This is description of this part:
Body of the Lomo Polam L-211 polarizing microscope (the original Cyrillic designation is ЛОМО Полам Л-211).
The body includes:
- the base with a mounting point for the large illuminator attached to the rear of the microscope
- a built-in right-angle mirror in the base that redirects the light beam. This mirror can be centered using two adjustment screws located on the front of the microscope base
- the focusing block with coarse focus (macro movement) and coaxial fine focus (micro movement)
- a mount for either the single objective holder (pincer holder) or the 5-position polarizing objective nosepiece
- the microscope head mounting point – however, in Lomo Polam microscopes a polarizing intermediate tube with the analyzer is mounted here first, followed by the microscope head
The complete body of the Lomo Polam L-211 microscope may be useful in the following situations:
- if you are building your own microscope by purchasing individual components to assemble a configuration that perfectly matches your requirements
- if you own a Lomo Polam microscope whose body is in very poor condition, damaged or incomplete, for example with non-functioning focusing controls, a damaged illuminator mount or other mechanical problems
Since this database includes both the body of the Lomo Polam R-113 (Полам Р-113) and the Lomo Polam L-211 (Полам Л-211), here is a brief summary of the differences between them:
- the Lomo Polam R-113 has no built-in illumination components in the base, only an opening for a mirror or an external light source
- the Lomo Polam L-211 has a built-in right-angle mirror in the base that redirects light from the rear illuminator vertically upward, and it also provides a mounting point for the large rear illuminator
- the Lomo Polam R-113 has a permanently installed single objective holder (pincer holder) for a polarizing objective
- the Lomo Polam L-211, on the other hand, has an interchangeable mount that accepts either a single objective holder (pincer holder) or a 5-position polarizing objective nosepiece
Lomo Polam microscopes feature a standardized modular design, which means, for example:
- components such as the microscope stage holder, condenser holder, polarizing intermediate tube, monocular head or trinocular photo head from other Polam microscope models (e.g. R-113, R-211 or L-213) are compatible with this L-211 body
- this L-211 body can also be installed on other Lomo Polam models, including older ones, making it an inexpensive way to upgrade an older Polam microscope, for example one with a damaged coarse/fine focusing block
- another interesting option is replacing only the base in order to equip simpler Lomo Polam microscopes with the powerful rear-mounted illuminator
An amusing curiosity. Users of Lomo Polam microscopes, especially those unfamiliar with the Cyrillic alphabet, sometimes misread the model designation of the Lomo Polam L-211.
- the original Cyrillic designation is: Л-211
- many users mistake the letter "Л" (L) for the letter "П" (P) because they have a very similar appearance in Cyrillic
- as a result, they incorrectly read the model designation as Lomo Polam P-211
- the funny part is that there actually is a microscope model called "ЛОМО Полам Р-211" – however, the Cyrillic letter "Р" corresponds to the Latin letter "R", which makes the confusion even greater
What is this part needed for?
- for people assembling their own microscope from individually purchased components
- for people who need to replace a poor quality stand with a properly functioning one
- other situations in which such a microscope stand may be required are listed in the description
