Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

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fibreoptix
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Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#1 Post by fibreoptix » Thu Aug 02, 2018 2:02 am

So I'm new to all this. I found a vertical illuminator for a good price. However now I'm noticing vertical illuminators are hooked up to transformers or power supplies. Why? Is it required?

PeteM
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#2 Post by PeteM » Thu Aug 02, 2018 3:40 am

Only if you want it to light up . . . :)

Particularly for Optiphot, there were many variations on power on epi illuminator. Some used external power supplies. Some used a power outlet connecting to the base. I doubt your Labophot has a power outlet in the base intended to be used with a vertical illuminator, but worth a check. Up to 20 watts, you could adapt something. More likely your illuminator is designed for a 50 watt bulb.

You could buy a bright LED flashlight and adapt it to fit the position of the filament in yours and have a self-contained unit, if that's what you want. Otherwise, plenty of cheap power supplies available.

Your epi adapter should also have a tube lens as well as a half-mirror in it, to adapt it to 160mm objectives. Otherwise, it is intended for a longer objective tube length, perhaps the Nikon 210mm (if I recall) BF (bright field)/DF
(dark field) objectives.

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fibreoptix
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#3 Post by fibreoptix » Thu Aug 02, 2018 4:28 am

This is the one. LOL I thought I could just plug it into the wall. Now I need a power supply.

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict ... e-Part.jpg

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fibreoptix
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#4 Post by fibreoptix » Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:18 am

PeteM wrote:Only if you want it to light up . . . :)

Your epi adapter should also have a tube lens as well as a half-mirror in it, to adapt it to 160mm objectives. Otherwise, it is intended for a longer objective tube length, perhaps the Nikon 210mm (if I recall) BF (bright field)/DF
(dark field) objectives.
I Like your idea about hooking up a 50watt LED to the lighthouse. Found one on amazon for 1 dollar with an led driver. Add a heatsink and I'd adapt it. However i think you are correct once more. Not sure but it appears with the vertical illuminator attached to the labophot it might require 120 objectives not 160.

http://www.prc68.com/I/Labophot.html#Ve ... lluminator

However im not sure if he is refering to the ep2 which is what im getting. He asks the question on the site but towards the bottom he mentions the 120 objectives.

Before I relist it on ebay ill need to find out. Thanks for the info.

abednego1995
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#5 Post by abednego1995 » Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:42 am

fibreoptix wrote:This is the one. LOL I thought I could just plug it into the wall. Now I need a power supply.

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict ... e-Part.jpg
That is the Epi/Dark field illuminator providing illumination through the lens(Epi) or through the annular light path(Dark) in the Nikon CF/NCF BD plan objectives.
It's for Optiphot/Labophot and also compatible with the Optiphot-2/Labophot-2&2A. If you are planning to use it with BD objectives, you'll need a matching BD
nosepiece which has 4x M26x0.75 screws compared with the normal 5x RMS mount nosepiece. If you can only find a RMS nosepiece, it's still OK, you can use the
CF/NCF M Plan objectives. Stick with the 210mm TL objectives with this illuminator, it doesn't have compensating optics to allow use with TL 160mm objectives.

Curious why 160mm and 210mm TL coexeist with Nikon objectives? They made their microscopes to TL160mm, and just added 50mm extension by adding those
lensless illuminators. (the flange to flange height of those illuminators are 50mm.)

P.S. the black vertical illuminators from the model S period (before the Optiphot) has compensating optics inside allowing TL160mm objective usage (and won't work with the 210mm objectives)

If you're sticking with that 6v20W illuminator, you'll need the transformer. But of course you can modify it to accommodate LEDs.
The connector on that is a Cinch-Jones type connector, and easy to find female receptacles.



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fibreoptix
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#6 Post by fibreoptix » Thu Aug 02, 2018 12:41 pm

Thanks. I dont think im going to try and find anything to accomodate the illuminator. I just thought lighting a subject from above would be neat.

I contacted the seller and he agreed to a refund.

Live and learn i guess.

Thank you once again.

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75RR
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#7 Post by 75RR » Thu Aug 02, 2018 4:26 pm

Live and learn i guess.
You can also learn by the experience of others - feel free to ask in the forum before buying!
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#8 Post by billbillt » Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:09 pm

fibreoptix wrote:Thanks. I dont think im going to try and find anything to accomodate the illuminator. I just thought lighting a subject from above would be neat.

I contacted the seller and he agreed to a refund.

Live and learn i guess.

Thank you once again.
Surface lighting is always used for metallographic work.. i could probably think of a few more uses.. Not a total loss....

BillT

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iconoclastica
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#9 Post by iconoclastica » Mon Jan 21, 2019 2:41 pm

When the tube is lengthened from 160mm to 210mm, the 160 objectives still produce good images. However, you loose parfocality, which is particularly obvious in the lower magnifications. For example, when turning on the 10x coming from 4x, I have to move the stage down one royal half turn with the coarse knob. Stepping up from there, fnially ending with 100x/210, the loss of parfocality is less pronounced (that is, although out of focus, the object remains visible).

Using the 210 objectives on 160 does not result in good image quality (but not completely unusable though).

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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#10 Post by ChrisR » Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:00 pm

THe 160's are "biologicals" so expect to be used a coverslip, too. At NA up to about 0.4 it doesn't matter too much.
"M" plans (Metallurgicals) expected to use epi or reflected light hence were 210mms. And of course they did a range of LWD/ELWD Mplan objectives, as well as BD versions.

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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#11 Post by iconoclastica » Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:45 pm

The 210/- 60x and 100x seem to stand up quite well when used with cover glass, but admittedly, I am still waiting for a 100x/0.17 for comparison. For the moment I'd say: sub-optimal doesn't equate bad, but I may change that opinion in due time.

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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#12 Post by ChrisR » Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:57 pm

You can "correct" the SA to some extent by using the "wrong" tube length. IIRC you go shorter to correct for less or no coverslip. The image diameter suffers then, and I found it wasn't as good. Haven't tried for a long time. Iirc SA goes up as the 4th power of NA, so...

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iconoclastica
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#13 Post by iconoclastica » Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:26 pm

'IIRC' I found, but what does 'SA' stand for?

viktor j nilsson
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#14 Post by viktor j nilsson » Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:36 pm

SA = spherical aberration.

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iconoclastica
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Re: Vertical Illuminator for Nikon Labophot question

#15 Post by iconoclastica » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:01 pm

viktor j nilsson wrote:SA = spherical aberration.
Thanks!

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