Resonant Scan Box — Fast Resonant-Galvo Scanner for Multiphoton Microscopy

Resonant Scan Box (RESSCAN)

The Resonant Scan Box (RESSCAN) from Sutter Instrument is a general-purpose resonant-galvo scan module for two-photon and multiphoton microscopes. Using the industry-standard Cambridge Technologies CRS 8 kHz resonant scanner for fast X-axis sweeping and a Cambridge 6215 5 mm galvo for the Y axis, the RESSCAN enables bidirectional full-frame imaging at up to 30 frames per second — fast enough to capture single-trial calcium transients, voltage signals and rapid behavioural correlates in neural populations in vivo.

Hardware Design

The scan box is compact (13 × 10 × 5 cm, 1 kg) and engineered to be whisper-quiet, generating negligible acoustic vibration during operation. The external controller houses the resonant scanner drive electronics, galvo amplifiers and all power supplies in a separate chassis (41 × 28 × 9 cm). Unlike proprietary resonant systems that lock users into specific software and data acquisition hardware, the RESSCAN exposes standard analog and digital I/O lines compatible with any scanning software that supports resonant-galvo operation, including ScanImage, MScan and HelioScan.

Available Versions

Two versions are currently available. The RESSCAN-MOM fits directly into the standard scanner port of the MOM® frame and can be purchased as part of a new MOM system or retrofitted into an existing one with minimal hardware changes. The RESSCAN-GEN is a generic version using a compact relay system (15 × 15 × 5 cm relay module) that integrates into a wide range of upright and inverted scanning microscope frames, including the Sutter DF-SCOPE and BOB, and is compatible with the Simple 2P and BOB-2P microscope platforms.

Applications

• Fast in vivo calcium imaging — at 30 frames per second, individual action-potential-evoked calcium transients in GCaMP-expressing neurons can be resolved frame-by-frame. The resonant-galvo architecture provides the pixel dwell time and SNR needed for sparse labelling experiments where single-cell resolution at speed is essential.
• Voltage imaging — while the RESSCAN operates at up to 30 full-frame fps, line-scanning and reduced-ROI modes in ScanImage and MScan achieve sub-millisecond temporal resolution, approaching the requirements of fast genetically-encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs).
• Upgrading existing MOM or galvo-only scanning rigs — the RESSCAN-MOM can be retrofitted into any existing MOM frame currently using 3 mm or 6 mm galvo scanners, adding high-speed resonant imaging capability without replacing the microscope body or any fixed optics.