Know before you buy - a research primer.

Lily bud at 100x power through a microscope

I recently bought a Zeiss microscope through eBay.  I like to look on the Canadian site because prices are listed in CAD not USD and shipping is straight forward.  No risk of delays or border taxes.  It was listed for sale at $600 Canadian.  I was watching it and let the sale go.  No one else bid on it and an opportunity was presented to me to purchase the thing.  I know Zeiss optics are good, even old ones, and put a bid in for $400 thinking it was low and would be rejected.  To my surprise it was accepted and I had a contract.  I paid the money and my purchase showed up a week later, all shipping included in the price.

Feeling like Christmas had come early, I tore open the shipped box with great enthusiasm.  Removing the device carefully from the packing materials that enshrouded it, I carefully set it on a table and installed the two oculars which were packed separately.  All the objectives and eyepieces were in good condition.  It was then that I noticed something was missing - the cord coming from the light had no plug attached to it; bare wires were exposed at the end.  Apparently, I had been a little too excited about getting this thing and hadn't looked it over carefully.  First point:  Review the item carefully and be sure what it is you are getting.

I needed to know more at this juncture.  I examined the scope and found what I was looking for.  The serial number was written on the body tube.  Copying it down I then went to my computer and entered the make and model into Google.  I got a number of hits, one of them was from a US site selling the same scope with all the parts at a much lower price.  A MUCH lower price.  That caught me and as I did more poking I discovered I had overpaid even if it was all in one piece.  Second point:  Check to see that the listed price is reasonable by comparing it to other similar items.

As I read more about the specifications for the unit I found that it was missing a variable 6-12 volt supply and that the lightbulb was a 100 watt 12 volt bulb.  Easy enough to fix, I am a bit of a junk collector and have all kinds of you-never-know-when-it-might-come-in-handy stuff.  Sure enough, I found a 12 volt 300 watt transformer in one of my treasure piles.  Hooking it up I plugged it in with the glorious expectation of everything working beautifully.  After all, what could be difficult?  Something was amuck though because there was a bright flash then the world went dark again.  This brings us to the Third point:  Don't assume that everything is as it should be.  Either the wrong bulb was in it or the voltage of the transformer was higher than advertised.

Annoyed, I needed a solution.  I thought about using a computer power supply to run the microscope; there are 5 volt and 12 volt supply lines that can provide power to several hundred watts.  However, I opted to go with a proper solution and bought a 12 volt 50 watt proprietary power supply on line.  I bought a pair of 50 watt bulbs that matched the configuration of the bulb's housing and waited.  All the stuff showed up in about a week.  I found that the bulb was just a bit too big; the connecting wires were too long and a little wide.  Using a pair of wire cutters I shortened the electrodes and narrowed them a bit.  However, my forceful and clumsy manner managed to break the glass and one of the connecting wires broke off.  Fourth point:  Buy more than one supply item - it's good to have backups.  I repeated the procedure with the second one and it went in fine.

Now for the final connections.  I needed a power cord and had one in my brick-a-brack collection.  I stripped the wires dutifully and attached them in all the right places on the input side.  I then took the microscope wires and repeated the process, attaching them on the output side.  Now for the final test, the "acid test" as it is sometimes called, where you know if it all worked or if you discovered a colossal way to waste time and money and generate a decent amount of frustration.  I plugged it in.

No loud noises, no brilliant flash of light, just nothing.  Then, a second later, the light came on.  I thought I had failed but instead had prevailed.  Triumph!  Victory!  If only Napolean had been so lucky.  I put a slide on my newly working scope and everything did as it was supposed to.  The 50 watt bulb was bright enough and worked well in conjunction with the condenser and diaphragm.  Fifth point:  Even when things go wrong there is usually a fix, although no doubt time, money, and effort will be required.  Be persistent.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com   Eric Svendsen