KERN OSF 522 User manual

OSF-5-BA-e-1510
KERN & Sohn GmbH
Ziegelei 1
D-72336 Balingen
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +49-[0]7433- 9933-0
Fax: +49-[0]7433-9933-149
Internet: www.kern-sohn.com
User instructions
Stereo microscope
KERN OSF-5
OSF 522, OSF 523, OSF 524
OSF 525, OSF 526, OSF 527
Version 1.0
01/2015

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 2
GB
KERN OSF-5
Version 1.0 01/2015
User instructions
Stereo microscope
Table of contents
1Before use....................................................................................3
1.1 General notes............................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 Notes on the electrical system................................................................................................ 3
1.3 Storage ...................................................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Maintenance and cleaning....................................................................................................... 5
2Nomenclature...............................................................................6
3Basic data.....................................................................................8
4Assembly......................................................................................9
5Operation and functionality.......................................................11
5.1 Getting started........................................................................................................................ 11
5.2 Adjust the interpupillary distance ........................................................................................ 11
5.3 Adjusting the magnification.................................................................................................. 11
5.4 Dioptre adjustment and focussing ....................................................................................... 12
5.5 Adjusting the stand................................................................................................................ 13
5.6 Using eye cups / High Eye Point eyepieces ........................................................................ 14
5.7 Brightness adjustment........................................................................................................... 15
5.8 Using external illumination units.......................................................................................... 16
5.9 Using additional accessories................................................................................................ 17
5.10 Changing the bulb.................................................................................................................. 19
5.11 Changing the fuse .................................................................................................................. 19
6Optical data ................................................................................20
7Features......................................................................................20
8Trouble shooting........................................................................21
9Service........................................................................................22
10 Disposal......................................................................................22
11 Further information....................................................................22

3 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
1 Before use
1.1 General notes
You must open the packaging carefully, to make sure that none of the accessories in
the packaging fall on the floor and get broken.
In general, microscopes should always be handled carefully because they are
sensitive precision instruments. When using or transporting the microscope it is
particularly important to avoid abrupt movements, as this may damage the optical
components.
You should also avoid getting dirt or finger prints on the lens surface, because in
most cases this will reduce image clarity.
To maintain the performance of the microscope, it must never be disassembled. So
components such as lenses and other optical elements should be left as they were
before use. Also the electrical parts in the base of the device must not be tampered
with, as in this area there is an additional risk of triggering an electric shock.
1.2 Notes on the electrical system
(OSF 523, OSF 525, OSF 527)
Before connecting to a mains power supply, you must make sure that you are using
the correct input voltage. The information to select the correct mains cable is located
on each device, on the rear of the product directly above the connection socket. You
must comply with this information. If you do not comply with these specifications, then
fires or other damage to the device could occur.
The main switch must also be switched off before the mains cable is connected. In
this way you will avoid triggering an electric shock.
If you are using an extension cable, then the mains cable you use must be earthed.
If the original fuse should blow, it must only be replaced by an appropriate fuse.
Suitable replacement fuses are included with the delivery.
When carrying out any procedures whereby you come into contact with the electrical
system of the device, such as, for example, changing the bulb or fuse, only carry out
these procedures when the power is disconnected.

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 4
1.3 Storage
You should ensure that the device is not exposed to direct sunlight, temperatures
which are too high or too low, vibrations, dust or a high level of humidity.
The ideal temperature range is between 0 and 40°C and a relative humidity of 85%
should not be exceeded.
The device should always be located on a rigid, smooth, horizontal surface.
For devices with pillar stands, the microscope holder must not be rotated back too
far. If you do this, there is a risk that the microscope could tip over.
When the microscope is not being used, you should fit the objective cap and cover
the microscope with the enclosed dust protective cover.
If the eyepieces are being stored separately, the protective caps must be fitted to the
tube connectors. In most cases, if dust and dirt gets inside the optical unit of a
microscope this can cause irreversible errors or damage.
The best way to store accessories which consist of optical elements, such as, for
example, eyepieces and objectives, is in a dry box with desiccant.

5 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
1.4 Maintenance and cleaning
In any event, the device must be kept clean and dusted regularly.
If any moisture should be occur, before you wipe down the device you must ensure
that the mains power is switched off (if lighting unit is fitted).
When glass components become dirty, the best way to clean them is to wipe them
gently with a lint-free cloth.
To wipe oil stains or finger prints off the lens surface, moisten the lint free cloth with a
mixture of ether and alcohol (70 / 30 ratio) and use this to clean the lens.
You must be careful when handling ether and alcohol, as these are highly flammable
substances. You must therefore keep it away from naked flames and electrical
devices which can be switched on and off, and only use it in well-ventilated rooms.
However organic solutions of this type should not be used to clean other components
of the device. This could lead to damage to the paint finish. To do this, it is sufficient
to use a neutral cleaning product.
You could also use the following cleaning products to clean the optical components:
Special cleaner for optical lenses
Special optical cleaning cloths
Bellows
Brush
When handled correctly and checked regularly, the microscope should give many
years of efficient service.
Should repairs still be necessary, please contact your KERN dealer or our Technical
Department.

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 6
2 Nomenclature
Using the OSF 527 as an example
(With lighting)

7 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
Rear view

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 8
3 Basic data
OSF-5
Optical system
Greenough
Dimmable lighting
Yes
Tube
angled at 45°
Interpupillary distance
52 –76 mm
Dioptre adjustment
One-sided (left)
OSF 522 / OSF 524 / OSF 526
Product dimensions WxDxH
310x285x380
OSF 523 / OSF 525 / OSF 527
Product dimensions WxDxH
310x285x400
Standard configuration
Model
KERN
Tube
Eyepiece
Field of view
mm
Objective
Stand
Illumination
OSF 522
Binocular
HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm
Ø 23
1x / 2x
Pillar
-
OSF 523
Binocular
HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm
Ø 23
1x / 2x
Pillar
3W LED (reflected light); 3W LED
(transmitted light)
OSF 524
Binocular
HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm
Ø 23
1x / 3x
Pillar
-
OSF 525
Binocular
HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm
Ø 23
1x / 3x
Pillar
3W LED (reflected light); 3W LED
(transmitted light)
OSF 526
Binocular
HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm
Ø 23
2x / 4x
Pillar
-
OSF 527
Binocular
HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm
Ø 23
2x / 4x
Pillar
3W LED (reflected light); 3W LED
(transmitted light)

9 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
4 Assembly
The first step is to position the microscope stand on a firm, level surface. The term
stand covers the stand base (standing surface) as well as the metal pillar which is
connected to it.
The holder is already on pillar of the stand, but you must always check whether it is
fixed securely and that it is in the correct position (preferably centrally and facing to
the front).
Please see section 5.5 for more details on adjusting the stand.
The next step is to place the microscope head on the holder, by passing the
objective through the holder ring until the rest of the head is above the ring.
You must use the small silver adjusting screw on the front of the holder ring to fix the
head in place.
The alignment of the microscope head is left to the user to do and can be adjusted to
suit the individual application situations.
To make it easier to operate the focus wheels or lighting control for example, we
recommend that you position the head with the tube connectors centrally to the front.
Ideally, the holder and head are then parallel on the central axis of the stand base
(see figure on page 10).
Then you can remove the protective caps from the tube connectors so that you can
then fit the eyepieces. When doing this, please be particularly careful that you do
not touch the optical lenses with your fingers and that no dust enters the
apertures.
You should also never fit two eyepieces with different magnifications.
With regard to the use of a device with lighting (OSF 523, OSF 525, OSF 527) you
must make sure that the frosted glass stand inlay is fitted in the centre of the
stand base, so that the transmitted light can be used correctly.
Also, when using reflected light please make sure, that the connection cable
between the holder and upper side of the pillar is plugged in.
Additional optional attachments:
The eye cups supplied with the microscopes can be fitted to the eyepieces.
(see section 5.6).

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 10
Assembled stereo zoom microscope

11 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
5 Operation and functionality
5.1 Getting started
After assembly, if the microscope is ready for use, then for devices with lighting (OSF
523, OSF 525, OSF 527) you must first establish a power connection using the
cable supplied.
Please see section 5.7 for more details on adjusting the lighting.
Do not forget to remove the cap from the bottom of the objective, so that you will then
be able to see a reflection of the object being observed in the eyepiece.
All important functions which relate to the use of the devices in this document are
described in the following sections.
5.2 Adjust the interpupillary distance
Different users have different interpupillary distances. So each time a different person
uses the microscope, the gap between the two eyepieces must be re-adjusted.
While you are looking through the eyepieces, use one hand to hold the righthand or
lefthand prism housing firmly.
By rotating outwards or inwards, you can either increase or reduce the interpupillary
distance.
As soon as the lefthand and righthand visual fields exactly overlap each other, this is
the correct interpupillary distance.
5.3 Adjusting the magnification
As the KERN OSF-5 series are stereo microscopes (without zoom), we will describe
how to set the magnification using the integrated and rotating objective.
For the devices in this series, you can select between two different magnification
factors at any time.
Chapter 6 “Optical data” gives information on the possible overall magnification which
the microscope can produce. It will also include the optional use of different
eyepieces .

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 12
5.4 Dioptre adjustment and focussing
A special feature of stereo microscopes is that they are fitted with an optical unit
which has a relatively high depth of field. In order to be able get the most benefit from
this feature, each user must synchronise the focussing mechanisms for themselves.
The steps to do this are described in the following section.
1. Place the object to be observed on the surface under the objective.
2. Use the objective to set the smallest possible magnification.
3. Look through the righthand eyepiece (without dioptre adjustment ring) with the
right eye and bring the object into focus by using the focus control dials.
4. Now set the largest magnification.
5. Once again, still only looking through the righthand eyepiece, bring the object into
focus
6. Then set the smallest possible zoom factor again.
7. Then look through the lefthand eyepiece with the left eye (with dioptre adjustment
ring) and bring the object into focus, by turning the dioptre adjustment ring left or
right at the right point.
8. In order to get the highest level of accuracy when adjusting the focus, you should
repeat steps 4-7.
9. In this way, the object being observed will be in focus on any magnification
setting.

13 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
5.5 Adjusting the stand
Torque of the focus wheels
You adjust the torque of the focus wheels by holding one of the two wheels in place
and using the other hand to turn the other wheel.
Depending on the direction of the turn, the torque will be increased or decreased.
On one hand, this function can help to make it easier to adjust the focus and on the
other hand it can prevent the microscope head from slipping down unintentionally. In
this way you can avoid possible damage which could occur if the objective lens and
the object being observed should collide.
Height adjustment
Fixing the microscope holder
With a stereo microscope on a pillar stand, the microscope head can be height
adjusted using the focus wheels and in addition, the microscope holder can be fixed
at any point on the pillar, depending on the application requirements.
To primary way to fix the position is to use an adjusting screw (1) on the holder.
There is a metal ring which also ensures sufficient grip and which is fixed with a
second screw (2) under the holder on the pillar. This metal ring proves to be
particularly useful when the screw (1) on the holder is loosened, to swing the
microscope head to the side.

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 14
5.6 Using eye cups / High Eye Point eyepieces
The eye cups supplied with the microscope can basically be used at all times, as
they screen out intrusive light, which is reflected from light sources from the
environment onto the eyepiece, and the result is better image quality.
But primarily, if eyepieces with a high eye point (particularly suitable for those who
wear glasses) are used, then it may also be useful for users who don’t wear glasses,
to fit the eye cups to the eyepieces.
These special eyepieces are also called High Eye Point eyepieces. They can be
identified by the glasses symbol on the side. They are also marked in the item
description by an additional “H” (example: HSWF 10x Ø 23 mm).
When fitting the eye cups, make sure that the dioptre setting is not moved. We would
therefore advise that you hold the dioptre adjustment ring on an eyepiece with one
hand while you fit the eye cup with the other.
Before using the microscope, users who wear glasses must remove the eye cups,
which you may find on High Eye Point eyepieces.
As the eye cups are made of rubber, you must be aware that when you are using
them, they can become slightly dirty through grease residues. In order to maintain
hygiene, we would therefore recommend that you clean the eye cups regularly (e.g.
with a damp cloth).
Eye cups
High Eye Point eyepiece
(identified by the glasses symbol)

15 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
5.7 Brightness adjustment
(OSF 523, OSF 525, OSF 527)
For microscopes which have integrated lighting, the necessary on/off switches are on
the righthand side of the stand base on/off switch (see figure).
Provided that the main switch is switched on, you can operate the reflected light and
transmitted light using these two switches. Looking at the microscope from the
righthand side, the lefthand switch (3) is for transmitted light and the righthand switch
(4) is for reflected light.
You can also adjust the light intensity for both lighting units. To do this there are two
wheels on the stand base. The wheel at the front (1) is for adjusting the brightness of
the transmitted light and the wheel on the righthand side (2), next to the switches, is
for adjusting the brightness of the reflected light. Depending on which way you turn
the wheel, the corresponding light will become lighter or darker.
Control elements for the lighting unit

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 16
5.8 Using external illumination units
If, when using a microscope in its standard version, the lighting is not suitable for the
application, then it often makes sense to fit an external lighting unit to overcome this
problem.
These lighting units are divided into two groups.
Ring lighting units (left figure), usually LED
Goose neck lighting units (right figure), both Halogen and LED as standard
Both units require an extra power connection and can, depending on the model, also
have an on/off switch and various lighting unit controls.
Typical ring lighting unit Typical goose neck lighting unit
Fitting a ring lighting unit
As you can see in the figure on the left, the ring lighting units have three screws
which must be positioned such that they do not protrude into the ring. The ring will be
fitted round the objective and the screws will be screwed in until the lighting unit is
fixed firmly onto the objective.
Using goose neck lighting units
Depending on the requirements, a goose neck lighting unit is placed next to, in front
of or behind the microscope. The light source is in the housing of the unit and is
emitted through one or several optical fibre cables.
These cables are flexible and therefore offer a large number of positioning options,
so that the object being observed is perfectly illuminated.

17 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
5.9 Using additional accessories
Dark field kit and object clamp
Microscopes from the OSF-5 series are ideal for dark field applications.
Dark field attachments and object clamps are available as accessories for these
applications.
You just have to fit the dark field attachment in the recess in the middle of the stand
base. You must first remove the stand inlay which is fitted.
The object clamp which you need for dark field applications can be fitted using its
thread (see left figure) on one of the two sockets, next to the object holder on the
stand base (see right figure).

OSF-5-BA-e-1510 18
Angle table
Standard angle table Angle table for using transmitted light
For easier handling of an object to be observed, it can be useful to fit an additional
mechanical angle table on the working surface of a stereo microscope.
For devices without lighting you can use a standard angle table (see left figure).
However if there is an integrated transmitted lighting unit, you should use a special
angle table with transmitted light compatibility (see right figure).
As the figures show, both versions each have two coaxially positioned adjustment
wheels in the righthand rear corner of the table. This means that you can move it in
the x and y directions.
To fit this, the user must bore four holes through the surface of the stand base at
particular points on the edge of the recess for the stand inlay. Then the screws
included with the table can be used to fix the table from the underside.
A user guide is included with the delivery of each angle table which contains the
precise instructions on how to fit it. We strongly recommend that you follow these
instructions closely, to make sure that you will be able to use the angle table without
problems.

19 OSF-5-BA-e-1510
5.10 Changing the bulb
LED
Devices from the OSF-5 series with lighting units are all fitted with LED bulbs.
Due to the long service life of an LED lighting system, for these microscopes it will
not be necessary to simply change a bulb.
Problems with the lighting unit would therefore, in most cases, be caused by defects
in the electrical system. If this is the case, then our Technical Service will be able to
help.
5.11 Changing the fuse
The fuse is on the rear of microscope stand base next to the main switch (label:
“Fuse”). If the fuse has blown, then with the device switched off and the power
disconnected, the fuse can easily be screwed out and replaced with a new one.