Leitz Laborlux K

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Plasmid
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Leitz Laborlux K

#1 Post by Plasmid » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:08 am

Hi y'all, I recently purchased a Laborlux K with the fluorescent attachment, however is missing the lamp power source. Looking at ebay I haven't been able to find one; is this something that can be adapted from another lamp light source.?
Also the objectives are labeled PHACO, looking through them I can see the PH ring, any idea on which type condenser I would need?
Thank you.

Hobbyst46
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#2 Post by Hobbyst46 » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:59 am

Plasmid wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:08 am
Hi y'all, I recently purchased a Laborlux K with the fluorescent attachment, however is missing the lamp power source. Looking at ebay I haven't been able to find one; is this something that can be adapted from another lamp light source.?
Also the objectives are labeled PHACO, looking through them I can see the PH ring, any idea on which type condenser I would need?
Thank you.
It is possible in principle to adapt a fluorescence illuminator as a complete unit - lamp house and power supply - from one brand to another, if they fit mechanically to the epi-illumination port of the microscpe. However, power supplies for high pressure mercury or xenon lamps, that are used for fluorescence, are not general purpose power supplies. They include circuitry for igniting the lamp, for example. So a compatible power supply should be sought.
If not found, another option is an LED source. Must be a very bright LED (say >10W), with its own power source. It is a doable DIY job (others have shown) ; also, there are commercial solutions ($$$). Usually, each LED provies just a single excitation wavelength, in contrast to the mercury/xenon lamp; on the other hand, they are easier and safer to handle.

Leitzcycler
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#3 Post by Leitzcycler » Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:54 am

One major advantage of led light is that you can switch it on and off as often as you need. Conventional fluorescent lamps do not like turning on and off frequently. There are several discussions on this forum about this topic if you search. I have also built a fluorescent led light, however using inexpensive 3W leds gives not enough light. It somehow works but it gives too faint fluorescence.
I am currently upgrading my system and just ordered a more powerful 30W led https://www.ebay.com/itm/251981279956?var=550847489364. I also have to construct a new lamp house. I may post the results here when I find time to do the job and the led is still on its way anyway.
The challenge with leds is their narrow wave length and you need several of them to be changed according to which filter you will use. However, I still consider the led system to be a better and safer altervative and will continue to develop it.

Plasmid
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#4 Post by Plasmid » Fri Nov 05, 2021 8:21 am

Leitzcycler wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:54 am
One major advantage of led light is that you can switch it on and off as often as you need. Conventional fluorescent lamps do not like turning on and off frequently. There are several discussions on this forum about this topic if you search. I have also built a fluorescent led light, however using inexpensive 3W leds gives not enough light. It somehow works but it gives too faint fluorescence.
I am currently upgrading my system and just ordered a more powerful 30W led https://www.ebay.com/itm/251981279956?var=550847489364. I also have to construct a new lamp house. I may post the results here when I find time to do the job and the led is still on its way anyway.
The challenge with leds is their narrow wave length and you need several of them to be changed according to which filter you will use. However, I still consider the led system to be a better and safer altervative and will continue to develop it.
I was wondering how the progress is going with the lamp LED.
Many thanks.

dtsh
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#5 Post by dtsh » Fri Nov 05, 2021 4:10 pm

What are you using as a driver for that?

Leitzcycler
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#6 Post by Leitzcycler » Sat Nov 06, 2021 7:31 pm

I was wondering how the progress is going with the lamp LED.
I am sorry, but you have to be patient. I have had no time for this, however it is on my to do-list anyway.
What are you using as a driver for that?
I bought a universal power supply from Ebay.

Actually I have been stuck with the fluorescence method itself in the lab. Thanks for reminding me. I try to start this project soon.

Too many projects... :)

Plasmid
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#7 Post by Plasmid » Sun Nov 07, 2021 1:39 am

Leitzcycler wrote:
Sat Nov 06, 2021 7:31 pm
[]

I bought a universal power supply from Ebay.

Actually I have been stuck with the fluorescence method itself in the lab. Thanks for reminding me. I try to start this project soon.

Too many projects... :)
I ended up going with a xenon bulb from a car
viewtopic.php?t=14018

Dubious
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#8 Post by Dubious » Sun Nov 07, 2021 3:53 am

That Xenon bulb should certainly be bright enough!

I see you had asked about phase condensers for the Laborlux K. You probably have several options including these:

1) I use the Leitz turret condenser 513 558 on my Laborlux 12 and S frames. I believe the Laborlux K is from the same era and very similar to the "12" and "S," so the same condenser likely fits its dovetail mount. (You would want to find confirmation.) However, one issue I ran into with the Laborlux S was that initially I could not use this turret condenser because the mechanical stage's X-Y right-placed control nobs got in the way of the condenser's right-hand centering screw. I had to replace the narrower stage with the wider type that was on the Laborlux 12, to get the condenser to fit. There are probably other turret/stage combinations that would also work.

2) Leitz #56? When I got the Laborlux S, it came with a Leitz non-turret .90 condenser installed, that has a 30mm filter/slider slot between the iris diaphram and lens. There is no model or serial number that I can find, but I believe it is the Leitz #56. The plastic Leitz phase slider that was in the slot when I received the microscope provides a good phase effect with both 25x and 40x Phaco objectives (does not work for 10x). I found on Ebay a plastic slider that fits perfectly with an assortment of separate darkfield plates. The same seller has a plastic slider with a set of Leitz phase anulus plates--haven't tried that yet.

Leitzcycler
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#9 Post by Leitzcycler » Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:38 am

I ended up going with a xenon bulb from a car
How well does it work e.g. with a GFP/FITC filter? How is the intensity?

Plasmid
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#10 Post by Plasmid » Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:44 am

Leitzcycler wrote:
Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:38 am
I ended up going with a xenon bulb from a car
How well does it work e.g. with a GFP/FITC filter? How is the intensity?
With the filter Im using I believe 430-490nm the intensity is plenty to be picked up by a cell phone camera , (see video) I have not used any dyes, just Autofluorescence for now, Im waiting on some eosin and primulin to arrived to run some test. I've looked around for GFp , but the prices are way way too high. My limited knowledge on Fl microscopy will probably keep me entertained with chloroplast for now.

Plasmid
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#11 Post by Plasmid » Sun Nov 07, 2021 9:10 am

Leitzcycler wrote:
Sun Nov 07, 2021 6:38 am


How well does it work e.g. How is the intensity?
Some more pics.. I would consider the 100W HID ballast if possible , as long as heat was of no concern, the 55w runs cool enough where I can place my hand on the lamp housing without any issues.
Attachments
Using a 100w halogen
Using a 100w halogen
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Onion cell wall
Onion cell wall
FB_IMG_1636275835328.jpg (8.24 KiB) Viewed 6514 times
FB_IMG_1636275814550.jpg
FB_IMG_1636275814550.jpg (13.76 KiB) Viewed 6514 times

Leitzcycler
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#12 Post by Leitzcycler » Tue Nov 09, 2021 6:58 am

Your system seems to work very well. It really makes me think which would be the best option. The problem with leds is that the wavelength does not match quite optimally to the filter cube. And there is more or less limited selection of leds with different wavelengths. Making a quick test with a cheap xenon bulb would be easy to do compared to time-consuming machining of the led house with cooling element and so on... Have to thing about it.

If I get my GPF system working one day, I can send you a slide :)

Alexander
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#13 Post by Alexander » Tue Nov 09, 2021 8:01 am

As long as you are working with blue or green excitation any halogen lamp from 50 W and up or similar LED will do the job. High pressure lamps are only needed for UV excitation.

Leitzcycler
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Re: Leitz Laborlux K

#14 Post by Leitzcycler » Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:10 pm

I was wondering how the progress is going with the lamp LED.
I placed my recent progress here:

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=9420&p=115717#p115717

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