A properly adjusted and clean MBS-10 microscope in combination
with 14x eye-pieces will be appreciated as a wonderful instrument by an estimated 98%
of all microscopists. Due to the extremely wide field of view you will feel like
an eagle flying over the tardigrade garden! But - and this happens from time to
time - if the image impression is dizzy or ghost-like, you might be sitting in
front of a misaligned microscope in need of repair.
We think that those DIY repaired and misaligned instruments are the main reason for
internet statements complaining about the MBS-10 image quality in general and related claims that
an instrument made by the famous western L ...., W ... oder Z .... companies
would have a tremendously higher image quality and resolution.
This has to be considered as MBS-10 error III.
Moreover it should be kept in mind that the MBS-10 microscopes appear to have been produced in
identical manner over several decades. So many instruments offered nowadays are old
and show signs of heavy use. Many of them stood on rainy flea markets and were repaired
by the less qualified people. Over the years we have seen many MBS-10 microscopes
in poor condition: brutally broken focus knobs, deformed stands, dust-loaded optics etc.
On the other hand our own MBS-10 microscopes appear to be tough: in constant use
since decades, never under a dust cover, never in service or repair - still in
a perfectly usable condition.
So when buying a MBS-10 on Ebay we recommend that you should thoroughly check the description
and the seller profile. Two typical but still repairable MBS-10 defects might be:
Damage 1: Partially scratched main objective. During careless use
the main objective might have fallen down on the slide holder clips. This could
have caused a partial breakdown of the main lens into cracks, chips and a pickled
glass surface. When coming across such an objective one might think that
it might be unrepairable. But we found out that sometimes it will be sufficient just
to rotate the main objective clockwise or counter-clockwise so that the optical path will
not go through the pickles but through a well-preserved area (you see, the cross-section
of the main objective lense is quite large, most of it remains unused). Of course
we are aware of the grim old man in the laboratory suit pointing out at this very moment
that even a single scratch on the objective will turn a microscope "useless
for scientific purposes".
Possibly, sometimes, yes. But we have seen at least one MBS-10 where this rotation
of the main objective drastically improved the image quality. So, before disposing of
your scratched main objective, think about this potential solution.
Damage 2: Misaligned prism head (ghost images, double image impression, headache optics).
This is mostly repairable - if the prisms themselves are still intact:
The cover of the stereo head can be easily loosened by means of a normal screwdriver.
But take care not to harm the pupil-distance adjustment mechanism when lifting the cover.
Just have a look at the following images before, so you will understand how
the lever is linked to the stereo head.
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