Discussion Category: Stereo Microscopes
Light goes out, or does not come on.
The light goes off on its own, will not turn on at all sometimes, but the bulb is fine. The Nikon rep said the bulb is not being allowed to slowly build up to bright but attempting to jump directly from off to bright. There seems to be an electrical issue. This has been happening for a couple of years that I know of. Any suggestions?
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Hi gsorrow,
To better assist you with your question, could you please specify which instrument (make and model) you are referring to and possibly some more details on the issue you're having.
Thank You,
Kylie
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Are you suggesting changing the power supply, offering help to solve the problem or just commenting on it?
Thank you to Vladimir Zhukarev for providing this response to LabWrench
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Where can we get this power supply from?
Since you probably would like to see your Eclipse working according to the Nikon specs, your best source is Nikon.
Thank you to Vladimir Zhukarev for providing this response to LabWrench
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Is this problem with the bright field illumination or a fluorescent illumination attachment?
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Problem is with the bright field illumination.
George
Power supplies don't generally fail like your descrption go to www.nikoninstruments.com that site will give you contact information to Nikon's service center or an authorized repair station in your area
Thank you to Hank Mallin for providing this response to LabWrench
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Vladimir is correct, you could go directly to Nikon and ask for their advice but I think you really only have four options to explore, and I would focus on the latter two:
1. You could contact your microscope service provider to get a quote for repair. The E400 is from the 90's so electrical warranty is over. The model has been discontinued so it may be difficult to find replacement components. You will have to pay for the technician's travel (or cost of shipping the microscope), time and parts. It is possible that the repair cost will exceed the value of the microscope base.
2. You could try to find a working base on the second hand market (the only part you would need is Nikon E400 microscope base MBA802CA ) and move over the working components. There are several problems with this option-- the base is no longer being manufactured, so it will be hard to find. Even if you do find it, you never really know what you are going to get on the second hand market and you'll be stuck with outdated technology. Current trends are to use LED light for bright field illumination instead of halogen bulbs because the illumination is brighter and there is no IR wavelengths (less heat on the sample and less eyestrain for you)
3. You could look into upgrading just the lamp with something like this:http://www.laboratorytalk.com/news/pri/pri164.htm . It is a brand new product and I don't have experience with it personally, but it could be solution for your problem. If this interests you, contact Prior http://www.prior.com/ and be sure to confirm that no adapters are required for the E400 and that there will be detailed instructions for installation.
4. Get a new a Clinical Upright such as the Nikon Ci http://www.nikoninstruments.com/Products/Microscope-Systems/Upright-Microscopes/Biological/Eclipse-Ci-Series/%28specifications%29 or the http://www.nikoninstruments.com/Products/Microscope-Systems/Upright-Microscopes/Biological/Eclipse-E200-LED . Nikon is still using Infinity corrected CFI60 objectives, so you'll be able to move the lenses you have over to the new system (often the objectives are by far the most expensive component). Depending on what other components you have on the system, you might be able to move some of them as well. The easiest way is to take a picture of the microscope you have and send it to your Nikon rep. Tell her you want one quote for a new system, and one quote for a stand with the components you have.
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Depending on the configuration, the E400 new sold for $5-10K. While it is now 2 generations old, if it is in good condition, it is a valuable instrument. A certified Nikon Service dealer may be able to identify the problem, and even correct it for $250-400. You need to assess how much you are willing to spend.
The new CiL stand features an exceptionally bright LED, w/ a Fly-eye illumination system. Beautiful white light, w/ a very even, flat FOV.
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The parts for your Nikon E400 will still be available just contact your local Nikon office. Nikon sold thousands of these scopes. It may be easier to send the stand to the Nikon office and let them have a look at it and give you a repair price. The problem may just be the ceramic bulb holder, these over time do break down and this could be causing the problem.
Thank you to Spencer Smith for providing this response to LabWrench
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