Research instruments · prototyping · consulting

Lab equipment for the experiments nobody sells for.

BuddyEngineer is a small, family-owned shop in Pasadena that designs and builds bespoke instruments for researchers working at the edges of what commercial gear can do — anaerobic gas handling, fuel-cell conditioning, pressure-controlled cultivation, and one-off apparatus designed around your protocol.

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What we do

Built around your protocol, not the other way around.

If a piece of research equipment doesn't exist on a catalog page, that's where we come in. Tell us what the device needs to do and the conditions it has to survive — flammable gases, sealed culture vessels, corrosive H₂S, controlled pressure and temperature — and we'll design, machine, wire, and validate it.

We're researchers ourselves. That means we'll happily argue with you about whether you actually need the feature you're asking for, and we'll send back a device that works the first time you plug it in.

Capabilities

Six things we do most often — and the disciplines they touch.

01

Anaerobic gas handling

Manifolds with oxygen scrubbing, deadman timers for flammable gases, vacuum-purge integration, and multi-vessel sparging.

02

Fuel-cell conditioning

Precise humidification and heating of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and air — independent channels, digital readout, modular plumbing.

03

Pressure cultivation

Stainless vessels with relief valves, spring-loaded closures, and thermostat-compatible operation up to 100 PSI.

04

Sensing for harsh gases

Diaphragm-protected pressure measurement, custom probes, and digital instrumentation that survives H₂S and sulfuric atmospheres.

05

Analog & PLC controls

From discrete-component timers and capacitive level switches to PLC-driven pool and process automation — circuits that don't need a firmware update.

06

Bespoke apparatus

Evaporators, level switches, smart convectors, wind-turbine instrumentation — if it ships from a CAD file and a soldering iron, we can build it.

Selected prototypes & products.

Every item below started as a researcher asking for something that didn't exist yet.

Aluminum gassing-station manifold with oxygen scrubber and three independent gas lines. In production
BE-GS-3

Gassing Station Manifold

For anaerobic microbiology — three independent gas lines, oxygen scrubber, deadman switch for flammable gases, six-spigot output.

View spec sheet →
GCBE-1 fuel-cell gas conditioner front panel with flow meters, gauges, and blue hose connections. GCBE-1
GCBE-1

Fuel-Cell Gas Conditioner

Two-channel humidification and heating for H₂, N₂, O₂, and air. Up to 80°C, 1.7 atm, 70 SLPM with digital readouts.

View spec sheet →
Stainless-steel pressure growth vessel for microbial cultivation. 100 PSI
BE-PGV-100

Pressure Growth Vessel

Stainless cultivation vessel with pressure relief, spring-loaded closure, and thermostat-friendly operation up to 100 PSI.

View spec sheet →
Needle pressure gauge with Ashcroft diaphragm and Luer-lock needle. H₂S-safe
BE-NPG-D

Needle Pressure Gauge

Digital manometer with Ashcroft diaphragm — sample sealed Balch tubes and serum bottles without exposing electronics to corrosive gases.

View spec sheet →
Automated ethanol vapor generator with pneumatic cylinder, flask, hoses, and valves. AUD research
ETHANOL VAPOR

Automated Ethanol Vapor Generator

Temperature-controlled ethanol vapor source for AUD animal studies, using equilibrium vapor pressure and a heated pneumatic cylinder for repeatable dosing.

View spec sheet →
Workshop bench with prototype electronics and instruments under construction. Bespoke
CUSTOM

Your apparatus, our bench

Most of our work is one-of-a-kind. Bring us a protocol and a hard constraint — pressure, gas purity, temperature, geometry — and we'll quote a build.

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Institutional proof

We have built custom apparatus for research groups at the following universities and agencies:

  • Caltech
  • NASA
  • Dartmouth
  • Boston University
  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Warwick
  • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
  • University of British Columbia
Talk to a builder, not a sales team

Have a measurement no one sells equipment for?

Email us What we build →