DIY: Motorized nosepiece control?

[erikwetterskog]

Dear forum,

I was wondering if anyone has tinkered with trying to replace the gigantic and expensive (very few out there) control boxes for e.g. U-6DREM with something more modern. I was contemplating a DIY project, assuming that the motorized nosepieces are driven with a stepper motor. If I had access to the pinout diagram and specification of the motor, I think it would be a fun project and reasonable to build a box with an ESP32 and a stepper motor driver.

Anyone that knows anything about these beasts? I don't even understand how they are connected. It seems that some of the epi-fluorescence illuminators accept the cable, is that so you are able to control the filters as well as the nosepiece with the same gimmick?

Nosepiece:
https://microscopemarketplace.com/produ ... le-u-d6rem

A control box:

https://multi-21-solutions.com/controll ... -mod-assy/

Let me know if you have one and know anything about this system?

EDIT: Are there service manuals for these things?

[Macro_Cosmos]

Yeah, it uses a stepper motor and hall effect sensors to ascertain the position. I have fixed a couple with modified plugs before.

The pinout is easy to trace if you get a hold of one and open it up, simply loosen the two screws on the top. There are service manuals for the nosepiece, however, I have been told to not share them (mainly concerning part IDs). I can check later to see if there is any information regarding pin output.