Lens holder for silicon wafer art frame

I got a silicon wafer as a birthday gift, and was told that it really comes alive if you look at it with some magnification… oh boy were they right! the super fine details are breathtaking… but its kind of a chore to take it off of the stand it came with, clean it, then set up a microscope. I knew that i would never do all that, but I like looking at all the detail and thinking about all the engineering and talent that took to get here.

So, i came up with a solution… what if we just attach our microscope to a wall mounted frame?! Well, i did just that, and it worked! but not any ol' microscope would work (due to size and weight). Feel free to watch the youtube video If you want to follow along, or skip to making your own with the files attached!

Youtube Build video:
 

The salvaged linear rails I had were expensive, so I have found similar cheap rails and linked those below. If you plan on CNC milling parts with the included STEP files / tap charts, then please please please 3d print the parts first to verify the cheap rails have the correct hole pattern before sending off parts to be made!

parts needed (contains affiliate links):

• frame: https://amzn.to/40DuTzo 
• linear rails (x2): https://amzn.to/44Tka6s 
• magnifier: https://amzn.to/3GgZU5r 
• PCB wafer: https://amzn.to/3IxGABq 
• Nuts and bolts needed: 
  • link to kit that contains all the sizes needed: https://amzn.to/4ljvWNt 
  • m3 x 6mm: 3 
  • m3 x 8mm: 8 
  • m3 x 20mm : 7 
  • m3 x 25mm: 2 
  • m3 nuts: 9 
  • m3 washers: 2

Project files also include some handy wall mounts that fit perfect to the frame linked above. They can be hung using a bit of double sided tape to transfer the hole pattern to the wall… example towards the end of the build video!