It's Stuart's Fault. An Optical Acquisition.

[Anorak Bob]

I've been credited as being responsible for a few of Stu's purchases so it's my turn to point the finger. I dare say I'll never surpass the Kamera* but here's my first foray into machine (yes Stuart, machine:p) related optics, a Marcel Aubert MA 121 Centring Microscope.

Made in a range of magnifications, this one is 20X. It has a working distance of 92mm and a field of view of 6.9mm. Great for viewing the action from a safe distance. An Ebay purchase from Thailand of all places, costing $65 with free shipping. Shows wear but so does the machine it's sitting on. The Manfrotto Magic Arm is a bit cumbersome, Noga make a large arm for camera work which may be better suited. Phillip" MetalMan" has a wonderful Zeiss boom mounted binocular microscope that I have long coveted but this little Swiss scope should do the trick until an affordable boom comes along. And with it's cross hairs it can be used for precise centring, an added bonus.

* http://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/things-i-buy-141217/#post1375908

BT

[Oldneweng]

Is that last picture of Jupiter?:?

Dean

[Anorak Bob]

Is that last picture of Jupiter?:?

Dean

Does have an astronomical look to it Dean.

A worn insert at 20 times magnification. I'm surprised the little Coolpix worked jammed up against the eyepiece.

[Oldneweng]

Does have an astronomical look to it Dean.

A worn insert at 20 times magnification. I'm surprised the little Coolpix worked jammed up against the eyepiece.

The background looks very like planetary photos. Clearcut one side and fading off into the darkness on the other. That does not look like a Jupiter spot tho.

Good picture considering you just held the camera to the lens. I have had a new Nikon SLR for a few weeks and haven't had the time to use it in real anger yet.

Dean

[Stustoys]

Hi BT
Happy to take the blame for that one. Luckly for my pocket that I didnt see it. I think you'll find the 92mm handy. You have a retical with cross hairs you can install?

Stuart

If it makes you feel better....... I've been shopping again.. last one I promise ;)

[Anorak Bob]

Hi BT
Happy to take the blame for that one. Luckly for my pocket that I didnt see it. I think you'll find the 92mm handy. You have a retical with cross hairs you can install?

Stuart

If it makes you feel better....... I've been shopping again.. last one I promise ;)

That promise has a hollow ring to it Stu :D. Seller had two.

It has crisp fine cross hairs. I reckon it has the R-6 type . Appears non standard according to the chart attached - http://www.marcel-aubert-sa.ch/produkte/info/info_pdf/inf_mik/m01_mikroskope_e.pdf

BT

[Stustoys]

That promise has a hollow ring to it Stu :D. Seller had two.

hmmm You could well be right..... if its still there this atfernoon it could well be in trouble of heading to the tool capital.:D


centering scope, dont have one of those yet. Only ever seen one on ebay though enco sell one..... maybe one day.

Stuart

[Anorak Bob]

Here's a centring scope Stu, Alan "C-47" 's Hensoldt. I had Hensoldt in my saved searches, great if you were looking for a rifle scope or a centring scope for a 40 tapered Deckel, but not so great for anything smaller arbored.

And then there is the issue of Z consumption..:no:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f65/193875d1325997484-scraping-struggling-2012-01-08-008-large-.jpg

Search for Titan, Skoal, Leitz and Zeiss along with Hensoldt. Skoal are Korean and pretty basic, Titan appear to be American and you know where the others originate. There was a SIP scope on Ebay recently but I think it was for one of their large jig borers. Too big for me.

BT

[azzrock]

Is that last picture of Jupiter?:?

Dean

very funny dean i needed a laught
aaron

[Stustoys]

Thanks BT
:whistling2:

Stuart

[simonl]

OK. I was struggling to see why I would ever need one of these until I saw the last pic. Yep very nice!

Great purchase Bob!

Simon

[Stustoys]

Hi BT,
Thats some fine crosshairs.
Thats a slide with 0.01mm graduations.(so 1mm total)
I'll try and get a better picture when I get out to the shed and have a better setup for fine focus. You can see the lines clearly with the eyeball, but its a struggle to get a good picture for some reason :((I even tried focusing with my glasses on!!)
Most of the flecks is on the retical slide/lense. I'm not sure if I will try and take it apart to clean it or not.

Thank you again

Stuart

[Anorak Bob]

Stu,

Are you having trouble focusing the scope or focusing the camera through the scope? My Marcel focuses crisply but getting the Coolpix to focus while peering through it is tricky.

There is grit on the lens like yours. I'll let you dismantle yours first as long as you post plenty of photos.

And, how come no vignetting in your photo?

BT

[Stustoys]

Hi BT,
A bit of both, but mostly its the phone which normally does a pretty good job.

I'm thinking the grit will in fact be something growing on the lense so may not be fixable. I assume you've found that if the crosshairs arent need you can just put it out of focus and the grit go away.(well ok its still there but far enough out of focus that you cant see it)

The lines are really are just a grey rectangle in the pictures, even at full size before uploading.
This is about the best I can do.

You mean vingetting like this? Just zooming in and cropping hard to try and stop the forum shrinking them again when I upload.

Stuart

[Stustoys]

Well surprisingly whatever it is on the lense seems to clean off ok. I'll have another go tomorrow and take some pictures(pretty easy really.....the other end of the tube I'm going to leave well alone)

Latest picture with a cannon camera using 3X zoom.

Stuart

[Anorak Bob]

Stu,

Mine is crystal clear and stunningly sharp. Conveying that sharpness with a camera jammed up against the eyepiece is difficult. Photographed is a Russian straight edge. Purchased new after a tip off from Gregor Q.


282202

282204 282203

BT

[Oldneweng]

Are those nicks in the edge or dirt on a lens? Maybe give it a rub with some sandpaper to clean it up!

Dean

[Stustoys]

:doh:I should have taken some pictures with the retical out of focus.

Remember those lines are about 0.0002" wide

[Anorak Bob]

Are those nicks in the edge or dirt on a lens? Maybe give it a rub with some sandpaper to clean it up!

Dean

They are more like flaws than nicks Dean. My B & L microscope has a 43X lens. I'll have a closer tomorrow. It's meant to be a precision straight edge. I reckon I'll avoid papering the thing.:)

Bob.

[Anorak Bob]

Stu,

These things need light. I reckon you'd have "ring" lighting well covered in your collection :D but I'm wondering about someting like this. The only catch is its size. The Marcel is 25mm-ish in diameter where this would mount. It could be unwieldy.

60 LED Adjustable Ring Light Illuminator Lamp FOR Stereo Zoom Microscope US Plug | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/360687874868?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D360687874868%26_rdc%3D1)

Obviously this holds more appeal but I know FA about fibre optics and the light source required would add considerably to the cost.

Volpi Swiss Made Fiber Optic Ring Light | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VOLPI-Swiss-Made-FIBER-OPTIC-RING-LIGHT-/121159013704?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c35a3d548)

On the Marcel Aubert site they show a set up utilising a pair of small Maglites as a light source. OK for static use but probably a bit cumbersome for machine use.

Any ideas?

BT

[Oldneweng]

They are more like flaws than nicks Dean. My B & L microscope has a 43X lens. I'll have a closer tomorrow. It's meant to be a precision straight edge. I reckon I'll avoid papering the thing.:)

Bob.

You must get tired of having to explain things to a bloke from the bush LOL.

:D

Dean

[Anorak Bob]

You must get tired of having to explain things to a bloke from the bush LOL.

:D

Dean

I'm just a city slicker Dean. It has been suggested before that I have NFI so take anything I say with a pinch of salt.

Bob

[Oldneweng]

I'm just a city slicker Dean. It has been suggested before that I have NFI so take anything I say with a pinch of salt.

Bob

Yeah we got a dog like that. Cum from the city. NFI. Took years for my dog (see avatar) to teach her how to get thru fences etc. I still see her often shaking her head in disgust at the city dogs stupidity.

My dog can go thru a cyclone fence at full throttle by twisting in the air after take off to align herself with the 300mm x 150mm gap and then straightening up before landing. This is really something to see when she is motoring. The city dog just stands behind the fence and swears.

I kid you not! Absolutely true. The city dog is blonde however!:D

Dean

[Stustoys]

Hi BT,
In the pictures so far I've used the light source on the Zeiss. That optic ring light looks great.. though how big is it? I've seem one light source go for $20...but only because I missed the end of auction some how:(. Normally they run $200-$300. If the Zeiss is anything to go by there is nothing specail in them. If you had the bits I'm sure you could knock one up in an afternoon.(want some pictures?)
I'd say that LED ring you linked at is to bulky.

Given the small field of view you really dont need much power, it just has to be in the right spot. I have one of these torches.
Cree LED 7W 300LM High Power Adjustable Focus Zoom IN OUT Mini Flashlight Torch | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CREE-LED-7W-300lm-High-Power-Adjustable-Focus-Zoom-In-Out-Mini-Flashlight-Torch-/400558713224?hash=item5d4328e988#ht_4378wt_1030)
And it works great (though holding it by hand is a pain, a bracket shouldnt be beyound your skills ;) )
They also come in black. You can use the zoom as brightness control.
In fact I might make that my next project...... want one?



Stuart

[Anorak Bob]

Hi BT,

...want some pictures?

Stuart

Yes please.

[Stustoys]

Sorry about the wait.
Here you go.
Don't let the big box fool you into thinking there is a lot very clever stuff going on inside.(filing cabinet for scale)
Transformer, fan and a dimmer.
No lenses just a 100W bulb(although if I recall correctly it does have a different shaped reflector than "normal". Nothing like a little "brute force" to get the job done.
The fan draws air between the blub and fibre. I assume the fibre cant be allowed to get to hot.

Stuart

[Anorak Bob]

Yeah we got a dog like that. Cum from the city. NFI. Took years for my dog (see avatar) to teach her how to get thru fences etc. I still see her often shaking her head in disgust at the city dogs stupidity.

My dog can go thru a cyclone fence at full throttle by twisting in the air after take off to align herself with the 300mm x 150mm gap and then straightening up before landing. This is really something to see when she is motoring. The city dog just stands behind the fence and swears.

I kid you not! Absolutely true. The city dog is blonde however!:D

Dean

Nice Dean. Don't hold back.

[Oldneweng]

Nice Dean. Don't hold back.

No disrespect intended Bob. I have a lot of respect for your help and knowledge.:2tsup:

Dean

[Stustoys]

A few pictures of the insides(the easy end).
Loosen the single grub screw and slide the Ocular lens/reticle out of the tube with the Objective lens and inverting prisms(?).(thats the grub screw to use to rotate the recticle)
Loosen the three screws holding the eyepiece cover on.
Remove the single screw holding the Ocular lens and slide out
Loosen(a fair way) the fours screws holding the reticle in, now find something "the right size" to sit on the steel ring holding the reticle(the glass sits below the steel surface so it just needs to be flat), flip over then lift off the outside and you should be left with the recticle.*
Clean, replace.
Be careful to get the grub screws on the flats on the reticle, lining up the slot for the screw that holds the Ocular in (its very easy to catch the edge and raise a burr, at least on mine this isnt done up tight) and when you slide the Ocular /recticle back into the tube rotate it to help release the air or it might just pop back out when you let it go.

Stuart

*with a "specail tool" a little smaller in diameter then mine you could loosen the screws and then slide it down over the "tool" which would lift the reticle out without the need to flip.

[Anorak Bob]

Thank you Stu.

[Anorak Bob]

Stu,

A couple of questions. Where did you find the scale? Something similar though Imperial might prove useful for the Mitutoyo comparator.

And do you have a Noga hydraulic base? I bought a cheap clamp that enables Marcel to be mounted on my Noga. I'll post a photo tonight.

BT


http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f65/282196d1377249995t-its-stuarts-fault-optical-acquisition-btsd.jpg

[Stustoys]

Fron this guy, though thats twice what I paid.

Microscope Objective Stage Micrometer Calibration Slide | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Microscope-Objective-Stage-Micrometer-Calibration-Slide-/321215145418?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac9ea25ca#ht_1519wt_1072)

It was a bit of a punt be it seems ok to me.

Is your Mit imp?
NEW Microscope Stage Micrometer Metric English System Calibration Glass Slide | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Microscope-Stage-Micrometer-Metric-English-System-Calibration-Glass-Slide-/251320948528?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a83e55730#ht_1171wt_1072)

No Noga. Though a knock off(in fact its not really even a knock on, its Noga like lol)

Stuart

[Anorak Bob]

A set up a bit less cumbersome than the Manfrotto Magic Arm.

Noga utilise a female M6 mount on the outer end of their arm and the little clamp I bought on Ebay - Camera Articulating Magic Friction ARM Small Super Clamp Crab Pliers Clip | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/321166053604?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D321166053604%26_rdc%3D1) is threaded 3/8" BSW. I hummed and harred about the easiest way of making an adapter and half way through making a brass version it came to me to thread the head of an M6 cap screw. The socket remains intact thereby providing a means of securely locking the screw in place.

A fine adjuster between the mag base and the arm would be the only " improvement " I'd make.

If anyone is interested in this stuff, there is a Russian 24x inspection scope currently on Ebay. Cheap - Russian Ussr MPB 2 24X Industrial Microscope | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281217634785?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D281217634785%26_rdc%3D1)

BT

[Stustoys]

Thank you
On the way :)

Stuart

[Ueee]

If anyone is interested in this stuff, there is a Russian 24x inspection scope currently on Ebay. Cheap - Russian Ussr MPB 2 24X Industrial Microscope | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/281217634785?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D281217634785%26_rdc%3D1)


Thanks Bob.....i can't let you and Stu have all the optical stuff :D

Stu, as a veteran optics collector, have i just started myself down a slippery slope:o?? Is there any help for me out there?

Ew

[Anorak Bob]

Who bought the Russian? I thought Stuart had but maybe not.

I have seen other similar Russian scopes on Ebay but for a bit more than that bargain price.

And Ew, the slope is slippery. Stuart encouraged me to buy the Mitutoyo PJ250 optical comparator that led to the purchase of the T and C grinder.

Bob

[Ueee]

Who bought the Russian? Ew bought the Russian!:woot::hpydans:

[Stustoys]

Had to give the other guys a chance BT............. though I was tempted lol. I meant a clamp is on the way.
I did have a go and a "depth measuring microscope" a couple of days back :p... missed it :(

Welcome Ewan, not sure there is a way back. Someone asked in another thread how to set the angle on the vertical head, of course the correct answer is "with an optical protractor/level" :D

Stuart