  In the PANDA experiment's hypernuclear and hyperatom setup, a positioning
system for the primary production target is required, which will be located in
the center of the solenoid magnet, in ultra-high vacuum, and exposed to high
radiation levels. In this work, a prototype for a positioning sensor was built
using a bisected light guide for infrared light and a low-priced readout system
based on microcontrollers. In contrast to many modern positioning systems that
require electronics in direct proximity, this setup has no active electronic
components close to the moving parts.
  The prototype system was operated with a resolution of better than
5$\micro$m, and with a repeatability of better than $\pm$18$\micro$m in a total
of 14000 measurements. The demonstrated performance is by far satisfying the
positioning requirement of $\pm$300 $\micro$m in the hypernuclear and hyperatom
setup at PANDA.
