Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

What is your microscopy history? What are your interests? What equipment do you use?
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LeonhardEuler
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Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#1 Post by LeonhardEuler » Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:03 pm

I have bought an amscope b120c-e1 and a T490-PCS

The T490 arrived with that base plated unglued from the bottom so it is being exchanged for a new one by the customer service (hopefully without restocking fees... A person can dream right?)

And my b120c-e1 is PERFECT in every regard except I think I introduced contamination to the prisim under the oculars. I tried wiping at it with a cotton swab, I heard your not supposed to do that, but im ignorant.

Anyway I cant see the contamination if i look in there after the eye piece is taken out, but in higher objectives I can see the spot when the iris is mostly closed. But when I open the iris the spot seems to fade and become invisible to some degree

Anyone know whats up with that or if there is anything I can do to restore prestine viewing? I dont want to do much more with the prisims because it risks even more contamination :(

And technically im not sure thats where the contamination is, like I said Im ignorant. But if you experienced something like what I described above, how did you remedy it?

apochronaut
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#2 Post by apochronaut » Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:17 pm

Dirt, smudges and debris are characterised as unilateral and bilateral. In addition they are also characterised as being in focus or how much out of focus they are . If they are way out of focus, you don't even see them but they could but not necessarily have an impact on the image.

So. In order to start to determine where your stuff is, you need to do some tests. Debris on the upper surface of the upper prism or the optical window under the eyepiece is not usually that obvious, depending on the design of the eyepiece.
Is the debris, visible the same in both eyepieces or different in each?
Last edited by apochronaut on Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Greg Howald
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#3 Post by Greg Howald » Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:27 pm

Sometimes there is glass inside the eyepiece tube just a little distance from the eyepiece. Check there and check your condenser for dirt. Ask yourself questions. Does the dirt move when I move the slide on the stage? Does the dirt move when I rotate Eyepieces? If I loosen the condenser mount ( be careful ), does the dirt move when I rotate the condenser? You can often track down what needs cleaning. In these ways.
Greg

LeonhardEuler
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#4 Post by LeonhardEuler » Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:17 pm

apochronaut wrote:
Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:17 pm
Dirt, smudges and debris are characterised as unilateral and bilateral. In addition they are also characterised as being in focus or how much out of focus they are . If they are way out of focus, you don't even see them but they could but not necessarily have an impact on the image.

So. In order to start to determine where your stuff is, you need to do some tests. Debris on the upper surface of the upper prism or the optical window under the eyepiece is not usually that obvious, depending on the design of the eyepiece.
Is the debris, visible the same in both eyepieces or different in each?
The debri is only in one eye piece vs the other and remains the same if I swap the eye pieces.

For example the visible issue is in the right eye and then i swap the eye pieces and I can still see it with my right eye

LeonhardEuler
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#5 Post by LeonhardEuler » Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:23 pm

Greg Howald wrote:
Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:27 pm
Sometimes there is glass inside the eyepiece tube just a little distance from the eyepiece. Check there and check your condenser for dirt. Ask yourself questions. Does the dirt move when I move the slide on the stage? Does the dirt move when I rotate Eyepieces? If I loosen the condenser mount ( be careful ), does the dirt move when I rotate the condenser? You can often track down what needs cleaning. In these ways.
Greg
You mention glass just inside the eye tube under the eyepiece.

I think my microscope seems to have that. Can that glass surface be cleaned using the circular cotton swab
method?

Red_Green
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#6 Post by Red_Green » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:04 pm

I would use a hand pump air blower. Like what they use for DSLR cameras.

If that didn't get it all out then I would very carefully use lens cleaner and a swab. Sometimes the swab can cause more problems though.

LeonhardEuler
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#7 Post by LeonhardEuler » Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:47 pm

Red_Green wrote:
Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:04 pm
I would use a hand pump air blower. Like what they use for DSLR cameras.

If that didn't get it all out then I would very carefully use lens cleaner and a swab. Sometimes the swab can cause more problems though.
Yeah air isn't getting rid of it, even the more powerful compressed air that claims one of its uses is lab equipment. I am aware of the risk of solvent coming out, but that didn't seem to happen fortunately

So I will probably be left to try the swab when my cleaning solution arrives, it is specifically advertised for microscopes

Hopefully that does the trick, I will be very gentle - as not to unseat anything from its housing

Manu76
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#8 Post by Manu76 » Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:22 pm

Hi,

I just arrived on the forum as well and I see you bought a T490. Same model as mine. Your story reminds me when my T490B arrived, I had to open the entire microscope and clean everything, lenses and prism. That was a while ago, but at that time I had never seen a microscope inside. I bought mine on Amazon. Apparently they sold it togheter with some dirt. I did not want to return it because nothing was broken and sending it back from Belgium to England is already quite a thing via Amazon. I contacted Amscope directly and they wanted to make a gesture, but in the end I managed to clean everything nicely and I immediately got to know the entire microscope structure and mechanics. Be careful because scratches are very easy to make. I wish you the best of luck and enjoyment with your microscopes. Great to see that there are others on this forum with this model. :)

apochronaut
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#9 Post by apochronaut » Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:14 am

The eyepiece has a structure inside or below the lenses called a field stop. It's location is determined by the design of the eyepiece. The field stop is in the focal plane of the eyepiece, and gives you a nice crisp edge to your field of view.
Debris, close to the field stop, usually on the bottom field lens of the eyepiece where it is close to the focal point of the eyepiece can loom pretty large in the f.o.v. Debris, farther away from the focal conjugate plane much less so.
Often, obvious dirt in the field of view isn't very far from home and exists on the lower eyepiece lens. Optical window below it , a second choice but the debris will be more out of focus.

Greg Howald
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#10 Post by Greg Howald » Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:12 am

Be careful with WHAT you clean WITH. Coatings on Amscope lenses come of immediately when using a solvent such as alcohol.
Greg

Red_Green
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#11 Post by Red_Green » Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:00 am

Greg Howald wrote:
Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:12 am
Be careful with WHAT you clean WITH. Coatings on Amscope lenses come of immediately when using a solvent such as alcohol.
Greg
I have cleaned my Amscope lens with 99% alcohol and lens cleaner numerous times and the coatings have not come off nor has anything bad happened. Amscope is built pretty well. Amscope sells legit and awesome products.

Stomias
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#12 Post by Stomias » Fri Mar 19, 2021 12:25 pm

It's not a question of "build quality" when it comes to optical coatings. They are fragile on even the most expensive optics! I have telescope eyepieces that cost 2 times what that microscope cost. You best believe that cleaning them with ANYTHING is a last resort and when done is done with great care and trepidation!!! For that matter, ANY part of the optical train. See how people treat optics on a $20,000 telescope and act accordingly. :)

apochronaut
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#13 Post by apochronaut » Fri Mar 19, 2021 1:11 pm

Ethyl alcohol can be lethal to coatings. Isopropyl alcohol not usually so. Some coatings are softer than others and internal coatings can be softer than external coatings. Older Leitz internal coatings could be removed with leaked immersion oil, as could Reichert ( Austria).

Greg Howald
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#14 Post by Greg Howald » Fri Mar 19, 2021 2:43 pm

I have an Amscope B660. It is a very large and robust scope. While experimenting one day I took the head off the scope. I was in a bit of a hurry and wasn't careful enough. I accidently scratched the lens at the bottom of the head and pretty much destroyed my imaging experience. I tried to clean the lens several times without result. I took the lens out and put it in a 91 percent alcohol solution. The coating was gone before I could get the lens out if solution. It looked bright and clear and I realized I had scratched the coating on the lens and the coating was now gone. I put everything back together and the amount of light was really blinding
It was possible to get very good images. What should I do with all this light? It is now my go to scope for dark field and phase contrast. All is well. Be careful how you treat things. Be careful what you clean WITH.
Amscope is a great product. I now own ten scopes and since they are only one state away from me they are all Amscope. I am familiar with those scopes as others are familiar with the big four which are mostly a continent away and out of my price range. When you take a very simple scope like an M148 and design a condenser and make it do wonderful things like dark field and Rheinberg you come to realize that these days even simple scopes have good optics that can be used to great benefit.
Greg

LeonhardEuler
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#15 Post by LeonhardEuler » Fri Mar 19, 2021 4:49 pm

Hey guys I have some bad news, I just assembled a completely different microscope in a contamination free environment...

And I see the exact same spots when looking through the new microscope which is completely different hardware

The common factor is me. I think I might have eye damage or something. Maybe its a parasite on my eye, who knows.

But this is really creeping me out and it upsets me

BramHuntingNematodes
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#16 Post by BramHuntingNematodes » Fri Mar 19, 2021 5:18 pm

floaters are very common and many of us are dealing with them. You could try using a dimmer light. Additionally, some of the contrast methods such as phase or darkfield reduce the overall light level and help somewhat.
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination

Greg Howald
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#17 Post by Greg Howald » Fri Mar 19, 2021 7:19 pm

I have a spot of macular degeneration in the right eye. Three good things come out of this.
1. You learn to ignore it.
2. You will find the spots are gone when you use a camera.
3. You don't have to go to the eye doctor to monitor it.
You can see it for yourself and know if it's getting worse.
One bad thing. . it doesn't go away.

If it is caused by floaters they may move around. That is dependent upon thickness. But they too will disappear through use of a camera.
Good luck.
Greg

MicroBob
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#18 Post by MicroBob » Fri Mar 19, 2021 7:30 pm

Hi Leonhard,
do the contaminations show more with stronger magnifications? I think this would be typical for floaters. A simple solution in this case will be observation over a hdmi camera and display.

Bob

Placozoa
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#19 Post by Placozoa » Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:54 pm

I was short of options when I first got my scope so I called a research lab nearby to find out about cleaners. Their miscroscope tech called me back the next day. The secret ingredient they use is blue windex. He said do NOT use green windex, it leaves behind something, but blue windex is the stuff to use. Its cheap, its everywhere, it works. He talked me into it so I tried it and he is right, so far as I can tell. Does anyone know of a reason not to use blue windex, softly applied with pure cotton, in a circular motion, after dabbing the excess?

I too occasionally have stuff in my eye, so I check that also when checking optics for contamination (switch eyes). Floaters always seem worse with more magnification, but maybe I am imagining things. :roll:

Greg Howald
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#20 Post by Greg Howald » Fri Mar 19, 2021 11:07 pm

I think Green Windex has more ammonia in it.

LeonhardEuler
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#21 Post by LeonhardEuler » Sat Mar 20, 2021 12:41 pm

I proved that whatever the obstruction is it is in my eye.

I simply looked through the other eye piece with the same eye and low and behold the spots were there just the same as they were before in the other eye piece.

It's in my eye, and I have no idea what the issue is but it is incredibly frustrating

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linuxusr
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#22 Post by linuxusr » Mon May 10, 2021 10:04 pm

@LeonardEuler

I am biased given that I am blind in one eye with low vision in the other . . .

That being said, your eyes are more important than your microscope(s)! See an opthalmologist with dilation. The best eye physician that you can find will not cost much for a consult, and I have seen the best!
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Timor
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Re: Hi I am new but have microscope problems already

#23 Post by Timor » Thu May 13, 2021 10:13 am

As others have said, 'floaters' are very common. But you really will get used to them. I didn't notice mine until I upgraded my scope a few years ago, and at first I found it impossible to use 40x objectives or above. Now I rarely notice them at any magnification.
Having said that, if you are worried it might be best to have your eyes looked at, just to set your mind at rest.

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