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Robert Morgan wrote:

>I beg to differ, I have just completed a major project of restoring a Zeiss
>210 system for use as a Axioplan/Axiotron scope.  Although it "worked" as a
>standard scope in full configuratio, it was massive with cable bundles and
>lasers and controlls all mounted on the back of this scope.  Half the weight
>of the original scope was removed to allow it's being moved easily.  This
>was not a joke but a $3,000.00+ project that has taken 3 months to complete.
>And has yealded a very useable Zeiss Axioplan with Flz, DIC and phase
>contrast, and I can at least pick it up.  Zeiss at least, extensively
>modifies their microscopes for use as confocal instruments.  In fact I now
>have a hybrid of the Axiotron frame with the Axioplan optical path and
>transmitted light parts.  Bob Morgan

Well, I have little experience with Zeiss confocals and none with
the 210, but $3,000 still seems extraordinary just to take off a
confocal head and disconnect a Z-drive.  On my old Bio-Rad MRC600
removing the confocal head would be a 2-minute job (crank it up and
pull the scope away from under it), the Z-drive just pulls off, then
there are a couple of screws to remove the transmitted light detector
if you want to worry about that.  My Radiance 2000 would be almost as
easy though the confocal head is held on by screws.  The Nikon C1 /
LIMO lifetime system is equally trivial.

Even my quite new top of the range Leica SP2 multiphoton would surely
take less than an hour.   3 screws hold the confocal head on, there
are a couple for each of the external non-descanned detectors and
four holding the scope to the optical table.  Otherwise it's just
unplugging cables since the focus is electric anyway.

                                                        Guy

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