AmScope 490 Series Operator's Manual
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AmScope 490 Series Operator's Manual

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OPERATOR'S
MANUAL
(Please Read This Manual Before Using the
Microscope
)
490 Series
Compound Microscope

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Summary of Contents for AmScope 490 Series

  • Page 1 OPERATOR’S MANUAL (Please Read This Manual Before Using the Microscope 490 Series Compound Microscope...
  • Page 2 AmScope, and is protected by laws pertaining to such materials. This document, the information in this document and all rights thereto are the sole and exclusive property of AmScope and are not to be copied, used or disclosed to anyone, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of AmScope.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    490 Series Microscope Contents BEFORE USE ..................................4 Introduction ................................. 4 Precautions ................................. 4 1. M ..............................5 ICROSCOPE ARTS 2. O ................................... 6 PERATION 2.1 Unpacking ................................6 2.2 Assembly ................................7 2.3 Adjusting the View .............................. 10 2.4 Specimen Set Up ..............................11 2.5 Focusing ................................

  • Page 4: Before Use

    490 Series Microscope Before Use Introduction Congratulations on the purchase of your new AmScope Microscope! This manual is designed for 490 series microscopes. Though the microscope’s body and magnification levels may vary depending on your series model number, the 490 series functions remain the same.

  • Page 5: Microscope Parts

    490 Series Microscope 1. Microscope Parts Compound Microscope AmScope Proprietary Page 5 of 64...

  • Page 6: Operation

    490 Series Microscope 2. Operation 2.1 Unpacking 2.1.1 Unpack the Box 1. Very carefully slide the Styrofoam container out of the cardboard carton. 2. Lay the Styrofoam container on its side. Make sure the side labeled up is up. 3. Remove the tape.

  • Page 7: Assembly

    490 Series Microscope 2.2 Assembly 2.2.1 Carefully Remove Microscope from Box Remove the microscope body from the box and remove the plastic protective covering. The body of the microscope is composed of the base, the stage, the arm, and the nosepiece.
  • Page 8 490 Series Microscope 2.2.4 Install the Trinocular Port and C-Mount (For Trinocular Microscopes Only) Unscrew and remove the photo port cap from the top side of the microscope head. Screw in the Trinocular port If your camera has a c-mount, insert the c-mount adapter onto the Trinocular port.
  • Page 9 490 Series Microscope 2.2.6 Insert Objective Lenses Unpack the objective lenses. Screw the objectives into the microscope nosepiece. Start with the lowest magnification, and in order of magnification, insert each lens, without touching the glass. 2.2.7 Plug it in, turn it on, and adjust the dimmer if more light is needed.

  • Page 10: Adjusting The View

    490 Series Microscope 2.3 Adjusting the View 2.3.1 Choose forward or reverse viewing The microscope head rotates to allow for forward or reverse viewing. There is no difference as far as the optics; it depends on what’s comfortable. In forward position you are looking over the stage, in reverse position you are looking at the stage.

  • Page 11: Specimen Set Up

    490 Series Microscope 2.4 Specimen Set Up 2.4.1 Prepare the Specimen Place the specimen to be studied on a glass slide (or use a prepared slide, sold separately). 2.4.2 Secure the Slide Place the slide on the stage, holding it snugly in place with the metal slide holders (clips) of the mechanical stage.

  • Page 12: Focusing

    490 Series Microscope 2.5 Focusing 2.5.1 Choose an Objective Lens Turn the nosepiece to choose an objective. It is easiest to use the lowest magnification first (4X objective) to locate and focus on the specimen. As you move up in magnification you will need to refocus the image a little each time.

  • Page 13: Using The Trinocular Port

    C-mount focus adjustment. You do not need an adapter to attach your AmScope camera to the Trinocular port; however you may need one if you have a non-AmScope camera. Our photo port is a 23mm size. 2.7 Attaching a Camera Most AmScope cameras come with a reduction lens.

  • Page 14: Setting The Stage's Stop-Limit

    490 Series Microscope 2.8 Setting the Stage’s Stop-Limit 1. Unlock the stop-limit on the stage. 2. Adjust the stage to the desired maximum height. 3. Lock the stop-limit. This allows you to limit the movement of the stage from the bottom of the range up to the point it is set at.

  • Page 15: Setting The Condenser Lens Adjustment Knob

    490 Series Microscope 2.10 Setting the Condenser Lens Adjustment Knob The condenser adjustment knob raises and lowers the condenser’s distance to the base lens, varying light delivery. 2.11 Adjusting the Iris By changing the aperture (hole size) of the iris/diaphragm of the condenser, you can adjust the background brightness.

  • Page 16: Changing The Halogen Light Bulbs

    490 Series Microscope 2.13 Changing the Halogen Light Bulbs 1. Turn off and unplug the microscope. 2. Wait until the bulb cools down. 3. Do not touch the bulb directly, the oil from your skin will damage the bulb. Use a cloth or paper to handle.

  • Page 17: Using Oil Immersion

    490 Series Microscope 2.15 Using Oil Immersion When using the 100X objective, a drop of immersion oil should be placed between the cover slip and the objective to minimize distortion caused by air. 1. Place the slide on the stage and center the specimen.
  • Page 18 490 Series Microscope 6. Adjust the focusing knob, watch for the field of view to come into focus. This is best seen when the iris of the condenser is smaller than the field of the objective. Use the fine focusing knob to make adjustments.

  • Page 19: Using Darkfield Condenser Lenses (Optional Accessories)

    490 Series Microscope 2.16 Using Darkfield Condenser Lenses (Optional Accessories) Darkfield Illumination is a lighting method for increasing contrast. A darkfield condenser lens produces bright images against a dark background for low contrast specimens. The dry darkfield condenser is for low power magnifications, such as with the 4X, 10X or 40X objective lenses, with numeric apertures of .65 or less.

  • Page 20: Using A Dry Darkfield Condenser Lens (Optional Accessory)

    490 Series Microscope 2.17 Using a Dry Darkfield Condenser Lens (Optional Accessory) 2.17.1 Using the Dry Darkfield Condenser 1. The first step is centering the condenser. Move the 10X objective lens into the light path. 2. Remove an eyepiece and look through the empty eye tube, to see the condenser’s image directly.

  • Page 21: Using Oil Darkfield Condenser Lens (Optional Accessory)

    490 Series Microscope 2.18 Using Oil Darkfield Condenser Lens (Optional Accessory) The condenser works with 100X oil objective and low power objectives (4X, 10X, etc) as well. Immersion oil is needed on top of the condenser lens for darkfield observation.
  • Page 22 490 Series Microscope 2.18.2 Using Oil Immersion 1. Before you install the oil darkfield condenser lens, apply a drop of immersion oil on the top lens of condenser. If you’ve already installed it, remove the condenser to apply the drop of oil to the lens, and re-install it.
  • Page 23 490 Series Microscope 2.18.3 Cleaning the Oil Darkfield Condenser 1. When using oil immersion, once you have finished using the oil darkfield lens, you will need to clean the lens and specimen of the oil before it dries. 2. You can wipe the lens with a soft nonabrasive cloth to remove the oil. If you want to use a cleaner, you can use cigarette lighter fluid to safely remove the oil, as it will break it down.

  • Page 24: Using A Phase Contrast Kit (Optional Accessory)

    490 Series Microscope 2.19 Using a Phase Contrast Kit (Optional Accessory) Brightfield Phase Contrast Some specimens may offer little in the way of color-variance or opacity and can appear essentially invisible when using basic, transmitted light. Phase-contrast is a technique used in microscopy to enhance the contrast of an image, when observing a specimen which offers little contrast in normal bright-field conditions.
  • Page 25 490 Series Microscope As waves of light move through space, if their cycles move in a perfect parallel and are at the same point in their cycles, they are in- phase. If some of the light waves hit an obstacle and the phases...
  • Page 26 490 Series Microscope A phase contrast system incorporates two components to segregate light, so out-of- phase waves can be realigned. The two components are the annulus in the condenser and the phase ring in the objective lens. The condenser’s annulus separates light into surround light and diffracted light.
  • Page 27 490 Series Microscope AmScope’s PCS Simple Phase Contrast Kit includes three phase-contrast objective lenses, three phase contrast condenser lenses, and a centering telescope. AmScope’s PCT Turret Phase Contrast Kit includes four phase-contrast objective lenses, a condenser turret, and a centering telescope. The turret has built-in annuli, designed to work with each of the lenses, as well as a brightfield iris.

  • Page 28: Using A Simple Phase Contrast Kit (Optional Accessory)

    490 Series Microscope 2.20 Using a Simple Phase Contrast Kit (Optional Accessory) 2.20.1 Unpacking the Simple Phase Contrast Kit 1. Take the aluminum case containing your kit out of the cardboard carton. Remove the tape and open the container carefully so as to avoid dropping and damaging the optical items.
  • Page 29 490 Series Microscope 2.20.2 Focus the Specimen 1. Once you have installed the phase contrast kit, you will need to calibrate and center the light perfectly for optimal results. You will initially calibrate with the Abbe brightfield condenser. 2. Place a slide on the microscope stage.
  • Page 30 490 Series Microscope 4. Change the objective lens to the 10X phase contrast lens. Objective lenses designed for phase contrast will be marked “Ph”, this denotes the objective lens has a built-in phase ring. Note: there are 3 phase contrast objectives: 10X, 40X and 100X, and there are 3 condenser ring plates: 10X, 40X and 100X.
  • Page 31 490 Series Microscope 4. If the bright ring is still obscure, raise or lower the condenser by adjusting the condenser focusing knob (or the microscope focusing knob if necessary) until the bright ring is in focus and the dark ring is visible.
  • Page 32 490 Series Microscope 2.20.5 Perform the Phase Contrast Observation After you center the condenser, you can perform the phase contrast observation the same way as a normal brightfield microscope. Note: When changing to another phase contrast objective and corresponding condenser ring plate, the focusing and centering of bright ring and dark ring should be repeated following the procedures above.

  • Page 33: Using A Turret Phase Contrast Kit (Optional Accessory)

    490 Series Microscope 2.21 Using a Turret Phase Contrast Kit (Optional Accessory) 2.19.1 Unpacking the Turret Phase Contrast Kit 1. Take the aluminum case containing your kit out of the cardboard carton. Remove the tape and open the container carefully so as to avoid dropping and damaging the optical items.
  • Page 34 490 Series Microscope 2.21.2 Installing the Turret Phase Contrast Kit 1. Loosen the lock screw and remove the Abbe brightfield condenser from the holder. 2. Insert the phase contrast condenser turret into the condenser holder and tighten the lock screw with the screw driver. Due to the weight of the turret, it’s best to use the screw...
  • Page 35 490 Series Microscope 2. Place a slide on the microscope stage. Make sure the specimen is covered with a cover slip (a good example for a phase contrast specimen is human saliva). Clean any excess material from the slide. 3. Turn the phase contrast condenser’s turret to the B setting. Focus the specimen.
  • Page 36 490 Series Microscope 3. While looking through the telescope lens, extend the eyepiece by rotating the top counter clockwise. 4. Keep rotating the telescope lens until an image of the objective’s phase ring and the condenser’s annulus are clearly in focus.
  • Page 37 490 Series Microscope 2.21.5 Perform the Phase Contrast Observation After you center the ring plate, you can perform the phase contrast observation the same way as a normal brightfield microscope. Note: When changing to another phase contrast objective and corresponding condenser ring plate, the focusing and centering of bright ring and dark ring should be repeated following the procedures above.

  • Page 38: Microscope Maintenance

    490 Series Microscope 2.22 Microscope Maintenance 2.22.1 Handle with Care As the microscope and all accessories are precision instruments, always handle them with care, avoiding impact or abrupt movement during transportation. Do not shake the package. 2.22.2 No Sun/Heat Do not place the microscope and accessories in direct sunlight or in high heat.

  • Page 39: Darkfield Condenser Kit & Phase Contrast Kit Maintenance

    490 Series Microscope 2.22.8 Do not take apart the microscope. Do not assemble or disassemble the microscope’s electrical components yourself. 2.23 Darkfield Condenser Kit & Phase Contrast Kit Maintenance 2.23.1 Secure Setting Ensure that the microscope is located on a smooth, level and firm surface.

  • Page 40: General Specifications

    490 Series Microscope 3. General Specifications 3.1 General Model Comparison B490- B490- T490- T490- PARTS SPECIFICATIONS B490 T490 WF10X/18mm ● ● ● ● ● ● WF10X/18mm w/ Pointer WF10X/18mm w/ Reticle WF Eyepiece WF16X/13mm ● (if -A) ● (if -A) ●...

  • Page 41: Objectives

    490 Series Microscope 3.2 Objectives Numerical Aperture Magnification Model (N.A.) Marks Type Number Magnification Rating Medium (Color Ring) DIN Achromatic 0.10 Objective with Associated N.A. A10X 0.25 Yellow Ratings A40X 0.65 Light Blue (195mm) A60X 0.85 Dark Blue A100X 100X 1.25...

  • Page 42: Phase Contrast Kits

    490 Series Microscope 3.5 Phase Contrast Kits Simple Phase Contrast Turret Phase Contrast Specifications Model Achromatic 10X/0.25, 160/0.17 Plan phase contrast 10X/0.25, with built-in phase plate 160/0.17 Plan phase contrast 20X/0.40, 160/0.17 Phase Contrast Objective Achromatic 40X/0.65, 160/0.17 Plan phase contrast 40X/0.65, with built-in phase plate, spring 160/0.17...

  • Page 43: Parameters

    490 Series Microscope 4. Parameters 4.1 Electrical System There are two options for electrical systems for this series of microscope. The light source is dependent on which model you have, but can either be a 6V/20W halogen, a 6V/30W halogen, or an LED system.

  • Page 44: Recommended Accessories

    490 Series Microscope 5. Recommended Accessories (Purchase separately. Please visit www.amscope.com and search with SKU #, for more information.) 5.1 Eyepieces 5X Eyepieces 20X Eyepieces 25X Eyepieces SKU: EP5X23 SKU: EP20X23 SKU: EP25X23 10X w/ Pointer 10X w/ Reticle SKU: EP10X23P SKU: EP10X23R 5.2 Darkfield Condensers...

  • Page 45: Objective Lenses

    490 Series Microscope 5.3 Objective Lenses Achromatic SKU: A2X SKU: A5X SKU: A20X SKU: A60X Plan Achromatic Plan 4X Plan 10X Plan 40X Plan 100X SKU: PA4X SKU: PA10X SKU: PA40X SKU: PA100X 5.4 Phase Contrast Kits Simple Turret SKU: PCS...

  • Page 46: Cameras And Accessories

    490 Series Microscope 5.5 Cameras and Accessories Cameras To capture images, video, or view live display on a computer (PC/Mac OS X). Real- Time Live Video Microscope Digital Camera, Reduction Lens, High Sensitivity Sensor and Deluxe Calibration Kit. 350K 1.3 Mega...

  • Page 47: Halogen Light Bulbs And Fuses

    490 Series Microscope 5.6 Halogen Light Bulbs and Fuses Fuses For 6V 20W 6V 30W Microscopes Halogen Bulb Halogen Bulb SKU: FS-M SKU: BH- SKU: BH- T1AL 220V 6V20W 6V30W 5.7 Cases and Bags Aluminum Case Hard Wood Case Vinyl Bag...

  • Page 48: Slides

    490 Series Microscope 5.9 Slides Prepared 25 Slides 50 Slides 100 Slides 200 Slides SKU: PS25W SKU: PS50 SKU: PS100A SKU: PS200 Blank 50 Blank Slides 100 Blank Slides 144 Blank Slides 300 Blank Slides SKU: BS-100P- SKU: BS-144P- SKU: BS-300P-...

  • Page 49: Troubleshooting

    490 Series Microscope 6. Troubleshooting 6.1 Optical Issues SYMPTOM SYMPTOM CAUSE REMEDY OPTICAL ISSUES Turn the nosepiece until it clicks into The nosepiece is misaligned. place. One side of the field of view is Stains, dust, or dirt has darker...

  • Page 50: Mechanical Issues

    490 Series Microscope SYMPTOM CAUSE REMEDY OPTICAL ISSUES Secure the slide to the stage with One side of the field of The specimen slide is not fixed. clips. view is dark or the image The nosepiece is not in the right...

  • Page 51: Electrical Issues

    490 Series Microscope 6.3 Electrical Issues SYMPTOM CAUSE REMEDY ELECTRICAL ISSUES Replace the bulb. This unit uses our BH- The bulb/light source The bulb is close to 6V20W with our 20w unit or our BH- flickers. burning out. 6V30W for the 30W unit.

  • Page 52: General Microscopy Guide

    7. General Microscopy Guide Microscopes come in a wide variety of types with many different features. Each AmScope model is designed for specific uses and specific users. This glossary will help illustrate what the variations mean and why they are useful.
  • Page 53 490 Series Microscope Base Lens Base lenses direct the light source towards the specimen. Binocular Head-Rotating A rotating binocular head is designed for maximum flexibility in viewing options. Binocular microscope heads allow for the easy adjustment of the interpupillary distance (the distance between the eyes), by moving the eyepieces toward or away from each other...
  • Page 54 490 Series Microscope Condenser Lens Adjustment Knob The Condenser Lens Adjustment Knob changes the distance between the light condenser and the base lens. This allows you to control the concentration of the light hitting your slide. Darkfield Condenser Lens A darkfield condenser lens produces bright images against a dark background for low contrast biological specimens.
  • Page 55 490 Series Microscope Diopters Small rings on the eyetubes, used to focus ocular lenses (eyepieces). Eye Guards Eye Guards fit over the eyepieces, they are for comfort and to protect the glass in the eyepiece. Eyepieces Eyepieces are also called ocular lenses. Eyepieces come in many magnifications and you replace them by swapping them out of the eyetubes.
  • Page 56 490 Series Microscope Field of View and Working Distance Field of view is how much of the specimen you can see through the eyepiece. The linear field of view of the eyepiece is divided by the magnification of the objective. The higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view.
  • Page 57 490 Series Microscope Focusing Knobs Coarse Focus: This is the large knob on the side of the microscope that moves the objective lens up and down. It is used in conjunction with the fine focus. Do not use this knob with the 100X objective lens.
  • Page 58 490 Series Microscope Head Types Monocular Monocular microscope heads have one eyepiece. Binocular Binocular microscope heads have two eyepieces. Trinocular Trinocular microscope heads have two eyepieces and a photo port for a camera. This allows you to look at a specimen with a camera without removing an eyepiece.

  • Page 59: Interpupillary Distance

    Interpupillary Distance Interpupillary Distance is the distance between your eyes. AmScope uses 2 types of systems to change interpupillary distance. Siedentopf heads adjust the interpupillary distance by rotating the eyetubes around a central axis.
  • Page 60 When changing light bulbs cover skin with cloth or paper to handle the bulb. This will protect both you and the bulb. 3. Hot bulbs will not damage the microscope. AmScope’s microscopes are designed specifically to handle the heat output of the model’s bulb.

  • Page 61: Mechanical Stage

    490 Series Microscope Limit Stop Knob The limit stop is designed to prevent impact between objective and slide. You may loosen the limit-stop knob in order to give yourself the full range of motion for fine tuning the focus when using the 40X and 100X objective lenses.

  • Page 62: Phase Contrast

    490 Series Microscope Numerical Aperture (N.A.) N.A. is a rating for the resolution of the objective lens. The N.A. rating ranks the objective lens’ ability to capture light and show fine detail. Lens with larger numerical apertures capture finer details than lenses with smaller numerical apertures.
  • Page 63 490 Series Microscope Phase Contrast Condenser Lenses A specific condenser with a ring printed on it, used for phase contrast. The magnification of the objective must match the magnification of the condenser. Condensers are used to concentrate the light from a transmitted light on a sample for illumination and viewing.
  • Page 64 490 Series Microscope Telescope Lens-Centering A lens that telescopes in one way or another, used in an eyepiece slot to assist in centering the light in phase contrast microscopy. Tension Knob The large, innermost ring on the focusing knob. Adjusts the tension of the focusing knobs.

This manual is also suitable for:

T490B490-30wB490T490-30wT490-ledB490-led

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