Simultaneous Fluorescence and Phase Contrast…………...………..9
Simultaneous Fluorescence and DIC………………………………..11
Polarized Light………………………………………………………13
APPENDIX 1:
Outline Olympus BX51 Microscope………………………..15
Operating Manual for the Olympus BX51
BRIGHTFIELD
1. Remove the microscope cover.
2. Turn on the halogen light switch (1) for transmitted light to “I” (ON).
3. Check the light path. The light path selector knob (2) should be pushed in all the way.
4. Adjust the light intensity using the brightness adjustment knob (3). The numerals to the right
of the lamp voltage indicator LEDs (4) indicate the voltage.
5. Adjust the interpupillar distance. While looking through the eyepieces, adjust oculars (5)
until the left and right fields of view coincide completely.
6. Make sure the 10x objective (6) is in place.
7. Place the slide with your specimen on the stage (7) and hold it with the specimen holder (8).
8. Find your specimen using the stage controls (9).
9. Focus specimen using fine/course focussing knobs (10).
10. Adjust the diopter:
- Close your left eye and focus on the specimen using the fine focus knob.
- Close your right eye and focus on the specimen using the diopter ring (11) on the left
ocular.
- Open both eyes and confirm that the focus is comfortable.
11. If desired switch to the next objective by rotating the nosepiece (12) and focus. Continue
until you reach the desired magnification.
12. Establish Koehler illumination:
- Close field iris diaphragm (13) until you can see the edges.
- Focus the image of the field iris diaphragm by raising or lowering the condenser
using the condenser height adjustment knob (14).
- Check if the circle of light is centered in the field of view. If not, use the two
condenser centering screws (15) to move the field iris diaphragm image to the center
of the field of view.
- Open the field iris diaphragm until its image circumscribes the field of view.
- Match the opening of the condenser aperture iris diaphragm (16) with the N.A. of the
objective in use in order to achieve the optimum objective performance.
NOTE: Most specimen are usually low in contrast, reducing the diaphragm opening
to 70%-80% of the N.A. value of the respective objective will generally provide an
image of acceptable quality.
To check the opening;
a) remove one ocular and look down the tube,b) adjust the condenser iris so that 80% of the field is light,
c) replace the ocular,
or
a) set condenser aperture iris scale to about 80% of the N.A. value of objective,
b) example: N.A. of objective is 0.75, set the scale to 0.75 x 0.8 = 0.6.
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13. Examine specimen and document image if necessary:
- If using 35mm film, use checklist for ‘Olympus 35mm Camera’.
- To obtain still digitized images, use checklist for ‘Polaroid Digital Microscope
Camera (DMC).
- To obtain still digitized images and digitized movies, use checklist for ‘Sony, color
Video camera’.
14. When finished:
- Lower the stage by turning the focus knob (10) towards you and remove the slide
with your specimen from the stage (7).
- Turn the nosepiece (12) back until the 10x objective is into place.
- If the100x objective was used, clean the lens carefully with lens paper ONLY (do
not use Kimwhipes).
- Turn the light intensity down using the brightness adjustment knob (3).
- Turn off the halogen light switch (1) to “0” (OFF).
- Cover the microscope.
- Leave the room CLEAN and TIDY!
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FLUORESCENCE
1. Remove the microscope cover.
2. To turn on the mercury bulb, set the main switch (18) on the Power Supply Unit to “I”(ON).
The light indicator (19) on the Power Supply Unit should go ON. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for
the mercury bulb to stabilize. The mercury bulb should stay on for at least 15 minutes before
turning off.
3. Setup microscope for brightfield imaging (see instructions on ‘Brightfield’ page 1, # 2-12).
4. Engage the fluorescence mirror unit (17) until the proper filter cubeì is in place:
5. Turn the light intensity down all the way using the brightness adjustment knob (3).
6. To allow light from the mercury bulb to reach the specimen, slide the shutter knob (20) to
position marked ™.
7. To improve image contrast and to prevent color fading of fluorescent light in other part than
observed region, pull out the field iris diaphragm knob (21) so that the image of the field iris
diaphragm just circumscribes the field of view.
8. To help adjusting the brightness of you the observed image and to improve the contrast, pull
out the aperture iris diaphragm knob (22), the aperture iris diaphragm will get smaller.
9. Examine specimen and document image if necessary:
- If using 35mm film, use checklist for ‘Olympus 35mm Camera’.
- To obtain still digitized images, use checklist for ‘Polaroid Digital Microscope
Camera (DMC).
- To obtain still digitized images and digitized movies, use checklist for ‘Sony, color
Video camera’.
10. To avoid bleaching, slide the shutter knob (20) to the position marked ˜ whenever you are
not observing the specimen.
11. When finished:
- Slide the shutter knob (20) to the position marked ˜.
- If mercury bulb has burned for at least 15 minutes, turn off the mercury bulb by
setting the main switch (18) on the Power Supply Unit to “O”(OFF). The light
indicator (19) on the Power Supply Unit should go out.
NOTE: The mercury bulb needs to cool down for at least 15 minutes before turning
back on.
- Lower the stage by turning the focus knob (10) towards you and remove the slide
with your specimen from the stage (7).
- Turn the nosepiece (12) back until the 10x objective is into place.
- If the100x objective was used, clean the lens carefully with lens paper ONLY (do
not use Kimwhipes).
- Push the field iris diaphragm knob (21) and the aperture iris diaphragm knob (22) al
the way back into the microscope.
- Engage the fluorescence mirror unit (17) back to BF (brightfield) - #6
- Cover the microscope when the mercury bulb is cooled down (15 minutes after it was
turned off).
- Leave the room CLEAN and TIDY!
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qExamples of fluorochromes to be used with selected filter cube.
Filter cubeFluorochromes
WU - #1Autofluorescence observation
DAPI: DNA staining
Hoechst 33258, 33342: Chromosome