Director: James Weiland, PhD, [email protected]
Co - Director: Guan (Gary) Xu, PhD, [email protected]
The principal objective of the Instrument and Electronic Services Core Module (IESM) is to provide investigators who have NEI grants with custom solutions to support vision research. IESM designs, builds, and maintains specialized instruments and electronics that are not commercially available, yet provide unique capabilities to facilitate the Kellogg Eye Center research mission. IESM also maintains and upgrades commercial equipment routinely to ensure continuity, integrity, and rigor of research experiments.
Electronic Services
Staffed by: Scott Almburg, MSET
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 734-936-7381
Fax: 734-936-7231
Submit a work order to the Electronics and Computer Core
The Electronics and Computer Core occupies 246 sq. ft. of dedicated space on the 7th floor of the Brehm Tower. It is readily accessible by investigators with laboratories on the same floor, and those in the adjacent Kellogg Research Tower.
The principal objective of this Core is to provide primary investigators who have NEI grants with additional electronics and computer support in conducting vision research. A secondary objective is to facilitate collaborative studies among vision scientists.
Services
The Core provides several services:
- Design specialized electronic research equipment not available commercially.
- Repair and maintain existing electronic equipment.
- Consult on design of new equipment and modification of existing equipment supporting vision research, including breadboarding test circuits, wire-wrapping circuits, and PCB design and fabrication.
- Support and repair of research computers. Service extends to hardware and software for PC, Macintosh, and Linux.
- Provide secondary backup services for research computers.
- Provide programming support for Labview, C, Matlab, Microchip PIC, Arduino and Allen Bradley PLCs.
- Provide consultation for bioinformatics high performance Linux computer cluster for gene sequencing analysis
Instrumentation
The Core contains a full complement of electronic test equipment and software to support research:
- Tektronix oscilloscopes – analog and digital
- Function generators – Sinusoidal, RF, and Arbitrary Function
- Power supplies, current sources, voltmeters, capacitance meters
- MicroOptix i-Lab Spectrophotometer
- Labview
- Autocad
- Cadsoft Eagle PCB design
- Programmable logic programmers for ROM, PLA, GAL, FPGA, and PLD devices
Examples of Completed Projects
Humidity Controller for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) studies in rats.
Designed for the Puro lab to control humidity in ROP chambers. A wide fluctuation of humidity in the sealed chambers is caused due to animal
activity, and is controlled and moderated by cycling air flow through the camber with air pumps and desiccants.
Cellfinder - Computerize control of Burleigh 7000 micro-positioner controller
Designed for the Hughes Lab to control position of micro-electrodes in electrophysiology experiments. The electrical potential relative to a surrounding medium of a micro-electrode attached to a Burleigh7000 positioner, is monitored, in order to detect changes which indicate when the electrode tip has passed through a cell wall, and to stop the positioner before the electrode tip has passed completely through the cell, so that measurements of potential differences across the cell wall may be made.
Modulated Blue LED light therapy instrument
Designed for the Wong lab, the two blue LED lights are modulated by a PWM algorithm running on an Arduino micro-controller board.
Non-Contact Corneal Aesthesiometer (NCAA)
This instrument, constructed for research work in corneal studies, provides precise controlled pulses of air up to 60 pascals, for non-invasive measurement of corneal sensitivity.
Micro-processor controlled LED light
Designed for the Wong laboratory
Arduino micro-processor board provides custom modulation for approx. 60W LED light.
Microscope stage temperature controller for the Lecia 2 Photon microscope
Designed for the Hitchcock laboratory to maintain controlled constant temperature for microscope subjects.
Optokinetic drum motion controller
Designed for the Kahana laboratory for zebrafish research. Adult zebrafish display a stereotyped pattern of eye movement, known as an optokinetic reflex (OKR), in response to moving visual stimuli. This response is evoked by placing zebrafish on a stationary pedestal within the rotating optokinetic drum that is marked on the inner wall by alternating black and white stripes. Watch the video of an adult zebrafish in the rotating optokinetic drum(link is external).
Electroporation pulse generator
A custom power supply built for electroporation provides 20 to 120 volt DC pulse with 1 to 99 ms period and adjustable duty cycle. This unit was built at a significantly lower cost than commercially available units.
High voltage power supply retrofit
Several years ago, the Demb laboratory acquired a specialized microscope monitor to stimulate retina fragments with various patterns. When the HV focus in the power supply was damaged, we discovered that parts were no longer available and the unit was no longer produced. We obtained a schematic diagram and reverse-engineered a high voltage power supply for the focus control, making the unit usable again.
Low temperature freezer emergency switch boxes
The emergency power outlets (generators) in the Kellogg Tower are not sufficient to provide power for all of the -80 low temperature freezers. Relocation of some freezers to the Brehm Tower has alleviated much of the problem. To power the remaining freezers, we created emergency switch boxes that allow multiple freezers to be daisy-chained onto one power outlet, so each freezer has some time on power. Up to five freezers can be connected to the box, which allocates power sequentially to each unit. The box is controlled by an Allen Bradley PLC.
Instrument Shop
Staffed by: Scott Szalay, Instrument Maker
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 734-936-7662
Fax: 734-936-3815
Submit a work order to the Instrument Shop Core
The instrument shop at the Kellogg Eye Center is unique. From design engineering to specialized machining, the shop transforms concepts into reality.
Through collaboration with researchers, the instrument shop produces precision instruments and/or parts for use in the laboratories.
Services
- Design and construction of unique instrumentation that is needed for special projects
- Rapid and innovative solutions for a wide range of technical problems that arise in laboratories
- Maintenance and repair of instrumentation
Resources
- Sharp CNC Toolroom Lathe
- Hardinge Toolroom Lathe
- Bridgeport CNC Milling Machine
- Bridgeport Milling Machine
- Harig Surface Grinder
- DoAll Vertical Band Saw
- Tennsmith Squaring Shear
- Tennsmith Hand Brake
- SolidWorks CAD System for Instrument Design
- BOBCAD-CAM CNC Mill and Lathe Software
Facilities
Examples of Completed Projects
ERG Rotating Sliding Bed
Mouse Rotator
Water-Jacketed Eye Cup Holder
Chamber Heater
Mouse restraining device
Pressurized Light Sensory Worm Chamber
Zebra Fish Holding Devices
