My goal is to build an MRI that can be used for simple physics experiments and to publish data on the design process.

Let me explain our current progress.
First of all, I was able to obtain my first 2-D MRI image on 2/24. The following images are from that time.

The image quality is coarse and blurred, but the image shows that an approximate shape can be reconstructed.
This two-dimensional image was acquired using the spin-echo method. The image type is proton density-weighted.
After this image was acquired, various improvements were made, and the image quality has now improved to the level shown below.

My current MRI has three problems.

■ The first is the poor signal-to-noise ratio of the signal and the resulting image quality.
This problem is exacerbated by switching noise and urban noise in the power supply to the detection system, including the preamplifier.
In principle, the lower limit of MRI noise is determined by the thermal noise of the detection coil, and the noise cannot be further reduced.
However, various types of noise are introduced into the detection system of my current MRI, adversely affecting the image quality.

■Second, as I am a novice in FPGAs, the HDL code for the FPGA that makes up the MRI sequencer is poor.

The MRI sequencer uses REDPITAYA, which is implemented with Zynq.
REDPITAYA is equipped with a 2-channel ADC and DAC as well as an Ethernet terminal for communication, but I have not been able to make full use of it.
I have implemented a UART module on my own and communicate with a PC using an RS232C-USB cable.
Due to this slow communication speed, the current MRI can only capture proton density-enhanced images.

■Third, the Z-axis gradient coil has not yet been implemented. Commercial MRIs can scan in three dimensions, but without a Z-axis gradient coil, they can only produce a two-dimensional projection image, similar to an x-ray.

Home Made MRI will continue to be improved.