My new cheapo set up

[LordV]

Decided to put together a new cheapo micro camera rig and optical table set up.
A thick plastic sheet from an old LCD monitor as base.
A cheap x-y macro rail split into 2 to give two single rails mounted onto the sheet.
A short clamping arm on the RH specimen rail. A cheap micrometer modded by cutting off half the loop and also taking the back off and sawing the shaft through so the main shaft does not rotate.

Total cost of parts
x-y rail £20
Micrometer £7
Extra locking specimen arm £12

All shots focus stacked using zerene

Brian V.

The set up


Mite on anthurium flower


Hibiscus pollen


Rust fungus on underside of mint leaf



Some handheld shots using the camera rig of live bugs

black aphid on hibiscus


Bark fly

[ChrisR]

£7?

Where's the specimen?

[LordV]

£7?

Where's the specimen?

Micrometer from Amazon. Specimen gets stuck to the micrometer rod end with blue-tac or similar

Brian v.

[rjlittlefield]

Excellent!

But I'm hung up on one bit:

micrometer modded by cutting off half the loop and also taking the back off and sawing the shaft through so the main shaft does not rotate.

I don't understand how just sawing through the shaft keeps the piece that sticks out from turning when it wants to. Can you say more, and maybe show me a picture?

--Rik

[LordV]

Excellent!

But I'm hung up on one bit:

micrometer modded by cutting off half the loop and also taking the back off and sawing the shaft through so the main shaft does not rotate.

I don't understand how just sawing through the shaft keeps the piece that sticks out from turning when it wants to. Can you say more, and maybe show me a picture?

--Rik

Rik, Not sure if you mean turning because of the turning of advancing the micrometer or turning because a specimen is stuck on the end. The only things I did after cutting the shaft was file it a bit on both ends so there was nothing too rough. I have actually bought some ball bearings to put one in there if necessary but have not done so yet. I also put Vaseline on the main disconnected shaft. I can only say in practice it does not rotate when turning the micrometer and whilst I can rotate the specimen on the shaft easily to help with composition, it does not move when taking shots. The only thing you have to be careful of pushing the front shaft back into contact with the rear shaft before starting a shooting session.
Obviously I suspect the shaft would rotate if I tried sticking on a specimen which was heavy and off centre but it hasn't proved to be a problem yet.

Hope that helps
Brian V.

[dolmadis]

Useful to say the least when travelling.

Like Rik I am having the same trouble visualising the mod to the micrometer but also the deployment of the articulating arm with the micrometer and rail.

So many thanks if you can spare some time for some extra info.

Regards


John

[LordV]

Useful to say the least when travelling.

Like Rik I am having the same trouble visualising the mod to the micrometer but also the deployment of the articulating arm with the micrometer and rail.

So many thanks if you can spare some time for some extra info.

Regards


John

Ok a bit of background_ I first put it together without the micrometer just using the end of the arm to put specimens on. Using the rail to move the specimen or the camera was ok with my MPE-65 up to about 3:1 but started to see a little banding at 5:1. Trying at 10:1 gave bad banding. So I purchased the micrometer. The micrometer luckily had a couple of screw holes in the C arm so after cutting it I just enlarged the remaining hole so a standard 1/4" thread would go through it. This allowed me to just clamp the micrometer to the end of the arm. The arm itself has enough movement to allow me to move it any direction to align with the lens but does go remarkably rigid when tightened. I have so far just done visual alignment of the micrometer itself to make sure it's parallel to the camera lens but have been playing with the idea of using a laser pointer to help with alignment. In this mode I just use the rails for gross movement to get the specimen to the start position and then just use the micrometer to move the specimen whilst taking shots.
Brian v.

[dolmadis]

Many thanks and great idea.

Regards


John

[rjlittlefield]

Not sure if you mean turning because of the turning of advancing the micrometer or turning because a specimen is stuck on the end.

Both. The micrometers that I'm familiar with have a solid shaft, so of course the free end turns along with the knob. If I just cut the shaft, I'm left with a round shaft sliding unconstrained in a round hole. The engineer in me starts squirming at that point, because successful use requires that the shaft does not turn, and there's nothing that definitely keeps that from happening.

I like your idea of sticking a small ball in the cut zone. That would greatly reduce transmitted torque, as well as reducing irregular movement due to direct contact between two non-flat ends. The Vaseline seems like it would be very helpful.

--Rik

[LordV]

Not sure if you mean turning because of the turning of advancing the micrometer or turning because a specimen is stuck on the end.

Both. The micrometers that I'm familiar with have a solid shaft, so of course the free end turns along with the knob. If I just cut the shaft, I'm left with a round shaft sliding unconstrained in a round hole. The engineer in me starts squirming at that point, because successful use requires that the shaft does not turn, and there's nothing that definitely keeps that from happening.

I like your idea of sticking a small ball in the cut zone. That would greatly reduce transmitted torque, as well as reducing irregular movement due to direct contact between two non-flat ends. The Vaseline seems like it would be very helpful.

--Rik

Rik - I'll try out a bearing when they arrive.
I should add I did smooth the cut ends first with a file and then with some dry wet and dry fine paper but as I said above it does seem to move smoothly I didn't notice any sudden jumps when doing the stacks.
I think the only bit I'm bothered about is trying to improve the method of getting the micrometer parallel to the camera lens.

Brian v.

[ChrisR]

I still need a picture. Are you saying the rod just pulls out of the micrometer?

I did something similar way back with a mini stage on an arm fixed to the front of the rail the camera's sitting on. Then you can do away with the table

[LordV]

I still need a picture. Are you saying the rod just pulls out of the micrometer?

I did something similar way back with a mini stage on an arm fixed to the front of the rail the camera's sitting on. Then you can do away with the table

Yes the micrometer rod can be just pulled out from the micrometer.
I will try to get a pic of the disassembled micrometer.
I actually do need the table as I also planned to use it with my MPE-65 lens which gets pretty long at full extension

Brian V.

[ChrisR]

Yes the micrometer rod can be just pulled out from the micrometer.
I will try to get a pic of the disassembled micrometer.

Ok, got it!


I wonder how much weight one is allowed to hang off that little flash-mount ring on an MP-E

[LordV]

Yes the micrometer rod can be just pulled out from the micrometer.
I will try to get a pic of the disassembled micrometer.

I wonder how much weight one is allowed to hang off that little flash-mount ring on an MP-E

Interesting Idea - do you mean the tripod ring ?

Brian V.

[LordV]

Just for further explanation. shots of the modded micrometre. I have since "polished " the right hand shaft end a bit more. Both ends are in fact slightly curved towards the centre.

Brian V.