Call for speakers
We are looking for early-career researchers to speak in FocalPlane's mini-symposium run together with the popular membrane trafficking webinar series organised by Francesca Bottanelli, Fèlix Campelo and Ishier Raote.
Application deadline: Sunday 24 August
Find out more:
#OpenSource low-cost #3Dprinted easy-to-build XYZ #micro-manipulator platform:
- #microscope stage
- #fiber #optics alignment
- micro #drilling
GitHub: https://github.com/0x23/MicroManipulator
YouTube: https://youtu.be/-mgqq0qdDRM
#DIYbio #lab #instruments #Maker #hackerspace #DIYtech #microscopy #imaging #electronics
Teach your #microscope how to print: Low-cost rapid-iteration #OpenSource #microfabrication for #biology:
- no cleanroom required
- replace SU-8 #photoresist & silicon wafers by #3Dprinting #resin & microscope slides
- #fluorescence microscope-based maskless #photolithography
- achieve µm-scale precision across cm-sized areas
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5LC00181A
#DIYbio #lab #instruments #microfluidics
Early-career researchers, apply for a funded place at our Macro to Micro: Quantitative Plant Imaging Across Scales Workshop.
Application deadline: 15 August 2025
Find out more: https://www.biologists.com/workshops/february-2026-2/
#OpenSource implementation of #polarisation-resolved single-shot differential phase contrast #microscopy (pDPC) on a modular #openFrame-based #microscope:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ohx.2024.e00622
#DIYbio #lab #LED #instruments #µManager #pDPC #imaging
A cost-effective, modular, #research- grade #OpenSource #optical #microscope based on the #openFrame #microscopy stand:
https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv126%2Fi2%2F244-254
#DIYbio #lab #science #instruments #fluorescence #laser #LED #fiber #optics #imaging #µManager
Principles of #OpenSource bioinstrumentation applied to the #poseidon #syringe #pump & #microscope system:
- #RasPi / #Arduino / #Python control
Article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48815-9
GitHub: https://pachterlab.github.io/poseidon/
#DIYio #lab #instruments #microscopy #imaging #microfluidics
I scored this completely functional Celestron handheld digital #microscope at Electronic Parts Outlet (EPO) in #Houston today. I’m excited as I have been looking for something to allow me to do SMD work and this can do lower resolutions at 15 FPS.
Looking for new microscopy collaborations, organising speakers for a conference, assembling a committee? Visit and join the @focalplane_jcs network to broaden your contacts and find those who may not come to mind.
A versatile #OpenSource one- & two-photon light-sheet #microscope (#LSM) design:
Preprint: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.10.548107
GitHub: https://github.com/LJPZebra/OLU
Early-career researchers, apply for a funded place at our Workshop 'Macro to Micro: Quantitative Plant Imaging Across Scales'.
https://www.biologists.com/workshops/february-2026-2/
Application deadline: Friday 15 August 2025
19th Century Photography in Extreme Miniature - Ever since the invention of the microscope, humanity has gained access to the world of th... - https://hackaday.com/2025/06/29/19th-century-photography-in-extreme-miniature/ #microphotography #miniaturized #photography #microscope #optics #art
Following on from their successful meeting in 2023, @J_Cell_Sci are delighted to announce a second iteration of the Imaging Cell Dynamics Meeting to be held in 2026.
Find out more:
Do you have a microscopy image you would like to share? Add it to the FocalPlane image gallery.
Managed to capture this goober at 400x magnification with my #microscope. The water sample is from my fish fry #aquarium. Do any #microbiology #microscopy friends know what this tiny animal is?
The Make-roscope - Normal people binge-scroll social media. Hackaday writers tend to pore through onl... - https://hackaday.com/2025/05/20/the-make-roscope/ #hackadaycolumns #cellphonehacks #microscope #science
Make Your Cheap Thermal Camera into a Microscope - [Project 326] has a cheap thermal camera that plugs into a smart phone. Sure they ... - https://hackaday.com/2025/03/14/make-your-cheap-thermal-camera-into-a-microscope/ #digitalcamerashacks #thermalcamera #microscope #ircamera
But first, this thing hadn't been used for years, so I had to clean it a bit. Maybe it was also just an excuse to understand how this thing works :)
It's an inverted design and has two optical paths, one for the binoculars and one for the camera.
So a few weeks ago, a relative of mine was looking for a new home for his old ZEISS research microscope.
And while I'm not a biologist - I'm a pretty big optics and photography nerd so I obviously couldn't decline the offer.
Let me take you onto a little journey to the #microcosmos 
