Microscope Maintenance – Routine Care and Adjustment Procedures
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Your microscope is a high-precision device that will continue to deliver exceptional results if carefully maintained.
To help you with this, our trusted partners at Olympus have put together some free guides on Microscope Maintenance. Following these routine care-taking procedures will ensure that you continue to get high-quality images from your Olympus microscope. Whether you are working in an imaging core facility, doing research or educating students – you will always benefit from higher-quality data and fewer sources of error when using a carefully maintained microscope.
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In addition to the guides, we have created a series of 8 short videos to give microscope users a quick visual best practice guide for the alignment, operation, purchasing and maintenance of a microscope.
Answering some of the questions most commonly asked of our microscopy specialists, we cover topics such as parfocality alignment, köhler illumination, ergonomics, light intensity management, measurement options, objective cleaning, understanding the symbols, and polarisation.
Imaging Troubleshooting: 3-Minute Microscope Maintenance Check
Are you trying to get an image but the screen is dark?
Follow this step-by-step troubleshooting guide to try and identify errors or incorrect settings that may be causing your imaging problems.
Microscope Cleaning and Maintenance
Dust and dirt particles can accumulate on the microscope and may affect image quality. This is particularly frustrating if dust particles are visible when documenting important specimens that cannot be reused for imaging. Therefore, to ensure you can exploit the full optical quality of your microscope, cleaning should be a regular part of the maintenance routine.
The following notes lead you through the basic procedures – from knowing how to clean the external frame to cleaning the optical system.
Adjusting your Köhler Illumination for Optimum Specimen Illumination
Another important procedure that should be included in your regular maintenance is checking the Koehler illumination.
Koehler Illumination is a method of optical alignment that helps you to produce an evenly illuminated visual field with excellent contrast and maximum sample detail, thus allowing you to exploit the microscope’s full potential.
Adjusting the Parfocality of a Camera Adaptor
If you are using a camera, you will need to adapt the focus and adjust the parfocality when first installed. Over time, if you encounter focus differences between the eyepiece view and the camera image you may need to adjust the parfocality.
Adjusting For Different Observation Methods
Different observation methods will require the microscope to be adjusted to ensure you are getting the best quality image available.
Our guide explains how to properly adjust the microscope according to your observation method. We offer advice on Differential Interference Contrast (DIC), Phase Contrast (PC), Relief Contrast (RC), and Simple Polarization (PO).
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