Pre- Microscope Lab

In preparation for your Microscope II lab,, take out your Lab Textbook and open to Microscope II. You will be watching this video and answering questions embedded. The answer to those question will be found in the Lab Textbook. I've put these instructions below.

Use of the Microscope

1. Take the microscope out of the cupboard with a hand under the base and a hand on the arm of the scope.
2. Move the microscope on the desk top by lifting and placing, not sliding.
3. Plug in the microscope.
4. Use the lens paper in your desk drawer and clean the glass surfaces of the microscope (not the kimwipes).
5. Make sure that the lowest objective (4X) on the revolving nosepiece is directly over the stage.
6. Find the coarse focus knob and turn the knob until the stage is at its lowest position.
7. Turn on the light source to the highest intensity.
8. Find the iris diaphragm and open it to its widest position.
9. Take the letter “e” slide and clean it with a Kim wipe tissue. Make sure not to get fingerprints onthe glass.
10. Pull the stage clip back and place the slide in the slide holder.
11. Use the slide holder adjustment knobs to move the letter “e” over the light source.
12. Use the coarse focus knob and raise the stage until it is in its highest position. Then, slowly lower the stage until the letter “e” comes into focus.
13. To adjust the brightness start by adjusting the iris diaphragm. If, after adjusting the iris diaphragm, the light is still too bright, you may adjust the light source until the amount of light is comfortable for you
14. Adjust the distance between the eyepieces until you can see one image with both eyes.
15. On one eyepiece is the diopter ring. Close that eye and look through the microscope with the
16. other eye. Adjust the fine focus knob. Now switch eyes and adjust the DIOPTER RING to get the other eye into focus. You have adjusted for the difference in the vision of each eye.
17. Center the letter “e” in the field of view.
18. Change the objective to medium power (10X) while looking from the side. Do not adjust the focus knobs to lower the stage. The microscopes are parfocal and hold the focus from one magnification to the next.
19. Use the coarse and fine focus knob and adjust until the letter “e” comes completely into focus.
20. To change to high power (40X), look from the side – but don’t lower the stage.
21. Don’t use coarse focus on 40X
22. You will need to adjust the amount of light at different magnifications. Use the iris diaphragm first and primarily, only adjusting the light rheostat if necessary.
23. Oil immersion is difficult to use and requires a drop of oil. We will not use the oil immersion (100x) objective in this class.
24. When you are done looking at the slide, turn the objective lens to 4X, lower the stage, take the slide off and turn off the light.