Wireless
A wireless connection eliminates vibration from cables. An ESP32-C3 module seems sufficient for this purpose. Based on a conversation I had with Claude, the expected bandwidth is around 5 Mbps, which exceeds the microscope’s bandwidth requirements.
Adding the ESP32 also makes its built-in DAC available for the coarse actuator. This adds some complexity to the design, but it offloads work from the FPGA.