Analysis and solutions to common microscope failures
During the experiment, our microscopes often have various minor problems, so how can we solve and repair these minor faults ourselves?
Fault 1: The image quality of the microscope deteriorates after being used for a period of time. After shutting down for a while and then turning it on again, the image quality will be significantly improved.
Diagnosis: The lens coating technology is not up to standard, and the coating diverges after the lens is heated after long-term use.
Fault 2: The image is clear when manually focusing, but blurry after letting go.
Diagnosis: The focusing mechanism is aging.
Fault 3: The image is clear when observed through the eyepiece, but the captured image is not. When the collected image is adjusted to be clear, the image observed in the eyepiece is no longer clear.
Diagnosis: The system is not parfocal enough, and observation and collection cannot be synchronized.
Fault 4: The stage slides and moves.
Diagnosis: The stage locking mechanism uses a star gear, which reduces stability after long-term use.
Fault 5: The clear edges in the middle of the image are blurred.
Diagnosis: Imperfect spherical aberration correction.
Fault 6: Why is the middle of the microscope field of view clear but the edges blurry?
Diagnosis: It is a problem with the objective lens. Generally, the flatness of the achromatic objective lens is not good. The center of the field of view is generally 60-80% clear, but the surrounding areas will be blurry. The solution is to replace it with a plan achromatic objective.
Fault 7: The fluorescence microscope eyepiece and photo background are not dark enough, what should I do?
Diagnosis: When taking fluorescence photos, you can shake out the condenser of transmitted light, otherwise there will be a reflection image when looking at fluorescence. There is another method. If the fluorescence is strong enough, you can adjust the fluorescence aperture diaphragm appropriately to slightly reduce the background. In addition, there is a black balance option in the software, which can make the background darker.
