Close

Hack Chat Transcript, Part 1

A event log for Low-Cost Nanopositioning Hack Chat

The world's getting smaller

dan-maloneyDan Maloney 06/15/2022 at 21:260 Comments

Hash11:23 AM
Looking forward to this Hack Chat! Super interesting work

doug joined  the room.11:24 AM

Dan Maloney11:30 AM
Hi all -- Hack CHat coming up in 30 minutes:

Dan Maloney11:31 AM

https://hackaday.io/event/185521-low-cost-nanopositioning-hack-chat

HACKADAY

Low-Cost Nanopositioning Hack Chat

En-Te Hwu will host the Hack Chat on Wednesday, June 15 at noon Pacific. Time zones got you down? Try our handy time zone converter. It may sound like a provocative statement to make, but technology has been on a downward trend for a long time.

Read this on Hackaday

placethesundontshine joined  the room.11:33 AM

Mark J Hughes11:50 AM
Hi Dan!

Mark J Hughes11:50 AM
Can't want to find out how y'all are getting nanoscale positioning.

Mark J Hughes11:50 AM
And what you mean by nanoscale positioning.

Edwin Hwu joined  the room.11:50 AM

Mark J Hughes11:51 AM
'cause a nano is 10^-9 meters.

Mark J Hughes11:51 AM
That's crazy small

Dan Maloney11:51 AM
Hey Mark -- think positioning stages for things like electron microscopy

Mark J Hughes11:52 AM
Oh sweet!

Dan Maloney11:52 AM
Or microinjection into cell nuclei

Jabari joined  the room.11:52 AM

Mark J Hughes11:52 AM
Patch-clamp rigs?

Mark J Hughes11:53 AM
Matt Berregren of Autodesk will definitely be interested.

Dan Maloney11:53 AM
I'd say so -- being able to maneuver a micropipette over a single, specific nuclear pore complex or proton pump would be pretty cool

Jabari11:53 AM
I wonder if he's got anything for rotory positioning

Mark J Hughes11:54 AM
Good question Jabari....

Mark J Hughes11:54 AM
I suspect it would depend on your range of motion.

Jabari11:54 AM
true

Mark J Hughes11:54 AM
A stewart-platform might work -- give you the precision, but limited angular range of motion.

Edwin Hwu11:55 AM
Yo! I am Edwin, this is very interesting format of discussion :D

Dan Maloney11:55 AM
Imagine a Stewart or a delta bot made with the modified linear slides shown in the event page pix

Dan Maloney11:56 AM

https://hackaday.io/event/185521-low-cost-nanopositioning-hack-chat

HACKADAY

Low-Cost Nanopositioning Hack Chat

En-Te Hwu will host the Hack Chat on Wednesday, June 15 at noon Pacific. Time zones got you down? Try our handy time zone converter. It may sound like a provocative statement to make, but technology has been on a downward trend for a long time.

Read this on Hackaday

Edwin Hwu11:56 AM
I have a rotary (millions steps per resolution) design..

Dan Maloney11:56 AM
Hey there Edwin! Welcome to the Chat -- we'll kick things off in just a minute

Edwin Hwu11:56 AM
Yeah...I can see ;)

Prof. Jim Brenner joined  the room.11:56 AM

Edwin Hwu11:56 AM
Nice discussion!

Mark J Hughes11:56 AM
BTW -- Dan -- I have to leave early, not leaving due to content or presenter :)

Dan Maloney11:57 AM
But feel free to chat while we wait

Mark J Hughes11:57 AM
Hi Edwin!

Dan Maloney11:57 AM
Thanks for the heads up -- work is work, amiright?

Edwin Hwu11:57 AM
Hi all!

Mark J Hughes11:57 AM
Sadly, this is Dentist is dentist.

Mark J Hughes11:57 AM
blargh...blargh I say!

Mark J Hughes11:58 AM
Edwin -- I'm interested in construction, precision, accuracy, backlash compensation, and force.

Dan Maloney11:58 AM
Happy teeth are important oo

Dan Maloney11:58 AM
*too

Edwin Hwu11:58 AM
@Mark J Hughes this is a good question.....

Edwin Hwu11:58 AM

Prof. Jim Brenner11:58 AM
It's nice to meet everyone. I am Jim Brenner, a professor from Florida Tech writing a textbook on making. I had several students working on a nanopositioning system two to three years ago. I like Dr. Hwu's design better.

Edwin Hwu11:59 AM
There are many different nanopositioners for different applications, heavy load, closed-loop, ultra high vacuum...rotational also

placethesundontshine11:59 AM
@Edwin Hwu have you published that rotary unit yet?

Edwin Hwu11:59 AM
@Prof. Jim Brenner that's great!

Edwin Hwu12:00 PM
I am too busy for Health Tech research...It would be great if guys here can help me for making, characterization and publication

Dan Maloney12:01 PM
Hello all, let's get things going! I'm Dan, and Dusan and I will be modding today as we welcome Edwin Hwu to the Hack Chat. Dr. Hwu (I had to!) is doing some fantastic work on making nanopositioning devices from common DIY parts and processes.

Welcome to the chat, Edwin! Can you tell us what got you interested in this field?

Edwin Hwu12:01 PM
Maybe I can collaborate also with @Prof. Jim Brenner also, I have many design collecting dust...

Mark J Hughes12:01 PM
@Edwin Hwu connect with Matt Berregren (Autodesk) -- he's making his own patch-clamp rig (or at least he was the last time I saw him pre-covid)

Dusan Petrovic12:01 PM
Hello and welcome everyone!

Lord-Memester joined  the room.12:01 PM

Edwin Hwu12:01 PM
Dear all, I am originally from Taiwan and I have a Mechanical Engineering background. I worked in a fundamental research institute under Taiwanese President office. now I am doing my research in Denmark on Health technology.

Mark J Hughes12:01 PM

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattberggren/

Edwin Hwu12:02 PM
I am interested everything that moving haha!

Dan Maloney12:02 PM
But just a little ;)

Prof. Jim Brenner12:02 PM
Should I open a Zoom room so that we can see each other?

Allyson-Robert12:02 PM
Moving in very small increments it seems xD

Edwin Hwu12:02 PM
Since I enter the Taiwanese institute, that's when Nanotechnology boom...

Lord-Memester12:02 PM
cool! Should I look up what nanopositioning is first?

Edwin Hwu12:03 PM
nanopositioning.....is to move your sample or tip in nanoscale....

Edwin Hwu12:03 PM
under scanning probe microscopy or SEM

Dan Maloney12:03 PM
@Prof. Jim Brenner -- we try to keep this just a text chat, but feel free to paste images, links, etc into the chat window

Lord-Memester12:03 PM
Oh! that sounds useful.

Edwin Hwu12:03 PM
Yeah....maybe I can chat with @Prof. Jim Brenner on Zoom another day ;)

Allyson-Robert12:03 PM
considering this DIY systen it as a plan B for an LBIC myself, if the steppers fail my requirements

Allyson-Robert12:04 PM
LBIC: laser beam induced (photo)current in solar cells

Edwin Hwu12:04 PM
BTW, I used Blu-ray optics for nano LBIC too ;)

Dan Maloney12:04 PM
LBIC?

Edwin Hwu12:04 PM
Sub-micrometre μ-LBIC Characterisation of Silicon Solar Cells Based on a Blue Laser Pick-up Unit

Allyson-Robert12:04 PM
The for the tip Edwin, I will look into Blu-ray as well, I think nanoposition might be overkill

Edwin Hwu12:05 PM

https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/sub-micrometre-%CE%BC-lbic-characterisation-of-silicon-solar-cells-bas

WELCOME TO DTU RESEARCH DATABASE

Sub-micrometre μ-LBIC Characterisation of Silicon Solar Cells Based on a Blue Laser Pick-up Unit

competitive and versatile optoelectronic characterisation system. A blue laser pick-up unit (LPU) is used here to achieve a highly focused laser beam with a full width half maximum as small as 250 nm on the cell's surface. A photocurrent map is then generated with precise sample movement using a piezo stage and a pico-ammeter.

Read this on Welcome to DTU Research Database

Edwin Hwu12:05 PM
I did use nanopositioner for this setup haha...

Allyson-Robert12:05 PM
I will read that paper first thing in the morning

Edwin Hwu12:06 PM
Great!

Hash12:06 PM
You showed in the paper your open source controller and a commercial controller. How did the results differ in your tests using the open source version?

Yannis joined  the room.12:06 PM

Edwin Hwu12:07 PM
Besides Prof. Brenner, who would like to make closed loop nanopositioner? I would like to try if we can "crowdsource building" this

Edwin Hwu12:07 PM
The commercial controller has nice stepping and scanning functions....the open source controller can do only stepping :p

Mark J Hughes12:07 PM
I'm interested -- but time constrained.

Joachim Fischer joined  the room.12:07 PM

Demoerin joined  the room.12:07 PM

placethesundontshine12:08 PM
<---- count me in

Yannis12:08 PM
Could perhaps help with the control / electronics. Did piezo's for a resonant fluid actuator and some other designs

Joachim Fischer12:08 PM
I would also love to see a closed loop version.

John12:08 PM
Who doesn't want a closed-loop nanopositioner??

Edwin Hwu12:08 PM
@John oh...yeah!

Mark J Hughes12:08 PM
You can ask Dan to give you my email -- I can help you with the PCB design & fabrication.

Mark J Hughes12:08 PM
I might be able to do more than that if I tie it in with a sponsor company.

Edwin Hwu12:09 PM
I can feel Germany companies like Smaract and Attocube are sweating....XD

Dan Maloney12:09 PM
I'd love to know what find of sensor could be used to close such a physically small loop

Allyson-Robert12:09 PM
If I end up building one for the LBIC I would also be interested in closed loop XD

Edwin Hwu12:09 PM
let me find the link for closed loop sensor I sue

polyfractal12:09 PM
Is there an affordable nm resolution encoder? That seems diffiult to DIY

Prof. Jim Brenner12:09 PM
The vision I had for this is to use a set of lasers in X, Y, and Z to correct for registry issues to ensure that everything is aligned.

polyfractal12:09 PM
ah nevermind :)

Edwin Hwu12:10 PM

Edwin Hwu12:10 PM

https://www.celeramotion.com/microe/products/linear-encoders/

Mark J Hughes12:10 PM
@polyfractal Probably not an optical one. But there are magnetic field sensors -- if they have sufficient resolution they might work.

Dan Maloney12:10 PM
@Mark J Hughes - sent him you contact info

Mark J Hughes12:10 PM
Thanks @Dan Maloney

Edwin Hwu12:10 PM
Those little guys sized like your fingernail can get you 1nm accuracy...

Demoerin12:11 PM
How do you deal with the effects of imperfections on the surfaces of the linear slides in your measurements?

Lord-Memester12:11 PM
woah

Edwin Hwu12:11 PM
Magnetic sensor can get somewhat 50nm

Yannis12:11 PM
Capacitance?

Dan Maloney12:11 PM
So we're now at the "If it can exist, it probably does, and someone has commercialized it" point, are we?

Mark J Hughes12:12 PM
Yes Dan -- yes we are.

Allyson-Robert12:12 PM
And yet we DIY anyway

Edwin Hwu12:12 PM
the imperfection is fine...because no surface is perfect....the mm scale contact area can absorb the imperfection like roughness

Jakob Wulfkind12:12 PM
What about using a beam splitter on a violet laser to create a Michelson interferometer? Wouldn't that give ~10uM resolution?

W5VO12:12 PM
What does one of those commercial position sensors run?

Joachim Fischer12:13 PM
@Edwin Hwu with magnetic sensors and 50nm you refer to Hall sensors, right? Do you expect any interference with the magnets used for the motion?

Edwin Hwu12:13 PM
When I was in PTB (German metrology institute) we use interferometer to get 10 pm resolution control ;)

Edwin Hwu12:14 PM
As I know, the magnets did not interfer the encoder....since the magnet is always there.

Mark J Hughes12:14 PM
How much do the encoders cost?

Discussions