Nikon stage bearings

Nikon stage bearings

The Metaphot was delivered with its stage partially disassembled and missing a crossed roller bearing rail.
The good news: that missing rail is seemingly the same as Labophot and Optiphot x-travel stage rails,
and an eBay seller lists those racks with rails. Having a stage with stripped thread in its rack,
one of them provided replacement parts for both stages.

Nikon Microscope Mechanical Stage X-rack for Labophot and Optiphot Series

eBay item number: 281567730299
Condition: Used

Nikon x-travel mechanical stage part that includes a good rack,
good roller bearing rails and good cosmetic verniers.
If you have a stage mechanism that is damaged on a Nikon Labophot, Labophot-2, Optiphot or Optiphot-2
this is an easy fix. Even a novice can replace this unit without much trouble.
The sale is for one each as pictured.

received 27 Aug 2022

By now, I have enough experience to be aware that anytime something is described as "easy",
then it will be nearly impossible and almost certainly not worth the hassle, particularly for software.
In this case, it would have been impossible if @abednego1995 had not noted
"These stages use cross-roller bearings",
which meant nothing to me, but Google found The Basics of Crossed Roller Bearings:

... without which I would have been doomed.

A stage must be held on edge to assemble these slides and bearings.

Optiphot stage X-rails will be reused in Metaphot ITP stage Y-rails:

Metaphot stage assembly

Practicing on the Optiphot stage was helpful,
but assembling either would have been nearly impossible
without a hobby vise to hold the stage on edge, tilted back slightly.

Although an Optiphot X rail is the same length as missing Metaphot Y rail,
the Optiphot rail is thinner. Thankfully, it seems to work alright.

maintained by blekenbleu