Summary of DVD OPTICS POWER THIS SCANNING LASER MICROSCOPE
This article describes a DIY confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscope built by GaudiLabs using repurposed DVD pickup heads. The device utilizes high-precision optics to resolve microstructures as small as 150 nm. An Arduino on a custom PCB drives the laser and coil motors to scan samples in X and Y axes, constructing 3D images from multiple focal planes. This open-source project offers an affordable alternative to expensive electron microscopes for citizen science and biohacking enthusiasts.
Parts used in the Laser Scanning Microscope:
- DVD pickup heads
- Laser
- Arduino microcontroller
- Custom PCB
- Coils (from DVD heads)
We’ve all likely seen the amazing images possible with a scanning electron microscope. An SEM can yield remarkably detailed 3D images of the tiniest structures, and they can be invaluable tools for research. But blasting high-energy cathode rays onto metal-coated samples in the vacuum chamber of a bulky and expensive instrument isn’t the only way to make useful images, as this home-brew laser scanning microscope demonstrates.
This one comes to us by way of [GaudiLabs], a Swiss outfit devoted to open-source lab equipment that enables citizen science; we saw their pocket-sized thermal cycler for PCR a while back. The basic scheme here is known as confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy, where a laser at one wavelength excites fluorescent tags bound to structures in a sample. Light emitted by the tags is collected, and a 3D image is built up from multiple scans of the sample at different focal planes.
Like many DIY projects, this microscope is built from old DVD parts, specifically the pickup heads. The precision optics in these commonly available assemblies, which are good enough to read pits as small as 150 nm on a Blu-Ray DVD, are well-suited for resolving similarly sized microstructures. One DVD pickup is used to scan the laser in the X-axis, while the other head is modified to carry the sample and move it in the Y-axis. The pickup head coils and laser are driven by an Arduino carried on a custom PCB along with the DVD heads. Complete build files are posted on GitHub for anyone interested in recreating this work.
We love tips like this that dig back a bit and find things we missed the first go-around. And the equipment [GaudiLabs] lists really has potential for the budding biohacker, which we also like.
Source: DVD OPTICS POWER THIS SCANNING LASER MICROSCOPE
- How does this microscope create 3D images?
A 3D image is built up from multiple scans of the sample at different focal planes. - What components are used to build the scanner mechanism?
The device is built from old DVD parts, specifically the pickup heads. - Can this microscope resolve very small structures?
Yes, the precision optics can read pits as small as 150 nm on a Blu-Ray DVD. - Which component controls the laser and motor coils?
An Arduino carried on a custom PCB drives the pickup head coils and laser. - How is the sample moved during operation?
One pickup head scans the laser in the X-axis while a modified head carries the sample in the Y-axis. - What type of microscopy technique does this project use?
The basic scheme is known as confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy. - Where can users find the build files to recreate this work?
Complete build files are posted on GitHub for anyone interested in recreating this work. - Who developed this open-source lab equipment?
This project comes from GaudiLabs, a Swiss outfit devoted to open-source lab equipment.
