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YOU CAN BUILD A POCKET DNA LAB THAT RUNS FROM USB

PocketPCR by GaudiLabs is an open-source thermocycler — the machine labs use to copy DNA — that fits in your hand and runs off USB.

by GaudiLabs (Urs Gaudenz)

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Scientific-instrumentsBiotech

difficulty
●●●○○
time
a weekend
license
GPL-3.0
repo
repo MATURE (STABLE, OLDER)186 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

Show off your build — Record and edit your build video by editing the transcript, not the timeline.Try Descript
Videos
1

COMPAREE VERDICT

This is the most 'I can actually finish this' project in our science lineup. A PCR thermocycler — the exact machine that copies DNA in real labs — shrunk to your palm and powered over USB. The build is genuinely a weekend: it's a well-documented board, not a research expedition. What's cool is what it unlocks: species ID, food authenticity tests, classroom biology. If you've ever wanted to do real molecular biology at home, this is the entry point.

NOT IN THE REPO

  • —GPL-3.0, fully documented
  • —Repo is stable but older (last update 2020) — mature, not abandoned; the design works as published

Can I build this?

Printenclosure — FDM
BuyPCB parts, heater, Peltier/thermistor, USB — full BOM in repo
Toolssoldering (through-hole + some SMD) · multimeter
Skillsbasic electronics ✓ · no biology needed to build it
Timea weekend
Costband $$ — current prices in repo BOM
Safetygets hot (thermocycling to ~95 °C) · handle reagents per their own safety rules

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

Videos

PocketPCR kit assembly (SyntheoGenesis)3:25

Creator has no build video — this is a real assembly of the official kit.

Gallery

The complete PocketPCR deviceGaudiLabs
Open side showing the heat blockGaudiLabs
Top view with 0.2 ml tubes loadedGaudiLabs
In hand — palm-sizedGaudiLabs
Deployed in malaria research in BrazilGaudiLabs

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 repo + project page (understand the thermocycle)
  2. 2.Order the PCB + parts from the BOM
  3. 3.Solder the board
  4. 4.Flash firmware and run a test cycle

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 repo is from 2020 — mature and working, but check part availability against the BOM
  • Building the machine is easy; running real assays needs reagents and proper handling
  • No heated lid — overlay samples with mineral oil or they evaporate during cycling.
  • The creator has no build video; the clearest guide is a third-party assembly of the official kit.

Do I need to know biology?

To build it, no — it's an electronics project. To run assays, you'll need reagents and to follow basic lab safety.

Is a 2020 repo still safe to build?

Yes — it's stable, not abandoned. The design works as published; just verify current part availability.

What can I actually do with it?

Copy DNA for species ID, food authenticity testing, and classroom experiments. It's a real thermocycler, palm-sized.

Why does my sample evaporate?

PocketPCR has no heated lid, so you must overlay the sample with mineral oil to stop condensation and evaporation — this isn't obvious from the README but it's essential.

Community builds

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

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

A palm-sized USB thermocycler puts DNA copying on your desk. What would you actually run first — species ID, food authenticity checks, a classroom demo?

CompareeTEAM1mo ago

The trap we're glad the community documented: PocketPCR has no heated lid, so unless you overlay samples with mineral oil they evaporate during the 95-degree cycling — essential knowledge that isn't in the README. The design itself dates from 2020 and is mature rather than abandoned; the third-party kit assembly video is the clearest guide since the creator never filmed one. Anyone used one for actual assays?

You can 3D print a microscope that sees individual atoms

●●●●○ · see atoms instead of copying DNA

You Can 3D Print Your Own MRI Scanner

●●●●● · a much bigger medical machine — read, don't build

GaudiLabs (Urs Gaudenz)

Open-science hardware lab making real lab instruments tiny and affordable. PocketPCR puts a full DNA thermocycler in your hand, fully open under GPL-3.0.

GitHub Web

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