How to make a controlled 1.5 micron pitch on NiSi 180/200 manual macro rails

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Igor
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat May 27, 2023 3:15 am
Location: Russia

How to make a controlled 1.5 micron pitch on NiSi 180/200 manual macro rails

Post by Igor »

Perhaps owners of NiSi 180/200 macrorails will find it useful, or maybe someone has done something similar.
I wanted to reduce the controlled step on my macro rails. Before this, the step could be made at least 3.5-4 microns, and even that, I think, was closer to 4.5 microns. On macro rails, a full turn of the handle 360 degrees gives an exact step of 1 mm (there are videos on yuotube where these macro rails were measured). With a small handle size, it is impossible to make a small precise step (the length of the arc of the circle sector will be very short). But if we install a certain flywheel with a scale applied around the circumference, then we can increase the length of the arc of the sector of the circle. And the larger the flywheel, the longer the length of this arc.
1.jpg
The optimal size for gripping with your hand is a circle with a diameter of 12-13 cm (if the size is larger, it will no longer be convenient to twist it, as the tension in the fingers will increase). As a flywheel, I chose a round protractor with a diameter of 12 cm and a thickness of 3 mm. It is divided into 360 even segments. Since a full turn of the pen gives us a step of 1 mm (1000 microns), it is not difficult to calculate that each division on the protractor is a step of 2.78 microns (1000/360 = 2.78). That is, now you can turn the handle more, and the step will be smaller. But it is also possible (I have already tried) to make the step even smaller - just half a division of the protractor scale, which would be 1.39 microns. But taking into account the accuracy error, the step will be 1.5-1.8 microns, which is not significant.
2.jpg
The protractor (glued to the handle with superglue) turned out to be transparent, so I had to seal it with white paper on the back side, otherwise it would not be very convenient to look at the wire, which is a kind of distance mark. This wire was taken from some piece of wire, it is about 150 microns thick. It is glued with superglue to a “stand” made of stainless wire with a diameter of 1 mm, which is also glued with superglue. The tests were successful, I was satisfied with everything.
3.jpg

Marcepstein
Posts: 293
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2022 8:39 pm
Location: USA
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Re: How to make a controlled 1.5 micron pitch on NiSi 180/200 manual macro rails

Post by Marcepstein »

I really like this idea. It would be nice if the flywheel could be an removable attachment. I have the NiSi 200s rail which allows a 360 degree swing and a button to quickly move the platform along the rail. It is not as smooth and sturdy as I thought it would be and maybe not so good for heavier lens/body uses. It sits on a Sunway 150s rail (which is very smooth) so to move back and forth and horizontally. My Canon 100mm macro f2.8 and MPe65 both have tripod collars which extends the body out a little. Just looking at the setup, the large flywheel may interfere or limit the backward adjustment of the camera body. Maybe a smaller flywheel would work. I have to give it some thought but it seems that making a removable knob-flywheel wouldnt be too hard so not to be permanent on the rail. But it is a great idea and well thought out. Thanks for sharing that.

Marc

Igor
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat May 27, 2023 3:15 am
Location: Russia

Re: How to make a controlled 1.5 micron pitch on NiSi 180/200 manual macro rails

Post by Igor »

Marcepstein wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2024 8:08 am
I really like this idea. It would be nice if the flywheel could be an removable attachment. I have the NiSi 200s rail which allows a 360 degree swing and a button to quickly move the platform along the rail. It is not as smooth and sturdy as I thought it would be and maybe not so good for heavier lens/body uses. It sits on a Sunway 150s rail (which is very smooth) so to move back and forth and horizontally. My Canon 100mm macro f2.8 and MPe65 both have tripod collars which extends the body out a little. Just looking at the setup, the large flywheel may interfere or limit the backward adjustment of the camera body. Maybe a smaller flywheel would work. I have to give it some thought but it seems that making a removable knob-flywheel wouldnt be too hard so not to be permanent on the rail. But it is a great idea and well thought out. Thanks for sharing that.

Marc
I couldn't remove the metal handle from the NiSi, for fear of bending the guide. I also couldn’t find a flywheel that would fit the diameter and at the same time be with a circular scale and lightweight. I limited myself to an inexpensive option (the cost of the protractor is $1), and small flywheels on Aliexpress cost from $10, but they are small in diameter and not suitable for small pitches.

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