Flyplate 5

to GitHub project folder

The Flyplate5 was designed at Janelia Experimental Technology (jET) and is the 5th iteration of the design. For this design, sometimes called “Gelato Spoon Fly Holder”, the head of the fly is glued to the tip of the cone on one side of the plate. After glueing the fly, it is possible to dissect parts of the head, i.e. for patch clamping and brain imaging. The inner part of the cone tends to be filled with liquid that provides nutrients to the animal and can be imaged through. The upper part of the cone is big enough for a microscope lens to be lowered into the liquid. The other end of the plate can be fixed to a kinematic base (eg Thorlabs KBT1X1) to easily mount it either at the tethering station, imaging rig, or experimental setup.

Flyplate5.ipt: The design file is in a proprietary file format. The additional .step file should allow basic modifications and the .stl file might be useful for production (.stl is in imperial unit, scale accordingly to roughly 12×61×2mm).

Initially the design was machined from PEEK plastic according to the specification in the design files. The result is very sturdy and can be re-used many times. The following image shows a detail of the machined Flyplate after having been used many times. We are currently working on a 3D printable version of a Flyplate – stay tuned or get in contact for updates.