Software Joystick

Purpose

Use the software Joystick to move the specimen in the X,Y, and Z axes by clicking the arrows, entering a specific X,Y,Z coordinate, or entering a distance.

The joystick moves the SLICE microscope stage; it is available when the system is in live image mode

When viewing images the joystick is disabled.

To navigate in images use the Field of view move controls.

Procedure

Joystick

XY and Z arrows:

  • Inner arrows will move the smallest distance (1x) based on where the Step size slider is positioned.

  • Middle arrows will move 4x the distance of the inner arrows.

  • Outer arrows will move 16x the distance of the inner arrows.

Step size sliders:

  • Move the sliders to increase/decrease the distance moved per arrow click.

    When a slider is positioned all the way to the left (-), the inner arrows will move one step per click. Move the slider to the right (+) to increase the distance the inner arrows move per click. The middle arrows will move 4x, and outer arrows will move 16x, the inner arrow distance.

  • The current step size is displayed below the step size sliders and dynamically updates as sliders are adjusted.

    The XY step size is based on the lens calibration of the objective. For example, if the calibration is 2.5 µm/pixel, the step size = 2.5 µm. The Z step size always = 1 µm regardless of the objective being used.

Advanced options

Click Show Advanced to display Move Stage Commands.

Absolute Coordinates:

  • Enter specific coordinates into the X,Y,Z text boxes and click Move X,Y, Move X,Y,Z, or Move Z to drive the stage to that location.

  • Click Get to update the X,Y,Z text boxes with the current coordinate position of the stage.

Relative moves (µm):

  • Enter a µm distance in the X,Y,Z text boxes, then click Move Relative X,Y,Z to move the stage by that distance in each axis.

There is a small risk of crashing the specimen cuvette into the sides of the RI media reservoir, particularly in the Z axis. If the cuvette does hit the side of oil reservoir, it will dislodge from the stage and fall into the RI medium. Damage to the cuvette is unlikely, however, cleaning the RI medium from the outside of the cuvette can be tedious. Software limits for stage movement are available to prevent this from happening. If you would like to set up software limits, please contact Technical Services for assistance.