I had a look and this project is most definitely not open source. Nobody should be making that claim.

Changing the HN headline to soften the project's own bombastic claim isn't really the point of the argument. It would bhe better to highlight any project that is actually working on open source microscopy of which there are many. Flagged

The hardware itself doesn't appear to be open though? - "Blueprints are available on case by case basis"

It's not, and the process is awful. To get access to blueprints or hardware specifications you need to provide proof of academic credentials and affiliation with a relevant research project.

They really shouldn't be calling it an open-source anything.

Nanographs, a company out of Portland, is probably a better source of open microscope information (https://www.nanographs.io/).

Thanks for the link, not come across that before.

Don't these things require like beryllium window and low background steel?