Princeton Instruments MicroMAX System User Manual page 25

Chapter 3 System Setup 25
C-Mount
For a camera equipped with a C-mount thread, use the standard C-mount adapter
supplied by the microscope manufacturer to attach the camera to the microscope. The
adapter can be screwed into the camera and then the assembly can be secured to the
microscope using the standard setscrews on the microscope. The camera can be mounted
on the trinocular output port, the side port, or the bottom port of the inverted microscope.
When mounting the larger cameras perpendicular to the microscope on the side port, it is
ADVISED that you provide some additional support for your camera to reduce the
possibility of vibrations or excessive stress on the C-mount nose. For the bottom port of
the inverted microscope, the C-mount is designed to support the full weight of the
camera, however, IT IS ADVISED that you provide some additional support for the
larger cameras since the camera is in a position where it could be deflected by the
operator's knee or foot. This kind of lateral force could damage the alignment of the nose
and result in sub-optimal imaging conditions.
Most output ports of the microscope do not require additional optical elements to collect
an image, however please check with your microscope manual to determine if the chosen
output port requires a relay lens. In addition, all optical surfaces should be free from dust
and fingerprints, since these will appear as blurry regions or spots and hence degrade the
image quality.
F-Mount
For a camera with the F-mount type design, you will need two elements to mount the
camera on your microscope. The first element is a Diagnostic Instruments Relay Lens.
This lens is usually a 1X relay lens that performs no magnification. Alternatively, you
may use a 0.6X relay lens to partially demagnify the image and to increase the field of
view. There is also a 2X relay lens available for additional magnification. The second
element is a microscope specific Diagnostic Instruments Bottom Clamp. Table 1 shows
which bottom clamps are routinely used with each of the microscope types. They are
illustrated in Figure 5. If you feel that you have received the wrong type of clamp, of if
you need a clamp for a microscope other than those listed, please contact the factory.
To assemble the pieces, first pick up the camera and look for the black dot on the front
surface. Match this dot with the red dot on the side of the relay lens. Then engage the
two surfaces and rotate them until the F-mount is secured as evidenced by a soft clicking
sound. Next place the long tube of the relay lens into the bottom clamp for your
microscope, securing it to the relay lens with the three setscrews at the top of the clamp
as shown in Figure 6. This whole assembly can now be placed on the microscope, using
the appropriate setscrews on the microscope to secure the bottom clamp to the output
port of the microscope.