Labophot-2: repair manual & parts list?

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sblatt
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 4:48 pm

Labophot-2: repair manual & parts list?

Post by sblatt »

Dear all,


I recently bought an old and beat-up Nikon Labophot-2 that I am
currently trying to restore to being useful.

My main interest in this project was to count yeast cells (for
homebrewing) but I quickly got sidetracked by all the great
technical stuff and the beautiful pictures I found on this forum.

I am currently stuck on replacing some of the fine thread metric
thumb screws (M5-0.5, I believe) and the mechanics of the sample
holder.

I drew a blank on google but found references to service manuals in
older posts on this forum.

Could someone point me towards where I could get a service/repair
manual and a parts list for the Labophot-2 (this is different
than the Labophot)?


Best,

Sebastian

Chris S.
Site Admin
Posts: 4042
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Re: Labophot-2: repair manual & parts list?

Post by Chris S. »

Sebastian, welcome to the forum!

I can send you the instruction manual, repair manual, and parts schematic for the Nikon Labophot-2. If you drop me a private message (using the “PM” button at the bottom of this post) containing your email address, I’ll send you the pdfs.

Unfortunately, these documents may not help with your current sticking point, as they are contain almost no information about the stage or specimen holder. Perhaps there were multiple options for these items, and they were documented separately. If so, I don't have anything useful to share.
sblatt wrote:. . .Labophot-2 (this is different than the Labophot)?
The microscope stands and focus blocks, at least, are very different between the Labophot and Labophot-2 eras. As far as I can see, the "-2" series represented a significant redesign in the microscope stands, but I don’t know if this was true of the subject stages or specimen holders. I’ve taken apart a number of Labophot and Labophot-2 stands in order to repurpose parts for other uses. But none of the stands I’ve worked with came with a stage, so I haven’t seen one.

I will tentatively suggest that some of the Nikon microscope models whose names end in “-2” seem to have some interchangeable parts. So you might be able to include the Alphaphot-2 and Optiphot-2 models in your search for information and parts. Am speaking, here, from perusal of the schematics and manuals, not direct experience—so I may be mistaken. I can say that the documentation I have for those models also lacks information on the subject stage.

Good luck! (And if I'm ever in your neck of the woods, I hope you'll share a homebrew or two? :D)

--Chris

sblatt
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 4:48 pm

Post by sblatt »

Hi Chris,


thanks so much for the helpful reply, I will PM you right away. I
guess I forgot to put the location information in my profile, but if
you make it to Cambridge, MA, I will gladly share a homebrew or three.

I would send a few bottles but I am not sure whether they will survive
the transport. If you are interested in some local commercial brews
instead that are quite good, let me know your mailing address and I
will send a few.


Thanks again,

Sebastian

Gary W Brown
Posts: 129
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:09 am
Location: Omaha, NE USA

Post by Gary W Brown »

I am coming into the discussion a little bit late, but maybe not too late to get in on the home brew. I don't have any manuals but do have lots of experience working on the stages and specimen holders so if you still have questions I will be happy to help.

As for the Nikons with 2s in their names; the AlphaPhot has no interchangeable parts other than the objectives and maybe the condenser while the Labophot and Optiphot may share several such as stages, slide holders, objectives, eyepieces, bodies, and some internal components.

Gary
A pixel is worth a thousand words but it takes a thousand words to explain a pixel.

sblatt
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 4:48 pm

Post by sblatt »

Hi Gary,

thanks for replying. Chris' manuals have been extremely helpful and I managed to reassemble two broken XY stages from ebay into one functional stage.

With liberal application of Krytox and damping grease, the stage actually works quite well. However, I am having some trouble with some fine adjustments to the actuator alignments. This might be because the parts were originally hand-machined (?) and hand-assembled to give a good fit so that mixing parts is not such a great idea.

Anyway, my remaining issue is a slight X movement whenever I actuate the Y knob. The stage seems to move in a very slight but noticeable S curve when the Y knob is just starting to turn. Something about the rack-pinion mechanism moves slightly along X and then returns mostly to the original X position.

Have you ever seen something like that on your stages? If so, what is the cause and is there a way to fix it? (I have tried decreasing the gap between rack and pinion by adjusting the screws that attach the actuator to the stage. However, this only resulted in the mechanism jamming when moving along Y).

Cheers,

Sebastian

Gary W Brown
Posts: 129
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:09 am
Location: Omaha, NE USA

Post by Gary W Brown »

Hello Sebastian,

You should check the torque on each of your control knobs as well as the meshing of the racks and pinions of each axis. If Y control is causing movement in the X it may be because the X is too loose. More likely it is the spacing of the racks and pinions. While holding the selected knob try to move the part of the stage it controls. If you notice any movement at all the rack and pinion must be adjusted to a point where there is no longer any movement. It is a very fine point where it is just right. Setting the parts to tightly will cause noticeable excess friction. Each rack can be adjusted individually so that you get a smooth movement without binding. Of course, I am assuming (silly me) that your parts are free of damage or excessive wear.

Gary
A pixel is worth a thousand words but it takes a thousand words to explain a pixel.

sblatt
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 4:48 pm

It works!

Post by sblatt »

After fiddling around some more with the Y guiding rails, I found a tightness setting that does not bind and does not wobble.

Thanks Gary!

Sebastian

John Alcock
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:35 pm

Labophot 2 repair help

Post by John Alcock »

Dear All,
Have inherited Labophot 2 with lots of accessories. switched on, no lighting. Photo button lights and bulbs look Ok and should have replacements tomorrow. am worried is something more terminal and have seen post about replacing diode, but with limited info. May need to strip down, so any help with repair manual / parts list and advice about potential culprits welcome.

Chris S.
Site Admin
Posts: 4042
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Post by Chris S. »

John, welcome to the forum!

If you send me your email address via private message or email (buttons for this are at the bottom left of this post), I'll send you pdfs of the manuals for your Labophot-2.

--Chris

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