LSDCAS is currently composed of two automated microscope systems. One, an Olympus IX-70 inverted phase microscope, is equipped with a custom-built Plexiglas stage incubator. The other system, based upon an Olympus IX-71 microscope, uses a LiveCell3 stage incubator system (Pathology Devices, LLC). Both systems support phase-contrast (bright-field) and fluorescence (dark-field) image acquisition and analysis. The microscope assemblies are placed on air tables to minimize vibration artifacts, and temperature-controlled air is delivered to the stage incubators to maintain the desired temperature using proportional temperature controllers.

Computer control of stage X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates is accomplishes using a serial-port I/O interface to a controller unit (stage and controller from Ludl Corp.). In a similar manner, control of specimen illumination is provided through an electronic shutter (also from Ludl Corp). Acquisition currently supports IIDC Firewire cameras using via libdc1394.

For both microscope systems, phase-contrast images are focused using software auto-focus routines developed in house (see below). To switch from phase contrast to fluorescence acquisition, three computer-controlled filter wheels equipped with shutters are used. This procedure allows for automated switching of the microscope light source and optics such that multi-color fluorescence images can be rapidly interleaved with phase-contrast images. This setup requires that the dichroic mirror necessary for epifluorescence is always in the optical path. Since the Kohler illumination used for phase-contrast imaging has a frequency maximum within the frequency range of the dichroic, no noticeable attenuation is observed.