Olympus IMT-2 mystery

[MichaelG.]

I have recently acquired a fairly basic IMT-2 which is causing me some confusion

The Halogen lamp-house looks very much like the one for the BH-2 and does not have the very distinctive umbilical cord that seems to feature in all the available IMT-2 literature.

It is also very clearly labelled as using a 100W lamp [which is verboten according to that literature].

Can anyone please advise ?

My enquiry to Evident in the U.K. was met with a very friendly, but ultimately unhelpful, response that the microscope is very old and they have no documentation on file.

Thanks
MichaelG.
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[FredH]

The lamp housing that came with my IMT-2 is labeled "LH50A" and says "Replacement Lamp 12 V 50 W HAL". However, it is lacking the umbilical cord that plugs into the microscope body, and instead has a cord that goes to a crude homemade power supply.

I suspect that the lamp housing on my IMT-2 is original to the microscope, because it looks like the lamp housing seen in a few of the photos pointed to in the thread "Restoring an Olympus IMT-2" by essence25:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16114

essence25 implied his lamp housing used a 12 V 50W halogen lamp.

[MichaelG.]

Thanks for the comments, and the link

Just to be clear … my IMT-2 has no umbilical, and no provision for plugging one in.

The lamp is powered internally … which presumably means that microscope PSU design was upgraded at some stage in the product development.

It may be worth mentioning that the Serial Number 405001 is very clearly stamped on the rating plate.

MichaelG.

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P.S. _ This, from the available instruction booklet, shows the standard lamp-house and gives the warning about not using 100W bulbs:
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[PeteM]

Michael, I suspect your scope should have the black metal 50-watt halogen illuminator - and that someone switched lamp housings along the way.

If you check the electrical plate for your scope, it may shed light (metaphorical kind) on what lamp wattage the power supply can reliably support. If the input rating isn't some safe margin (V x A) above 100 watts, I'd suspect you might still be able to use the housing with a 50-watt bulb. If it looks capable of supporting (say with an input of at least 130 to 150 watts), then maybe it's a later model.

Your IMT-2 is a really nice (if massive) scope. The mechanical build is excellent and the optics available still near state-of-the-art for brightfield and phase contrast.

[MichaelG.]

Michael, I suspect your scope should have the black metal 50-watt halogen illuminator - and that someone switched lamp housings along the way.

If you check the electrical plate for your scope, it may shed light (metaphorical kind) on what lamp wattage the power supply can reliably support. If the input rating isn't some safe margin (V x A) above 100 watts, I'd suspect you might still be able to use the housing with a 50-watt bulb. If it looks capable of supporting (say with an input of at least 130 to 150 watts), then maybe it's a later model.

Your IMT-2 is a really nice (if massive) scope. The mechanical build is excellent and the optics available still near state-of-the-art for brightfield and phase contrast.

Thanks for the thought, Pete … but I don’t see how that [emboldened in the quote] could be
There is no electrical connector, and not even a blanking plate, at the top of the ‘scope … the bulb holder appears to be integrated into the frame.

I will take some detail photos tomorrow … but meanwhile; the 50W lamp-house is detailed on FIG 7 of this:
https://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olym ... agrams.pdf

I am loving it so far … just a little confused !

MichaelG.
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Rating Plate … QED

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[Hobbyst46]

...
I will take some detail photos tomorrow … but meanwhile; the 50W lamp-house is detailed on FIG 7 of this:
https://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olym ... agrams.pdf

Michael, Fig 20 on that list hints (maybe) that there was more than one illumination housing. So, while a 50W lamp seems the default, perhaps there was a 100 W - for more demanding modalities ? fluorescence with a 100W halogen lamp comes to mind, although the during the IMT-2 era, epifluorescence was well established, and 100W transmission excitation seems very unlikely...

[PeteM]

Michael, the rating plate on your microscope suggests the power supply can support 100 watt lamps (100+ volts x 2A = 200 or so watts input). I've only seen versions of the IMT-2 with that 50-watt lamp housing. But, odds are, you're OK.

[MichaelG.]

Indeed it does, Pete

In fact it explicitly states LAMP 12V 100W

MichaelG.

[MichaelG.]

Michael, Fig 20 on that list hints (maybe) that there was more than one illumination housing. So, while a 50W lamp seems the default, perhaps there was a 100 W - for more demanding modalities ? fluorescence with a 100W halogen lamp comes to mind, although the during the IMT-2 era, epifluorescence was well established, and 100W transmission excitation seems very unlikely...
[/quote]

The epi-fluorescence lighting [which I do not have, and am unlikely to ever acquire] is a very different “kettle of fish” which inserts into a dedicated port.

The full system [of which mine is but a small part] is illustrated in all its glory, here:
https://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olym ... ochure.pdf

… With the notable exception of my mystery lamp-house !

MichaelG.

[Tom Jones]

I had an IMT-2 with a 100w power supply and lamp house as well. I ended up selling it off, but they do exist.
I don't think I've ever seen it in a manual. My manual only lists the 50w P/S and standard lamp house. It even says not to use a 100w bulb or the power supply may be damaged, but that's with the 50w P/S.

[MichaelG.]

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Thanks for the sanity-check, Tom

… I wonder how many they made
… or how few

Do you happen to recall the serial number of yours ?

MichaelG.

[MichaelG.]

I hope these snapshots will clarify

The housing is simply a shielded and ventilated box that clamps on with a single knurled screw
… beautifully built, but just a cover.

The bulb-holder is a fixed installation in the frame of the microscope
… the white wiring can just be seen in one image.

In short, this bears very little resemblance to the well-documented 50W version.

MichaelG.
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[Rorschach]

You have a nice scope in your hands there! I like the IMT-2 a lot.

We have one in our unit and we use it mainly for teaching, plankton for the most part. It was originally equipped with phase and epi-fluorescence, although we never used the fluorescence system. Now I have equipped if for DIC and will also get a quality LED-conversion plus a Zeiss Axiocam 208 Color camera, which is a 4K camera with a particularly good live image (very important for teaching). The camera will serve both the IMT-2 and the soon-to-arrive Zeiss Jena Sedival inverted scope.

[MichaelG.]

You have a nice scope in your hands there! I like the IMT-2 a lot.
[…]

Thanks for the encouraging endorsement … I must say that I am delighted with it so far

… and the ‘correction collar’ adjustment for 0 to 2 mm glass thickness is astonishing, and effective.

MichaelG.

[MichaelG.]

A different mystery today …

How do I free-up the CT focus ring ?

This is stacked above the Magnification Changer, and illustrated in the exploded parts diagram:
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But it is not obvious how it actually operates.

… The two rings currently appear to be locked firmly together, but I suspect that’s just dried grease and lack of use.

How far should it move ?
and does a vertical gap appear between the two rings when focussing the CT ?

Grateful for any advice from the wise, as I don’t really want to start dismantling.

MichaelG.

[MichaelG.]

A different mystery today …

How do I free-up the CT focus ring ?

[ … ]
MichaelG.

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Panic over

I first removed the two filter cubes and stored them safely in a clean box.
… Then wedged the changer wheel in place and gently warmed the the whole wheel assembly with a little hot-air gun
[ at a guess it might have reached 35°C but no higher ]

Some pressure on the CT focus ring then freed its rotation, and after exercising it a little all seems well.

MichaelG.

[Rorschach]

I am glad you found a solution! These old scopes sometimes require us to come up with some tricks. We are getting two additional IMT-2 units in the next few weeks. They are refurbished and come with phase equipment. It's finally time to replace those Soviet Union inverted scopes that have been in a dismal shape for years. Various problems with those, I am told by the teachers who had to use them.

[MichaelG.]

Thanks, Rorschach

Please do let me know if either of your new acquisitions has any similar oddities to mine.

MichaelG.