Arc Lamp
Alignment
The following
instructions are one of many methods for arc
lamp alignment. The idea is to achieve
homogeneous illumination over the field of view
for observing and imaging specimens.
A new bulb should
always be run for two hours initially to
stabilize the arc of the lamp. After the bulb
has burned in, the system is ready for arc lamp
alignment.
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TC Stage
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If the arc lamp is not already burning, turn on the power supply and let the arc lamp "settle" for at least 5 minutes. Place a
piece of plastic on the stage that
fluoresces with any of the filter sets
installed. One may have to find the
appropriate color of plastic that
fluoresces with the filter sets you have
or buy a set of fluorescing slides from
Chroma Technology Inc or similar. |
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Open the
filter slider on the illuminator so that
the light travels through the system. |
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Engage the
field iris diaphragm all the way open.
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Engage the fluorescence filter selector
wheel into a position where the plastic
specimen fluoresces. If the
field-of-view (FOV) is too
bright to look at, use a different
specimen that is less affected, what is
important is that the specimen is
consistent or even across the FOV.
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While
looking into the eyetubes, reach to the
centering controls on the lamphouse and
adjust both the X and the Y controls to
achieve the brightest spot in the center
of the FOV or field of view.
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While
still looking into the eyetubes, turn
the knob on the lamphouse which controls
the focus of the collector lens
assembly. Notice when
you turn the knob, that the light
spreads outward and inward. Leave the
knob in a position in which the light is
as even as can be made at this point. |
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While
looking into the eyetubes, reach to the
centering controls on the integrated
concave mirror. On a TC system, one may
need an assistant as it is hard to reach
the mirror controls and still be able to
see the FOV effectively. Adjust the
concave mirror controls in such a way as
to reflect the arc back into itself
further homogenizing the light in the
FOV.
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Check the
effect achieved when the collector lens
focus knob is adjusted and continue to
make minor adjustments to the arc
position and the mirror position until
the light is as even and centered in the
FOV as possible. |
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Remove the
plastic slide and place a known good
biological fluorescence sample on the
stage and again check the effect
achieved when the collector lens knob is
adjusted and continue to make minor
adjustments to the arc position and the
mirror position until the FOV displays
as even an image as possible.
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If a shadow
is seen in the FOV, you do not have the
field iris centered AND the field iris
not open all-the-way.
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