Laser scanning microscope built with Blu-ray parts

Laser scanning microscopes are useful for all kinds of small investigations. Turns out you can build one using salvaged parts from a Blu-ray player, as demonstrated by [Doctor Volt].

The trick is to reassign the optical drive unit which is usually used to read optical discs. In particular, the construction relies on the photodiodes which are typically used to calculate focus error when tracking a disc. To turn it into a laser scanning microscope, the optical sensor is mounted on a 3D printed assembly that can linearly rotate it for imaging purposes.

Meanwhile, hardware from the Blu-ray player is reused to create a sample platter that pivots on the orthogonal axis for full X-Y control. An ESP32 is then responsible for operating the motion control and the laser. It also captures the signals from the photodiodes and sends them to a computer for collation and display.

[Doctor Volt] demonstrates the microscope by imaging a small piece of tissue. The scanned area covers less than 1mm x 1mm, with a resolution of 127 x 127, although this could be improved with a finer pitch on the rotation mechanisms.

While not what we would call a beginner's project, this technique still seems much more accessible than building your own scanning electron microscope.