 works out the number of steps needed. But, on WeMacro, the process becomes: I mount a specimen, decide I want to shoot at 5x, switch on LiveView, move WeMacro to in front of the specimen looking at liveview, then take successive test steps of 250 microns until I reach the end point I'd like to use. As I move to the end point I note the number of steps taken, and then at the end I know roughly the z-axis distance I need the WeMacro device to move to cover the whole specimen, then I divide that by the step size and put in the number. All very doable, but Stackshot takes care of this for you, which is easier. WeMacro have taken this difference between it and Stackshot on board, and have stated their intention to improve the software so that a methods of easily measuring required stack size and steps/increment will be added to future versions of the software.
From a hardware point of view, the WeMacro device also lacks any setting or configurability for such consistency factors as motor torque, motor speed and ramp time, which is something that may hamper its adoption amongst the more exacting of stackers, especially microscopy stackers doing stacks at high magnification. That said, WeMacro does now have a backlash compensation means: they have added a calibrate command to compensate backlash after the rail stops (recommended setting: 180 microns +/- 10 micron). A simple cheap off-axis loading also helps with consistency, especially at high magnifications (ie tie a rubber band to moving part of stacker to pull it, as such). The initial omission of any backlash mechanism was something that I spoke to WeMacro about as I reviewed it, and I am delighted to see that they added the request!
All that said, this is an excellent product at a great price, a perfectly reasonable alternative to Stackshot. We're in an exciting period in stacking development: PhaseOne and Olympus now already do in-camera stacking, there's now a 3D Stackshot from Cognisys, and the electronic rail marketplace is set to become even more competitive with the introduction of another player in the electronic stage marketplace, MJKZZ with its multiple electronic stages, SnS stage and its DIY macro rail. WeMacro is also an ambitious young company, and very willing to listen to feedback and product suggestions from folk with stacking experience, so it would not surprise me if the product develops and improves rapidly in the months ahead. As it stands it is already very decent lower cost budget alternative to Stackshot, and may have the happy effect of making focus stacking even more accessible than it already is today.
The WeMacro MicroMate is a unit specifically designed for microscope stacking, and attaches to the fine focus know of the microscope. It is as far as I know the only such unit on the market, giving a premade solution to a problem that always required attaching a stepper motor yourself previously. The unit is very well built and works as advertised, using a 400 step 0.9 degree stepper. The height of motor can be adjusted from 2cm - 18cm so it can be married up to Nikon, Olympus etc. With the step length set as 1 micron, it will take 2132 steps to do a full circle, which is more than sufficient for high magnification work.
This is a phenomenal value for money product when you are just starting out with stacking as it prevents the need to construct your own stand out of DIY parts which, whilst fun to do, can be an expensive and frustrating exercise. The WeMacro Vertical stand comes with all the parts illustrated, including two rough positioning stages and the specimen holder. The pillar is 42 cm hight which is fine for mounting the wemacro stacker, and there are holes on the bottom so that magic arms can be attached. I have 4 on mine and use this device with continuous lighting. WeMacro has done well to listen to what stackers want and there are 4 large rubber footpads to reduce vibration. At this price ($99, 2017) I really cannot recommend this piece of apparatus enough!
I'm a big fan. Wemacro's (and William's) customer service is first rate. I always recommend the Wemacro rail to anyone wanting to get into serious focus stacking, especially with microscope objectives.
Have just purchased a WeMacro rail thanks in part to your advice. Am finding it a great purchase and the service from William has been excellent.
Has anyone managed to get the Wemo to works with OSX 10.13?
I'm unable to get the computer (MacbookPro) to see the Wemo, despite following all the advice and driver info I can find.
William Gu says...
Hi I am torn between the wemacro and the stackshot. for my current needs wemacro is perfect, however I will be moving onto higher magnification more or less as soon as I can manage it. is it worth making the larger investment now? or will the wemacro rail be suitable for above 5 - 10 x mag to start with?
Imagine if individuals partnered with their churches to reach the online world for Christ. What might that look like?
Read More Than Influencers.
What service do you recommend for starting a podcast? I am thinking of a place to upload my church’s sermons. Thanks!
Hey Luis, I use anchor.fm simply because they’re free and provide everything you need.
Thanks for the response. I am now using anchor.fm to publish the sermons from my church.If you’ve been following our work for some time, you know we’ve already talked about learning Serban with music. In our first musical lesson, we focused on learning Serbian tenses with the help of our hits.
Today, we’ll give you examples of grammatical cases using a similar principle.
Before we start learning Serbian cases with music, let’s say a few words about Serbian cases in general.
Grammatical cases are different forms of some words. Every grammatical case shows that word’s function in a sentence. Think of it as of differentiation between who i whom.
We’ve talked more about grammatical cases here.
Now, let’s start with our first grammatical case!
Our first grammatical case is Nominative. As its name suggests, we use it to name a class of nouns, adjectives, numbers, or pronouns.
We’ll find interesting examples of Nominative cases in the song Crna dama (The Black Lady) by the band Smak.
Smak was one of the most influential Serbian and ex-Yugoslav rock bands. They were madly popular in the 1970s. The band’s guitarist Radomir Mihajlović, nicknamed Točak (The Wheel) was particularly praised for his extraordinary guitar skills.
But let’s go back to our song. The song Crna dama is about a woman using a man for his money. To put it in today’s terms – she’s a gold digger. He’s aware of her true nature but struggles to let her go.
Možda nisam ja ko Apolon lep.
Crna dama zna, al’ voli moj džep.
Haljine duge i lov, afera splet.
Moćna i raskošna crna damo?
(Maybe I am not as handsome as Apollo.
The Black Lady knows but likes my pocket.
Long dresses i hunt, a tangle of affairs.
Learning Serbian with music is a fun way to learn!
The second Serbian grammatical case is Genitive. It indicates possession, origin, or quantity, or it can have multiple other meanings. Pay attention to the prepositions used in both Serbian and English versions of the song. These prepositions are generally used with the genitive case.
Our examples are from another rock band’s song. The band’s name is Babe (Grandmas), and the song is called Noć bez sna (A Sleepless Night). It’s about a man suffering through the night after his love has left him.
Prazne su ulice.
Padam sa stolice.
We’re staying at the topic of a man suffering for his beloved woman who left him. But we’re moving to a whole other genre!
The song Pozdravi je, pozdravi (Say Hello to Her) by Miroslav Ilić is a beautiful old folk song.
sad rastanak naš.
Da mi daš.
suze bi joj rekle sve.
We use dative to express an indirect object or direction.
Have you ever been to a Serbian band or singer’s concert?
We’re going back to learning Serbian with rock songs! The next song is made and sung by another high-quality band named EKV. The song’s name is Zid (Wall).
Most of the band crew died young. In honor of the singer Milan Mladenović, a passage in Novi Sad (the 2nd biggest city in Serbia) now bears his name!
pa onda smiri one nemirne.
i lovcima zategni lukove.
u sobi gde umire dan.
nahrani glad u svojim očima.
i spasi nas, neuhvatljive.
then calm the restless ones.
and tighten the hunter’s bow.
in the room where the day dies.
feed the hunger in your eyes.
and save us, elusive