Optostimulation
→ to GitHub project folderTo deliver optogenetic stimulation to the walking fly, we added a light that can be aimed at the animal from above. The mount is a small rail system built from FDM-printed parts that attaches directly to the top G6 PCB, so the stimulation light is positioned relative to the fly and the rest of the G6 arena hardware. A carriage slides along the rail to set the position, and a light-guide holder aims the beam at the fly.
The light source is a Cree XLamp XP-E2 high-power LED on a star board, focused with a Carclo 20 mm tight-spot lens and driven at constant current by a LEDsupply BuckPuck driver. The printed rail holder, slider, and light guide let us aim this optic at the fly and lock it in place using thumb screws. See the bill of materials for the full electronics list.
Production files
Each part is printed on an FDM printer and provided as an .stl for printing and an .stp (STEP) for editing; there is no FreeCAD source (file types).
| File | Component |
|---|---|
production/optostim-light-rail-holder.stl / .stp | Mounts the rail to the PCB |
production/90Deg-Rail-Slider.stl / .stp | Right-angle carriage that slides along the rail |
production/optostim-light-guide.stl / .stp | Holds and aims the LED optic / light guide |
Bill of Materials
| Quantity | Name + Description | Vendor | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | #8-32 thumb screws | Mcmaster.com | |
| 4 | #8-32 nuts | Mcmaster.com | |
| 1 | Rail 3/8" dia aluminum rod | Mcmaster.com | |
| 2 | Optostim light rail holder | Optostimulation | |
| 1 | 90 deg rail slider | Optostimulation | |
| 1 | Optostim light guide | Optostimulation | |
| 1 | Barrel jack (M) to screw terminals | ||
| 1 | BNC (m) to screw terminals | ||
| 1 | On-off switch | ||
| 1 | LED lamp housing | Ledsupply.com | |
| 1 | Cree XLamp XP-E2 Color High Power LED Star | ||
| 1 | 10193 Carclo 20mm Lens - Plain Tight Spot LED Optic | ||
| 1 | Dynamic LED Housing All Thread Nipple | ||
| 1 | Buckpuck Luxdrive | ||
| 1 | Butt Splice Quick Wire Connectors | ||
| 1 | Barrel jack to screw terminal |