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.

[Svgeesus]

I have the non-flat one (but pale grey, not the black pictured). It seems very stable, and I regularly swing the head out of the way and back as needed.

[HobGoblyn]

Hmm, noticed it sticking when raising up and down by knobs,  had a look and it’s grinding,

Can’t see what’s causing it.

Pic of where it’s grinding and short YouTube showing it forcing microscope slightly out




https://youtube.com/shorts/-eOdD8FNye0?si=rEpExCklQ-DT4Blj

[jfiresto]

Well that rubbing and mechanical play is annoying, especially on a new stand. Did the focus rack get knocked askew? Was there an issue in its manufacture or assembly?

[HobGoblyn]

Everything was extremely well packed, can’t fault that.

I didn’t damage/drop/knock anything.

I have the one from the single boom stand I originally had which looks identical (except colour). But really I expect more from a new stand at that price.

Still setting my lab up (slow job due to health issues), only used the microscope 3 times, and when it got to where it’s catching/rubbing, at  the time I was looking through the eyepieces so just thought it’s a bit stiff (was too busy concentrating on the pcb to put any thought into why it was sticking)

I’ve sent pic and vid link to Amscope, also sent them the earlier pics where bolts were rusty.

[jfiresto]

... I’ve sent pic and vid link to Amscope, also sent them the earlier pics where bolts were rusty.

Did you send Amscope any pics of the rust inside the tapped holes, which I expect is where most of it is coming from?

I have my own microscope mystery to distract me this weekend, an unused drawing tube that has an external mirror that looks like this (admittedly under "forensic" lighting):



The seller and I are puzzling this one out.

[Psi]

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.

It's an issue when you want to both use the objectives and also take a photo/video.   
For just doing one, or just the other, it's fine.  Or if you want to do both, just not at the same time it's fine.
But as soon as you need both together the shaking becomes a serious issue.

But I do agree with what someone else said, there is a very big difference between a generic china articulating arm that cost under $500 verses a professional articulating arm that costs multiple $1000's.
Articulating arms are not something to cheap-out on if you need one.

[HobGoblyn]

... I’ve sent pic and vid link to Amscope, also sent them the earlier pics where bolts were rusty.

Did you send Amscope any pics of the rust inside the tapped holes, which I expect is where most of it is coming from?):

Yes

[KE5FX]

It's an issue when you want to both use the objectives and also take a photo/video.   
For just doing one, or just the other, it's fine.  Or if you want to do both, just not at the same time it's fine.
But as soon as you need both together the shaking becomes a serious issue.

Honestly, 99% of the time a modern smartphone is all you need for photomicrography in SMT work.  Don't buy a microscope to take photos or videos.  You almost certainly don't need it for that purpose, and it will compromise everything else.

[HobGoblyn]

Here’s Amscopes response.

I’ve told them to rewatch the vid with the sound on, then they will hear it knocking.

I also said that I will send two vids in the morning, the first hopefully showing better the gap opening up, and the second showing my old stand and how it didn’t open up etc.

[jfiresto]

Here’s Amscopes response.

[no response]

Did something get lost there?

In your videos, I might slowly run the focus rack until it bottoms, and then back, so that they can selectively time loop a cycle.

[HobGoblyn]

Here’s Amscopes response.

[no response]

Did something get lost there?
.

Sorry.

“ Thank you for bearing with us.
According to our product manager, microscope damping grease is typically the best to use to ensure smooth operation of rack systems.  It is a type of synthetic hydrocarbon grease.  There are several on multiple marketplaces including Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084H9CDLJ”
 

[jfiresto]

... According to our product manager, microscope damping grease is typically the best to use to ensure smooth operation of rack systems.  It is a type of synthetic hydrocarbon grease. There are several on multiple marketplaces including Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084H9CDLJ”

The PM knows his grease and, indeed, you might want to reapply some, perhaps 20 years from now. But I thought the stand is new. It is not always easy to convey the root of a problem and I think somehow it did not get through.

Something you can try is to rotate the head 90°, so that it is horizontal, remove the focus tension (friction), and then feel the loose head moving back and forth. (Be careful and makes sure the stand is well clamped.)

[HobGoblyn]

I just sent them this

—————


I’ve got 3 very short vids.

In the first vid, if you look  at the area where red arrow is in this pic, you can clearly see how much the rubbing is causing the microscope to move



Here is the first vid

https://youtube.com/shorts/wcS2_N9I6yo?si=AfR2G0NoXjQ56rcu



In the second video, you can see much clearer where it’s rubbing, you can also see small flecks of paint/metal dropping down.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ubf9rk6va1M?si=zhS73v977ncQ7YOU



Finally in the third vid you can see how this doesn’t happen on my old stand

https://youtu.be/3SKxdvrA20A?si=_UIBjsHVqe4QJOEQ


If I look at the gap on my old stand, the gap seems wider than the gap on my new stand



Best

Phil

Sent from my iPad

[jfiresto]

Well, that is no good – but I do not need to tell you that.

I have not yet owned a new microscope, but with the last one I got back from service, the loudest noise was the kneading of the damping grease, between the rack and pinion, until after some use, the grease got fully and evenly spread. I am sure the tech dosed it that way as there is little grease beyond the ends.

[Psi]

Seems like the toothed gear or toothed plate has some metal chunks or swarf stuck on it. Like between some teeth, so when it hits that point if forces the plate outwards.

Can probably take that apart and fix it,  not saying you should have to, they should replace it.
but yeah, it looks fixable without much effort if they refuse to fix it.  Just a matter of taking it apart and cleaning/filing, relubrication and putting back together.

[HobGoblyn]

Seems like the toothed gear or toothed plate has some metal chunks or swarf stuck on it. Like between some teeth, so when it hits that point if forces the plate outwards.

Can probably take that apart and fix it,  not saying you should have to, they should replace it.
but yeah, it looks fixable without much effort if they refuse to fix it.  Just a matter of taking it apart and cleaning/filing, relubrication and putting back together.

Yep, I doubt I’ll have any  problem fixing it, can normally fix most things (if I did have a problem, I can use the one from my old stand), but as you say when spending £284 on a stand, I shouldn’t have to.

Will see what they say tonight or Monday  (from their email posting times, I think their support is in the USA)

I will give an update when I receive one.

[HobGoblyn]

Today I decided to take it apart.

Unfortunately the way it works is there’s a channel in both pieces that have ball bearings in, so there’s no way to adjust.


Main casing


Side view of piece that moves


Back view of piece that moves


6 ball bearings on each side



So I decided the easiest solution is to simply file the main case.


This worked really well, as you can see there’s now a nice gap



Microscope now works perfectly

https://youtube.com/shorts/Qh5HYXYp7uE?si=BjCToj-fEjxEBIWz