Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Unfamiliar Microscope

Morgan - 16-11-2022 at 11:36

I was given this microscope but I'm not familiar with it and what things might be interesting to look at under low magnification? The eyepieces say WF10X which isn't very high. At first it seemed like a meager microscope but doing a cursory search it's valued for looking at larger things it seems.



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Tsjerk - 16-11-2022 at 12:21

It is a binocular, which is indeed meant to look at larger objects.

Morgan - 16-11-2022 at 12:32

I found this one which looks similar.
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/00254375

Sulaiman - 16-11-2022 at 15:30

The 10x refers only to the eyepiece power,
Overall magnification is (eyepiece power) x (objective power)
But yes, stereo microscopes are usually lower power than monocular types.

yobbo II - 16-11-2022 at 17:34


Is there two objectives on the bottom of the scope (turn it up).

Yob

Morgan - 16-11-2022 at 17:54

I read the WF10x marks on the eyepieces designate wide field. On the knob below the eyepieces there're the same gradation numbers going from 4.5 to 0.65 on my microscope so it looks like 45x would be the maximum magnification as stated on this specification chart below the image.
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/00254375
I didn't see any eyepieces for it above 15x.
https://www.2spi.com/item/09878-ab/stereo-microscopes/

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[Edited on 17-11-2022 by Morgan]

numos - 16-11-2022 at 22:00

We used to use microscopes like this for looking at crystals to see if they were viable for crystallography. They are nice because you can walk up to it, stick a vial under there, rotate it, and get a good look at crystals in a short time.


Morgan - 17-11-2022 at 09:17

Some magnification tidbits ...

Adam Savage's Favorite Tools: Wearable Magnifiers!
https://youtu.be/96ZIry7YG7U

These articulating boom stands are kind of interesting if you had the need.
https://www.penntoolco.com/spi-stereo-microscope-on-a-boom-s...

Twospoons - 17-11-2022 at 12:08

Thats the type I use all the time in PCB inspection and soldering, though I have a ring light around the objective. I have x10 and x20 eyepieces, as well as x2 and x0.5 barlow lenses which screw on below the objective. Having a x0.5 Barlow may seem odd ( it cuts magnification in half), but what you get in exchange is a much greater working distance, which is very useful for getting tools under the microscope.

Morgan - 17-11-2022 at 14:26

Quote: Originally posted by Twospoons  
Thats the type I use all the time in PCB inspection and soldering, though I have a ring light around the objective. I have x10 and x20 eyepieces, as well as x2 and x0.5 barlow lenses which screw on below the objective. Having a x0.5 Barlow may seem odd ( it cuts magnification in half), but what you get in exchange is a much greater working distance, which is very useful for getting tools under the microscope.


That's interesting how one big lens screws on below the objectives as an auxiliary objective and doubles the working distance and field of view of the microscope. Thanks for "enlarging" my understanding and potential uses of such a microscope.
I found this 0.5 Barlow lens discussion informative starting a little after the 3 minute mark.
What are Barlow Lenses? All you ever wanted to know | Amateur Microscopy
https://youtu.be/Vr2bHdmGdiA

j_sum1 - 17-11-2022 at 18:37

These are used in biology for dissection and looking at things like insects and flowers.
They are lower magnification but have higher depth of field. That combined with the stereo image gives good three dimensional viewing.

If you look closely at the objective lens you will find that it is actually two lenses: providing two separate images for stereo viewing.

Morgan - 18-11-2022 at 07:27

The first thing I did when I got the microscope was unscrew the housing or cowling around the objectives to see how it was designed. The deep spiral grooves in the brass must have a function but they don't interact with any external gear or anything when turning the knob to focus something. They just twirl independently driven by the plastic gears above. Apparently there's some internal goings on because there is no apparent raising or lowering of the objectives when turning the 0.65 to 4.5 knob.

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[Edited on 18-11-2022 by Morgan]

Morgan - 18-11-2022 at 12:43

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  
These are used in biology for dissection and looking at things like insects and flowers.
They are lower magnification but have higher depth of field. That combined with the stereo image gives good three dimensional viewing.

If you look closely at the objective lens you will find that it is actually two lenses: providing two separate images for stereo viewing.


I found a dead tiger beetle with this coloration in my garage and looked at it under the stereo microscope. The iridescent parts were quite vivid. Wish I had a camera adapter for the scope to take pictures. One site said they are among the fastest insects walking 5.6 mph.

https://www.opsu.edu/Academics/SciMathNurs/NaturalScience/Pl...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/drphotomoto/3691754855

https://bugguide.net/node/view/61573

Twospoons - 18-11-2022 at 13:07

It is possible to take pictures through a microscope using a phone camera, but it requires a very steady hand, and very careful placement of the phone camera above the eyepiece.
The grooves will be part of the zoom mechanism, and will be moving some internal elements of the objectives.

Morgan - 18-11-2022 at 16:11

Quote: Originally posted by Twospoons  
It is possible to take pictures through a microscope using a phone camera, but it requires a very steady hand, and very careful placement of the phone camera above the eyepiece.
The grooves will be part of the zoom mechanism, and will be moving some internal elements of the objectives.


I gave it a shot with my phone but wow it is exceedingly tricky to hold the phone still over the correct spot above the eyepiece, the slightest movement and the whole image disappears. This was but a meager quick test with a tiger beetle however it's interesting that you can use a phone.


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[Edited on 19-11-2022 by Morgan]

Morgan - 19-11-2022 at 15:08

I saw at the 22:30 mark he talks about a stereo microscope and shows a nifty phone attachment of some sort connected to one of the two eyepieces.
https://youtu.be/zKUYf4QLh1s