Re: Zeiss ICM 405

From: Aaron (nghy_at_comcast.net)
Date: 12/23/04 

Date: 23 Dec 2004 15:22:14 -0600

Hi,

What you have is a very fine metalograph, an inverted microscope
pricipally used to examine polished and etched metal samples. This is
similar in concept to other Zeiss incident light microscopes, but the
one you have uses bottom up lighting while the others use top down
lighting. Incident lighting means that the light is first directed
through the objective and the reflected image is collected in the same
objective. In addition to the eyepieces, there were built in camera
systems which need separate control modules. You will also need a
power supply for the particular type of lamp that has been installed.

There were two different sets of objectives offerred by Zeiss for
incident light microscopy. The HD Epiplan objectives are for
brightfield and darkfield. There is a slider somewhere between the
light source and the condenser head that allows an opaque circular
stop to be inserted into the light path that will chage the lighting
from brightfield to darkfield with the HD objectives. The darkfield
is with the patch in.

The epi-pol objectives were for reflected DIC (abreviated by Zeiss as
INKO). If you have epi- Pol objectives with INKO sliders (Wolaston
prisms) just before the light enters the objectives your scope was
setup for DIC. DIC is a technique that relies on polarized light so
somewhere in the light path (usually just in front ot the slider with
the stop, there is a spot for a special polarizing filter that rotates
and another polarizing filter before the light reaches the binoculars.
Properly set up DIC will create interference colors related to slight
differences in the height profile of the specimen. Hence a polished
metal surface etched with acid or some other reagent will have phase
boundaries and crysaline areas showing as different colors when the
surface looks like a uniform metal surface to the unaided eye.. This
is also an awesome system to observe semi-conductor chips as the inage
of individual components on the chips take on different colors.

I hope this gives you a starting point.

Congratulations,
Aaron

PS There is a image of the microscope on John Oren's website for
Vermont Optechs.
see: http://scopeshop.max-it.com/Infopage.asp?ZMI01

and another image
http://www.absoluteclarity.com/Zeiss%20ICM%20405%20Inverted.htm

Here is some tech info in German
http://f25.parsimony.net/forum62175/messages/8944.htm

Brief instructions for camera portion
http://www.zeiss.com/4125681F004E2140/EmbedTitelIntern/ICM405Microscope/$File/GE-41-126ICM405.pdf

This is a very famous microscope and a google search will bring pages
and pages of information.

On 23 Dec 2004 03:36:59 -0800, steve_beats@hotmail.com (justbeats)
wrote:

>I just bought a Zeiss ICM 405 off Ebay. Listed "sold as seen" by a
>vendor who "knows nothing about microscopes" meant it was a big risk.
>But after asking several questions, I decided break-up value would
>recoup some loss if it turned out a real lemon and took the plunge.
>
>I got it yesterday and everything works perfectly! The guy was just
>being honest. And what a scope it is! Makes my metallograph and simple
>binocular scopes look like toys in comparison. Best grand I ever spent
>:-)
>
>I've figurd out most of it but there are a couple of features I'm
>unfamiliar with and I have no manual to refer to. What are the small
>"focussing" knobs on the epi-plan objectives for? How and why should I
>use the sliding filter block beneath the objectives – other than to
>switch direct illumination on and off? (It affects the output of the
>turret lighting too – and looks like filters can be changed via
>snap-in rings - but why and what for?). I'd also like to confirm I
>really am setting the illumination up properly, and so on…
>
>I've searched everywhere for a manual and come up empty. Zeiss have
>manuals for all their old scopes online, but the one for the ICM 405
>only comprises a couple of pages of brief notes on how to take a
>photo.
>
>Can anyone help?
>
> Cheers
> Beats

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