Question about AO 110 body

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vgwhite
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:27 pm

Question about AO 110 body

#1 Post by vgwhite » Sat Mar 02, 2019 6:19 pm

I recently got a good deal on an AO 110 set up for phase contrast. The microscope body is damaged, but the condenser, viewing unit and objectives are good and it was too good of a deal to pass up. It's a trinocular body and I could replace it or use a spare Series 10 body which I have. The 110 body appears to have been dropped - the left eyepiece tube is offline and one of the prisms was jarred loose.

Basically, the body is junk and I have nothing to lose opening it up and trying to fix it. Removing the prism assembly from the bottom does not give access to the areas that need repair. Does anyone know how to open it up? It looks like the only other way in is from the front by removing the plastic plate below the label. I tried to pry that off, but I believe it would break if I apply too much force.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Vince

ETA: Success! I pried off the nameplate and found the two screws that release the front plate. The main prism is indeed loose, but I believe I can epoxy it back into the correct position. The wheel that actuates the Seidentopf mechanism is cracked, but I believe it can be epoxied back together. Some epoxy, some cleaning and a bit of Nyogel 767A might actually do it. I'll keep my fingers crossed about collimation.

billbillt
Posts: 2895
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:01 pm

Re: Question about AO 110 body

#2 Post by billbillt » Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:14 pm

Please keep us updated on your progress.. This sounds like an interesting project..

BillT

PeteM
Posts: 2988
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:22 am
Location: N. California

Re: Question about AO 110 body

#3 Post by PeteM » Sun Mar 03, 2019 11:23 pm

May have this wrong, but my recollection is that the binocular part of a 110 head is the same as in a 110 trinocular. So if your repair doesn't quite line up or the wheel doesn't hold up, might be that you could buy a cheaper used binocular head and use those parts that for your repair. I suspect Apochronaut would know for sure.

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