Free ruler offer for Laboratorytalk readers, to help determine the true magnification of video microscopes used to inspect fibre terminations
If you are inspecting fibre terminations using a video microscope, do you know what magnification you are using? You may be under the misconception that the magnification is 200x or 400x.
With an optical microscope, calculating magnification is easy: simply multiply the magnifications of the objective lens and eyepiece.
The complication of using a video-based system is that the overall magnification depends not only on the optical elements but also the size of the CCD sensor and the screen.
So the question is, how can you determine the magnification of your video fibre microscope? Prior Scientific have produced a flexible ruler which can be used to quickly and easily assess the total magnification of any system displaying an image on a screen.
It is calibrated for use with a 125æm fibre.
To use the ruler is as easy as aligning a reference mark with the left-hand edge of the fibre and reading off the magnification figure where the right hand edge crosses the scale.
To obtain one of these handy gauges free of charge please email lthake@prior.com with the make and model of video microscope you currently use along with your full contact details and the company will send you a Prior Ruler free of charge.
