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Table 2 Different variants of the OptoArm, their requirements and costs

From: An economical and highly adaptable optogenetics system for individual and population-level manipulation of Caenorhabditis elegans

 

Minimal requirements OptoArma

(Fig. 2)

Minimal requirements OptoArm with low-cost standa,b

(Fig. 2)

Automated OptoArm with low-cost standa

(Fig. 10)

Additional improvements or available changesa, d

Electronics

• Royal-Blue (448 nm) Rebel LED

• 700 mA externally dimmable BuckPuck DC driver

• Connecting wire with adjustable potentiometer of 5 kΩ

• Latching pressure switch (ON/OFF switch)

• DC contra plug

• 9VDC – Adapter

All the previously mentioned components

All the previously mentioned components

Except:

• Connecting wire with adjustable potentiometer of 5 kΩ

Plus:

• Arduino Uno (or clone)

• Capacitor (0.1 μf)

• Adafruit LCD shield

Yellow LED for NpHR/Halo/Mace:

e.g., Lime (567 nm) Rebel LED on a SinkPAD-II 20 mm Star Base - 368 lm @ 700 mA

COST: $11

Tri-star LED for higher intensitye:

Royal-Blue (448 nm) Rebel LED on a SinkPAD-II 20 mm Tri-Star Base - 3090 mW @ 700 mA.

COSTS: $14

Heat management

• Heatsink 5.2 °C/W

• Pre-cut thermal adhesive tape

All the previously mentioned components

All the previously mentioned components

–

Optics

• Khatod 10° lens

• Fraen 21° lens

• Khatod 40° lens

All the previously mentioned components

All the previously mentioned components

–

Mounting

• Lens holder

• Three-pronged clamp

All the previously mentioned components AND:

o Stand rod

o Double bosshead

o Retort stand base, tripod

All the previously mentioned components

Comar fine-tuner standf: Basic carrier, pinion stage, post-holder, rod, self-manufactured base. COSTS: ~ $ 280

Cross-clamp to fixate DC plug on armg:

COSTS: ~ $12

Average costs

~ $ 65

~ $ 90

~ $ 128c (Arduino clone: $ 116)

 
  1. a For components originally listed in euros, we calculated the dollar price with the current exchange rate in mind. All prices are excluding soldering material and standard materials such as extra wires and shrink tubing. Also, standard worm equipment is not taken into account (e.g., microscopes and worm trackers). b The low-cost stand provides a way to work with the WF-NTP and a microscope set-up and is therefore the most flexible. c The price is based on an original Arduino Uno R3. Clones tend to be much cheaper, but identical in the board lay-out. d The components are not essential, but potential substitutes or additions. e When a Tri-Star LED or any other LED is used, we highly recommend to re-evaluate the thermal management. The heatsink of the OptoArm was specifically selected based on the specification of a single royal-blue LED. f The Comar fine-tuner stand is a more expensive stand, but allows fine adjustments of height due to the pinion stage. All the specifications can be found in the method section. g We did use the cross-clamp to organize the OptoArm and attach the DC contra plug, see Fig. 2C
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BMC Biology

ISSN: 1741-7007

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