AustinBlanco.com

Tag: confocal

  • Why a $3 laser vs $5000?

    I made a short video describing why laser pricing is so different. Much of it comes down to how precise the beam performance needs to be, and as with so many similar fields, as precision becomes better and better, pricing begins to log scale up as the challenges increase. Thanks for watching!

  • New Triggerscope 3-B Adds Range Spanning, LEDs, High Current Drive and More

    I’m excited to announce the release of the newest Triggerscope model the 3-B. This version replaces the V3, and is packed with improvements for practical laboratory use, including:

    • DAC Software Range Selection
      • Range selection is now software controllable for each channel. This means you can get a full 16 Bit resolution delivered to your device in any range from -2.5/+2.5V, to -10V/+10V, as well as -5/+5V, 0-5V, and 0-10V. A demo video of this feature is available below.
    • LED Status Indication
      • When integrating or first using any TTL controlled system, it’s difficult to determine whether the controller is properly firing trigger signals, and whether the device is properly outputting changes on the TTL and DAC lines. New LED’s on the Triggerscope 3B indicate an active sequence, TTL status, DAC output status, and input trigger status, all from the face of the device. In addition, these signals can be disabled or enabled for compatibility with ultra low light acquisition environments.
    • High Current TTL Drivers
      • When driving Lasers, the 50 Ohm impedance used can cause a tough voltage drop problem. This has been addressed by now sourcing up to 500mA per line on TTL lines 1-4. In addition, lines 5-8 now source 200mA per channel. While most systems should work great at 200mA, the higher current channels may also optionally be used to drive low intensity LEDs if needed, for applications such as transmitted illumination, powered directly from the Triggerscope.
    • An External DC Power switch is now included for simple restarts.

    More specs on the datasheet found here

    Here’s a quick demo of the DAC Range function as shown on my Oscilloscope.


    List price is $1,500 USD. Current lead times are 2 weeks ARO. Please contact ARC for purchase.

    -Austin

  • Live Animal Imaging Confocal Activates Vascular Clotting

    On a recent project I had an opportunity to collaborate with some great manufacturers and vendors, to build a custom microscope for Dr. Chia-Yi (Alex) Kuan, at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. This instrument is quite unique, and required a team of manufacturers to pull it off.

    Completed system ready for use.

    Dr. Kuan required an upright confocal microscope, which could perform photoactivation, widefield and confocal fluorescent excitation, all while running on an extended focus throw of 2″ range. The system required several custom pieces of hardware and software, which made things extra *fun*.

    This image was taken from a live specimen, showing cranial vasculature in vivo.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Team Contributors

    Visual Dynamix LLC, headed by Gary Tockman, was the lead system integrator on the project as well as the primary service provider for the system. Gary led the team on the build and did an excellent job defining input specifications and performance criteria, as well as managing the crazy logistics of building a system from so many different vendors.

    Using the same device for slides and for live specimens required some work on the focuser throw. Sutter Instruments provided a great solution via the BOB microscope. Chris Ballard spent a great deal of effort working out a long travel Z motor relying on the MPC control system for XYZ axis.

    89 North provided the photostimulation system, confocal, and LDI laser excitation. Scott Phillips and Simona Stelea both spent several days on site working on the system to make sure everything was dialed in properly.

    Scott Phillips works on cable connections

    All of the devices on the system needed control via Metamorph. I worked with David Biggs over at KB Imaging to handle this part, and was very glad I chose his work. David has extensive experience with driver development, and due to the proprietary nature of the firmware on this instrument, his experience saved the day on dialing in the driver for speed and reliability.

    Finally, I took on the system I/O side for lasers and triggering, as well as building the imaging PC and configuring Metamorph. Because the latest Triggerscope 3 model needed to drive the lasers,I also managed to work with David to create a Metamorph driver, so if you happen to run MetaMorph and want to control the triggerscope, please get in touch.

    Gary inspecting the filters on the XLight

     

     

     

     

     

    Systems like this usually require a day or two for the install, but in our case, most of the install team spent a week on site, to be certain that the details were ironed out and to get some training on the system in for the end users. In our situation this was a good call, as we found the inevitable last minute changes which needed to be addressed. Having the team together made addressing these things straightforward.

    Results

    A bit after leaving, the client sent over a beautiful video showing experimental data which includes the visualization of vasculature, with a clot stimulated by the laser exciter, and a resulting timelapse of that clot forming.

     

    Training for end users on a live specimen

     

    It’s great to be able to participate with clients, manufacturers and engineers who can pull builds like this together, and better still to watch this important and exciting research move forward. I’m even happier I get to share this build!

    -Austin

     

     

     

     

     

  • More on Nikon SIM Microscopy

    Details on the agreement between Nikon and UCSF for SIM can be found Here.

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