Issues with my first microscope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 08:00:51 pm
content: So my first microscope came in, I bought a Eakins Trinocular microscope, but I'm having issues with my eye pieces. When I look through them it's mostly black. What am I doing wrong or is it the microscope?

author: Habropoda
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 08:23:07 pm
content: Try these:Remove or fold down any plastic or rubber eyecup, especially if you wear glasses. Maybe remove your glasses. Your eyes need to be closer to the eyepiece.The distance between the eyepieces can be adjusted. Play with that until the view improves.

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 08:58:02 pm
content: This might sound weird, but the closer I get the less I can see, farther back I go more I can see.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 09:20:50 pm
content: After seeing some of the idiotic things people do with a microscope, I can't be surprised, anymore. Here are some pointers, in no particular order:1. The eyepieces can be adjusted wider apart or closer together. Humans have a range of interpupillary distance. We are not all the same.2. When the eyepieces have the correct spacing between them, you will see a single circle. Not two circles.The microscope is focused by moving the entire head up/down. Unless you change the lens or add lenses (barlow, for instance), the focal distance between lens and object were/when the image is in focus will be static. You do not turn the eyepieces to focus the scope (although initially you might have to adjust them to get the image focused in both eyes, plus you have to adjust them to where the microscope is parfocal if it is a zoom microscope).Harbropoda's tip is important. I wear glasses, and I have to remove the rubber cup from the eye pieces, altogether. But I can still see an image with the cups on there. It's just a smaller circle with more black around the edges.Some people can't use a binocular microscope, because they can't correlate the two images unless they are perfectly aligned. Some people can't use a binocular microscope because they are idiots. They might eventually get the hang of it if they used it regularly, but they otherwise can't get one to work without help. I've seen lenses turned upside down, eyepieces completely out of focus with each other, people who couldn't figure out the width between eye pieces is adjustable. All kinds of stupidity. Leave a microscope in given work place and it might get "adjusted" farther and farther away from usability until people complain the microscope doesn't work, anymore, and my naked eyes work better.If you're experiencing a problem, first off, look thru only one at a time. Don't use both eyes until you get a proper image in one of them.

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2019, 11:07:45 pm
content: One thing about a zoom stereo microscope is that even when you have the interpupillary distance correctly adjusted and your eyepieces adjusted for your eyes, the position of your eyes is critical.Your eyes have to be looking into the eyepieces exactly in the centre. It takes a little time to adjust to keeping your head in the right position at all times. Keep at it, you'll soon get the hang of it!It's also vital to perform a parfocal adjustment of your microscope. Until you do, the focus will change as you change the zoom factor. Once you have done the parfocal adjustment, you don't need to touch the focal control as you zoom at all, as long as your subject is at the same height. Here's a great guide to parfocal adjustment:https://www.aventools.com/how-to-parfocal-your-stereo-zoom-microscope/

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2019, 01:31:05 am
content: That did the trick man. I'm from a small town in Mississippi an went to school at a high school that didn't have any microscopes what so ever, an when I was in community College there was 3 or 4 to share between the entire class (2010-2012) so this is the first time I've used a microscope at all in my life. I appreciate all the help, I soldered a small qfp just to see if I could, now to keep practicing at all of this. Thanks for the help!

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 01:12:30 am
content: One more question, the holes where the eye pieces slide into screw, pushing one lens out at a time. I have been trying to figure out if that is my diopler adjustment. There was no paperwork with this microscope so I'm having to basically wing it, an i haven't seen any diagrams label that exact function.

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 05:35:55 am
content: Yes, that is your diopter adjustment.On my microscope, there are two lines which appear around the eyepieces as they screw out. This is the +0 point which should be used when doing the parfocal adjustment.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 08:10:59 am
content: Quote from: Kfire778 on April 01, 2019, 01:12:30 amThis PDF, with instructions for the Meiji EMZ microscopes, may help. The section, FOCUSING PROCEDURE, on page 7, covers what you are asking about, at least for these microscopes which Eakins may have copied. (I don't know the brand.)

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 09:26:14 pm
content: Well let me ask you this, by the time I get both eyes into focus, one eye piece ends up push out further than the other one thus preventing me from being able to fully center on the eyepieces thus having 2 images instead of one image of what's under the microscope. I found some amscope eye pieces with diopter adjustment built into the lens. Is that gonna fix my issue or did I just waste that 50 dollars on the pair?

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 09:27:19 pm
content: Thanks for your reply, but I'm thinking the Eakins is a clone of the amscope microscopes.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 08:34:18 am
content: Quote from: Kfire778 on April 01, 2019, 09:26:14 pmEven after you push the tubes toward each other horizontally? If that still won't fuse the images, the mirrors inside the eyepiece head (or they may be prisms) could have been knocked out of alignment.An adjustable eyepiece raises and lowers the eyepiece optics, with the same effect that the diopter adjustments on the eyepiece tubes raise or lower the entire eyepieces out of or into the tube.Could you post a picture of the head?

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 08:38:24 am
content: Quote from: Kfire778 on April 01, 2019, 09:27:19 pmYou may be ending the cloning chain too early. What microscope might Amscope have copied?

author: windsmurf
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 09:19:34 am
content: Quote from: jfiresto on April 02, 2019, 08:38:24 am... or perhaps Amscope is made by the same factory in China.

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 01:19:05 am
content: https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32851330647.html?pid=808_0000_0101&spm=a2g0n.search-amp.list.32851330647&aff_trace_key=2d978536a0cd43e2bb7fe15a9029781d-1549423025918-03508-UneMJZVf&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=927amp-9oDNZhv64VUcF2lveC0HKA1551373348607Unable to post pic but here's the link I purchased from. When I put both eye pieces to diopter point 0, I can look through both eye pieces an see one image,but after doing the parfocial adjustment the difference in eye pieces is so different I can no longer center, thus only seeing out of one eye at a time.

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 01:22:57 am
content: When doing the parfocial adjustment, I dial everything in using just one eye, and when I have a clear image in it, make the diopter adjustments to the second eye piece, but that is when my issues start.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 08:00:06 am
content: For a user with corrected vision, the microscope should be parfocal (stay in focus as you zoom in and out) when the eyepiece diopter adjustments are set to 0. That way, he can add a reticle to an eyepiece and expect the reticle to be in focus. There are a few possibilities if the microscope is not:its maker does not care about reticlesthey sent you eyepieces meant for a different microscope (perhaps they were a bargain in the market that day) orthe microscope is defective.Do you get the same split images at both minimum and maximum zoom, or does the splitting vary with the zoom? If it does, how so?

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 11:28:57 am
content: Looking at the picture on Aliexpress, this microscope seems to be very similar to the one I have.I have had no problem at all getting mine set up and parfocal. I only wear glasses for close up vision and I don't wear my glasses when using the microscope. I just use the microscope's diopter adjustment to compensate for my middle aged eyes.Do you wear glasses? If so, for what kind of defect? I don't have practical experience of using a microscope if you are near-sighted, so I can't really say if that would be a problem.

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 11:53:13 am
content: I don't wear glasses, but in normal life I do have issues with double vision from time to time. Using normal binoculars no problem, before adjusting the diopter for each eye, when there at the same 0 on the diopter I can see one image fine, blurry and out of focus but one single image, but once I do the parfocial adjustment I can no longer find center thus I can't get 1 image from the microscope it becomes 2 images overlapping.

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 12:01:12 pm
content: Kfire778 sent me these two images to post for him here.

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 12:08:58 pm
content: If you don't have bad eyesight, the adjustment for both eyepieces should be the same.Here is how much I have to adjust mine:Are both eyepieces the same? Mine are both Wide Field 10X/20mm

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 12:18:37 pm
content: If you swap the positions of the eyepieces, does the problem move with the eyepiece?Have you checked to make sure that the objective lenses on the bottom of the microscope head are both screwed in properly?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 12:49:30 pm
content: Quote from: Kfire778 on April 03, 2019, 01:22:57 amRotate the focus on each of the two objective eyepieces to center position. (Move them all the way in either direction so you can figure out their full rotation range and where the center point is)Look through the microscopeAdjust the diopter to align the 2 images into one by moving the two eyepiece stalks inwards/outwards.Close one eye (lets say right) and adjust the microscopes main focus adjustment knob until you have the left eye image in focus.Now close the left eye and look with your right eye only.Rotate the right eyepiece objective focus adjustment until the right eye image is in focus.Now open both eyes and it both should be in focus and one signal image.If something still is not right try adjusting both the objective eyepieces focus adjustments together and in the same direction by the same amount.Note1: The diopter adjustment for each eye stalk should be linked internally by some gears. If you move the right eye stalk inwards it should move the left eye stalk inwards, and vice versa.If it does not do this then you will need to do it yourself manually. They're positions should be a mirror image of the other.Note2: If you focus zoomed out and then zoom in this will almost always go out of focus, even with parfocial correct.This is because you cannot get perfect focus adjustment on a zoomed out image. There will be some small error that will become huge when zoomed in and make it out of focus.But if you focus while zoomed in then it should be in focus for all zoom levels when parfocial is correct.

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 01:08:46 pm
content: Just as soon as I get off work I will check all of these things and get back to everyone.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 03:16:44 pm
content: Thanks, guys, for the pictures of the microscope. It appears to be a Greenough design with a fixed tube length. I may have to keep quiet as the microscopes I know best are Common Main Objective with infinity optics. I do have a Greenough, but it is a nearly indestructable student model that discourages students from taking it apart. Which is probably good, as back then I would have, to see how it works.

author: Kfire778
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 10:30:59 pm
content: OK I have some good news, an not so good news, a friend of mine had some eye pieces that were the same size as mine, except they were 10x/22, an these things are spot on. He shook my left eye piece an something inside was bouncing up an down, not something I would have wanted to honestly do just because of how much csn go wrong, an how accident prone I am. But right now I'm having absolutely no issues.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 08:30:47 am
content: Good job. One of my first tests is to pick up a piece of optics and gently shake it to see if anything rattles. I do this over a large tub, if it is, say, an old microscope, in case something falls out. (It has happened.)If I got things right, the worst case scenario is that you may have to buy some new and better eyepieces? Did you see any vignetting with the 10X/22 ones?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 08:49:50 am
content: You can get a new pair of WF10X/20 on aliexpress for $21 inc shipping.Lots of people selling them.This store looks to sell a few types, check it outhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/One-Pair-WF10X-WF15X-WF20X-WF25X-WF30X-Eyepiece-For-Stereo-Microscope-Wide-Field-20mm-15mm-10mm/32897739739.html

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 09:57:07 am
content: Sounds like you have a complaint for wherever you bought the microscope from. Defective eyepiece, which should be replaced.

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 04:05:23 pm
content: Great to hear that you've found the cause of the problem!

author: lordvader88
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 05:52:21 pm
content: I got the Andostar 301, it doesn't have an eyepiece, but was a lot cheaper. Works great so far, expect I haven't figured out how to save files directly onto my PC. I might have to order a microSSD card and reader for it to get stuff onto PC, which is a pain.

author: grizewald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2019, 07:32:39 pm
content: Quote from: lordvader88 on April 04, 2019, 05:52:21 pmI've tried soldering with a microscope camera and a screen. It's incredibly frustrating as you don't have any depth perception. The first time you look through a proper stereo microscope and experience the 3D view, you'll understand why it's the only option.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 10:47:06 pm
content: Quote from: grizewald on April 04, 2019, 07:32:39 pmYUP!!! Quite true, the stereo microscopes have two objectives that are pointed toward the place where the unit focuses, and some prisms to bend the image so it comes in more straight-on to your eyes. So, you get two different images presented to look as a big thing a foot or two away from your face. This reduces eye strain and just quickly becomes natural, and you develop a new 3D adaptation for what you are working on in micro-scale. Between the mon-ocular view on a screen and maybe some delay between the real object and the screen, I can't imagine that would be great.Jon