UNIVERSAL WORK BASE

            This project came about because I saw that many students had custom needs for their own projects and so I wanted to design something flexible. One key element is that for teaching, it is often helpful to have a video of the procedure or for folks to take a video of what they are doing (such as studying bee behavior) that that they can subsequently reference to double check their work.

            Thus, the basic idea is that you have a large, flat work base into which you can slot different things. I use Go-Pro flexible arms and holders, microscope lights, cups, etc. 

            Here is what it looks like in use. On the left there is a Go-Pro style flex arm with a cell phone holder. The LED lights are designed for microscopes and are very inexpensive. 

There is also a version for a dissecting microscope. You can buy these for less than $200.

Here is the underside of the base. The working part is the wedge into which you can hot glue in (removable if needed) the different parts. You might wonder about the channels. It turns out that this is a very big and thick print. If you do not have these channels, the print will actually warp (PETG) and pull the print sheet up from the magnets holding it down, ruining your print because you no longer have a flat surface. The grooves 1) reduce this tension and 2) save plastic.

Let's take a look at some of the accessories. Your only limit is our imagination.

The circular base is designed so that you can rotate the item if needed. I use a knurled thumb screw to lock in whatever I am inserting. You can also add a heat-press threaded insert for extra security (the design is already set for these), but it turns out that they are not really needed.

Go-Pro style mounts come in sets of flat and helmet mounts. Oddly, it is expensive to buy the only flat mount set. I usually buy a set of mounts on Aliexpress. On the left you see the flat one and on the right you see the slightly curved one which fits the helmet mount. If you have something fairly heavy over time, it will pull off the mount, so the 3M adhesive is not enough. I just drilled in one screw and it holds it tight.

Enjoy!

James C. Nieh

UC San Diego, School of Biological Sciences

Department of Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution.