MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hi,
any ideas how to adapt a BX stage (u-svrd-2) to BH2 substage?
Thanks

I have a BH stage and am looking for a BX stage. Wanna swap?

No thanks, I got both.

qanunji wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 8:45 am

Hi,
any ideas how to adapt a BX stage (u-svrd-2) to BH2 substage?
Thanks

I have the BH2 and BX subsages, but the older ones are in storage someplace. What are the dimensions of the BH2 substage again? I think it was smaller in diameter and bit taller than the BX.

qanunji wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 8:45 am

Hi,
any ideas how to adapt a BX stage (u-svrd-2) to BH2 substage?
Thanks

Making some corrections to the BH2 substage numbers which I had mentioned needed to be double checked
The bearing pad idea mentioned below with the correct BH2 substage diameter would be 8.5mm thick.

I have not tried this, but a 8.5mm (originally posted 6mm here but updating) thick adapter ring would be one way. It would have to split in half and somehow close and lock I guess.

I would be leaning towards the idea of putting some bearing pads at the three contact points of the stage, use a light adhesive that would allow them to be removable.

Given the sizings below, the best way is probably using a removable adhesive (you can buy spray on post-it note glue basically) and stick onto the substage where the three contact points of the BX stage would be using some metal wedges that are ((107-89.95)/2)mm thick. Maybe 3D print and imbed a piece of metal for the one of three that has the screw pointing into it.

SIZE COMPARISONS (updated my BH2 diameter. As stated before, I cheated and measured a stage I had handy not an actual substage. Measuring an actual substage, it's 89.95mm)
BH2 60°
89.95mm diameter
7+mm deep

BX 60°
107mm diameter
7mm deep

Thanks!

Is there a reason you'd want to do this? Is the BX stage better in some way? I was thinking about adapting my BH2 stage to my BX carrier. But if it's inferior... Seems like an awful large pain in the butt if one could just get one that pops right on instead.

eKretz2 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:45 am

Is there a reason you'd want to do this? Is the BX stage better in some way? I was thinking about adapting my BH2 stage to my BX carrier. But if it's inferior... Seems like an awful large pain in the butt if one could just get one that pops right on instead.

They are both very similar in construction, but the BX is larger and because of that the XY knobs protrude more, which suits me ergonomically.

Gotcha, thanks.

So here's what I would think would work for bearing pads, highlighted in blue. You could cut the ring open and somehow get it to snap around, but gluing some bearing pads would probably be easiest design to test and implement the idea.

I wish there was an easy way to do the reverse and mount a BH2 pol stage onto a BX. But an adapter would lift it up 7mm and the condenser might no reach anymore. Not certain.

microb wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:10 pm

I wish there was an easy way to do the reverse and mount a BH2 pol stage onto a BX. But an adapter would lift it up 7mm and the condenser might no reach anymore. Not certain.

No it would not. However a ring could be made to lift the condenser up, but may not be worth it depending on how you use the scope - you'd then lose even more of what little available space is there in the first place. I think it would be quite involved to adapt the BH stage to the BX, especially, as like already mentioned, the coaxial control knob is closer to centerline on the BH version, which can cause interference on the BX. A Vanox stage, being considerably larger in the circular portion and having what amounts to a replaceable insert there would be pretty easy to adapt, but those aren't as super common or cheap as the BH stages.