User:Pranav Rathi/Notebook/OT/2012/01/12/Extend your Opto-mechanical controls with Lego for out of box control
Introduction
Due to some airborne noise in our lab we had to put our optical tweezers in a plastic enclosed box. This means that either I had to make huge doors or openings in the box to reach the optomechanical controls or control them from outside. And I chose the second one. There are two ways to control them from outside; first by manual- mechanical control and second is by electro-mechanical control. I choose the first one because it was easier and a step stone to electro-control/servo control. Now to mechanical control the optics from outside was not easy because there was no system built on the device itself to tweak the control knob ( I call it knob A) from outside as we can see from slide 2. All I had was two knobs (A knobs). So to control the device from outside I had to build the system around this knob A in a way to extend and transform this knob to the outside of the box. Once this system is in place I can control the knob A with knob B (the one I put). I call the system (structure) Gear Box, because that is what it is. Once the gear box is in place knob A can be controlled with knob B (manual-mechanical) OR servo control (electro-mechanical).
Design and construction
Hardware
- ST1XY-S - XY Translator with Micrometer Drives (thorlabs) or any other optomechanical device.
- Lego (2x) 40-Tooth Gears
- Lego (4X) 24-Tooth Gears
- Lego (5x) 8-Tooth Spur Gears
- Lego (2X) Worm Gear
- Lego Universal Joint
- Lego Axles
- Lego Bushings and stoppers
- 8-32,#8,4-40 and #4 screws and nuts
- Gorilla Epoxy
- 1/16” thick aluminum plate
- Round Dowel of 1/2” and 3/6”
- Knobs
- and tools like metal cutter, screwdiver, power drill with bits and dremel set.
Design
Construction
Demonstration
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