Question

What is the risk of breaking my slide in the uScopeHXII? If I focus the objective too low and it comes in contact with the slide, could that cause it to break?

Answer

There is always a risk of breaking a slide, but it is very small.

Each time load a new slide into the uScopeHXII, the focus position of the objective is saved and is used for subsequent slides. If your slides vary in thickness, this could be a problem for 20x and lower powered objectives. The good news is that these objectives have a long working distance that makes them very unlikely (impossible for all but 20x) to come in contact with the slide.

High Power Objectives (40x and higher)

The high power objectives we use (40x and higher) are spring-loaded and compress if the objective makes contact with the slide. The risk of running these objectives into the slide is higher since the objective is very long and the working distance requires that the objective is very close to the slide.

Low Power Objectives (20x and lower)

The low power objectives we use (20x and lower) are not spring-loaded. Contact with and subsequent pressure on the slide can cause it to break. However, these objectives have a working distance that keeps them far away from the surface of the slide.