I have found that after a short while I can have difficulty centering an image using the mechanical stage. Even on 40X it can be hard to overcome the reluctance of the stage to move easily. You apply so much pressure and it doesn't move, a little more and it pops away and the subject moves past center. It can take a bit of persuading to get it dead center. It seems perfectly smooth to just move it around without a slide on the stage, its just the very fine movements that can be sticky. My feeling is that it could do with some lubrication but it ought not to need it, being new. I just tried it out with a 100X oil and it was most difficult to get a subject dead center. Maybe I being a bit picky?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Kenv
Should I be concerned?
Moderators: MacroMike, nzmacro, Ken Ramos, twebster, S. Alden
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Steve West
- Posts: 545
- Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:23 pm
- Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Hi Ken,
I don't recall having that stick/slip problem with the stage on my multiscope. You should talk to the the lomo people. If they can't recommend a lubrication, maybe they will replace the slide? There are lots of different kinds of bearing slides, and in order to produce new microscopes at the low cost of LOMOs, it may be that it is a very simple ball slide mechanism. If the metal on the bearing ways is soft, the bearing can indent the ways, and lubrication wouldn't help. Hopefully thought, it's a lube problem. I'd pull the stage off and try to get a look at the bearings. There's a spray produce called CLP that's very good a penentrating and protecting assembled parts. A quick test might be to lightly spray something like this into the part. Sometimes, you can coax grease into assemblies, but mixing it with alcohol so it can be made to flow into the bearings. The alcohol then evaporates leaving the grease just where you want it.
The problem I had with my LOMO was a bit of stick/slip with the fine focus mechanism. That was a bit irritating.
Steve
I don't recall having that stick/slip problem with the stage on my multiscope. You should talk to the the lomo people. If they can't recommend a lubrication, maybe they will replace the slide? There are lots of different kinds of bearing slides, and in order to produce new microscopes at the low cost of LOMOs, it may be that it is a very simple ball slide mechanism. If the metal on the bearing ways is soft, the bearing can indent the ways, and lubrication wouldn't help. Hopefully thought, it's a lube problem. I'd pull the stage off and try to get a look at the bearings. There's a spray produce called CLP that's very good a penentrating and protecting assembled parts. A quick test might be to lightly spray something like this into the part. Sometimes, you can coax grease into assemblies, but mixing it with alcohol so it can be made to flow into the bearings. The alcohol then evaporates leaving the grease just where you want it.
The problem I had with my LOMO was a bit of stick/slip with the fine focus mechanism. That was a bit irritating.
Steve
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Garry DeLong
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2005 4:56 pm
- Location: Portland, Oregon USA
Sticky Mechanical Stage
Perhaps this is very obvious and I may be silly to mention it. If the bottom of the slide is wet, it will stick badly. Make sure that the slide surface that touches the stage is dry.
Garry DeLong
Garry DeLong
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Guest
Re: Sticky Mechanical Stage
Do NOT lubricate ball bearings (as far as I know). Get back to Lomo if Garry isn't right. Funny that the stage works ok without slide.
Rene.
Rene.
Hello Ken,
Are you saying the freight to ship the scope/stage will be $500? That seems a bit much, even from the Antipodes! Have you talked with Chris Vander Tuuk at Lomo America? His number in Chicago Illinois USA 847 215-8800 and my experience with him has been uniformly positive. It might be worth the call to discuss it with him.
All the best,
Mike
Are you saying the freight to ship the scope/stage will be $500? That seems a bit much, even from the Antipodes! Have you talked with Chris Vander Tuuk at Lomo America? His number in Chicago Illinois USA 847 215-8800 and my experience with him has been uniformly positive. It might be worth the call to discuss it with him.
All the best,
Mike
Hi Mike, it was Chris that made the offer to service it if I paid the freight. When I bought the scope from OpticsPlanet it cost me US$236 to have it freighted here - Lomo would want me to pay the freight both ways if they did a free service. I can get it serviced here a lot cheaper than that but I'm not sure that its just a lube problem. When I kick off a session its ok to begin with but gets sticky after a period of time, also it only gets sticky in one area. What I think the problem is, is that the scope base gets very hot from the lamphouse and I think the heats affects the mechanical stage. I manage alright its just that it get a bit irritating at times.
Anyway thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Kenv
Anyway thanks for your input, I appreciate it.
Kenv
Ken
Hi Ken,
Wow! The freight costs from NZ are unbelievable! It sounds as though you already have a good idea as to the cause, and perhaps some judicious shimming (adjusting?) would be in order.
Wish I had something to offer as I know how irritating a stuck stage can be.
Hope you get it straightened out.
All the best,
Mike
Wow! The freight costs from NZ are unbelievable! It sounds as though you already have a good idea as to the cause, and perhaps some judicious shimming (adjusting?) would be in order.
Wish I had something to offer as I know how irritating a stuck stage can be.
Hope you get it straightened out.
All the best,
Mike