Design Specifications

Initial Phase

Figure 1. Initial Sketch of the Remote Microscope

Our initial plan was to print an adapter that directly connects the motor shafts to the knobs. We started with multiple designs of the adapters and tried them after the temporary aluminium profile has been built. Below is our initial design of the aluminium frame. We tried to install 4 stepper motors on one side so that we can still have a manual use of the microscope on the other side.

 

Figure 2. Preliminary Sketch of the Aluminium Profile Frame

When the microscope came, we realised that the knob that controls the x-direction of the caliper (i.e. the sample holder on the XY stage) moved forward when the y-knob was rotated. As such, we tried with a tubing connection such that the x-knob can still rotate when the y-knob pushes the caliper forward.

After the tubing was done, modifications were needed to accomodate the connection between the tube opening and the knob adapter. Multiple 3D-prints were made to successfully maintain a stable connection of the adapters in a way that it did not break easily.

 

Prototype

Figure 3. Remote Microscope Prototyope

  • (1) is the stepper motors installed with tubings connected to adapters (coloured black and white). Nema 17 stepper motors are installed and connected to (2) on the pins X, Y, E0, and E1.
  • (2) is the RAMPS v1.4, consisting of the Reprap Smart Full LCD Controller, Arduino Mega 2560, and ramps v1.4 shield. The stepper motors are connected to the pins as described in the first bullet point.
  • (3) is the LED light which serves as the illumination source for viewing samples, transmitting through the stage opening.
  • (4) is where the coarse and fine knobs are located. The adapters are attached to them by tubing and allowed movements along the z-axis, controlled by the pins E0 and E1.
  • (5) is the XY stage and the knobs are connected by tubing to the stepper motors. They are connected to pins X and Y, allowing movement along the x- and y-axis respectively.
  • (6) is the DC power source. We can adjust the voltage and current supplied to our prototype. The current power and current supplied are 12V and 2 A.

 

Final Product

There were a few changes and addition to the final setup from the prototype development phase.

Two nema 17 stepper motors were replaced with nema 17 gear stepper motors to for the coarse and fine knob to support the heavy weight of the camera module and allow for higher precise movements of the knob. The motor adapters were also changed from tubing attachment system to direct attachment to provide better turning capability.

An aluminium profile surface was also attached to the front side of the Remote Microscope for the Multi-cam purpose and also to support the laptop.

 

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