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Olympus Uteromat Fluid Control Scope Accessories Questions & Answers
Just aquired an old olympus
Olympus makes good microscopes so you have done well and stereo microscopes are so much nicer to use than singles. As far as cleaning the lenses goes, buy a good quality camera lens blower brush and also a can of compressed air like the ones used for computers. Blow any loose dust hairs etc off with the can of air and then use the brush for anything remaining. If there are fingerprints or grease on the lenses then clean them using camera lens cleaning fluid and lens tissue but make sure all debris and dust are removed first or you may scratch the lenses. In general try not to use anything more than air and a brush unless absolutely necessary. Another option for removing fingerprints etc is to use a "lens pen" with caution. The ones sold for cameras work well but may be too large. They make some smaller ones for cleaning camera sensors and those might work better for the relatively small microscope lenses or just cut the regular lens pen disk to make it smaller. It is just as important to make sure the lens is dust/debris free when using the lens pens.
Low power stereo microscopes often allow you to put on a single magnifier lens in front of the main objectives to increase magnification. Do a bit of searching to find what are options for your model.
The off/on switch on my 1973 olympus khc has
You could try to dismantle the microscope to access the switch and try to service the switch, or replace it. It's probably stuck in place because of grime. Dismantle it, clean it out with isopropyl alcohol, make sure it moves, then wait until it dries out and test it.
It can be easily replaced with a simple switch bought at any hardware store. An electrician could easily do it for you, or if you know electrical hardware, you can do it yourself.
How to troubleshoot a microscope having uneven
uneveness of of brightness in the optical field of view (FOV) can be caused by a number of variables, but often times is do to miss alignment of the condenser. Typically when this is the problem there the "hot" (brightess area) will be shifted to one corner or another in the FOV. There are usually some sort of adjustment screw underneath the stage that will allow you to do the alignment. It is easiest if you close down the iris on condenser and adjust the height of the condenser until you can see an octagonal shape appear, then center it in the FOV.
If the uneveness is equally the same throughout the FOV then it may have to do with the position or the height of the condenser. Generally speaking the lower the magnification, the further the condenser should be away from the slide. The condenser narrows or broadens the light allowing you to fill the entire FOV of the objective.
Depending on the quality and the level of the microscope though, you may find that no matter what you do at lower magnifications you can do very little to improve this. I see this a lot with LED models. The dispersion pattern of an LED is much more focused then a halogen, which is GREAT for higher magnification, but often times manufactures will upgrade from halogen to LED an never change the optics of th collector lens and condenser to flatten out the illumination better.
Dear Madam/Sir,
I have an Olympus
It is most likely your dimmer control switch. It is a variable resistor that controls how much voltage is going to your bulb. You will want to contact a local microscope repair company that services Olympus microscope in order to either get it fixed, or to get the part.
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