Wanted: AO Cycloptic barlow (cat 265, 266, 267) (FOUND)

[dtsh]

I am primarily looking for cat 265, the 2x barlow. I need the lens elements to be in good shape, but the housing doesn't matter - even the threads can be mangled as it will be disassembled to be put into a custom made swing out barlow.

I'd be interested in offers of other objective/barlows too, such as the 0.5x or 2/3x. As these are for use I'm far less concerned about appearance than I am performance, not that appearance isn't nice.

[Element 56]

I'm curious about your swing out idea. Zeiss had an objective changer on the OMPI surgical microscope but I don't think it was a big hit. I think it held three or four objectives.

I had an Oculus inverter on my OPMI which had a device that allowed for an auxiliary objective to easy swing in and out. It also had another smaller lens for even more magnification which was focused via a micromotor. It was really neat but an expensive toy to keep around so I don't have it to show you but you can see it in the link below. A very well made piece of equipment that might give you some ideas!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Oculus-BIOM-II ... Sw91teXwRS

More on the Oculus site,
https://www.oculussurgical.com/us/produ ... highlights

Kirby

[dtsh]

The Oculus is pretty interesting, I have a couple of approaches to try, none quite that complicated thankfully.

[Element 56]

I hope you will share it when it's done!
Kirby

[Scarodactyl]

swing-out auxes and full objective changers are mechanically pretty simple and do a lot to increase the capabilities of a scope, but nowadays tend to be limited to high end scopes. It might be because they're a bit cumbersome to use (not so much for hardened scopeheads like us though), but more likely the big four would rather sell you something with a higher zoom range than make a cheaper scope more capable--it's only at the high end where optical limitations demand multiple objectives for better performance, and even there they also push the zoom range as far as they can.
Which is a roundabout way of saying they're a really nice way of improving your scope's performance and in principle not too hard to DIY. There are a few good approaches to the problem. One easier one might be to adapt a lens turret off of an enlarger rig:

It might seem like cheating but it would still be a legitimate challenge to figure out how to connect everything.
Camera polarizers used to have a swing-out option too, which might form a reasonable basis for one.
But it sounds like you already have something in mind (so I'm mostly rambling because it's something I've thought about a lot off and on). I'll look forward to seeing how your project goes! Make sure to post about it.

[dtsh]

My initial toughts have been to design it much like the original 2x swingout. From what I can tell it looks to slide over the objective with the lens in a thinner section which pivots on a rod. Guessing said rod likely threads into the main housing, but many ways one can do it.

[Element 56]

What do you do about Illumination? For what I'm picturing a ring light is problematic but certainly not the only possibility. My OPMI and Stemi have an internal light that shines through the objective but IMO neither are ideal.
Kirby

[dtsh]

What do you do about Illumination? For what I'm picturing a ring light is problematic but certainly not the only possibility. My OPMI and Stemi have an internal light that shines through the objective but IMO neither are ideal.
Kirby

I have a dual LED gooseneck I use for illumination; sometimes I will stick one of them through the opening AO designed for their illuminators, but usually I just point them in from the sides.

[dtsh]

In an unexpected twist of events, I managed to find an original swing out barlow. I may pick this back up later and convert my other 2x barlow into a swingout, but for now it's done.

Thanks for the interest everyone.

[Element 56]

I love it when a plan comes together