1
Build it twice before you trust it
Two identical units, same fluorescent banks. If both agree, the result is real, not a leak.
2
Log the time, not the feeling
Every cycle gets a timestamp on an index card. Memory drifts; the tape does not.
3
Keep the wiring exposed
No enclosures, no labels you cannot read. If you cannot trace it by hand, it is not finished.
4
Assume you will be the variable
Write the procedure for the version of you that forgets. Discipline outlasts intent.