Filter wheel and optics

Situated above the camera assembly, this section contains the motorized filter wheel with optical tubing and an imaging lens, allowing for 4x magnification with seamless switching between different fluorescent channels.

Assembled optical channel

Parts

The following 3D printed and/or machined parts are available in our hardware repository .

1x Filter Housing Bottom (Machined or 3D printed)

1x Filter Housing Lid (Machined or 3D printed)

1x Filter Wheel (Machined or 3D printed)

1x Filter Wheel Hub (Machined or 3D printed)

3x Aluminum Leg for 4x Magnification (Machined)

1x Alignment brace (Machined)

Quantity Description McMaster Part Number
6x 18-8 Stainless Steel Hex Drive Flat Head Screw 92125A086 Used to attach the filter housing bottom to the camera and focus assembly.
3x 316 Stainless Steel Hex Drive Flat Head Screw 93395A198 Used to attach the filter wheel hub to the filter wheel.
1x Alloy Steel Cup-Point Set Screw 91390A092 Set screw to attach filter wheel assembly to stepper motor shaft.
4x 18-8 Stainless Steel Hex Drive Flat Head Screw 92125A052 Screws used to attach filter select stepper motor to the filter housing lid.
3x Passivated 18-8 Stainless Steel Phillips Flat Head Screw 92010A424 Screws used to attach the aluminum legs to the filter housing lid.
3x 18-8 Stainless Steel Cup-Point Set Screw 92015A104 Set screws to fix the brace to the aluminum legs.
3x Knurled-Head Thumb Screw 92545A119 Thumb screws to adjust the alignment of the optical stack.
3x Button Head Hex Drive Screw 92095A185 Screws to hold together the filter wheel housing.

Start assembly by attaching the filter housing bottom to the camera and focus assembly with 6 flat head screws (92125A086).  Place the assembly on the laboratory stand and attach the assembly with two button head hex drive screws (92095A212 – from laboratory stand hardware list).

Attach the filter wheel hub to the filter wheel with three hex drive flat head screws (93395A198) and insert a set screw to lock the filter wheel once ready to assemble (91390A092).  Insert the filters into the wheel in the order shown below and set the complete filter wheel assembly aside.

Filter wheel order

Attach the stepper motor (STEPPERONLINE Micro Step Motor Nema 8 Bipolar Stepper Motor 0.6A 5.7oz.in/4Ncm DIY Robot, stepperonline.com) to the filter housing lid with 4 flat head screws (92125A052).

Optics (From top to bottom): Screw the 5x long working distance LM Plan achromatic objective lens (Bolioptics MT05073231) into a RMS to SM1 adapter (Thorlabs SM1A3), an adjustable lens tube (Thorlabs SM1V05), a stackable lens tube (Thorlabs SM1A10), and then finally into the filter housing lid. 

Objective lens on adjustable optical tubes

Attach the three aluminum legs with three Phillips flat head screws (92010A424) to the filter housing lid and slide the alignment brace over the three legs and tighten the set screws (92015A104) to lock the brace in place.  The thumb screws (92545A119) are adjusted to brace and align the optical stack.

Attach the fully assembled filter wheel to the shaft of the stepper motor and tighten the set screw. Carefully place the subassembly on the filter housing bottom ensuring that the filter wheel stop is not hitting the stop pin in the filter housing bottom.  Secure the assembly with three button head screws (92095A185).