Beginners Mk3 rail build

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UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

Thanks for all the info,
I have built my macro station, the rails on the camera support are too big, that’s internet buying for you :shock: ,
The camera moves left/right and front/back on the ball screws, it’s lovely and smooth, the camera is rock solid, probably due to the massive rails lol,
I added the rail for the camera motor controller to allow for better balance, again this works well and is solid,
The subject rails has another ball screw to add, but it’s not arrived yet, probably don’t need the ball screw for the camera and subject but it was cheaper to buy this way,
I have added metal plates and magnets to the subject platform so everything is solid, and I hate nocking things when making small adjustments, this allows me to change what goes on the platform and remain solid,
The diffuser thingy is a cut up piece of 4” soil pipe, I cut a big opening in it and covered it with diffusing paper, this flips back for easy access and is secured with magnets for easy access, I cut a slot to add card for a backdrop, (seams to work well for 1:1+) in this one I have put in an opaque floor that is illuminated via a flash attached to the back, this is for subjects attached to a pin though I haven’t tested this yet, also how I have it sitting on the rail allows me to rotate it +/- 10 degrees
I would like to add a better quality Z lift platform,

Any comments are welcome, I don’t have your experience so have had to wing it a bit,

Steve
Attachments
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rjlittlefield
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Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by rjlittlefield »

Nice! I like the idea of using a piece of pipe as a diffuser frame. I do not recall having seen that before.

--Rik

UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

I had 6’ of it in my back garden waiting to go to the tip so that’s now in the shed, the slot for the background card works well, proper diffusion paper also works much better than tracing paper for reducing highlights,
This is the 3rd version after a few tweets,

rjlittlefield
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Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by rjlittlefield »

UncleChip wrote:
Wed Feb 08, 2023 3:15 pm
proper diffusion paper also works much better than tracing paper for reducing highlights
What exactly does "proper diffusion paper" mean?

--Rik

chris_ma
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Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:23 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by chris_ma »

in film, the classic is Lee 216 (or the equivalent from Rosco)
https://leefilters.com/colour/216/

there is a whole range of different diffusion gels which all have their own looks:
https://leefilters.com/lighting/diffusion-packs/
chris

UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

As Chris has said,

You get no colour casts, no reflections etc, it’s normally very strong and I find it works much better than other stuff

lothman
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Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 7:00 am
Location: Stuttgart/Germany

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by lothman »

why is there an Arca rail on top of an Igus rail carried by an ball beared rail all along the camera axis, the sample holder then has the fourth rail in the same direction? And why does the sample holder does not use the same rails than your main rail but has a narrower base?

UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

lothman wrote:
Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:37 pm
why is there an Arca rail on top of an Igus rail carried by an ball beared rail all along the camera axis, the sample holder then has the fourth rail in the same direction? And why does the sample holder does not use the same rails than your main rail but has a narrower base?
It was my intention to use the same rail for the camera and sample, but it worked out more expensive to buy the bits than 3 separate kits,
The arca plate is so I can use different size lenses and support the lens on a bigger plate, mostly I will need the front of the lens sticking out so I can’t use this for forward motion,
The igus rail is connected to the motorized rail, the rail was very flimsy, running the igus rail parallel secures the capera properly, also my rail can’t move the camera back and forth like others, you have to do it manually before you plug it in, it’s a pain and I needed an easy alternative,

On hindsight I would have the same rail for the camera and subject, but it works so I won’t be changing it

UncleChip
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

This shows the motorized rail and additional igus rail, the screw sticking out of the front is the only way to move the rail back and forth, you have to do it before you plug it in, it wasn’t practical to use to line the front of the subject up like you can on the stack shot, also I can’t pick the start and end point, I basically set the rail at the start and set the speed and number of exposures, with a rail like the stack shot I could loose one of the rails I added, but I have made it for my setup
Attachments
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JW
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Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by JW »

Nice setup. I like the pipe diffuser, may borrow the concept. In the past I've had bad luck with the labjack (scissor lift with blue knob) for z-adjustment, eventually consigning mine to the left over bin. They are too wobbly and sensitive to very small vibrations. Instead, my entire camera platform is attached to piece of aluminum channel clamped to two uprights, allowing for z-travel as needed. Are you having any issues with your labjack?
It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see - Henry David Thoreau

UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

I stuck a piece of plate steel on top of the z-lift, the added weight took out the flimsiness, I also added magnets to the bottom and stuck another piece on the bace, so it’s all quite sturdy, I haven’t seen any movement Yet, though I am only doing 5x
I was intending to replace the cheap z-lift with this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303763265731 ... media=COPY

Darionett
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Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:45 am
Location: Sardegna, Italy

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by Darionett »

UncleChip wrote:
Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:33 am
I stuck a piece of plate steel on top of the z-lift, the added weight took out the flimsiness, I also added magnets to the bottom and stuck another piece on the bace, so it’s all quite sturdy, I haven’t seen any movement Yet, though I am only doing 5x
I was intending to replace the cheap z-lift with this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303763265731 ... media=COPY
I use the same PT-SD408, it's good, fairly stable, but not very rigid, for Z axis I rely on a linear guide, here's a picture.
IMG_5367.jpg

UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

Lovely setup,
I have 2 questions,
1, where did you get the fiber optic fittings for the godox light
2, how do you control the linear rails?

I have contemplated a vertical linear rail, I also want to do less than 1x magnification, even at 1x magnification the rail will get in the way, I have thought of having 2 setups that use the same bace plate, one for 1x and less and the other for 2x and more, essentially bolting your specimen setup onto my bace plate(or strong magnets for easy swapping)

Darionett
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:45 am
Location: Sardegna, Italy

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by Darionett »

UncleChip wrote:
Sun Feb 12, 2023 6:22 am
Lovely setup,
I have 2 questions,
1, where did you get the fiber optic fittings for the godox light
2, how do you control the linear rails?

I have contemplated a vertical linear rail, I also want to do less than 1x magnification, even at 1x magnification the rail will get in the way, I have thought of having 2 setups that use the same bace plate, one for 1x and less and the other for 2x and more, essentially bolting your specimen setup onto my bace plate(or strong magnets for easy swapping)
I'm glad that you like my setup, although I've made some modifications now. I use two MS300 with a reflector and double diffuser, and I've also rotated the X axis by 45° so that the background is very far from the subject.
Now I'll answer your questions.
1st The adapter used is based on the Godox-supplied lamp cover, inside is a 3D-printed support with Fresnel lenses mounted, at the outside I mounted a flange with a 15mm interface compatible with Moritex light guides. It works very well with the light projected from the central LED, while with the flash the situation is different, it is very weak, unusable.
2nd the controller used is produced by MJKZZ, it controls up to 3 axes, it can also be used via Wifi, on Windows the use is very simple, on MacOS it becomes a little more complicated.

UncleChip
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2023 1:56 pm
Location: Uk

Re: Beginners Mk3 rail build

Post by UncleChip »

Thanks for the info,

My setup needs are for a wide range of magnification, so I need a lot of flexibility, I love your setup, I had a look at the MJKZZ controller, I had no idea you could buy a controller separate from the rails, so thanks for that, this is something I will be pursuing when I get better with the basic stuff.

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