Repairing the XY mechanical stage for the Olympus BH-2

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carlh6902
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Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:31 pm
Location: Olathe, KS

Repairing the XY mechanical stage for the Olympus BH-2

Post by carlh6902 »

Here is the latest bit of the Olympus BH-2 I've finished. I hope that somebody finds it useful.

Edit 4/14/2019: Replaced outdated link with a link to the master index, which always contains the most recent versions:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7ckZ ... nFYVDJSRW8

Carl
Last edited by carlh6902 on Sun Apr 14, 2019 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ChrisR
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Post by ChrisR »

A very valuable paper, Carl, thanks for making the recording so well, and posting it up.
Chris R

Alan Wood
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Post by Alan Wood »

Thank you, Carl

I think that makes 5 of your very useful Olympus BH-2 repair guides, all of which are available here:

http://www.alanwood.net/photography/oly ... tml#repair

Alan Wood

Tom Jones
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Post by Tom Jones »

Wow. :shock: Useful doesn't begin to cover it. Very nicely done. Thank you!

Tom

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Thank you, Carl and Alan, for providing such useful resources for the community. If I had known of your resources before I started microscopy as a hobby, I would have gone with Olympus (instead of Nikon) as my main stand.

carlh6902
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Location: Olathe, KS

Post by carlh6902 »

zzffnn wrote:Thank you, Carl and Alan, for providing such useful resources for the community. If I had known of your resources before I started microscopy as a hobby, I would have gone with Olympus (instead of Nikon) as my main stand.
It's never too late to come to the dark side.

Carl

micro_pix
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Post by micro_pix »

Great work! Many thanks.

neurodoc
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Post by neurodoc »

I loved your repair manual...It's everything a reasonably handy DIY amateur (like me) needs to clean lube and adjust mechanisms like that Olympus stage! Is there anything out there like your manual for the Zeiss Standards and WL's? I've done some decent work on my scopes using mechanical common sense and experience working on other more or less complex mechanisms, such as clocks, watches, cameras, and photographic lenses. I'd like to suggest a technique I've used in CLA work in my other hobbies.

On pages 19-20 on the locking thumbscrew assembly you mention trying a heat gun to free up a sticky plunger. A trick I've found that works extremely well to free up mechanical scope parts frozen together by hardened (and even corrosion) involves immersing them in an ultrasonic bath. Of course you don't do that for optical components, unless you can safely remove the lenses beforehand.

I've used this technique to quickly free up some frozen components that just wouldn't come apart by other means. Have you ever tried this trick, and if so what do you think of it? Of course you've got to completely dry the parts before reassembling and lubricating them, and it should be quite safe for things, like nylon, that won't be damaged by a brief exposure to water plus a little detergent.
Man sieht nur, was man weiss--Goethe

carlh6902
Posts: 89
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:31 pm
Location: Olathe, KS

Post by carlh6902 »

It's good to hear feedback on the BH-2 stuff. I have indeed thought that ultrasonic cleaning could work, but I have never tried it, since I don't (yet) have an ultrasonic cleaner.

I'm working on the write-up for the sliding focus block portion now, and should have it wrapped up in the next few weeks. After that, the binocular head. Now those can get really froze up due to grease.

Carl

myxomop
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Post by myxomop »

this is as impressive as it is overwhelming. i now know why repairs cost so much.
MACRO:
Olympus OM-D E-M1X, Olympus M.Zuiko 30mm f/3.5 ED, OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO, Gitzo GT2540EX Tripod, Acratech GV2 Ballhead, 2x Ulanzi VL49 Rechargeable Mini LED Lights, Ulanzi LED Full-Color Photography Light Wand

MICRO:
Trinocular Olympus BHS, SPlan 4x, 10x, 20x, 40x (1.25 N.A.), SPlanApo 100x Oil (1.4 N.A.), BH2-AAC Aplanatic-Achromatic 1.4 N.A Brightfield Condenser, WHK 10x 20 L Eyepieces, NFK 2.5× LD 125 Photo Eyepiece, Diagnostic Instruments PA1-10A SLR Camera Adapter, Canon 6D

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