• A CD-sized microfluidic disk was presented that performs differential-centrifugation fractionation on 11 µL samples, uses burst valves, and can be read by a standard CD-ROM drive for fluorescence spectrometry; the group aims to adapt it for at-home purification of Taq polymerase and linked the paper “Integration of microcolumns and microfluidic fractionators on multitasking centrifugal microfluidic platforms.”

• Participants explored the feasibility of reverse-engineering decades of aerospace and weapons CAD data rumored to be stored on magnetic tape and CD-ROM in large DoD warehouses, speculating on the value of retrieving IGES files for aircraft-carrier plans.

• A garage lab in the network is reportedly refining 99.9 % pure silicon from sand in a repurposed microwave crucible and fabricating bipolar-junction transistors without photolithography, prompting calls to document the process and arrange a site visit.

• A Nature Photonics paper by Hong Tang’s group was highlighted for demonstrating controllable repulsive optical forces between silicon-nanowire waveguides by phase-shifting infrared light; the channel brainstormed on-chip light-force actuators as a potential new tool for MEMS or photonic circuits.

• A detailed technical thread covered the construction of a 3 kW DIY arc welder from rewound microwave transformers, including target parameters of 30 V @ 150 A, 7018 rod selection, and the trade-offs between aluminum and copper windings for high-current applications.

• Biosafety planning was contrasted with rumor when a misheard mention of a DIY “BSL-4 hot room” was clarified as mere research into CDC biosafety standards; links to the 5th-edition BMBL manual and Sunshine Project maps of U.S. high-containment biodefense labs were shared.

• OSU’s Open Source Lab (OSL), funded at ~$1 M annually on donated hardware, was identified as a potential host for freefab.org, with community members already in contact to secure free hosting for open-source fabrication projects.

• DIY microfluidics fabrication was described as “about as easy as exposing PCBs,” with SU-8 photolithography recommended as an accessible entry point for home labs wanting to build microscale devices.