The Microscope

THE MICROSCOPE
Components of a Microscope
• MECHANICAL SYSTEM
➢Support System
➢Adjustment System
• OPTICAL SYSTEM
➢Magnification System
➢Illumination System
I. MECHANICAL SYSTEM
A. Support System
1. Body
1.1. Base – must rest on a firm, flat bench or table
1.2. Arm – supports the main tube and the mechanical stage
1.3. Revolving Nosepiece – holds the objective lenses of
different magnification
2. Mechanical Stage – holds the slide secure and
allows the specimen move smoothly backwards,
forwards, and sideways
2.1. Vernier scale – can be used to trace part of a blood
film you need to re-examine
2.2. Feed knob – x- and y-axis
3. Observation Tube/Head – composed of a main
tube and body tube which houses the prism
• 3.1. Diopter – used to compensate the difference in
eyesight between the left and the right eye
• 3.2. Interpupillary distance – used to adjust the
eyepieces in relation to the distance between the left
and the right eye
B. Adjustment System
1. Coarse Adjustment
2. Fine Adjustment
3. Pre-focusing Knob – controls the upward
movement of the stage preventing the collision of
the objective; also to provide margin of focusing
II. Optical System
A. Magnification System
• Objective – 4x, 10x, 40x, 100x
• Eyepiece – 10x
– Eyeshade
• Prism –refracts rays; splitting the image directing them
towards the two eyepieces
B. Illumination System
• Substage Condenser
– Made-up of a number of lenses
– Centers the light from the electric light source to a central
spot on a microscopic field
– Can be raised or lowered to give maximum/minimum
illumination
» Iris Diaphragm – controls the amount of light passing
through the condenser
» Height adjustment knob
» Securing knob
• Filter and Filter Holder – a blue filter that makes a
microscopic field white rather than yellow
• Light intensity adjustment knob
• Light source
OLYMPUS CH2 MICROSCOPE
Care and Maintenance
Materials for Cleaning
• Cotton cloth, or lens paper
• Special tissue paper, or whole absorbent
paper
• Alcohol, 70%
• Make-up brush (softest)
• Rubber bulb
• Dry objective
– Blow off dust particles using the rubber bulb and
wipe the lens with a soft cloth, moving the cloth
across and not circularly
• Oil immersion objective
– Remove oil with a lens paper or an absorbent
paper (moistened with 70% alcohol)
– Remove any remaining dust using the make-up
brush
• Eyepiece
– Clean upper lens with a soft cloth
– Clean lower lens with a make-up brush, if
necessary
• Condenser and Mirror
– Clean the same way as the objectives using a soft
cloth
• Support and Stage
– Clean using a soft cloth
• Laboratories with electricity
– A warm cupboard heated by 1 or 2 light bulbs (40
watts)
• Laboratories without electricity
– A dessicator 15-20 cms. in diameter with no less than
250 grams of dry blue silica gel (which indicates
humidity by turning pink)
IMPORTANT: The microscope must be kept in the
warm cupboard even if the laboratory is air-
conditioned
User’s Preventive Maintenance
The following should be done weekly:
• Clean the unit
• Check the physical condition of the power
cord, plug, eyepieces, condenser, objectives,
stage, fine and coarse adjustment knobs, and
grounding system
• Lubricate rollers and other movable parts, if
necessary
Don'ts
• Don’t clean the lenses of the objectives and
eyepieces with xylene
• Don’t dip the objectives in xylene
• Don’t use ordinary paper or cotton wool to
clean the lenses
• Don’t touch the objectives with fingers
• Don’t clean the inside lenses of eyepieces and
objectives with cloth or paper
Don'ts
• Don’t keep the microscope in a closed wooden
box in hot humid places
• Don’t leave the microscope without the eyepiece
• Don’t carry the microscope by the limb of one
hand
• Don't expose the microscope to direct sunlight
• Don’t exchange lenses from a microscope of
different manufacturer – even some models by
the same manufacturer have different
specifications
Don'ts
• Don’t dismantle or try to clean parts of the
microscope difficult to reach unless trained to
do so
• Don’t use xylene to clean painted surfaces of
the microscope
• Don’t subject the microscope to severe or
sudden impact
• Don’t touch the bulb of the microscope with
bare fingers
Dos
• Cover the microscope when not in use
• Line up the 10x objective with the ocular when
the microscope is not in use
• Report to the Maintenance Department of any
malfunction observed
• Oil immersion objective should be cleaned after
use
• Always put the microscope in a dust-free area
• Always put the grounding wire in place
The MICROSCOPE
POST-LECTURE EXERCISE
PRACTICE: Label the Parts (2 mins.)
Label the Parts (2 mins.)

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THE MICROSCOPE

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