Section Overview:
We have constructed a variety of Java tutorials designed to help students grasp the fundamental details of Köhler illumination and how a microscope is adjusted for this purpose. Please use the links below to visit the tutorials in our collection.
Condenser Alignment
Learn to align the most important optical components in a microscope with this tutorial. Students can practice centering the condenser and setting the field diaphragm to its optimum size for photomicrography.
Condenser Light Cones
Explore how changes in the size of the condenser aperture affect the shape and size of the light cone (and numerical aperture) emitted from the condenser in this interactive tutorial.
Condenser Aperture Diaphragm Adjustment
Discover how the aperture diaphragm of the substage condenser can be monitored with a Bertrand lens (or by removing the eyepiece) to optimize numerical aperture, image resolution, depth of field, and overall image quality.
Conjugate Planes
Discover and learn how various conjugate plane sets pass through focus together when a microscope is properly aligned for optimum Köhler illumination in this interactive tutorial.
Lamp Filament Alignment
Examine all of the aspects of adjusting both the voltage and the position of the lamp filament, and ensuring that the filament completely fills the back focal plane of the objective in this tutorial.
Substage Condenser Numerical Aperture
The condenser aperture diaphragm controls the numerical aperture of the optical system of a microscope. This tutorial demonstrates changes in condenser light cones as a function of numerical aperture settings.
Eyepiece Diopter Adjustment
Discover how eyepieces are adjusted for the microscopist's optimum interpupillary distance and how the diopter adjustment on each eyepiece can be made independently in this tutorial.
Contrast Adjustment At Low Magnifications
Explore the utilization of the field diaphragm to control contrast in low magnification microscopy, as opposed to the condenser aperture diaphragm, which is used for contrast adjustment with high magnification objectives.
Aperture and Field Diaphragm Adjustment in Reflected Light
Examine how the aperture iris diaphragm is used to vary specimen contrast and image quality, and the manipulation of field diaphragm for optimum reduction of scattered light.
Condenser Aperture Diaphragm Control Of Specimen Contrast
Explore how condenser aperture diaphragm opening size affects specimen contrast at medium to high (10x through 100x) magnifications in this tutorial.
Reflected Light Illuminators
In this interactive tutorial, the visitor will explore how light travels through a reflected light illuminator with the only variable being the lamp voltage, which is controlled by the slider.