Assembly

Step 1: Lay the base optical breadboard and attach handles

Step 2: Attach 1" post holders to the base breadboard and insert posts

Step 3: Attach the 2nd layer breadboard to the posts

Step 4: Attach optical rails (with screws) to the breadboard (interact with the blender file to see exact position of the rails). Then attach rail carriers, post holders, posts, and 60 mm cage plates (4 nos.)

Step 5: Insert cage rods and attach 1st corner mirror with the help of a right angle mirror mount.

Step 6: Insert cage rods and attach 2nd corner mirror with the help of a right angle mirror mount.

Step 7: Place the 1st galvo scanner at the common corner of two rails. This one will help with lateral scan of the light-sheet.

Step 8: Insert optical components: two microscope objectives, two tube lenses, and two scan lenses.

Step 9: Place third optical rail at 45°, attach rail carriers, post holders, posts, and cage plates with it.

Step 10: Insert fluorescence filter slider. Attach microscope objective and camera compatible thread adapters in the 3rd arm.

Step 11: Attach (emission) fluorescence filter(s), microscope objective, tube lens and camera.

Step 12: Insert a dichroic mirror, third scan lens, and the second galvo scanner along with a translatable fold mirror. This galvo scanner is used for DSLM style light-sheet generation. Look at the interactive blender file for a detailed parts list of these components and their placement.

Step 13: Attach translation stage mounted fold-mirror, a dichroic beam splitter and 45° mirror arrangement. This arrangement will help co-align two freely propagating laser beams. Detailed layout is accessible in the properly annotated 3D blender file.

Step 14: Mount two lasers with the help of two small breadboards and optical posts + post-holders in the setup.

Step 15: Place a translation stage at the bottom breadboard to control sample position.