From where to buy Refractometers

Refractometers are used for myriad things such as drug diagnosis, gemology, veterinary medicine, aquarium upkeep and farming.

In the field of agriculture, refractometer is an all-in-one tool that can be used to test quality of fruits and vegetables and the health of your crops. The refractometer is a cheap and effective way to determine the health of your crops and as an indicator of how to prepare each plant crop grow to its potential. A refractometer is a simple and easy thing to read. It is a gauge using a numbered scale. It is one the most fundamental measuring tools used in drug diagnostics, veterinary medicine, marine aquarium keeping, home brewing and many more applications.

One should choose the right refractometer depending on their specification, and the way in which they are going to be used. Before shopping for any refractometers model, customers must thoroughly consider these questions so as to be sure to choose an ideal refractometer for future use and purchase it via a suitable seller.

• What is my underlying principle for buying a refractometer?
• What kinds of materials will I be examining? Are my samples homogeneous, or do they contain undissolved elements? 
• How susceptible must my refractometer be?
• Which regulatory standards does my workplace adhere to?
• Will my refractometer be used in callous environmental conditions?
• Will the shape of size of my system suit all applications I have in mind?

Before you buy a refractometer from any seller, keep few points in mind –

1.      If you are unsure about which instrument or product will work best for your measurement needs, or to minimize the need for return, there must be a helpful representative who can help you assist choose a suitable refractometer type for your measurement needs at the time of purchase.

2.      An item that is ordered must a minimum shipping time so that your work does not get impacted or delayed.

3.      If an item is not in stock, then a responsible representative should contact you to advice of the approximate time required to fulfill the order. It reflects immediate attention and a responsible attitude towards customers.

4.      Within 30 days from the original date of purchase, the refractometer should allowed for an exchange in case the instrument is found faulty or is showing errors.

5.      Instruments and its parts must be warranted against manufacturer defects for one (1) year from the date of original purchase. In case of a problem with the instrument, help should be duly available. A helpful representative can help troubleshoot to resolve the problem, and try to isolate the cause of the problem. Also the defective product must be replaced by the seller so as task or application should not be hindered.

If any seller or refractometer shop satisfies the above criteria, then the respective seller or the Refractometer instrument shop is an ideal destination to purchase a suitable refractometer for your measurement needs.  

From where to buy Refractometers

What Is an Abbe Refractometer?

In physics, there is a phenomenon known as refraction. Refraction is the change in the direction of a wave passing from one medium to another caused by its change in speed. This is why a stick will appear bent when put in water. The device that is used to measure refraction is simply known as a refractometer. A refractometer contains an illuminating prism, light source and a refracting prism. Ernst Abbe of Germany was the first scientist to develop one. To honor him, Refractometers now bear his name. It is important however, to mention that the refractometer has undergone a series of evolution in its processing and manufacture although the underlying mechanism by which it functions remains essentially the same. Modern Refractometers are fitted with a liquid crystal display and this facilitates the reading of the measurements on the device.

It is possible for one to wonder why the refractometer is so important to us. By the time you finish reading the following lines, you will not but agree that it is a very important tool. Refractometers have found wide uses and applications in medical laboratories, histological laboratories, chemical laboratories and physics centers. It is also used by microbiologists, astrophysicists and engineers. This is apart from the fact that it is used in various industries, companies (especially bottling companies), hospitals, processing plants and factories. Refractometers are very important because the measurement of the refractive index has a lot of uses. For example, by using an Abbe Refractometers, it is easy to detect if honey is good or spoilt. Apart from this, the refractometer is indispensable in agriculture, clinical research, wildlife management, pharmacology, food processing, hydrology and advanced physics.

The refractometer also comes with other benefits and advantages. For example, you may want to measure the salinity of that lovely saltwater aquarium that you just bought. In such a case, a refractometer comes in handy. Also, you may want to measure the salt and electrolyte composition of the bottled spring water that you just drank. Perhaps you may want to know whether it contains enough sodium, calcium or potassium, once again you make use of your refractometer. The good thing is that you do not have to carry bulky devices around anytime you want to drink spring water! There are portable, pocket-sized and hand-held Refractometers for personal use. It is very clear that this device is quite useful.

Although it was Abbe that started the production of the Refractometers, some other companies have also taken part in the production of this wonderful tool of science. Some of them are: ATAGO, Reichert, Brix, ERMA, Bellingham & Stanley, American Optical and Schmidt-Haensch of Germany. Oh, I almost forgot, I am thinking of buying a saltwater aquarium, don't you think I need a refractometer?

Abbe Refractometer was developed to provide comprehensive, accurate and up to date information for people looking to learn about the history and uses of Abbe Refractometers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5230409

What Is an Abbe Refractometer?

Meiji Microscopes

Meiji Techno Co., Ltd. is the third-largest manufacturer of optical microscopes in Japan. In 1964, Azuma Optics Co., Ltd. was founded as a contract manufacturer of microscopes and quickly established a reputation for high quality and fast delivery. In 1975, the company reformed into Meiji Techno Co., Ltd. and began selling microscopes directly to the public under the name Meiji Techno.

Originally a manufacturer of educational microscopes, Meiji Techno has since extended product lines into the industrial, laboratory, and higher education markets. Meiji products are sold throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas by agents or distributors authorized by Meiji Techno Co., Ltd., or the American subsidiary Meiji Techno America.

Some of Meiji’s product line includes stereo, compound, inverted, metallurgical gemological and video microscopes. It also offers an accessory selection that includes 35mm, video and digital cameras, filters, illuminators and many more options.

For many applications the ability to capture, display, and preserve specimen images is of equal or greater importance than actually viewing the specimen through the eyepieces. Photomicrography (35mm and other chemical formats) has been a common option on microscopes for decades, but the recent development of relatively inexpensive CCD (charged couple device) video and digital cameras has greatly increased both the popularity and flexibility of microscope imaging. Instead of clicking through slides during a lecture, university professors can now display real-time video images on projection televisions; petroleum geologists can e-mail images of core samples to their laboratories from remote locations around the world; oncologists can refer to CD or on-line catalogues of cell images to help them make faster and more accurate diagnoses. Whether your application calls for 35mm, large-format Polaroid, video, or digital imaging, Meiji Techno can provide you with the appropriate microscope and accessories.

Meiji Techno America was incorporated as a subsidiary of Meiji Techno Co., Ltd. in 1986, distributing Meiji Techno products and offering technical assistance to customers throughout the United States, Canada, and South and Central America. Originally located in Woburn, Massachusetts, Meiji Techno America moved to San Jose, California in December of 1991 and more recently expanded to a larger facility in Santa Clara, California as of January 2006.
Over the years, Meiji Techno America has developed a diverse network of over 240 knowledgeable dealers with expertise in many specialized applications.

No matter where you are located or what your requirements are, Meiji Techno has the products and expertise to help you attain your microscopy goals

Author Name: Rowland Brasch: Nationalmicroscope.com

Meiji Microscopes

Cleaning your microscope

Customer often ask what they can do to keep their microscopes clean and in good working condition. Listed below are some questions raised along with our suggestions:

Question: What can I use to clean the lens on my microscope?

Answer: Lens cleaning fluids are the best. Use lens paper if available - the type for reading glasses works well. We suggest not using kleenex-type tissue as it is very "dusty" and will leave a lot of lint on the lens. Make sure the first tissue is wet with lens cleaner in case there are bits of glass from the slides on the lens that scratch it.

2. Question: What do I use to clean the body of the microscope?

Answer: We have tried many products over the years but have found that 409 cleaner seems to do the best job and does not damage the finish. Try not to get it into the bearings on the stage or focus assembly as it will dilute the lubrication.

3. Question: Lint seems to be a real problem on the eyepieces. How do I remove it without always having to use lens cleaner and papers?

Answer: Get some canned air from a computer or office supply store. Spray the compressed air at the eyepieces and that should remove most of the dust. Do not shake the can as you spray because you will cause the propellant in the can to come out of the nozzle and coat the lens. If you do, you will have to use the lens cleaner to remove this coating. Just hold the can still and spray. Remember that a lot of the particles you see on the eyepieces are from your eyes. They are flakes of dead skin that drop off your eyelids every time you blink.

4. Question: It is hard to see through the 40X or the 100X objectives. What could be the problem?

Answer: On most microscopes the 40X and 100X objective's front lens is slightly concave in design. This causes problems when users go to clean the objective. If you only use lens paper and cleaner you will not get to the contamination that has built up in the concave portion of the objective. Our recommendation is to use a soft cotton swab (Q-tip) to clean the objective. First, wet it with lens cleaner and make a soft drilling motion into the concave portion of the front lens. Next, use a dry swab and make the same motion to dry the lens. You may have to perform several repetitions of this procedure to truly clean the lens.

If this does not help then you may have oil inside of the objective itself, and it will either need to be sent to the manufacture for repair or you might have to replace the objective with a new one. The reason the oil penetrates the objective is due to either not cleaning off the oil after usage or leaving the objective in oil on the slide after reading it. Always clean the oil off the objective after each use.

Cleaning your microscope

Microscope Maintenance

Customers often ask what they can do when they have problems with lubrication and focusing problems with their microscopes. Here are a few questions along with our suggestions:
Question: What product should I use to lubricate the bearings on the stage of the microscope?
Answer: Each manufacture has their own line of lubricants they recommend. If you bought everyone for each product it would be extremely expensive. We use a product called Super Lube made by Permatex. It should be available from many stores in your area. We use this product on all brands of microscopes that we service.
Question: My stage seems to slip down out of focus for no reason. What can I do to prevent this?
Answer: There are two main reasons for this problem. Either the tension control is too loose, or the main bearing system in the stage mechanics needs some adjustments.
You, as the microscope user, can adjust the tension control. Many microscopes have focus tension controls attached next to the coarse focus control. This control may be the simple type that you can adjust by just using your hand, or it may take a special tool. On Olympus or Nikon microscopes the adjustment is usually on the right side of the scope as the stage faces the user. It is a thin control knob or disc that is placed between the microscope stand and the coarse focus control. All you have to do is turn this device one way or the other and it will increase or decrease the tension on the coarse focus control knob. This in turn will keep the stage from slipping down. Make sure you are not turning the stage lock control, which is normally on the opposite side of the tension controller. If your microscope takes a special tool to adjust the tension. and you have lost this tool, you will need to contact the microscope manufacture or the company you purchased your microscope from and request the adjustment tool.
If the main bearing system needs adjustment you will should contact a qualified microscope repair technician to do this repair.

Microscope Maintenance

Microscope Immersion oil

As magnification increases on a microscope the correction in refractive index is a requirement for finer resolution and brightness. As the light cone passes through the different layers of glass, sample mounting media and air light tends to bend at different angles. In most cases the sequence of the light leaving the substage condenser is glass (1.515nD), air (1.00nD), glass slide (1.515nD), sample, mounting media, cover slip (1.515nD), into the objective lens which is approximately 1.515nD.

Immersion oil has a refractive index of 1.515nD and is applied to the top of the cover slip and then the tip of the oil immersion objective is then immersed into the drop of oil. This completes the “optical connection”.

The resolution obtained is directly related to the angular aperture (AA), the larger the A.A. having a wider cone with more scattered (oblique) rays. Unless there is a homogenous light path, the most oblique rays are lost to internal reflection inside the glass slide or cover slip. The use of immersion oil permits full use of the resolving power of the objective lens. Immersion oil objectives increase the resolution by approximately fifty percent over dry objectives of equivalent focal length.

The resolving power of an optical system is figured by averaging the numerical aperture (N.A.) value of the objective and the working N.A. of the condenser.

The acid value of immersion oil should be very low. If not then the higher acid content can lead to eventual deterioration of the metal parts of the objective lens or worse yet the dissolving of the cements used to manufacture the lens. This is turn leads to a leakage problem as immersion oil is wicked up into the interior of the lens.

Viscosity of the oil is up to the user. Lower viscosities tend to run and spread all over the microscopes requiring more clean up. Higher viscosities are more practical and not as messy. Very high viscosities are used for instruments that are mounted on slight angles.

When applying immersion oil use only the amount required for the individual slide. Too much oil does not help with the optical performance as much as it requires more clean up. Not enough oil will not allow a good optical contact with the objective.

Which oil is the best? Our choice is Cargille Immersion Oil. It is manufactured with the best materials. Immersion oil must meet the design requirements of older microscopes and become the design criteria for new instruments.

Author Name: Rowland Brasch: Nationalmicroscope.com

Microscope Immersion oil

ATAGO PRM-100a In-Line Refractometer

The successful series of In-line digital refractometers by Atago Company LTD has added a new product, and it is being carried by National Microscope Exchange. The newly released ATAGO PRM-100a digital refractometer has replaced the popular older style PRM-85 and PRM-85SE instruments, which were a mainstay of the company for years. Atago Company is one of the most respected world leaders in manufacture of refractometer products according to National Microscope Exchange President Rowland Brasch.

“The newly designed PRM-100a In-Line refractometer continues on in the tradition of excellent ATAGO products which have made it a world leader in refractometry,” said Brasch. “The new ATAGO-PRM-100a incorporates the accuracy and ease of use found in the less expensive model CM-780N, but adds the features of a higher degree of accuracy along with the capability to measure refractive index as well as brix.”

The new PRM-100a In-Line refractometer has accuracy readings of +/- 0.05% brix and +/- .00010 for refractive index, and has two options for setting the minimum indication decimal place, as well as the ability to set a User-Defined Scale (input via RS-232C). This instrument is easily connected to your system by attaching the unit to a piping system to monitor food or beverage production, pharmaceutical production, industrial fluid, washing devices, dilution/mixing devices, etc. The in-line refractometer will continuously monitor water content and mixing ratio with successive measurements of refractive index, Brix, or concentration.

“ATAGO refractometers such at the PRM-100a are popular with users because of their accuracy and ease of use,” said Brasch. “The PRM-100a In-Line refractometer is more accurate than other ATAGO In-Line refractometers, making it more attractive to users.”

You can learn more about National Microscope Exchange products by visiting www.nationalmicroscope.com or by calling 800-851-7635.

Author Name: Rowland Brasch: Nationalmicroscope.com

ATAGO PRM-100a In-Line Refractometer