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Install

Install the Software

View our instructions on how to install the software needed for the OpenFlexure Microscope.

OpenFlexure Raspbian

Choose a version of OpenFlexure Raspbian

For your microscope, you will need to download OpenFlexure Raspbian, our custom operating system for the Raspberry Pi. It comes with all necessary software pre-installed.

There are two key decisions to make:

A Full or a Lite OS?

Full OS

The best option for new users.

  • A full desktop OS
  • Control directly from the microscope*
  • Remote control over the network†
  • Uses more RAM and Storage

*Requires a keyboard, mouse, and monitor
†Control from your computer, laptop, or tablet.

Lite OS

The best performance for advanced use.

  • Remote control over the network† only
  • Maximises RAM and Storage availability for microscopy

†Control from your computer, laptop, or tablet.

Development or Stable Release?

v3.0.0-Beta - Development

The best experience for automated microscopy

  • Automated scanning with live preview
  • Improved user experience
  • Modern OS, with active maintenance
  • Does not support:
    • Raspberry Pis older than the Pi 4, nor Pi 5
    • The Delta stage (support planned)
    • Motor boards other than Sangaboard v0.5 with Firmware v1.3 or later (support for “Workaround” motor boards is planned)
    • Server extensions (support planned)

Requirements

Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM (or higher RAM)
We do not yet support the Raspberry Pi 5
2GB of RAM can be used for the Lite OS, but may affect performance.

v2.11.0 - Stable

Supports a wider number of variations

  • Older OS, no longer gets updates
  • The maximum RAM is 4GB. 8GB Raspberry Pis will work, but will only use 4GB of RAM
  • Recommended if:
    • You only have older Raspberry Pis available
    • You use the Delta Stage
    • You use a workaround motor board
    • You need a specific v2 extension

Requirements

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B (1GB RAM) (or better*)
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (2GB RAM) is recommended for the Full OS
Raspberry Pi 1 Model B (512MB RAM) can be used for the Lite OS, but may affect performance.

*We do not yet support the Raspberry Pi 5

Write your SD card

To write the OS you will need version 2 of the Raspberry Pi imager software. Version 1.9.X doesn’t always customise the OS correctly.

To write the OS:

  • Open Imager2
  • Select App options
  • Click the edit button next to “Content Repository”
  • Select “Use custom URL” and paste in the following URL: https://build.openflexure.org/raspbian-openflexure/manifest.json
  • Select Apply & Restart
  • Now you can select the model of Raspberry Pi you have (e.g. Raspberry Pi 4)
  • Choose your OS. See above for more information on which OS to choose.
    • Select either the v3.0.0 beta release of OpenFlexure Raspbian (For Raspberry Pi 4 only), or v2.11.0.
    • You then need to select either the Full or the Lite version of the OS.
  • Select your SD card from the list
  • Give your microscope a name, and select Next
  • Leave the localisation settings as they are and click Next
  • Choose a user name and password then click Next
  • Optionally enter your Wifi details, but you can skip this (you may need to delete the SSID for it to let you click Next)
  • Turn Enable SSH on and click Use Password Authentication (Unless you understand SSH keys and how to manage them)
  • Finally, click Write and wait for it to finish

OpenFlexure Connect

OpenFlexure Connect is the software we recommend for accessing your microscope.

You can install it on your own computer to control the microscope over your local network, or you can use OpenFlexure directly on the Raspberry Pi inside your microscope.

When you start OpenFlexure Connect it will list any microscopes you have access to. You can then connect to a microscope to use it. Each microscope opens in a new window, so you can use multiple microscopes at a time.

If you don’t want to use OpenFlexure Connect use a web browser instead.

Download OpenFlexure Connect

There is no need to download OpenFlexure Connect onto your Raspberry Pi. It’s already included with Raspbian-OpenFlexure.

Windows

Linux

Get it from the Snap Store

Mac OS

Currently, OpenFlexure Connect for Mac OS must be built from source. Instructions can be found in the Readme file on GitLab.

Use a Web Browser

Alternatively, you can control your microscope from any web browser on a computer connected to the same network as your microscope.

By default you should be able to access your microscope from the address:
http://microscope.local:5000 Some networks strip the .local, leaving the address as http://microscope:5000

If that doesn’t work you’ll need to know your microscope’s IP address. You can then access the microscope from:
http://{your microscope's IP address}:5000
inserting your IP address, for example
http://192.168.1.60:5000

Next steps

Use your Microscope

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