Different bases on Amscope microscope

[jfiresto]

Objectives or do mean oculars? If oculars, what about a pair of modern, high eyepoint oculars?

[KE5FX]

Any time you bump them the microscope shakes for ages.

So don't do that.

The trouble is you bump it every time you touch your face to the objectives.

Not an issue in real-life usage.  At higher powers, sure.  But for SMD work?!  C'mon.

Meanwhile, the ability to put the microscope exactly where you want it, instantly, at any height desired, with near-zero effort, as well as to swing it away completely when desired, is a game-changer.

[jfiresto]

Not an issue in real-life usage.  At higher powers, sure.  But for SMD work?!  C'mon.

Meanwhile, the ability to put the microscope exactly where you want it, instantly, at any height desired, with near-zero effort, as well as to swing it away completely when desired, is a game-changer.

It is also not an issue with a critically damped or overdamped, articulated stand. I had a ear/nose/throat specialist demonstrate that to me, by checking an ear in just a few seconds. Good grief, could he fling his microscope.

[HobGoblyn]

I think a really really good articulating arm with decent damping would be much better than the double boom I’ve ordered, but i think it would be well over £1000.  I don’t think Amscopes articulating arm would be up to the job.

Amscope articulating arm that clamps on to the desk is  £264 and doesn’t look that great to me

https://amscope.co.uk/collections/microscope-parts-accessories/products/amscope-articulating-stand-w-post-clamp-and-focusing-rack-for-stereo-microscopes

If I want the same arm but on a base rather than clamping to the desk, it’s a whopping £517

https://amscope.co.uk/collections/microscope-parts-accessories/products/amscope-articulating-arm-for-stereo-microscopes-with-cast-steel-base-plate


I have an articulating arm on my 38” PC monitor, monitor weighs 9kg, stand says it does up to 49” and 15kg. It’s OK but not brilliant, amount of times I have to tighten the bolts, especially to stop the monitor tilting, it’s fine as I rarely move it, but would be useless if i repositioned it all the time.  Sure it was a cheap stand, but while Amscope are 5 times the price, they actually look slightly worse designed than my monitor arm.

If in a couple of years I find my double boom not good enough, I might look into getting a decent (not Amscope) articulating arm, but there’s no way I can spend that sort of money at the moment.

Thanks

[KE5FX]

The arm itself is fine, but yes, that clamp is not great.  I mounted mine with a couple of heavy carriage bolts:



If I had clamped it to the edge of the workbench, rather than securing it directly to the surface where two benches are strapped together, it would probably be shaky enough to bother me, as the 'workbenches' are just folding tables.   (It would also rip the edge off and fall to its death sooner or later.)

Another disadvantage of the articulating boom is that you can't really parfocus the microscope, because it doesn't end up in the same horizontal plane every time you reposition it.  That's probably my biggest complaint, but it is what it is.  The advantages overcome the annoyances by a big margin.

[HobGoblyn]

Stand has arrived from Germany.

As you can see from pic, it does now come with the much larger flat stand that is very heavy.



The vertical pillar attaches to the base by 3 bolts.  I unpacked it and it shipped with the  3 bolts  screwed into the vertical pillar.

I unscrewed them with the supplied Allan key, a little stiff but that’s no bad thing.

Then I turned the vertical pillar so that the 3 holes were at the bottom and rust powder fell out of the 3 holes.

Attached is a pic of the 3 holes before I cleaned them, doesn’t look too bad but I’ve also attached a pic of the amount of cotton buds I use on just one of the holes.






Looking at it, I think the bolts that they used had rusted a bit rather than the pillar.  Pic below.



Looking at the rest of the stand, everything looks great.  It’s a shame they used cheap bolts for the pillar and also it must have got damp at some point?

Anyway, I’ll assemble it tomorrow and see if I’ve got any stainless steel bolts that I can use instead.

[HobGoblyn]

You may need this info at some point in the near future:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/amscope-double-boom-replacement-bearings/

I think I might end up needing that link.

Before I put the microscope on it glided back and forwards as smooth as it could possibly be, a slight touch and it would glide away.

As soon as I put the microscope on, it no longer glided.  It isn’t hard to push and pull but I can tell the microscope weight is causing it to slight grind on the bearings.

I sprayed silicon oil on the bars and it now moves a lot easier but still nothing like before I added the microscope.

Here’s a short vid on me moving it in and out after I had sprayed it with the silicon (ignore mess, lab still in process of being set up)


https://youtu.be/gNCPHhj4AOY?si=6SLf6s_vIFaEFH7L

[jfiresto]

... The vertical pillar attaches to the base by 3 bolts.  I unpacked it and it shipped with the  3 bolts  screwed into the vertical pillar.

I unscrewed them with the supplied Allan key, a little stiff but that’s no bad thing.

Then I turned the vertical pillar so that the 3 holes were at the bottom and rust powder fell out of the 3 holes....

This is not really my area, but from your photos and description, I tend to the notion that the manufacturer did not blow out the three holes after tapping them, and left to rust, a mixture of steel cuttings and water-diluted cutting oil.