repository or the 40-dollar parts cost — the kits are a separate purchase.
Can I build this if I have never used an Arduino?
You can. The 40-page build PDF walks through installing the Arduino IDE and drivers, uploading the firmware and installing the GUI, and ends with a verification assay so you know the device works. The fiddliest physical step is cutting one small trace on the sensor board.
Community builds
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The preprint reports an in-assay limit of detection of 0.0028 ng/µL with the Qubit HS kit, from a device built for around 40 dollars in parts versus thousands for a commercial fluorometer. If you are running DNA quantification in a lab or a field station, what would actually stop you from building one of these as a backup?
Will Anderson, Fiach Antaw, Sophie Kenny and colleagues in the Trau Group
The Trau Group is at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland. The project came from the awkward observation that the instrument that checks DNA concentration before sequencing costs more than the sequencer it feeds — so they built a 40-dollar version that runs the same assay kits and validated it side by side in a working biotechnology laboratory.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM29d agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the repository is clean and the 40-page Build Instructions PDF is thorough, the Python app ships with a requirements.txt, and ready-made GUI builds for Windows and Apple Silicon Macs are on the releases page. The build is solder-free and plug-and-play: the optics sit in a printed press-fit filter cube, so print accuracy of that cube matters more than any manual alignment. The creators report about 4 hours of printing on a Bambu Lab A1 and about 2 hours for construction and verification. The bioRxiv preprint (DOI 10.1101/2024.12.16.626200) has the validation data, including comparison measurements against a Qubit 4 and a field application with Australian lake water eDNA, but it is a preprint, not yet peer-reviewed. The default build targets fluorophores around 470 nm excitation and 520 nm emission, so check that the LED and filters you order match those before buying. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.