What is the source of this misalignment?

[Michael Cytrynowicz]

Dear Forum, another question (in English, with apologies)

Here's my system: Zeiss Standard RA-hybrid / Zeiss Seidentopf 47 30 28/ Optovar 0,8x-1,6x / 5-fach Revolver / Zeiss 0,9x Condenser

The photo shows what I see through the Optovar's phase centering telescope, and a Zeiss Plan Achromat 25x/0.45

What could be the cause for this "un-centering" - and how to troubleshoot it?

Vielen Dank!

Michael

[beamish]

Hi Michael,

try to follow the Köhler-Instructions to align the light source diaphragma and the condenser (see attachment).

Regards
Martin

[Michael Cytrynowicz]

Thank You Martin!

I always do the Köhler adjustment, and it seems not to be the cause of the misalignment. I took another photo, where I moved the condenser, and you can see by the "cat-eye" shape that the condenser light beam is "disappearing" at the bottom left (the direction I moved the condenser)

Michael

[Jürgen Boschert]

Hi Michael,

condenser tube and optovar are correctly snapped in? Another, quite frequent possibility: the condensers frontlens is not fully switched into its position.

If you have checked these points and those seem to be ok, then take the optovar out of the setting and have a look through the tube after removing the eyepiece. If there still is a misalignement we will have to talk again. 

[Aljoscha]

Hi Michael,

check every moving part in the light pass wether it is in its proper position or not.

Regards

Alexander

[Michael Cytrynowicz]

Thank You Jürgen and Aljoscha.

I have been taking the Standard apart, and think the culprit is not the Optovar or the Condenser, but the Objective Revolver (5-Fach) that seemed to be a bit off-center. It is hard to adjust it (without technical instruments), but I was using a piece of paper at the top of the naked revolver to see where the light fell. I tweaked a bit with the hex tool, and I think it is a bit more centered... not totally, though. The photo is in the same setting as before, but now the full circle (with lovely aberrations) is visible. Just not completely centered.

Thank you!

Michael