UC2-ESP: A General-Purpose Framework for Open-Source Microscopy Control

TL;DR

UC2-ESP is an open-source, flexible, and low-cost control system based on ESP32 microcontroller for managing various hardware components in microscopy setups, enhancing customization and synchronization capabilities.

Contribution

The paper introduces UC2-ESP, a versatile, microcontroller-based platform that simplifies and standardizes hardware control in microscopy, supporting multiple interfaces and custom configurations.

Findings

Supports diverse hardware components like motors, lasers, LEDs.

Offers multiple communication interfaces including Bluetooth, USB, and HTTP.

Enables dynamic, complex control loops and integration with existing software.

Abstract

Building the optical setup for investigating biological questions comes with challenges. A major such challenge is setting up and synchronizing the control of multiple hardware components such as stages, cameras and lasers. With UC2-ESP we present a compact electronics system powered by the ESP32 microcontroller, designed to provide general-purpose control for various components in microscopy setups. Our system can interface with stepper motors, directed current (DC) motors, lasers (transistor-transistor logics, TTL or pulse width modulation, PWM), light emitting diodes (LEDs), and analog voltage outputs (galvo mirrors, led current control), allowing precise control over microscopy hardware. The platform is highly flexible, supporting custom pin configurations and multiple communication interfaces such as Bluetooth, universal serial bus (USB-serial), and HTTP via a built-in Webserver. A PlayStation controller can be used for haptic hardware manipulation, while commands are transmitted in a human-readable JSON format to ensure modularity and extensibility. The firmware is designed to receive parameters and execute actions dynamically, supporting complex control loops such as motor homing, stage scanning and temperature regulation via integrated controllers. Furthermore, the system integrates seamlessly with ImSwitch as well as MicroManager and offers a browser-based control tool using Web Serial. This open-source firmware enables microscopy research groups to develop custom setups and expand functionality efficiently, at low cost and high flexibility.