Besides the well-known procedures to maintain the performance, in Corona times additional care is needed to avoid spreading the virus. Time to update our care recommendations.
(1) Objectives
(2) Eyepieces
(3) Condenser
(4) Collector cover glass
(5) Glass slide including the cover slip
In the case the microscope is combined with a camera attached, you may find dirt.
(6) On the lenses of the camera adapter (C-mount)
(7) On the protection glass (IR filter) of the camera sensor
Attention: All inner surfaces of the optical elements are strictly taboo! Do not disassemble any part of your microscope for cleaning purposes. You only have access to the outer surfaces of these components. Disassembly will significantly affect the performance of your instrument and will void the terms of warranty. If you notice a malfunction in mechanics or electrics, please contact your nearest Motic supplier.
Objectives are the most important optical component of your microscope that require the greatest care for cleanliness. In actual use, the front lens takes the highest risk for pollution, as it comes closest to the sample.
Since on the lenses you always find dust or other species, we recommend to use first an air blower.
Professional level
Carefully unscrew the objective from the nosepiece and place it onto a table to avoid a dropping. The above described cleaning procedure should be applied. To check the effect of cleaning, pull out an eyepiece from the eyepiece tube, use it upside down (180° rotated) like a magnifying glass. Hold the eyepiece close to your eye like a jeweller in the old crime movies.
These objectives (mostly 100X magnification) are mainly used by experienced students due to the delicate immersion process. The cleaning procedure is the same as with dry objectives. Just take one action before: First press a cotton swab onto the front lens. This will soak up the main portion of the affixing immersion oil. It is essential to clean this kind of objective after each work session.
The condenser is a less critical component in terms of image quality. Take care that dust is removed with a brush, a piece of cotton or clean compressed air. In most cases a solving fluid (water, alcohol, etc.) is not necessary.
The light exit in the base of a transmitted light microscope is predestined for dust pollution. Simply removed it with brush, a piece of cotton or clean compressed air. In most cases a solving fluid (water, alcohol, etc.) is not necessary.
Professional level
The detection of pollution within the optical path of a transmitted light microscope is essential for an effective cleaning. The so-called “conjugated levels” are related levels with the optical path. The following conjugated levels are most important for dirt detection:
Example: Dust on the collector cover glass (near Field diaphragm) will be seen on all “following” levels. A fingerprint on the sample will be visualized in the intermediate image, the human eye and the sensor of a potential camera.
The C-mount adapter is an optical/mechanical piece, ready to mount a respective camera on top of a Trinocular microscope. Pollution on the external surfaces of the lenses within are rarely visible in normal operation. Cleaning with ethyl alcohol (70%) and cotton swab will do fine. This should be done only by an experienced person.
Professional level
This is the most critical component if it comes with a camera. Rotate the camera with C-mount while loosen the fixing screw on top of the photo exit of the Trinocular tube. If the dust spots are rotating, the dust is located within the microscope. In case the dust spots keep their position on the screen, it’s the protection glass. The dust is in close “relation” to the pixel of the sensor below and stays in relative position.
Additional COVID-19 information: As already mentioned, the virus seems to be in favour of skin lipids to be transmitted. That is why you should take care of sterilizing the coarse/fine focus knobs before and after use. The message is:
"Leave the instrument exactly
like you want to meet it again".
Download the Safety Recommendation Guide
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