Tethering-Station-Assembly
Instructions for building the inexpensive tethering station
Figure 1: Fly tethering station.
Table of Contents
- 1. Prepare all needed parts
- 2. Assemble the acrylic frame
- 3. Assemble the peltier cooler
- 4. Mount the micromanipulator
- 5. Install the thread adapter and Mini-V clamp
- 6. Install the fly-holding rod and fly holder
- 7. Power on and set the cooler temperature
- 8. Required parts list
Assembly Steps
1 Prepare all needed parts
1.1 Verify purchasable items
- Confirm you have all purchasable components listed in the Required Parts List (PPL) table.
- Purchase any missing items before starting the build.
1.2 Prepare custom acrylic parts
- You need to prepare:
- a. Acrylic fly holder.
Figure 2: Acrylic fly mount, 1.5mm (1/16”) thickness.
- b. Acrylic assembly for the tethering station.
Figure 3: CAD rendering of the tethering station's acrylic assembly, designed in FreeCAD.
- Obtain these acrylic-sheet parts by either:
- Laser-cutting the acrylic sheets yourself, or
- Ordering laser-cut parts from a service (e.g., Ponoko).
- Check acrylic thickness before cutting/ordering. The SVG filenames indicate the required thickness:
- 1.5 mm (1/16”)
- 6 mm (1/4”)
- Cut paths only: all paths in the SVG files are intended to be cut, not engraved.
1.3 Tap threads in the baseplate
- Tap M3 threads into the baseplate holes used to mount the micromanipulator.
1.4 Prepare 3D-printed parts
- Obtain the 3D-printed parts by either:
- Printing them yourself, or
- Ordering them from a service (e.g., Craftcloud).
- Recommended filament:
- PLA (works well for most uses)
- ASA (recommended if you need improved UV resistance)
- Suggested print settings:
- 0.2 mm layer height
- No supports
- Mini-V clamp: insert M3 nuts into both slots.
2 Assemble the acrylic frame
- Assemble the main structure using the acrylic parts, following the render in Figure 3.
- Fasten all acrylic joints with cyanoacrylate adhesive (super glue), as shown in Figure 3.
Optional: add rubber feet
For a better grip between the baseplate and the table, attach four rubber feet under the baseplate—one at each corner.
3 Assemble the peltier cooler
3.1 W1209 temperature controller
-
Figure 4: HiLetgo 2pcs W1209 with Case 12V DC Digital Temperature Controller.
- Assemble the W1209 temperature controller (PPL).
- If your unit includes an acrylic housing, assemble the housing first.
Wiring safety note
Do not splice wires by twisting metal-on-metal only. Poor splices can overheat under load. Use one of the following:
- solder + heat-shrink, or
- proper connectors (e.g., crimp connectors or WAGO lever nuts).
3.2 Wire the temperature controller to the peltier cooler
Prepare:
- one 3” red wire (cut + strip ends)
- one 10” black wire (cut + strip ends)
- 12 V power supply
- female barrel connector
- rocker switch
- Peltier cooloer
Figure 5: Thermoelectric, Peltier Assemblies.
Wire as follows: a. Use the 3” red wire to connect terminals K1 → 12V on the W1209. b. Connect one end of the 10” black wire to GND on the W1209. c. Connect the other end of the 10” black wire to the negative (−) terminal of the female barrel connector. d. Connect the black wire of the rocker switch to 12V on the W1209. e. Connect the red wire of the rocker switch to the positive (+) terminal of the female barrel connector.
Cooler load wiring (Peltier + fan assembly):
- Red wires → K0
- Black wires → GND
You can wire the cooler load either now or after mounting the cooler to the acrylic structure.
3.3 Prepare and mount the aluminum T-bar
a. Cut a 40-mm-length piece of the aluminum T-bar (a bandsaw works well). b. Apply thermal paste to the bottom face of the T-bar (orientation as in Figure 1). c. Place the NTC temperature probe so it touches both:
- the rim of the T-bar, and
-
the cold plate
Add thermal paste to thermally couple the probe to both surfaces. d. Secure the T-bar using thermal tape (use 4 × 10 mm strips) as shown in Figure 6. -
You do not need to remove the blue liner from the tape after applying it.
-
Figure 6: The aluminum T-bar on the cooler
3.4 Seat the cooler on the acrylic frame
- Place the cooler into its seat as shown in Figure 1.
- Optionally use cyanoacrylate adhesive (super glue) for additional fastening.
4 Mount the micromanipulator
a. Place the micromanipulator on the acrylic baseplate with the 6 mm raising platform underneath. b. To access the screw mounts:
- Slide the lowest platform to an edge position to expose the screw holes on the opposite side. c. Insert M3 × 12 screws and fasten the micromanipulator into the baseplate. d. Move the platform to the other edge position and repeat to install the remaining screws.
5 Install the thread adapter and Mini-V clamp
a. Screw your chosen thread adapter into the top surface of the micromanipulator. b. Wrap one layer of PTFE (thread seal) tape or electrical tape around the exposed threads to add friction (prevents the clamp from rotating freely). c. Attach the Mini-V clamp above the thread adapter.
Notes by clamp version
3D-printed version (shown in Figure 1)
- The “thread adapter” is an M3 × 36 threaded rod.
- We made this by cutting an M3 × 40 screw down to 36 mm using a rotary tool + cutoff wheel (other methods are fine).
- Fasten the rod by: a. threading it into the micromanipulator platform hole closest to the T-bar, then b. adding a washer + nut to lock it in place.
Thorlabs-parts version
- You may need M3 standoffs to reach the height of the aluminum T-bar apex.
- This was not tested; an M3 standoff kit is included in the PPL as an option.
6 Install the fly-holding rod and fly holder
a. Insert the appropriate thumb screw into the top of the Mini-V clamp (type depends on your clamp choice). b. Insert the fly-holding rod (Thorlabs or 3D-printed) into the Mini-V clamp and secure it with the thumb screw. c. Attach the acrylic fly holder to the rod using one of the following:
- M2.5 screw + nut, or
- #2-56 screw + nut d. Use the small hole at one end of the fly-holding rod for the fly holder fastener.
7 Power on and set the cooler temperature
a. Plug the 12 V power supply into the female barrel connector. b. Turn on the rocker switch when you are ready to cool.
Recommended temperature setpoint
- Target: keep the cold plate ~0 °C.
- The NTC probe may not report the cold-plate temperature accurately.
- Using an IR camera, we found that setting the controller to +10 °C produced the desired cold-plate temperature (~0 °C).
How to set the temperature on the W1209
a. Click (do not long-press) the SET button, which will make the display flash. b. Use + and − to adjust the set temperature. c. Click the SET button again to set the displayed temperature.
8 Required parts list
| Name | Quantity | Description | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tap Wrench Tool Set | 1 | Mesee 6 Pcs Tap Wrench Tool Set, Adjustable T-Handle Tap Holder Wrench with Metric Plug Taps (M3–M8) | Amazon | |
| Super Glue | 1 | Loctite Super Glue Professional Liquid, 20 g | Amazon | |
| Temperature Controller | 1 | HiLetgo W1209 (12V) Digital Temperature Controller (with case) | Amazon | |
| WAGO Lever Splice | 5 | Push-in butt splice connector, 12–24 AWG, transparent/orange | DigiKey | |
| Black Wire | 1 | 22 AWG hook-up wire, black, 25 ft (7.62 m) | DigiKey | |
| Red Wire | 1 | 22 AWG hook-up wire, red, 25 ft (7.62 m) | DigiKey | |
| Rocker Switch | 1 | Rocker switch, SPST, 20A (AC) 125V, panel mount, snap-in | DigiKey | |
| Thermal Tape | 1 | Double-sided thermal adhesive tape, 25 m × 10 mm × 0.20 mm | Amazon | |
| Thermal Paste | 1 | Thermal silicone compound, 1 g syringe | DigiKey | |
| Cooler | 1 | Direct-to-air thermoelectric assembly | DigiKey | |
| Power Supply | 1 | 12V 8A (96W) AC/DC power adapter | Amazon | |
| Micro-Manipulator | 1 | XYZ axis manual precision linear stage (40 × 40 mm) | Amazon | |
| Bumper Feet | 4 | Square tapered bumper feet (polyurethane) | Optional; example part | DigiKey |
| Aluminum T-Bar | 1 | 6061 aluminum T-bar, 1/2” high × 1” wide, 1/8” wall | Buy 2 ft; cut a 40 mm section (bandsaw) | McMaster |
| Plate-Holding Rod (Thorlabs option) | 1 | ER90C - 90° “T” Extension | Or 3D print | Thorlabs |
| Cage Rod (for plate-holding rod) | 1 | ER2 - Cage Assembly Rod, 2” long, Ø6 mm | Used with ER90C | Thorlabs |
| Electrical Tape (McMaster) | 1 | Electrical tape, 3/4” wide, 60 ft, black | McMaster | |
| Electrical Tape (DigiKey) | 1 | Electrical tape, PSA adhesive, black, 3/4” × 60’ | Alternative source | DigiKey |
| PTFE Seal Tape | 1 | PTFE thread seal tape (plumber’s tape), 1/2” × 520” | Amazon |
Clamp Options
Option A: Imperial (8-32)
| Name | Quantity | Description | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thumb Screw | 1 | #8-32 hex head thumb screw, hex drive, nylon | DigiKey | |
| Thread Adapter | 1 | Male hex thread adapter, 8-32 to M3 × 0.5 | McMaster | |
| Clamp | 1 | VH1 - Miniature V-Clamp, 0.42” long, 8-32 tapped | Thorlabs | |
| M3 Standoff Kit | 1 | M3 standoff assortment kit | Optional height tuning | Amazon |
Option B: Metric (M4)
| Name | Quantity | Description | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thumb Screw | 1 | #8-32 hex head thumb screw, hex drive, nylon | DigiKey | |
| Thread Adapter | 1 | Male hex thread adapter, M3 × 0.5 to M4 × 0.7 | McMaster | |
| Clamp | 1 | VH1/M - Miniature V-Clamp, 0.42” long, M4 tapped | Thorlabs | |
| M3 Standoff Kit | 1 | M3 standoff assortment kit | Optional height tuning | Amazon |
Option C: Metric (3D-printed clamp)
| Name | Quantity | Description | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thumb Screw | 1 | Knurled thumb screws, M3 × 20 | Amazon | |
| Thread Adapter | 1 | M3 × 36 threaded rod | Fabricate per procedure (e.g., cut down an M3 × 40) |
Fasteners
| Name | Quantity | Description | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screws (M3 × 12 mm) | 1 | 316 stainless button head hex drive screws, M3 × 0.5, 12 mm | McMaster | |
| Nuts (M3) | 1 | Zinc-plated steel hex nut, M3 × 0.5 | McMaster | |
| Washers (M3) | 1 | 18-8 stainless washer for M3 (3.2 mm ID, 7 mm OD) | McMaster | |
| M3 Fastener Kit | 1 | M3 screw/nut/washer assortment kit | Alternative to individual parts | Amazon |
| Screw (#2-56) | 1 | #2-56 pan head slotted drive nylon screw | For acrylic fly holder fastening | DigiKey |
| Nut (#2-56) | 1 | #2-56 hex nut, nylon | For acrylic fly holder fastening | DigiKey |
Acrylic Sheets (if cutting in-house with a CO₂ laser)
| Name | Quantity | Description | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic sheet (1/16”, 1.5 mm) | 1 | Clear scratch- and UV-resistant acrylic sheet, 12” × 12” × 1/16” | For 1.5 mm SVG parts | McMaster |
| Acrylic sheet (1/4”, 6 mm) | 1 | Clear scratch- and UV-resistant acrylic sheet, 12” × 12” × 1/4” | For 6 mm SVG parts | McMaster |