Scope clarification

[photocyte]

Glad to see this! Some quick comments:

• Device vs equipment vs instrument. How do you see the difference? In my mind, lab equipment is the superclass of lab instrument, equipment being something that makes a manipulation (i.e., pipette, bulk reagent dispensor), but doesn't make a measurement, whereas instruments do make measurements (i.e. plate reader)
• Does the device-databank include manual equipment, I.e. a pipette?
• The Readme currently states. does a certain lid fit onto a certain tube? Why does device-databank include a lid & lid compatibility? Isn’t that in the scope of the labware-databank?

[rpgoldman]

So you would say that equipment and instruments are mutually-exclusive subsets of device? (Just curious)

[photocyte]

No, I consider practically all laboratory instruments, to be also laboratory equipment. But not all laboratory equipment are laboratory instruments.

But device, is a bit tricky, in that makes me think about something that has to have an electronic component. Then what about "dumb" lab equipment like glass or plastic columns filled with resin. They can be ordered and calibrated & used repeatedly with precision - so they seem to be well suited as equipment. But are they a "device"? I would argue no.