Re: Newcommer Seeks Advice Re Microscope Purchases Made

"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Last month I bought an Olympus Model KM scope that was described
in two places as in "good condition" and offered as being "from
a working lab". The pics looked good too. Item #200080381361,
take a look at the description! The seller had nearly 100
transactions, and a 100% positive feedback rating too.

On arrival it was found to be "made for eBay", pieced together
with broken parts, and about 80% non-functional. (The seller no
longer has 100% positive feedback...)

Interesting...sorry to hear of the problems.

All is well that ends well though, and since I did get what I
wanted out of the deal I'm not really injured. In the end it is
all fairly hilarious.

Could you describe in further detail what the defective parts were?

From the pictures, nothing seems to be out of place.

Yeah, it looks pretty good! And, well... if it came from a
working lab, and has been well maintained in good condition...
right? ...Wrong.

The course focus knobs do not move at all. The fine focus knobs
turn, but instead of moving the platform up and down the shaft
left/right. The binocular prism is out of whack, and I cannot
get it to where I can see only one image rather than a distinct
image with each eye. It also happens to have a diopter
adjustment on both the right and left side oculars, so I'm
betting it was put together from pieces.

I should also point out that there are *no* stripped screw
slots, or tool marks on this beast! Whoever put it together was
a professional (who probably maintains a lot of similar
equipment for a "working lab"... :-)

The epi-illumination system is missing something too, though I'm
not familiar enough with it to know what is gone. Should there
be an iris or something else at the top of that section, just
below the binocular prism light path? There is an adjustment
ring, labeled 0 to 90 and with a 90 degree rotation range, but
there is nothing inside that it actually changes. It appears
that something was removed.

The one M10x objective lense has a *huge* pit right in the
center of the front lens element, and many smaller pits over the
remaining area too. Totally worthless...

The platform mount is apparently from a different model, as the
dovetails do not fit. The platform had nearly 1/8" wobble!

The lamp works, but required repair. The wires to the lamp
socket were corroded and one of them was broken. I'm not sure
if the power supply is quite right either as there is just
barely a change in brilliance of the lamp from minimum to
maximum (I haven't put a meter on the voltage yet, but should be
able to determine if it matches the range of values marked on
the front panel.)

So, what was actually okay?

The two Olympus WF10x oculars are good! (The only things that
worked which I didn't actually need.)

The entire epi illumination system works (despite whatever it is
that is missing from the one adjustment ring, and the required
electrical repair). And the platform stage equipment to
clamp/move a slide were all well used but functional. It
happens that what I wanted was the illumination system and the
stage equipment.

This story has a happy ending by accident, but it certainly does
indicate the basic risks involved in buying used equipment on eBay.
I've also bought electronic equipment described as "mint"... that
had exterior rust and interior corrosion! I've bought lenses
described as "perfect condition" that had grease on the diaphragm
that made them perfect paper weights.

It comes with the territory, and isn't worth getting excited
about. It demonstrates that eBay is a risky adventure.
Anything that is *not* said (for example if the description
doesn't explicitely say something works) should be assumed to be
faulty. And obviously even things that are said sometimes turn
out to be false.

In my case the majority of my enjoyment in things like Olympus
microscopes is the process of researching something, finding a
couple of relatively inexpensive examples, and putting together
a fully functional unit from the parts.

Heh... I've got, count 'em, *three* old Unitron BM/BU/BN scopes
being shipped my way right now. From the descriptions I expect
to (maybe) have two fully functional scopes, one with phase
contrast using transmitted light and the other using reflected
light. Now I'm watching for one of the smaller Unitron Mec
bases that has been stripped, so that I can have a "portable"
Unitron.

This summer is going to be fun...

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@xxxxxxxxxx
.

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