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YOU CAN BUILD THE ALGAE REACTOR LABS PAY 6,450 EUROS FOR

A bench photobioreactor that costs what labs pay for one vessel, built around a Falcon flask and a 3D printed frame.

by Harvey Bates

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

ScienceOpen-hardware

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a weekend-plus
license
CC-BY-SA-4.0 (hardware), AGPL-3.0 (software)
repo
repo ACTIVE81 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 3D printer + filament — printable parts — files are in the repo
  • Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
  • Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware

Partner

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Videos
1

COMPAREE VERDICT

Phenobottle is a single-vessel photobioreactor built around a Corning Falcon flask in a 3D printed frame. A Raspberry Pi 3B+ runs the system with a Teensy 3.6 handling the hardware. Four actinic LED channels at 466, 532, 593 and 626 nanometres light the culture at up to 200 microeinsteins, a fluorometer samples at 8 microseconds and 12 bits, a motor stirs, a 12 volt pump bubbles air through, and a peristaltic pump moves liquid in and out. The repository is unusually complete: models, gerbers, bill of materials, firmware and schematic. This is for someone who already knows what a photobioreactor is for and has the lab skills to run one — the firmware assumes you understand optical density readings and culture dynamics. The single biggest trap is comparing this to commercial multi-cultivators that run eight vessels at once; this runs one, so it is not a direct replacement for a PSI MC-1000-OD. The published build is v0.1 and the README mentions a v0.2 that never shipped, so you are building the original version with no updates since 2020. If you need to run algae cultures under controlled light and measure what they do, and you are comfortable with Pi-plus-Teensy builds, this is a legitimate path.

NOT IN THE REPO

  • —STL and STEP models for frame, lid, flask cap and magnetic stirrer are present.
  • —KiCad sources with full gerber set ready to send to a board house.
  • —Hardware bill of materials published, firmware included, schematic as PDF.
  • —Hardware is Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0, software is AGPL v3.
  • —Both licences permit commercial use with attribution and share-alike requirements.
  • —Published build is v0.1 — README mentions a v0.2 that was never released.

Can I build this?

PrintFrame, lid, flask cap and magnetic stirrer — all STL and STEP files provided
BuyRaspberry Pi 3B+, Teensy 3.6, Falcon flask, four actinic LEDs, fluorometer components, 12V pump, peristaltic pump, motor, PCB fabrication
Tools3D printer, soldering station, PCB assembly or board house order
SkillsElectronics assembly, Raspberry Pi setup, basic microbiology lab practice
TimeA weekend-plus for assembly, longer if you are learning the fluorometry or culture work as you go
Cost$$, dominated by the Teensy, pump hardware and PCB fabrication
Safety12 volt DC electronics and LEDs. No mains voltage in the published design. Standard lab biosafety for algae cultures applies — the hardware does not introduce risks beyond what culturing already requires.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

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Videos

Phenobottle demonstration video

Footage of the build running, published 2020

Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the full README and hardware documentation (Understand what v0.1 includes and what v0.2 would have added)
  2. 2.Review the hardware bill of materials(Confirm Teensy 3.6 availability and LED wavelengths before ordering)
  3. 3.Send the gerbers to a board house(KiCad sources are included if you need to modify the design)
  4. 4.Print the frame, lid, flask cap and stirrer(STEP files are available if you need to adapt dimensions)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

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KNOWN ISSUES

  • The published build is v0.1 from 2020 with no updates — the v0.2 mentioned in the README was never released.
  • This runs one vessel; commercial multi-cultivators like the PSI MC-1000-OD run eight, so it is not a like-for-like replacement.
  • The firmware assumes familiarity with optical density readings and culture dynamics — this is not a learning-algae-basics project.
  • Teensy 3.6 is recommended but availability varies — confirm before ordering other components.
  • No build cost is published in the repository, so budget carefully and expect the Teensy, pumps and PCB to dominate.
  • LED wavelengths are specified at 466, 532, 593 and 626 nanometres — generic RGB LEDs will not work.

How does this compare to a commercial photobioreactor?

A PSI Multi-Cultivator MC-1000-OD is listed at 6,450 euros and runs eight vessels. Phenobottle runs one vessel and you build it yourself. It is not a replacement for multi-vessel systems, but it gives you the same controlled light and measurement capability for a single culture at a fraction of the cost.

What is the total build cost?

No cost is published in the repository. The Teensy 3.6, peristaltic pump, 12V pump, actinic LEDs and PCB fabrication will dominate. Budget is in the $$ range, but order incrementally if you are unsure.

Can I use a different Teensy?

The documentation recommends the Teensy 3.6. The 3.5 and 4.1 are mentioned as compatible, but the 3.6 is the tested reference.

What level of lab experience do I need?

You need to understand algae culture basics, optical density readings and aseptic technique. The hardware does not teach you those; it assumes you already know them.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Four actinic LED channels at specific wavelengths, a built-in fluorometer, and a single Falcon flask — what algae culture would you run first?

CompareeTEAM1h agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the repository is complete for v0.1 with STL, STEP, gerbers, bill of materials and firmware all present, but the v0.2 mentioned in the README was never released, so you are building the original 2020 version. The licences have non-standard filenames which is why GitHub's API does not parse them automatically — they are present and clearly state CC-BY-SA-4.0 for hardware and AGPL v3 for software, both permitting commercial use with attribution and share-alike. The single biggest surprise is that there is no published build cost anywhere in the repo, so you will need to price the Teensy, pumps, LEDs and PCB fabrication yourself before committing.

Harvey Bates

Harvey Bates published Phenobottle as an open-source photobioreactor for algae research. The project was built to v0.1 in 2020 with plans for a v0.2 that were not completed.

GitHub

Star the project on GitHub

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.
GitHub repo