ScanImage Supported Microscope Hardware

Cambridge Technology

• 6210H commonly used. Small and, hence, fast. Sizes of 3,5, and 6mm are commonly used.
• Typically controlled by a pair of 671xx servo driver or a dual-axis 673xx servo driver.
  • Most commonly, Class 1 controller topology (i.e., the servo incorporates one integrator) has been specified when ordering the servo driver board(s)

GSI Lumonics

• VM Series galvanometers combined with MiniSax 2 Analog Servo Controller should also work well.
  • No known/confirmed user to date

Any galvanometer with servo controller accepting an analog command waveform (in -10 to 10V range) should work with ScanImage

Any PMT (or other photodetector) with associated electronics producing an analog voltage signal within the range of 0-10V can be used with ScanImage. The bandwidth of the detector and electronics should be sufficiently large to allow signal changes to occur on the order of the pixel time; otherwise, the image will be filtered.

Commonly used combination:

• Hamamatsu R3896 PMT, together with the E989 magnetic shield and E678-11A connector socket.
• Stanford Research Systems PS310 high-voltage power supply is used to power the PMT and control its gain level.
• Stanford Research Systems SR570 current preamplifier is used to amplify the PMT current signal into a measurable voltage.

Conoptics

• For typical Ti:S (i.e. NIR) lasers, the 350-80LA Pockels Cell is often employed.
• For UV/Vis lasers, the 350-50 is often used.
• For either deflector type, the 302A or 302RM modulator is typically used.

Any Pockels Cell system (or other light modulating system) accepting a positive analog command waveform ranging (e.g 0-1V, 0-2V, up to 0-10V) is expected to work with ScanImage. Sufficient bandwidth is required for fast scan speeds and special features such as the PowerBox, UncagingMapper, etc.

Thorlabs

• PDA100A is often used for measuring power throughput of power modulator (e.g. Pockels Cell), whether by measuring the rejected beam or a picked-off portion of the transmitted beam.

Sutter Instrument

• The MP-285 Stepper Motor Controller is specifically supported by ScanImage
  • Special firmware options (e.g. WD3.4, WD3.6, KS3.4, SA3.4, and VJ3.4) are available by request from vendor. These firmware options encode, among other things, an assumed um/step value in each dimension.
  • The resolution displayed on the MP-285 controller represents this um/step value (in the X&Y dimensions) divided by 10 and 50, respectively, in the controller's coarse and fine modes.
  • Firmware versions 3.4 and WD3.4 are designed to be used with Sutter stages in all three dimensions (XY&Z). These are the standard options, i.e. without a special order.
    Sutter stages have a resolution of 2um/step.
  • Firmware versions VJ3.4 and WD3.6 are designed to use a Sutter stage in the Z dimension, but customized stages/motors in X&Y. (See section on Linear/Rotary Motor Stages for more information).
  • Firmware versions SA3.4 and KS3.4 are designed to use customized stages/motors in XY & Z. (See section on Linear/Rotary Motor Stages for more information).
    MP-285/R specifies order of controller alone, without associated micromanipulator

No other motor controllers are supported by ScanImage at this time.

Danaher Motion

• The XYR stage has been used for moving specimen stages in X/Y relative to a fixed microscope.
• The XYL, XYRB, and XYMR may also be suited for various applications.
• All of the X/Y stages consist of a lead/ballscrew and stepper motor in each dimension. Their specification includes
  the pitch (in mm) of the lead/ballscrew and the resolution (in steps/revolution) of the stepper motor. Together, these determine the distance/step for the stage.
  • The SA3.4 and VJ3.4 firmware options are designed for 0.02" pitch and 400 step/revolution motor resolution, corresponding to 1.25um/step
  • The KS3.4 firmware option is designed for 0.02" pitch and 200 step/revolution motor resolution, corresponding to 2.5um/step
  • The WD3.6 firmware option is designed for 2mm pitch and 400 step/revolution motor resolution, corresponding to 5um/step

Vexta Stepper Motors

• PK 2-Phase Stepper Motors commonly used for actuating a rotary Z-focus control (e.g. microscope focusing knob)
  • Standard resolution (1.8 deg/step or 200 steps/rev) option typically selected, e.g. PK266-01A
  • KS3.4 and SA3.4 MP-285 firmware options are configured for 0.5um/step in Z direction. This is correct calibration for PK standard resolution steppers combined with Olympus BX microscope focusing mechanism.

Sutter Instrument

• The MOM Microscope arranges the 3 standard MP-285 linear stages into an assembly for translating a microscope objective lens.
  • Intended for in vivo microscopy applications
  • The MP-285 controller's WD firmware option should be used with the native MP-285 linear stages

Vincent Associates

• LS Laser Shutters are often used for the laser shutter, in the 2/3/6mm options depending on the laser beam size (at the shutter's location).
  • For high NIR laser powers, the ZM shutter blade options are often selected. E.g. the LS6ZM2 might be selected.
  • The VCM-DM1, VMM-D3, and VMM-D4 shutter controllers can all be used
  • ScanImage only provides computer control of one of the shutters, even if using a multi-shutter controller (e.g. VMM-D3 or VMM-D4).

Thorlabs

• SH05 and SC10 have also been employed

Any shutter/controller system whose state (open or closed) is determined by a TTL signal's state will work with ScanImage