Customisations and alternatives
For each version of the microscope the assembly instructions list a specific bill of materials, to make the microscope simple to build for non-microscopists. One of the key advantages of the OpenFlexure Microscope is that it can be customised for different applications, or modified if certain parts are not available.
Here are some of the most common customisations. This page may not be as detailed as the core instructions, please consider helping us to improve it.
The OpenFlexure forum also has many customisations and alternatives suggested by the community.
You can download every STL from here.
No access to the Sangaboard
Our custom motor board, the Sangaboard, can be hard to get hold of. We are working on this.
Follow this guide to build a Sangaboard-compatible motor controller using an Arudino nano, and the driver boards that come with each stepper motor.
No access to the illumination PCB
If you are unable to use the illumination PCB, you can substitute a 5mm LED, wired in series with a resistor.
Follow this guide to build the LED workaround.
Electronics drawers for alternative electronics versions
As standard the OpenFlexure microscope uses a Raspberry Pi v4 and a Sangaboard v0.5. If you have a different Raspberry Pi or Sangaboard you will need a different electronics drawer.
See this explanation of the electronics drawer options.
Alternative Optics
There are numerous ways to customise the optics of the microscope.
See this explanation of the customised optics options.
Alternative Stands
If using tall optics such as an infinity corrected objective you need a taller version of the stand:
If you have built a custom microscope without a rasberry Raspberry Pi, you can print a smaller stand to just hold the microscope.
Alternative Motor Gearing
The standard gear ratio of 2:1 is good for high resolution optics with a 100x RMS objective lens, but the xy stage motion can feel slow with lower magnification objectives or with the low-cost optics. There are alternative gear ratios available for the xy actuators. The z-actuator should retain the 2:1 ratio for precise focusing for all optics versions.
Print the alternative gear sets for standard or upright microscope, together with the gear tools.
Ratio 0.8:1 (best for all versions except 100x objectives)
small_gears_ratio_0.80.stl
large_gears_ratio_0.80.stl
upright_large_gears_ratio_0.80.stl
gear_tools_ratios.stl
Ratio 1:1
small_gears_ratio_1.00.stl
large_gears_ratio_1.00.stl
upright_large_gears_ratio_1.00.stl
gear_tools_ratios.stl