Low-cost microscope

This is a lower cost version of the OpenFlexure Microscope. It supports uses the lens from the Raspberry Pi Camera to produce a microscope with field of view about 750μm, similar to using a 20x objective. It is motorised, but you can also build it as a manual microscope.

If you use this microscope for research please consider citing our paper in Optics Express.

Before you start building the microscope you will need to source all the components listed our bill of materials (HTML, CSV).

The assembly is broken up into several steps:

  1. Test your printer
  2. Print the plastic parts
  3. Prepare the main body
  4. Prepare the microscope stand
  5. Assemble the actuators
  6. Assemble the basic optics module
  7. Mount the optics and the microscope
  8. Assemble the illumination
  9. Assemble the motors
  10. Attach the sample clips
  11. Complete the wiring
  12. Assembly complete

A render of the completed microscope using the Raspberry Pi camera module's lens.

There is also an interactive 3D view of the finished microscope.


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