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A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate Cover

A Low-Cost Humidity Control System to Protect Microscopes in a Tropical Climate

Open Access
|Feb 2020

Figures & Tables

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Figure 1

Representative bright field image from a microscope in Belize showing obstructed field of view due to accumulation of debris on objective, eyepieces, and internal components. Debris is likely comprised of fungal growth and dust, containing both organic and inorganic matter.

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Figure 2

Humidity control system containing microscope.

Table 1

Material list for humidity control chamber. Similar locally sourced materials may be used as substitutes.

MaterialsCost
500 mL reusable silica beads~$2.00
Garbage bag (~50 gallon)~$0.10
500 g sand, packing tape, mason jar<$0.25
Punctured 26” bicycle tube$0.00
Glass jar for silica beads$0.00
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Figure 3

Humidity control chamber fabrication instructions.

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Figure 4

Relative humidity in and out of chamber located at the University of Belize (A) and the Belize Vector and Ecology Center (B). Data collected every 30 minutes with DHT11 sensor with an Arduino UNO. An autoregressive model demonstrates external and internal relative humidity are different; p < 0.001.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2585 | Journal eISSN: 2214-9996
Language: English
Published on: Feb 13, 2020
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2020 Anders J. Asp, Christina M. Webber, Evan N. Nicolai, Gabriel Martínez-Gálvez, Victoria S. Marks, Ephraim I. Ben-Abraham, John W. Willson, J. Luis Luján, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.