This is description of this part:
Service part for repairing the Lux-US halogen illuminator housing (12V 100W) for the Reichert Zetopan microscope.
Module forming part of the Lux-US illuminator housing consisting of:
- dovetail mount with clamping screw used to attach the Lux-US illuminator to the Reichert Zetopan microscope
- intermediate tube with two slots for filter slides
- iris diaphragm (more precisely: field diaphragm)
- lens for collimating the light beam with focusing adjustment for the lamp filament
Information from the manufacturer's English-language catalogue "Zetopan Research Microscope. Price List, Effective December 1, 1976":
- This component belongs to the microscope illuminator. The catalogue number of the illuminator is: "Lux US" 9 14 41 04 and "Binolux 3 dual lamp housing" 9 60 05 21
In the photo gallery you will find precise dimensions of this microscope part, and the last photograph shows the complete Lux-US illuminator for the Reichert Zetopan microscope so that compatibility can be confirmed with certainty. In addition, the attached video demonstrates the mechanics of the moving components.
Older versions of the Reichert Zetopan microscope were equipped with a 6V 30W illuminator, while newer versions used the Lux-US illuminator with a 12V 100W halogen bulb. Currently (as of 2026), most hobby users of this microscope believe that this illuminator should be converted to an LED light source, whereas professional users still prefer a halogen bulb as a light source because it provides a full colour spectrum.
However, in both cases this illuminator housing is essential and must be repaired if damaged. Since it protrudes beyond the outline of the microscope (it is attached to the rear of the microscope base), it is exposed to mechanical damage.
What is this part needed for?
- as a service part (repair component) if you own a microscope equipped with this illuminator and this part has been damaged
- as a component for building a custom DIY illuminator: it allows any light source to be attached to the base of a Reichert Zetopan microscope
