This is description of this part:
American Optical XY cross stage attachment for the AO One-Fifty microscope. It is used for precise manipulation of a specimen slide on the microscope stage.
AO One-Fifty microscopes were sold with one of three types of stages (a photo of a fragment of the manufacturer catalog is included in the image gallery). The simplest model with a square stage did not have a cross movement mechanism for precise specimen positioning, only simple stage clips.
To allow users to expand this microscope, the manufacturer offered an optional cross stage attachment, manufacturer number CAT. 1534 - and this is exactly that attachment.
Basic information:
Item: cross stage attachment for microscope stage
Manufacturer: AO (American Optical)
Catalog number: CAT. 1534
Original catalog name: mechanical stage attachment
For microscope: One-Fifty
At magnifications above 400x, manual manipulation of the specimen slide becomes very difficult. This is exactly why cross stage attachments are used, allowing very precise movement of the specimen at magnifications such as 600x or 1000x with oil immersion.
This is not a cheap plastic cross stage attachment - it is a solidly built AO construction, highly sought after on the used microscope market.
What is this part needed for?
- if you have a microscope with a standard stage and you need to precisely manipulate the slide with the preparation and use high magnifications
