Artificial Pancreas Pump

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jayashah
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Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:40 pm
Occupation: Student

Artificial Pancreas Pump

Post by jayashah »

Hello,

I'm currently working on my science project which is based off of the Dealing with Diabetes: The Road to Developing an Artificial Pancreas project. For some reason my pump does not turn off when the solution neutralizes. Even though the original neutralized solution is 7, and the conductivity sensor is first calibrated in that solution, the pump does not turn on. Any suggestions?

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... l-pancreas

Thanks,
Jaya
bfinio
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Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 2:41 pm
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Re: Artificial Pancreas Pump

Post by bfinio »

Hi Jaya,

Sorry for the delay in receiving a reply to your post. Were you able to get this to work? Most times when students have trouble with this project there is an error with their breadboard circuit. If you are able to upload clear, well-lit, in-focus pictures of your breadboard from a top-down view so we can clearly see all the connections, we can help you troubleshoot.

Thanks,

Ben
jayashah
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:40 pm
Occupation: Student

Re: Artificial Pancreas Pump

Post by jayashah »

Hi Ben,

While the pump worked correctly one or two times with a pH of less than 7/ about 7, it typically runs until there is no solution left. A few times, the pump stopped even before the solution reached 7, so at a pH of 7.5 or 8. Do you know why that might be?

Attached is a picture of my breadboard. You can also access it through this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_Xz ... sp=sharing

Thank you for your help,
Jaya
Attachments
BREADBOARD IMAGE (1).pdf
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bfinio
Expert
Posts: 740
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 2:41 pm
Occupation: Science Buddies Staff
Project Question: Expert
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Artificial Pancreas Pump

Post by bfinio »

Hi -

The wiring of your circuit looks correct, although it looks like there might be some baking soda on the circuit? Did the circuit get wet at any point? Any moisture on the circuit can cause short circuits and prevent things from operating correctly.

In general, this project can be pretty finicky - it is very sensitive to the calibration process and how well you mix the solution while the pump is active. It is intended to work as a conceptual model, but for a variety of reasons (also mentioned in the FAQ) it might not stop at a pH of exactly 7 - that doesn't mean the circuit "isn't working." If you have gotten it to work correctly a few times, that is probably sufficient - it may not be repeatable 100% of the time.

Thanks,

Ben
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