Abstract: A manually operated driver for precision support stages having coarse and optional fine position control. A yoke connected to a movable stage slides along a shaft parallel to the direction of motion of the stage. The yoke has opposing pivot members that can, in one position, contact the shaft to self-lock the position of the yoke on the shaft and, in another position, remain clear of the shaft thereby allowing the yoke to slide freely on the shaft for coarse position control. The shaft has threads at one end that turn into a support block. Turning of the shaft with a knob and with the yoke locked to the shaft, slowly changes the position of the yoke and the connected stage for fine position adjustment of the stage. A pair of such drivers in orthogonal orientation on parallel x-y movable stages will provide two dimensional motion of stages.

Abstract: A horizontal planar movable surface forms a stage used as a work holder for optics, scientific instruments, microscopes and the like. The stage has a fixed lower plate with parallel grooves for bearings and a central groove for a ferromagnetic strip. A movable upper plate has corresponding parallel grooves to receive the bearings and powerful magnets over the ferromagnetic strip to pull the upper plate towards the lower plate without surface contact. A magnetic shield is interposed between the magnets and the work support surface of the upper plate to block most magnetic flux from work tools carried by the stage.