First section is about what the system does as of today. Below that shows how it arrived there

"pr0nscope"

Current configuration

Driver controller: New Focus ethernet controller

Joystick: New Focus MODEL 8754 PICOMOTOR JOYSTICK

XY stage

Klinger/Micro-Controle/Newport variable reluctance UT100-50PP (50 mm). I've read these are rated to 0.1 um accuracy. IIRC they use UE30PP motor but you can get a stepper version.

However, instead of using the variable reluctance motor a stepper motor was attached via a custom machined adapter plate, flexible shaft coupler, and 4-40 standoffs from discarded computers

Optics

Olympus BH2-UMA illuminator

Olympus LH50A lamphouse

Think Nikon makes the lamp power supply

Misc Mitutoyo Plan Apo, a couple Olympus NeoSPlan DIC

NeoSPlan DIC prism set

Sensitive tint plate

Polarizer, analyzer

AmScope MD800E camera (using Linux GSPCA driver I wrote)

Misc

CD4069 to convert 3.3V indexer logic level to 5V stepper drive logic level

Unknown who makes the base but its very heavy duty

mk0

Failed attempts that never made a working system

0.0

Above: manually operated system. Clicked point and shoot camera to take pictures. t-slot aluminum lines it up to the monocle.

0.1

Above: stepper motors with (to be added) springs to couple them to the linear stages. IIRC it took way too much force to turn the stags leading the springs to turn the stages in unpredictable bursts.

0.2

Above: Instead tried to spring load some gears onto the stages. Slightly non-linear but very predictable. I don't recall what the specific problem was with this system, but probably just difficult to keep the gears aligned

mk1

Purchased a Unitron inverted metallurgical microscope because it was the least expensive metallurgical microscope I could buy ($200 shipped IIRC).

1.0

Above: an unmodified microscope of the same model

1.1

Above: basic idea of setup. Microscope stage has been removed and the microscope has been turned upside down to make it right side up. Point and shoot similar to mk0. I soldered wires onto the shutter controllers and routed them to EMC2 (LinuxCNC) software that ran g-code to move Sherline 2000 mill stages (something I already had…and the only "nice" thing I had at the time). Pictures were snapped by sending coolant mist (focus), coolant flood (snap picture), followed by coolant off (release shutter). $20 laptop with a wireless card from a scrapped access point.

Above: since the original stage had been removed I needed a way to focus it. Linear stage removed from a broken spectrometer found in school dumpster and spring loaded with a rubber band to maintain position (intended to be gravity spring loaded but I'm holding it the "wrong" way)

mk2

2.0

Original microscope without computer control

2.1

Above: very first test before installing the tip tilt. Note riser block is still present below stage. This takes a way a lot of my clearance making it so that I couldn't use Mitutoyo objectives

Above: tip tilt installed shortly thereafter.

Used motors, mixed types. Minebea size 17 frames

PMC VS series drivers that I found in the trash

"USBIO DAQ" board used to bit bang step/direction signals

2.2

Added picomotor theta X/Y. have drivers and stage setup for Z but never installed picomotor mostly becasue I never replaced the cable

Ultimately it turned out I didn't really need the picomotors. The real issue was that the original leadscrew was poor quality. I just use them as leadscrews and don't use the motorized capabilities. At first I had problems bumping stage and so used the joystick to avoid touching things but now I'm quicker just adjusting by hand without issue.

2.3

Got new motors: 17PM-K318-04V

17PM-K: [1]
- Datasheet: [2]
General motor guide: [3]

Tried OEM650 drivers but burned out a motor and ultimately went back to old drivers

New motors: TYPE 17PM-K318-04V

Yellow A-1
Black: A-C
Red A-2
Blue B-1
White B-C
Orange B-2

Driver settings (PMC VS series):

Motor current S2-3:S2-8: 001111

   0.95 + 0.19A

switch off selects it
Seems to be stalling...upgrade to 0.38A

2.4

As of 11/09/2013

Recent changes:

Use of hardware DIY indexer has enabled microstepping. Significant noise/vibration reduction
- proposed protocol
Implemented acceleration/decceleration logic in hardware indexer
On UPS (I haven't had a problem, but its right next to my room UPS)

Y motor drive box may be beginning to see mechanical failure but move to microstepping and hardware indexer has smoothed acceleration profiles significantly which seems to have sufficiently mitigated suspected stripped gear for the time being

Control software

Revisions:

pr0ntools: 1dea224a62bef5f0a02e2c41e81d85553db30ab0, Sat Nov 9 20:21:30 2013 -0800
uvcada: c550026a99c50a63e70f278c2e98e98d6e0486ef, Sat Nov 9 19:51:01 2013 -0800
python: 2.7

Indexer

Revisions:

pr0ndexer 010652d4ddc8f06d54ff01062372cb9ba916f12e, Sat Nov 9 19:50:36 2013 -0800
Toolchain: arm-none-eabi-gcc (GNU Tools for ARM Embedded Processors) 4.7.4 20130913 (release) [ARM/embedded-4_7-branch revision 202601]
STM32 eval borad. CPU rev L1

Driver

Drivers (2): Precision Motion Controls PMC VS series

Switches

Switch/current: off means add current

S2-3: 0.095 A
S2-4: 0.19 A
S2-5: 0.38 A
S2-6: 0.76 A
S2-7: 1.52 A
S2-8: 3.04 A

Microstepping:

Level	S1-1	S1-2
50000	OFF	OFF	OFF
25000	ON	OFF	OFF
*10000	OFF	ON	OFF
2000	ON	ON	OFF
51200	OFF	OFF	ON
25600	ON	OFF	ON
6400	OFF	ON	ON
400 (none?)	ON	ON	ON

Theta control

Mirror mount: Newport P100-P2

Motors: Picomotor, model ???

Drivers (2): New Focus something

Adafruit serial adapter

Wires:

red: 5V @ 500mA direct from USB port
black: ground
white: 3.3V RX into USB port
green: 3.3V TX out of the USB port

2.5

07/19/2014: is currently out of service due to broken laptop (and has been for a while). replacement parts in the mail. cleaning up electronics while its down

07/28/2014: back online! Down for a few months but rolling once more

built t-slot cage around desk. mounted pegboard to which I attached the various electronics to clean them up and get them off the desk (the idea cabinet thing just wasn't working very well)

want to add:

finish rewiring electronics. either make pcb or use phoenix contact DIN mount screw terminals
get a cabinet to store spare carasols loaded with objectives
Can fit the confocal microscope next to it now that I have more room on the desk?
would be nice to get a real anti-vibration table
consider adding continuous running hepa filter at top (make it like laminar flow workstation)
- problems blowing dies away?

2.6

Controller replaced with BBB

Motors replaced with IMS NEMA 17 integrated drivers

Circa 2015-09-15

Discovered my MDrive17 units are set to 51200 microstepping. This is a bit high...may pose issues getting BBB to step fast enough especially given already high gear ratio

Created high performance BBB configuration. Although my step rate is way smoother and higher than pr0ndexer, the high microstepping meant that I stayed at about the same max velocity (possibly losing some). About 4 rev/s max

"g0 x5120" 5 mm

1000 steps / unit
51200 steps / rev
100 rev => 5 mm
1 rev => 50 um
1 real motor step => 250 nm
1 microstep => ~ 1 nm

Appears to be either missing steps or I have the ratios wrong. Consider setting up a repeatbility test using microscope itself to target something.

2015-08-29

NEMA 17 motor pinout

Original connectors:

P1: DB25 controller interface
P2: limit switch?
P3: limit switch?
P4: motor encoder
P5: motor main (motor P1)
P6: motor power (removed)

P1: controller interface

DB25 Pin	To	Wire color	Function
1	P4.1	Red
2	P4.6	Green
3	P4.8	White
4
5	Old: P2.5 New: P5.1	Black	Old: lim sw New: ground
6
7	P3.2 New: P5.1	Black	Old: lim sw New: ground
8
9
10
11	P5.3	Red	OPTO	5V Orange BBB P9.5-6
12	P5.5	Black	EN	N/C
13
14	P4.5	Brown
15	P4.7	Blue
16	P4.4	Black
17	P2.1 New: P5.2	White	Old: limit sw New: +V
18	Old: P2.3 New: N/C	Black	Old: shield New: N/C
19	Old: P3.1 New: P5.2	White	Old: limit sw New: +V
20	Old: P3.3 New: N/C	Black	Old: shield New: N/C
21
22
23
24	P5.4	Green	SCLK ("step")	X: BBB P8.13 Y: BBB P8.15 Blue
25	P5.6	White	DIR	X: BBB P8.12 Y: BBB P8.14 White

NOTE: original cables had these two ports which were repurposed into power lines:

P2
P3

Probably intended to be used for limit switches

P2/P3: limit switches

P2 (original wiring):

P2 Pin	DB25 pin	Wire color	Function
1	17	White
2	5	Black
3	18	Black	Shield	N/C as power

P3 (original wiring):

P3 Pin	DB25 pin	Wire color	Function
1	19	White
2	7	Black
3	20	Black	Shield	N/C as power

P4: encoder

Mot P1	P1	Wire color
1	1	Red
2	N/C	N/C
3	N/C	N/C
4	16	Black
5	14	Brown
6	2	Green
7	15	Blue
8	3	White
9	N/C	N/C
10	N/C	N/C

P5: motor main

2.4.3 Motor P1 - Power, communications and logic (universal inputs)

Mot P1	P1	Wire color	Function
1	5 7	Black	Ground
2	17 19	Red	V+
3	11	Red	OPTO
4	24	Green	SCLK
5	12	Black	EN
6	25	White	DIR
7	N/C	N/C	+5V
8	N/C	N/C	CLK
9	N/C	N/C	CGND
10	N/C	N/C	MOSI
11	N/C	N/C	CS
12	N/C	N/C	MISO

P6: power

Removed. Never pinned out but was just red + black wire

Misc notes

T7 star to take off BH2-UMA

7/64" allen to remove nosepiece adapter from Z assembly

5/32" allen to remove fine/medium focusing assembly from Z assembly

3/16" allen to remove fine/medium backplate to expose gears

7/16" socket to remove fine/medium knobs (remove circular cover first)

left side comes off, right side doesn't
remove by holding left fine focus in place and turning

User:Mcmaster/cnc microscope

Contents