Microscope stand as subject elevator (Z axys)

Yawns · Post by **Yawns** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:24 am

Good morning... I have no experience on this.

Do you think I can make a suitable "elevator" cuting one of those?

Lomo

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microscope-LOM ... 4902.l9144

Olympus K
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microscope-Oly ... 4902.l9144

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Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:25 am

If your project is to cut the arm to use the stage as "elevator" the Lomo wont be adequate as it moves the arm to focus, not the stage.
The Olympus would do for positioning, but if you plan to use it as stacking device be aware that the fine focus maybe has a very short travel, so not adequate for most macro work, I'm not sure (If it moves all the coarse focus travel it would be).

Yawns · Post by **Yawns** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:06 am

Thank Pau, you for your reply...
I'm so sick tired to buy this and that online, only to find out things won't work when I get the real thing ...

My current system looks like this ... I could manage so far with the labjack but that labjack is a nightmare when I go up to 10x .. it's the second .. after a "ebay -china" one I bought an epensive one "Rexaloy", and it's the same thing .. before the screw engages well I see a diagonal travel of the insect.
The cheap macro rail for x,y works pretty good

as I am going to change the base of my system, and make a lower profile I would like t resolve the insect side for good...

I was also thinking to get another chep macro rail and make something like this

this kind of things don't look to be a solution as the travel is very small, like 5-6 mm on every axys ...

I don't know what to do honestly ...

António[/img]

enricosavazzi · Post by **enricosavazzi** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:07 am

Actually, the general type of three-axis micrometer you show in the last picture is quite adequate for positioning a subject in 3D space. Whether this specific model will do is a different question. If this specific model has too short a travel, there are bigger models with 10 mm, 25 mm or sometimes 50 mm travel. You can however use e.g. a largish aluminium or iron parallelepiped-shaped block to raise the micrometer to the approximate needed height, and slide it manually along the top of the block for a coarse position adjustment if the travel of the micrometers is not enough.

These 3-axis micrometers are typically spring-loaded, so the backlash is minimal. Unless you work at high magnification, a precision of 50 to 100 microns in the positioning of the subject (we are not talking about the precision of the z-distance between shots in a stack) is usually adequate. Virtually all 3D micrometers of this type, including cheap ones made in China, will give you at a minimum this level of precision.

Inclination about three axes can be obtained with a rotating micrometer (rather cheap) plus two tilt micrometers (usually expensive). A stack of three linear micrometers, one rotation micrometer and two tilt micrometers can be roughly 15-20 cm high, so don't place the camera attachment of your setup too low.

In general you will begin to position a subject by adjusting the inclination of the subject, and subsequently its position along x, y, z. It will be a lot easier to operate if the tilt micrometers are at the top of the micrometer stack, and the rotation micrometer between the tilt and linear micrometers.

mawyatt · Post by **mawyatt** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:19 am

Yawns,

This SELN LGY40-R stage I got from Wemacro a quite a few years back (just ordered 2 more) have almost 15mm travel. Nice and smooth operation and have standard 1/4-20 mounts.

Best,

Edit: Just saw ES post and agree. If you use the setup as shown the vertical can be coarse positioned with the ARCA clamp and easily removed to use on another setup if desired.

BTW if you mount a small ball head on the stage as shown then you have lots of flexibility for subject positioning, I use this method often and it doesn't cost as much as the tilt option ES mentioned...but not as precise either.

Alan Wood · Post by **Alan Wood** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:19 am

Fine focus range on the Olympus K is only 2 mm.

On later models (BH, CH, BH-2 and CH-2), the fine focus operates over the same range as the course focus.

Alan Wood

zzffnn · Post by **zzffnn** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:46 pm

Fine focus travel of my LOMO microscope is indeed VERY short and not graduated. So not good for macro stacking. LOMO did offer better fine focus in their larger microscopes, but those may not be an cost effective solution. Isn't Olympus CH 's focus drive considered as a good budget solution?

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:12 pm

Yes Oly CH is 200µm/360º, travel about 30mm.

Yawns · Post by **Yawns** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:24 am

Tank you all for your answers .... I read everything carefully and I couldn't make my mind....

but:
I don't need fine tunning or micrometers.. or very hitech-stuff.

I only need coarse adjustment in height.. because I only shoot "low" magnifications.. between 2:1 to 10:1
usuallyI don't go above 6:1 .. I shoot "big" things. The chinese x,y macro rail is precise enough for my use.

I'm just annoyed to see the insect traveling randomly when i adjust the height because of the lame screw of the labjack...

Just came back here to show what I got for ridiculous 9 euros the tripod of a Zeiss laboval / eduval .. well 32 euros wit the shipping. If it doesn't works I don't loose much...(stills in the mail)

Recently I found this company in Lithuania (European Union no import taxes added) and I saw this elevator.

http://eksmaoptics.com/

.. a bit expensive for my range but is quite tempting... as it is a company dedicated to optics like Thorlabs etc.. I'm presuming it has to be something decent ...

houstontx · Post by **houstontx** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:19 am

keep an eye out for a bullet comparison microscope stage like these, i have 3.

dolmadis · Post by **dolmadis** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 9:09 pm

houstontx wrote:keep an eye out for a bullet comparison microscope stage like these, i have 3.

Do tell us what microscope manufacturer these come from.

Thanks

John

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:11 am

In your diagram of your new set-up it looks like the version on the right has the subject and the camera on different sets of rubber tubes. This is very bad. You want the camera and subject to move together.

Yawns · Post by **Yawns** » Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:21 pm

Lou Jost wrote:In your diagram of your new set-up it looks like the version on the right has the subject and the camera on different sets of rubber tubes. This is very bad. You want the camera and subject to move together.

ooops.. it's not rubber tubes...

it's gymnasium weights ... 5kg and 2,5 Kg each

I quited of that design in "steps" anyway...

Yawns · Post by **Yawns** » Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:26 pm

Ok I'm done .. the project is finished and it will do for the moment ... I only do < 10:1 .. just need coarse adjustment...

If someday I upgrade to 20x lenses I will reconsider and looks for something more adequate.

António
Thank you all for the replies and suggestions.