The mechanical stage is a vital yet unappreciated component of any microscope. Sitting below the objective lenses, it’s the stage (or platform) upon which your slides and samples sit. It both keeps your slides steady and allows you to move those slides with smooth precision. Here’s a quick overview of the humble mechanical stage.
The ever-shrinking size of electronic components makes a microscope essential for PCB inspections. But not all microscopes are created equal – and using a subpar setup for extended periods can leave you sore or even injured. If you spend a reasonable amount of time inspecting PCBs, you can make your job easier and safer by switching to a digital microscope like the Dino-Lite AM73915MZTL.
Instead of shining light directly through your sample, darkfield microscopy places a circular blocker known as a ‘stop’ in the way. The stop blocks any direct light from hitting the sample, allowing only the angled light that can sneak around the edges to get past. This angled light would ordinarily miss the objective lens, leaving the image completely dark (the ‘dark’ in darkfield).
Don’t take the humble glass slide for granted. These unassuming little rectangles lie at the heart of casual microscopy and professional scientific research alike. Despite their simple appearance, they come with a surprising variety of features and benefits. Let’s take a quick look at the types of plain glass microscopes slides you might encounter.
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Measuring cells and microorganisms under a microscope isn’t as simple as whipping out a tape measure. To measure truly microscopic things, you need to install a useful tool known as a reticle or eyepiece micrometre. And to properly calibrate it, you’ll need a special glass microscope slide known as a stage micrometre. Once calibrated, the reticle will allow you to make accurate measurements through your microscope quickly and easily.
If you’re interested in making the most of your microscope, you’ll want to get to grips with the condenser and aperture diaphragm on your scope. These essential components play a critical role in the quality of your images – and you’ll need to understand a little of their nuances to get a sharp, well-contrasted look at your samples.
The tissue culture microscope is basically a type of inverted microscope. With a regular microscope, the light source is situated underneath the specimen, and the objective lens is above it. But with a tissue culture microscope, it’s the other way around. You still look down through the eyepieces, but the objective lens is located below the sample, and is illuminated from above. This setup allows you to observe the sample from underneath. As cultures tend to flourish or settle at the bottom of containers, like petri dishes, flasks and multi-well plates, this setup is ideal.
The McMaster method is generally very easy to use. However, many different variations of the technique have emerged over the years, so you may encounter some minor differences depending on your approach or specific needs. Fortunately, the core methodology remains largely the same so this example will give you a good idea of what to expect.
