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Part Procurement
[Miniscope V4 Wiki] [Miniscope DAQ Software Wiki] [Miniscope DAQ Firmware Wiki]
In this repository we have included everything you need to source, fabricate, and assembled V4 Miniscope however you choose. While much of the system can be built with off the shelf commercial component, it also requires custom Miniscope body parts and a custom Rigid-Flex PCB. Below is a part procurement guide that outlines possible options for sourcing all the necessary Miniscope parts listed in the Parts List page on this wiki.
We have also put together a Miniscope Buyer's Guide for information about acquiring V4 Miniscope assembly kits, fully assembled V4 Miniscopes, Miniscope DAQ's, and accessoriers. This is generally the avenue most research should take when setting up Miniscopes in a lab.
A Note on the Open-Source Nature of the Miniscope Project: With the Miniscope project being an open-source project, any person, group, or company has the option of putting together and selling any part of this system. While this has generally resulted in mostly well put together parts and system for previous Miniscopes released, there is always the risk that some groups/companies will supply less-than-adequate components/systems. We try to work with open-source distribution groups and commercial companies interested in distributing parts of our system to make sure the work/support/systems they provide are up to the standards the neuroscience community expects. In the procurement guide below, we try to list as many avenues as possible of getting high-quality components for Miniscopes. If you know of, or have questions about, other sources of components/systems feel free to ask us about them on the Miniscope Discussion Forum.
By the time you reach the end of this guide, you will have ordered or purchased everything needed to assemble and use a V4 Miniscope. You should cross-reference the Parts List page as there likely is some complimentary information there.
Requirements and suggestions:
- Currently the Miniscope DAQ Software runs on Windows and Linux. The software has been written in QT and uses OpenCV, therefore it likely can be built for other operating systems without too much effort.
- Requires a USB3 port
- The number of cores/threads needed to run the Miniscope Software will depend on the number of devices you plan on streaming data from and the data compression you plan on using. For light loads, a mid-priced laptop or better should be fine.
- In the past, we had generally used MacBook Pro's running Windows through Bootcamp for Miniscope acquisition but we have noticed that a specific configuration of Bootcamp + Windows does not play well with the new Miniscope DAQ Software. Therefore we suggest currently staying away from Mac's running Windows.
- If you do not need portability in your computer, a standard desktop should be able to handle the Miniscope Software without issue.
A Miniscope connects to a computer through a Miniscope DAQ PCB/Box. We are in the process of developing new Miniscope DAQs but currently you will use the already released Miniscope DAQ (Version 3.x) for the V4 Miniscope. This means that if your lab currently uses Miniscopes, you just need to upload new Miniscope DAQ Firmware to the DAQ to enable V4 Miniscope support.
The Github Repo for the Miniscope DAQ v3.2 can be found here. This is only needed if you plan on fabricating, assembling, or modifying the DAQ yourself.
Most users do not have a need to modify the DAQ and would prefer directly purchasing an assembled, programmed, and tested Miniscope DAQ. Below are link(s) to distribution companies that keep a stock of fully assembled Miniscope DAQs:
- Updated Minsicope DAQ from OEPS. This is our preferred DAQ as it comes with a few additional improvements over the Miniscope DAQ v3.2. These improvements can be found on the OEPS site.
- Miniscope DAQ PCB from LabMaker. LabMaker also sells a Miniscope DAQ in a box for substantially more. We suggest only getting the assembled and tested PCB from them and find a Miniscope DAQ box elsewhere. One place to get a 3D printed DAQ box is here.
We have be working with the Open Ephys Production Site (OEPS) to put together a V4 Miniscope Assembly Kit that contains everything you need to build a V4 Miniscope. Importantly, all components in this Assembly Kit are initially vetted by the Miniscope Team and fully validated and tested by OEPS. They have put in great effort to keeping the cost of the Assembly Kit down while still being able to back the Kits with part replacement and support.
We would highly recommend this option as the Assembly Kit has the backing of OEPS, you will be supporting open-source distribution, you only need to go to one vendor for everything needed, and the components in the kit have been vetted by the Miniscope Team.
OEPS and LabMaker also supply fully assembled V4 Miniscopes, DAQs, and supporting accessories. We have written a Miniscope Buyer's Guide which will walk you through all the options available from these sites. If instead, you want to acquire each individual component separately, follow the guide below.
If you want to procure V4 Miniscope components individually, see below:
The Rigid-Flex PCB of the V4 Miniscope is definitely the most difficult item to source for the system. We are working on finding distribution sources that will keep this PCB in stock at reasonable pricing and expect the PCB to start to become available by the end of February 2020.
This repository contains the KiCad design files, gerbers, BOM, and pick and place files if you want to get the Rigid-Flex PCB fabricated and assembled yourself. More information on its specifications can be found on the Rigid-Flex PCB page.
The Miniscope body is composed of:
| Quantity | Part Name | Material |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Objective Module | Delrin |
| 1 | Emission Module | Delrin |
| 1 | Excitation Module | Delrin |
| 1 | Objective Module Sleeve (optional) | Aluminum |
In addition you will need V4 Miniscope base plates for mounting the Miniscope to the animal's skull. There are two variants of the base plate, one requiring an Aluminum Objective Module Sleeve.
| Quantity | Part Name (You need one of the two variants below) | Material |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | Miniscope V4 Base Plate Variant 1 | Aluminum |
| +1 | Miniscope VR Base Plate Varaint 2 (this one is used in conjunction with the Objective Module Sleeve) | Aluminum |
Fusion and .STL files are included in this repository. It you get these machined yourself, you need to make sure the fit of the 3mm and 4mm lenses are a press-fit. You also need to make sure the base plate fit is a slip-fit.
We recommend getting these parts machined by Shylo Stiteler ([email protected]) as he is very familiar with the Miniscope project, understands the fit and finish requirements, and produces exceptional parts. He has setup a Miniscope Parts web store where you can purchase individual machined parts.
3D Printing Options: We recommend getting these parts machined out of Delrin and Aluminum but we have also had decent success 3D printing them on a Formlabs Form3 printer using their black resin. The main downside here is the parts are more brittle and less flexible than Delrin, slightly poorer at blocking lights, and less rigid than machined Aluminum.
We have tested the V4 Miniscope using lenses from Edmund Optics. Below is the standard optical stack for the V4 Miniscope. It will result in ~1mm field-of-view diameter and ~1mm working distance. For other lens stack options visit the Lens Configurations page.
| Quantity | Vendor | Part Number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Edmund Optics | 45-089 | 3mm diameter, 6mm FL achromat used in the objective module |
| 1 | Edmund Optics | 63-691 | 4mm diameter, 10mm FL achromat used in the emission module |
| 1 | Edmund Optics | 47-269 | 3.0mm Diameter, N-BK7 Half-Ball Lens |
To adjust the focus on the Miniscope from software, the V4 Miniscope uses an electrowetting lens from Corning/Varioptics. For largish quantities (20+) you can contact Varioptics directly and request part number "A-25H0".
For smaller quantities, the electrowetting lens can be purchased directly from Edmund Optics:
| Quantity | Vendor | Part Number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmund Optics | 34-282 | 2.5mm CA, A-25H0 Corning Varioptic Variable Focus Liquid Lens |
If you purchase the electrowetting lens from Edmund Optics, you will need to remove the metal housing and Flex Printed Circuit it comes with. This can easily be done with common tools available in most neuroscience labs.
You will need to get 3 optical filters for the V4 Miniscope. These are standard GCaMP/GFP filters but they need to be diced to a small, custom size. We recommend getting these lenses from Chroma as they are very familiar with the Miniscope project and often keep these custom diced filters in stock. You can also ask Chroma to dice most of the filters they sell if you want to image other wavelengths.
| Quantity | Vendor | Part Number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chroma | ET470/40x | 4mm x 4mm x 1mm excitation filter. Make sure to say this size (or say it is for the V4 Miniscope) in the request |
| 1 | Chroma | ET525/50m | 4mm x 4mm x 1mm emission filter. Make sure to say this size (or say it is for the V4 Miniscope) in the request |
| 1 | Chroma | T495lpxr | 6mm x 4mm x 1mm dichroic filter. Make sure to say this size (or say it is for the V4 Miniscope) in the request |
Contact Dick Steward ([email protected]) to get a quote from Chroma.
Any 50ohm coaxial cable will work with the Miniscope system but we recommend using a thin flexible coax cable. It is also important to note, the thinner the coax cable the shorter the maximum cable length can be. This is due to two things, thinner cables have a higher resistivity which causes a larger voltage drop across the cable and thinner cables have more signal attenuation at high frequencies.
| Quantity | Vendor | Part Number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~10ft | Cooner Wire | CW2040-3650SR | This is our recommended coax cable. It is 1.1mm in diameter and both strong and flexible |
| ~5ft | Mouser | 538-50MCX-37 | This is an extremely thin coax cable. Generally it will work up to about 5ft in length. |
The Miniscope used M1 thread-forming screws for assembly. We recommend using part number 96817A704 from McMaster Carr.
You can use a T2 Torx driver to screw and unscrew these M1 screws. We use part number 52995A24 from McMaster Carr for this.
We glue/epoxy the Rigid-Flex PCB onto the Miniscope. While modifications can be made to mount the Rigid-Flex PCB with screws and/or brackets, glue/epoxy has worked well for us it can completely seal the image sensor area and can also be removed if replacing or repairing parts is needed. Generally try to avoid using Cyanoacrolate glues (super glues) as they can cause plastics to become brittle and out-gas a hazy coating over optical surfaces. That being said, Loctite 444 has worked well as long as it is allowed to cure in an open space for a few days. We suggest using the follow (slightly ordered by our preference):
Gorilla 2 Part Epoxy, 5 Minute Set (or similar) UV curable optical glue (Norland 68) PCB potting epoxy 2 part general purpose epoxies Loctite 444 with compatible Accelorator