Philip M Russell Ltd

Saturday, 23 August 2025

🔬 Building Your Own Lab Equipment on a Budget

By Philip M Russell Ltd – Science Education & Innovation

Science is about exploration—but exploration shouldn’t cost the Earth.

In our lab, we believe that great science doesn’t always require expensive commercial equipment. In fact, some of our most creative lessons and demonstrations come from DIY lab gear we’ve built ourselves—using low-cost parts, clever design, and a bit of scientific ingenuity.

Here’s how we’ve built up a working laboratory without breaking the budget—and how you can too.

🧪 Why Build It Yourself?

Commercial lab equipment can be:

Expensive 💸
Overspecified for teaching purposes
Unavailable in schools or small settings
Lacking in flexibility for hands-on learning

By building it ourselves, we gain:

A deeper understanding of the equipment
A chance to customise it for our lessons
An opportunity to teach students about engineering, design, and practical science in one go

Plus, let’s be honest—it’s fun.

🧰 What We've Built

Here are just a few examples of DIY equipment we use in our lab and in lessons:

1. Pendulum and Light Gate System

Instead of buying an expensive setup, we used a clamp stand, a PASCO wireless light gate, and a 3D-printed bob holder. Add some string and a ruler, and we’re ready to time oscillations down to the millisecond.

2. DIY Colorimeter

Using a cheap LED light, a photodiode sensor, and some LEGO to hold it all together, we built a simple but effective colorimeter for measuring absorbance in solution—ideal for GCSE or A-Level Chemistry.

3. Potato-Powered Conductivity Probe

Using simple materials and a multimeter, we’ve built conductivity testers that are more fun, less fragile, and perfect for student investigation. Plus, you can use fruit. Always a win.

4. LEGO-Based Oscillating Systems

We’ve created mechanical sine wave generators using LEGO Technic to show how circular motion maps to waveforms—an engaging crossover of maths, physics, and hands-on learning.

💡 Tips for Building Your Own Equipment

Start Simple: Begin with experiments you already teach and think about what could be made or adapted.
Use What You Have: LEGO, cardboard, kitchen scales, webcams, Arduino boards—many items around the home or school can be repurposed.
Work with Open Source: Many designs for lab equipment (like colorimeters, spectroscopes, and microscope adaptors) are freely available online.
Safety First: Make sure all DIY setups are tested thoroughly before student use.
Document Everything: Keep a record of your build process, costs, and usage—this helps with reproducibility, improvements, and even Ofsted.

🔧 When DIY Meets Education

Building lab equipment teaches:

Scientific method through trial and error
Problem-solving and design thinking
Budgeting and real-world engineering constraints

It also fosters a sense of ownership—students love using something they helped build.

🌍 Science for All, Not Just for Some

In a time when school budgets are tight and access to high-quality resources can be uneven, DIY science equipment is not just a workaround—it’s an educational advantage. And with a little imagination, a hot glue gun, and a box of wires, the sky’s the limit.

📷 Want to see what we’ve built recently?
Check out our YouTube channel or visit us at philipmrussell.co.uk for tutorials, photos, and downloadable guides.