Monday, February 23, 2026
Goodbye MAUS, Hello PIKA
MAUS V0.04 has been a most excellent prototyping and research platform, particularly when upgraded with the V0.05 Axis Drivers. The time has come, though, for me to pull MAUS apart and salvage the electromechanical bits to build V0.05 proper, PIKA. Here's the grand family photo:
The Axis Drivers will just need their Motor Pillars changed over, but after that they won't fit on MAUS anymore. The microscopes and supports will also be salvaged. Everything else is entirely replaced by the two black prints on the right. The files are on github, and Jon Oxer has already printed one (see https://www.youtube.com/live/c-1TsS5qgx4).
These changes were part of the core V0.05 design goals; simplify construction, add stability. As a bonus, PIKA does not require a lasercut base or carpentry. Printing the X & Y Stage flexures as an integrated block removes assembly alignment issues and allows room for cross-bracing to stabilise them against rotation. The bed levelling screws are now easily accessible (oh yes, the fun of bed levelling at microns is now a thing), the Z Tower is integrated with the XY Table and is far more rigid. The software and firmware are 100% compatible with V0.04
So farewell then to The MAUS That Roared.
