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Product Specifications🔗

Product specifications for the PlanktoScope hardware are listed below for each hardwaare version. For more information on each hardware version, refer to the hardware changelog.

v2.6🔗

Overview:

  • Weight: 3.5 kg

  • Enclosure:

    • Dimensions: 27.5 cm (length) x 12.5 cm (width) x 10.5 cm (height)
    • Material: bamboo plywood
    • Fabrication process: CNC milling

Functionalities🔗

  • Automated image acquisition, with a motorized pump and an embedded computer
  • Precise focus adjustment, with motorized linear actuators
  • Continuous mixing of input sample to prevent sedimentation of heavier particles, with a USB-powered bubbler
  • On-board image processing, with the embedded computer
  • Local Wi-Fi network hotspot for local operation from a connected phone, tablet or laptop, with the embedded computer
  • Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi or Ethernet for remote operation, with the embedded computer

Subsystems🔗

planktoscope_hero

Optics:

  • Imaging characteristics:

    • Optical magnification: 1.33
    • Field of view: 3062 µm x 2295 µm
    • Optical pixel size: 0.75 µm
    • Depth of field: 95 µm

  • Internal camera: Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera

    • Sensor: Sony IMX477R
    • Resolution: 12.3 Megapixels (4056 x 3040 pixels)

  • Lenses:

    • Objective lens: 12 mm focal length, M12
    • Tube lens: 25 mm focal length, M12
    • Lens mount: M12x0.5

  • Illumination: white LED

Fluidics:

  • Flow cell: capillary with rectangular cross-section

    • Thickness: 300 µm
    • Material: glass

  • Internal tubing:

    • Material: Tygon S3 (contains no BPA or phthalates)
    • Dimensions: 1.6 mm (1/16") inner diameter, 3.2 mm (1/8") outer diameter
    • Connectors: Luer lock

  • Peristaltic pump

  • Sample intake capacity: 20 mL

Other internal electronics:

  • Embedded computer: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

    • Processor: Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.8 GHz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Storage: 128 GB capacity (micro-SD card, UHS speed class 3)

  • Control board: PlanktoScope HAT v1.2

External interfaces & connectivity:

  • Expansion: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports
  • Wired networking: Gigabit Ethernet
  • Wireless networking: 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi
  • Power input: 12 V DC, up to 4 A of current draw (5.1 x 2.2 mm DC barrel jack, center positive)
  • Latching push-button switch to toggle power

External AC-to-DC power adapter:

  • Input: 100-240 V AC, 50-60 Hz (IEC 60320 C8 socket)
  • Output: 12 V DC, up to 4 A of current output (5.1 x 2.2 mm DC barrel jack, center positive)
  • Dimensions: 126 mm (length) x 52 mm (width) x 35.5 mm (height)
  • Weight: 0.25 kg

System performance🔗

Image acquisition throughput:

  • Volume of sample measured: 2.1 µL per acquired image
  • Volume of sample pumped: ~15 µL per acquired image
  • Maximum image acquisition rate: ~60 images/min

Samples:

  • Object size range:

    • Minimum for taxonomy: ~20 µm diameter for round objects
    • Maximum: ~200 µm diameter for round objects (larger objects will clog the flow cell)

v2.5🔗

Overview:

  • Enclosure:

    • Dimensions: 27.5 cm (length) x 12.5 cm (width) x 10.5 cm (height)
    • Material: bamboo plywood
    • Fabrication process: CNC milling

Functionalities🔗

  • Automated image acquisition, with a motorized pump and an embedded computer
  • Precise focus adjustment, with motorized linear actuators
  • Continuous mixing of input sample to prevent sedimentation of heavier particles, with a USB-powered bubbler
  • On-board image processing, with the embedded computer
  • Local Wi-Fi network hotspot for local operation from a connected phone, tablet or laptop, with the embedded computer
  • Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi or Ethernet for remote operation, with the embedded computer

Subsystems🔗

planktoscope_hero

Optics:

  • Imaging characteristics:

    • Field of view: 3670 µm x 2675 µm
    • Optical pixel size: 0.88 µm

  • Internal camera: Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera

    • Sensor: Sony IMX477R
    • Resolution: 12.3 Megapixels (4056 x 3040 pixels)

  • Lenses:

    • Objective lens: 16 mm focal length, M12
    • Tube lens: 25 mm focal length, M12
    • Lens mount: M12x0.5

  • Illumination: white LED

Fluidics:

  • Flow cell: capillary with rectangular cross-section

    • Thickness: 300 µm
    • Material: glass

  • Internal tubing:

    • Material: Tygon S3 (contains no BPA or phthalates)
    • Dimensions: 1.6 mm (1/16") inner diameter, 3.2 mm (1/8") outer diameter
    • Connectors: Luer lock

  • Peristaltic pump

  • Sample intake capacity: 20 mL

Other internal electronics:

  • Embedded computer: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

    • Processor: Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.8 GHz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Storage: 128 GB capacity (micro-SD card, UHS speed class 3)

  • Control board: PlanktoScope HAT v1.2

External interfaces & connectivity:

  • Expansion: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports
  • Wired networking: Gigabit Ethernet
  • Wireless networking: 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi
  • Power input: 12 V DC, up to 4 A of current draw (5.1 x 2.2 mm DC barrel jack, center positive)
  • Latching push-button switch to toggle power

External AC-to-DC power adapter:

  • Input: 100-240 V AC, 50-60 Hz (IEC 60320 C8 socket)
  • Output: 12 V DC, up to 4 A of current output (5.1 x 2.2 mm DC barrel jack, center positive)
  • Dimensions: 126 mm (length) x 52 mm (width) x 35.5 mm (height)
  • Weight: 0.25 kg

System performance🔗

Image acquisition throughput:

  • Volume of sample pumped: ~15 µL per acquired image
  • Maximum image acquisition rate: ~60 images/min

Samples:

  • Object size range:

    • Maximum: ~200 µm diameter for round objects (larger objects will clog the flow cell)

v2.1🔗

Overview:

  • Enclosure:

    • Dimensions: ~32 cm (length) x ~5.5 cm (width) x ~15 cm (height)
    • Material: acrylic, plywood, or fiberboard
    • Fabrication process: laser cutting

Functionalities🔗

  • Automated image acquisition, with a motorized pump and an embedded computer
  • Precise focus adjustment, with motorized linear actuators
  • On-board image processing, with the embedded computer
  • Local Wi-Fi network hotspot for local operation from a connected phone, tablet or laptop, with the embedded computer
  • Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi or Ethernet for remote operation, with the embedded computer

Subsystems🔗

Optics:

  • Imaging characteristics:

    • Field of view: 2300 µm x 1730 µm
    • Optical pixel size: 0.75 µm

  • Internal camera: Raspberry Pi Camera Module 2

    • Sensor: Sony IMX219
    • Resolution: 8 Megapixels (3280 x 2464 pixels)

  • Lenses:

    • Objective lens: 12 mm focal length, M12
    • Tube lens: 25 mm focal length, M12
    • Lens mount: M12x0.5

  • Illumination: white LED

Fluidics:

  • Flow cell: ibidi µ-Slide I Luer channel slide

    • Thickness: 200 µm, 400 µm, 600 µm, or 800 µm
    • Material: Plastic (no surface modification)

  • Internal tubing:

    • Material: Tygon S3 (contains no BPA or phthalates)
    • Dimensions: 1.6 mm (1/16") inner diameter, 3.2 mm (1/8") outer diameter
    • Connectors: Luer lock

  • Peristaltic pump

  • Sample intake capacity: 20 mL

Other internal electronics:

External interfaces & connectivity:

  • Expansion: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 2 micro-HDMI ports
  • Wired networking: Gigabit Ethernet
  • Wireless networking: 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi
  • Power input for embedded computer: 5 V DC, up to 3 A of current draw (USB-C)
  • Power input for motors: 5 - 12 V DC, depending on pump motor (5.1 x 2.2 mm DC barrel jack, center positive)