simple and stable inverted microscope layout

[Jens]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Dear List,

I am looking for  a simple and most importantly stable inverted microscope design/layout for fluorescence microscopy and single particle tracking. It should consist of readily available "Lego bricks" (e.g. Thorlabs parts) and be versatile so that additional components can be added later. Thorlabs seems to prefer a design in which the objective is mounted on a damped post as in their optical tweezers setup (http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=3959) , but I am not sure if this is the most stable layout.

Thank you!

Jens
--------------------------------------------------------------
Jens B. Bosse Ph.D.
Enquist Lab
Department of Molecular Biology
and
Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Princeton University
301 Schultz Lab
Washington Rd
08544 Princeton, NJ, USA

Phone: [phone]
Email:  [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
Web: http://molbio.princeton.edu/labs/enquist/

[Craig Brideau]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I've built a number of Thorlabs systems 'on a stick' and I find the biggest
issue is the table or platform the whole system sits on. The post won't
cantilever too bad if it is on a stable base, but it will aggravate any
instabilities if you have a 'noisy' tabletop. I have a half-meter high
system on posts like this that is quite stable (CARS system), but it is on
a 45cm thick optical table which is floated. On a smaller scale, I have a
widefield system on a 10cm thick top that is 25cm tall that is fairly
sturdy with just neoprene damping feet under the breadboard. What sort of
bench/table do you have? Then I could suggest more accordingly.  If you are
building inverted a simple solution is to use a very short post or optical
rail (XT66 or XT95) or a heavy tapped block like the TS240 Tombstone:

http://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=223

Craig


On Mon, Apr 21, 2014 at 1:12 PM, Jens-Bernhard Bosse <[hidden email]>wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Dear List,
>
> I am looking for  a simple and most importantly stable inverted microscope
> design/layout for fluorescence microscopy and single particle tracking. It
> should consist of readily available "Lego bricks" (e.g. Thorlabs parts) and
> be versatile so that additional components can be added later. Thorlabs
> seems to prefer a design in which the objective is mounted on a damped post
> as in their optical tweezers setup (
> http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=3959) , but I am
> not sure if this is the most stable layout.
>
> Thank you!
>
> Jens
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Jens B. Bosse Ph.D.
> Enquist Lab
> Department of Molecular Biology
> and
> Princeton Neuroscience Institute
> Princeton University
> 301 Schultz Lab
> Washington Rd
> 08544 Princeton, NJ, USA
>
> Phone: [phone]
> Email:  [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
> Web: http://molbio.princeton.edu/labs/enquist/
>

[John Oreopoulos]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Jens,

Have you seen the ASI Rapid Automated Modular Microscope:

http://asiimaging.com/products/video-microscopes-test-stands-complete-system-solutions/rapid-automated-modular-microscope-ramm-system/

Definitely a lego-like system as different components can be bolted to it and it can be easily customized. Not sure if it has been successfully used for particle tracking, but we have used it for localization microscopy in the past, and it is an integral part of Hari Shroff's DiSPIM microscope:

http://asiimaging.com/products/light-sheet-microscopy/selective-plane-illumination-microscopy-ispimdispim/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YiQ-8tjYz0

Please note, I have no commercial interest in this product by ASI.

There used to be another small company called AFOptical (no commercial interest) that specialized in optical components that were easily used in a vertical building fashion (ideal for microscopes), but I don't think they are in existence any longer. I used the internet "way-back" machine to locate their old webpage:

http://web.archive.org/web/20061205032034/http://afoptical.com/



John Oreopoulos
Staff Scientist
Spectral Applied Research Inc.
A Division of Andor Technology
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Canada
www.spectral.ca


On 2014-04-21, at 3:12 PM, Jens-Bernhard Bosse wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Dear List,
>
> I am looking for  a simple and most importantly stable inverted microscope design/layout for fluorescence microscopy and single particle tracking. It should consist of readily available "Lego bricks" (e.g. Thorlabs parts) and be versatile so that additional components can be added later. Thorlabs seems to prefer a design in which the objective is mounted on a damped post as in their optical tweezers setup (http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=3959) , but I am not sure if this is the most stable layout.
>
> Thank you!
>
> Jens
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> Jens B. Bosse Ph.D.
> Enquist Lab
> Department of Molecular Biology
> and
> Princeton Neuroscience Institute
> Princeton University
> 301 Schultz Lab
> Washington Rd
> 08544 Princeton, NJ, USA
>
> Phone: [phone]
> Email:  [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
> Web: http://molbio.princeton.edu/labs/enquist/

[Ian Dobbie]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Craig Brideau <[hidden email]> writes:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> I've built a number of Thorlabs systems 'on a stick' and I find the biggest
> issue is the table or platform the whole system sits on. The post won't
> cantilever too bad if it is on a stable base, but it will aggravate any
> instabilities if you have a 'noisy' tabletop. I have a half-meter high
> system on posts like this that is quite stable (CARS system), but it is on
> a 45cm thick optical table which is floated. On a smaller scale, I have a
> widefield system on a 10cm thick top that is 25cm tall that is fairly
> sturdy with just neoprene damping feet under the breadboard. What sort of
> bench/table do you have? Then I could suggest more accordingly.  If you are
> building inverted a simple solution is to use a very short post or optical
> rail (XT66 or XT95) or a heavy tapped block like the TS240 Tombstone:
>

As a slightly more custom job you could look at the
WOSM. (http://wosmic.org/). Beautiful and extremely stable, designed for
doing single particle tracking working widefield and TIRF.

Ian