"New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

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awa54
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"New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#1 Post by awa54 » Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:30 pm

Well, my vintage SZIII arrived and as anticipated, it dovetails onto the post mount swing-arm that I received with the VT-II I already own.
Also as expected with a long retired institutional microscope, it's somewhat worn and had some thickened grease in various adjustment points, as well as an unanticipated issue with the erecting prism assembles being loose to the head...
suffice it to say that several hours, a perusal of the service manual (thanks alanwood.net!), a heat gun, some molykote DX and one tiny patch of Gorilla tape later, the 'scope is functioning very nicely, with smooth prism housing rotation and ocular focus.
When reassembled no adjustment for decentering was required. Either Olympus really built these with ultimate precision, or I should go buy a lottery ticket!

As folks had said, this is a really nice microscope and has increased my available magnification ranges and working distances greatly over the VT-II, which is optically and mechanically excellent, but didn't offer enough working distance for my needs.
Having read all the way through the service manual, I think the SZ would benefit from a full optical calibration, as it's not parfocal throughout the zoom range, but I think I'll leave well enough alone for now, since I don't change magnification often and the clarity at each point when re-focused is perfect.

I can even mount a ring light on this one, which is another real bonus!

Thanks to all who offered advice in my previous thread.

PeteM
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#2 Post by PeteM » Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:45 pm

awa54 wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:30 pm
. . . Either Olympus really built these with ultimate precision, or I should go buy a lottery ticket! . . .
Having either a bit of luck or a chance to thoroughly examine an stereo zoom microscope before buying is never a bad idea.

That said, the Olympus SZIII zoom construction is a marvel of precision manufacturing. As you've already discovered there is a huge brass casting, intricately machined, with precision cam followers to keep the zoom elements synchronized. It's a beautiful and precision-machined part. Today, it's more likely to be a few rails and lots of plastic - even in scopes costing thousands of dollars.

I've had a dozen or so SZIII's pass through. The top prisms sometimes get jarred loose from the scope being dropped, but aren't too hard to align. Much easier than, say, the Sciencscope clones that look nearly identical from the outside.

Below the head, and aside from hardened grease, the zoom mechanism is pretty robust.

Scarodactyl
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#3 Post by Scarodactyl » Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:32 pm

awa54 wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:30 pm
I think the SZ would benefit from a full optical calibration, as it's not parfocal throughout the zoom range,
Unless it's going out in the middle or something this is likely just an eyepiece focus issue. Zoom all the way in and focus by adjusting the height of the scope, then zoom all the way out and refocus by adjusting the eyepiece position. Repeat as necessary.

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awa54
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#4 Post by awa54 » Fri Aug 19, 2022 1:21 am

Scarodactyl wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:32 pm
awa54 wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:30 pm
I think the SZ would benefit from a full optical calibration, as it's not parfocal throughout the zoom range,
Unless it's going out in the middle or something this is likely just an eyepiece focus issue. Zoom all the way in and focus by adjusting the height of the scope, then zoom all the way out and refocus by adjusting the eyepiece position. Repeat as necessary.

Thanks for that tip, I'll try it tonight.

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awa54
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#5 Post by awa54 » Fri Aug 19, 2022 12:40 pm

Eyepiece focus was indeed the issue, however it turns out that I do need to tweak the centering, it was close enough that I had been compensating for it without noticeable fatigue, but on closer examination it does need adjustment.

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imkap
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#6 Post by imkap » Fri Aug 19, 2022 2:54 pm

I don't think they should be completely centered. Like looking through your eyes, 2 different images, 3D. When I got my stereo, I thought it might be misaligned but later realised it should be like that. Luckily I didn't act hastily...

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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#7 Post by Scarodactyl » Fri Aug 19, 2022 3:36 pm

It os easy to assess by looking at a flat subject like a phone screen or piece of paper. If the edges of the image line up things are fine, otherwise the nature of the misalignment will typically show itself immediately.

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awa54
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#8 Post by awa54 » Sat Aug 20, 2022 4:44 am

The manual gives detailed instructions of centering, it's definitely not rocket science and can easily be reversed if needed.
The suggested test target is a cross in concentric circles.
Mine aren't off by much, but the adjustment is not a big deal and it's not at all surprising that I would have misaligned things a bit, having removed both prism assemblies in order to tighten the bases of the housings.

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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#9 Post by awa54 » Thu Sep 08, 2022 12:44 am

So much for keeping this optical foray simple and cheap... I picked up another SZIII, this one with a trinocular head, a great parts inspection stand and a set of the newer G10X oculars.
The stand now makes my VT-II head useful as a parts inspection scope and between that and the asking prices for oculars, it turned out to be a solid deal.
Coincidence is dialed in well enough for my needs (very close, but not quite perfect) and focus is spot on throughout the zoom range, now that I know how to do it correctly.

I also added an unbranded LED ring light, which is actually well built and highly functional.
Now I'm set to try my hand at a few watch movement teardowns this winter, when outdoor activities grind to a halt in the northeast US!

Scarodactyl
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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#10 Post by Scarodactyl » Thu Sep 08, 2022 1:34 am

Congratulations!
One fun mod for those ring lights is to add polarizing on the right light and a rotatable camera polarizer in the middle under the scope. This lets you control specular reflections.

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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#11 Post by Hobbyst46 » Thu Sep 08, 2022 7:56 am

Scarodactyl wrote:
Thu Sep 08, 2022 1:34 am
...One fun mod for those ring lights is to add polarizing on the right light and a rotatable camera polarizer in the middle under the scope. This lets you control specular reflections.
If the ring light is the ubiquitous arrangement of ~70-140 small LEDs arranged in a circular device that sits around the objective sleeve. How do I add polarizing ?

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Re: "New" Olympus SZIII and SZIII repairs :D

#12 Post by Scarodactyl » Thu Sep 08, 2022 10:28 am

Sorry that should read 'polarizing film'. You can get sheets on amazon and cut the shape out with scissors.

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