Instruction ManualMeade 900X Microscope

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Your new MEADE 900X Microscope is a doorway to new and excitingadventures and is designed to bring hours of enjoyment, wonder andjust plain fun...discover the hidden microscopic world around you!

Before trying out your new equipment, please take the time to read theimportant Cautionary and Safety information below.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

NOTE: This set may include chemicals that could be harmful if misused.Read all cautionary statements in this Manual. This also contains instru-ments and other materials with sharp points and edges. This set is notto be used by children under 8 years of age, and always with adultsupervision.

Use under adult supervision. For children 8 years and up. The follow-ing chemicals may be included in this package, and could be harmful ifmisused.

Eosin Biological Dye

CAUTION: Harmful. Do not swallow. In case of accident, call adoctor. Keep away from young children.

Gum Media

CAUTION: Do not swallow. In case of accident, call a doctor. Keepaway from young children.

SAFETY INFORMATION

General First Aid Information

a) In case of eye contact: Wash out eye with plenty of water, holdingeye open if necessary. Seek immediate medical advice.

b) If swallowed: Wash out mouth with water, drink some fresh water. Donot induce vomiting. Seek immediate medical advice.

c) In case of inhalation: Remove person to fresh air.

d) In case of skin contact and burns: Wash affected area with plenty ofwater for 15 minutes.

e) In case of a cut: Wash the cut with antiseptic solution (if unavailable,use clean water). Next, carefully place a bandage over the wound. Incase of serious injury, you should seek first aid and inform a doctoras soon as possible.

f) If in doubt or serious injury occurs, seek medical attention immedi-ately. In addition to the container, take these instructions and anymaterial used in the slide preparation with you.

ADVICE FOR SUPERVISING ADULTS

a) Read and follow the instructions, the safety information and the first

aid information carefully. Keep them on hand for reference.

b) The incorrect use of chemicals can cause injury and damage toone’s health. Use only the slide preparations listed in the instruc-tions.

c) This microscope is for children 8 years and up, and only with adultsupervision.

d) Because children’s abilities vary, even within age groups, supervisingadults should exercise discretion regarding which slide preparationsare suitable and safe for children. The instructions should aid adultsin assessing slide preparations to discern their suitability for eachchild.

e) Supervising adults should discuss the warnings and safety informa-tion with the child before commencing the preparation of slides. Payparticular attention to the safe handling of chemicals (if used).

f) Your preparation space should be kept clean, clear and away fromany food storage areas. Prepare your slides in a well-lit area andclose to a water supply. A solid table with a heat resistant top shouldalso be used.

g) A separate tin or bucket should be used for the disposal of solidwaste materials. Any wasted solution should be poured directly downa drain, but never into a sink basin.

h) To be used solely under the strict supervision of adults that havestudied the precautions provided.

Caution: Use care to install batteries in the orientation indicated byillustration in the battery slots of the battery holder. Follow battery manu-facturer’s precautions. Do not install batteries backwards or mix newand used batteries. Do not mix battery types. If these precautions arenot followed, batteries may explode, catch fire or leak. Improperlyinstalled batteries void your Meade warranty.

® The name “Meade” and the Meade logo are trademarks registeredwith the U.S. Patent Office and in principal countries throughout theworld. All rights reserved.

© 2003 Meade Instruments Corporation

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Let’s Begin!Carefully lift the microscope fromthe box using two hands. Placeone hand around the microscopearm and the other under the base. For best results, use the micro-scope on flat, sturdy surfaces.Always be mindful of your mirrorand light source. The more lightthat is reflected or transmittedthrough the hole in the stage, thebrighter and sharper the imageswill appear in the microscope eye-piece.

Microscope FeaturesTake a few moments to studyFigure 1 and become familiar withthe various parts and features ofyour microscope.

A. TweezersB. ScalpelC. Spatula D. Prepared SlidesE. Blank SlidesF. Gum Media, Eosin G. Sea Salt, Brine Shrimp

EggsH. Blank Labels

A

B

C

D

GH

F

N O

I

J

LM

K

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Fig. 1

E

I. Slide Cover Slips

J. Color Filter. Use this filter to add color and enhance an image in the eyepiece.

K. Butterfly Specimen

L. Petri Dish

M. Brine Shrimp Hatchery

N. Eyedropper

O. Micro-slicer

P. The Eyepiece with fixed lens that has a 10Xmagnification. Remove the dust cover fromthe eyepiece and put it aside in a safe place.

Q. The Body Tube. Connected to the eyepieceand helps focus the lenses.

R. Power Indicator/ Objective Turret. The tur-ret has 3 lenses or objectives: 10X, 40X, and90X (See Fig. 2). The shorter the objective,the lower the power or magnification. Thelongest objective is the highest power. Tocalculate the magnification you are using,multiply the value of the objective by thepower of the eyepiece (note that the powerindicator on the turret makes this calculationfor you). For example, turn the power indi-cator to the longest objective (90X), andmultiply by the power of your fixed eyepiece(1OX) – you will magnify the object by 900times (note that the power indicator reads900). This means that the object appears900 times larger than it appears to the nakedeye!

Gently turn the power indicator on the objec-tive turret (R, Fig. 1). You will feel and hearthe objectives lens click into place. Practiceturning the focus knob (X, Fig. 1) in bothdirections and notice how far you can turn itwithout letting the objective come into con-tact with the stage (S, Fig. 1).

S. The Stage is a flat platform with a hole in thecenter to allow reflected light off the mirror orlight source to enter the microscope.

TIP: Begin viewingat the lowest mag-nification or powerand focus theobject. Once theimage is focused,increase magnifi-cation by turningthe objective turretand refocus.

CAUTION: Becareful as you turnthe focus knob sothat the objectivelens does notmake contact witha slide or thestage. This maycause damage tothe slide and alsoto the objectivelens.

Fig. 2

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T. The Stage Clips (2) hold the glass slidefirmly onto the stage.

U. Mirror/Light Source. While holding thebase down, pull on the arm to tip the micro-scope back. Examine the mirror and lightsource located below the stage to see howyou can adjust them, and choose one or theother. The light source turns on automatical-ly when tipped upwards toward the stage.The mirror gathers and reflects light into themicroscope.

As you look through the eyepiece, try adjust-ing the mirror and light source to discoverhow best to adjust the amount of light com-ing through the eyepiece.

V. Base/Battery Compartment. Place themicroscope on its side. To remove the bot-tom plate from the base, slide coin or screw-driver into slot. Gently lift and the base willpop open. Insert two “AA” batteries (usersupplied) in the base. Match the positive (+)and negative (-) poles of the batteries withthe (+) and (-) markings on the base (Fig. 3).To replace lid, position it over the openingand gently press down until it clicks intoplace.

W. Focus Knob. Slowly turn the knob backand forth to focus an object in the eyepiece.Notice what happens to the power indicator(R, Fig. 1) as you turn the knob.

Start Observing!

Now that you’ve studied the features of yourmicroscope, it's time to take it out for a test driveand try out a simple observing exercise.

1. Rotate the focus knob (W, Fig. 1) and lowerthe stage (S, Fig. 1) as far as it will go. Place

TIP: Always keepboth eyes openwhen lookingthrough the eye-piece. Doing sowill relieve stresson your eyes.

CAUTION: To pre-vent the wiresattached to thelight from breaking,never rotate thelight source a full360°.

Fig. 3

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the 10X eyepiece into the microscope, if nec-essary. Turn the objective turret (R, Fig. 1) tothe shortest objective (4X).

2. Put one of the prepared glass slides (D, Fig.1) under the stage clips (T, Fig. 1) and posi-tion the prepared specimen over the hole inthe stage.

3. Look through the eyepiece (P, Fig. 1) andslowly turn the focus knob until the specimencan be seen in focus.

4. Observe what happens when you slowlymove the light source (U, Fig. 1) or the mirror.Adjust the mirror or light source to provide theamount of light that gives you the best image.

5. Look in the eyepiece and observe what hap-pens to the image when you move the slidefrom side to side and up and down.

6. If you wish to increase magnification, rotatethe objective turret to a higher power andrefocus. Also, observe with the 25X eyepiece.Practice rotating the objective turret tochange magnification.

Try Out the Color Filter

Locate the color filter (J, Fig. 1) and press it ontothe bottom of the stage (S, Fig. 1). Below thestage, a fitting will line up with the opening in thecenter of the filter. Rotate the filter to change fil-ter colors. Remove the filter, turn it around 180°,and reinstall it onto the stage. Two more filter col-

CAUTION: Becareful not to touchthe slide with theobjective lens. Youcan break the slideand/or the lens bytouching the slidewith the lens.

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

NOTE: The viewpresented in theeyepiece isupside-down andreversed from leftto right of theobject. In otherwords, if you wishto examine moreof the left side,move the slide tothe right. Or if youwish to examinemore of the top ofthe image, movethe slide down—and vice-versa.

CAUTION: Whenyou are finishedobserving, be sureto turn the lightsource around, ifnecessary, so thatit turns off anddoesn’t wear downthe batteries.Remove the bat-teries before stor-ing the microscopefor a month orlonger.

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ors are available in this position.

Install the filter as described above and turn thelight source (U, Fig. 1) until it turns on. Set it soit shines through the filter. Take a blank slide andplace a few grains of salt or sugar on it. Rotatethe filter and see how the filtered light enhancesthe image of the salt or sugar.

The Brine Shrimp Hatchery

Brine shrimp are tiny crustaceans that are idealfor study with a microscope. Crustaceans aresea creatures with hard shells and antennae.Crabs and lobsters are perhaps the most well-known crustaceans. Brine shrimp are the majorpart of the diet of many sea creatures. The wordbrine means water containing noticeableamounts of salt. Brine shrimp are salt watercreatures.

Your microscope kit comes supplied with sea salt , brine shrimp eggs (G, Fig. 1) and a shrimphatchery (M, Fig. 1). The brine shrimp eggsincluded with this set are dried and will remainalive for up to five years if stored in a cool, dryplace.

Perform the following procedure to hatch thebrine shrimp eggs:1. To hatch the eggs, first prepare a brine solu-

tion. Pour the entire contents of the vial con-taining the sea salt (G, Fig. 1) into a quart oftap water. Add the brine shrimp eggs into thesolution. Allow the solution to stand at roomtemperature (70° - 80°F or 21° - 26°C) for 24to 48 hours and the eggs will hatch into nau-plius larvae (this is the first stage of develop-ment after leaving the eggs).

2. Place some of the larvae into one of the com-partments of the shrimp hatchery (M, Fig. 1).

3. Place some fresh brine solution in anothercompartment. Add a small amount of yeast tothis new solution. Then, using the eyedropper(N, Fig. 1), transfer some of the larvae intothis compartment as well. The yeast willserve as food and produce oxygen for the lar-

NOTE: Use thecolor filter espe-cially when look-ing at clear or dimspecimens.

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vae as they develop into maturity. Withoutfood and oxygen, the shrimp cannot developand will die. Mature brine shrimp are knownas Artemia Salina.

Note: Using an eyedropper with just the rightpressure to get a desired amount of liquidonto a slide can be harder than it looks. Takeout a clean slide and practice squeezing adrop of water onto the slide until you feelcomfortable that you can control the size ofthe drop that you’re squeezing out.

4. Observe the life cycle of the shrimp as theygrow: the dried eggs, the hatching eggs, thedeveloping larvae, and finally, the matureshrimp.

5. The mature shrimp may be fed to fish in anaquarium if you so wish. However, firstremove the shrimp from the brine solutionand place them into fresh water. An increasein salt may harm the fish in the aquarium.

Make Your Own Slides

It’s so easy to make slides that the variety ofslides you can create will be limited only by yourown imagination.

A section of almost any material can be placedon a slide and observed with a microscope. Allyou need is the proper equipment and a littlepatience, and you’ll be making slides in no time.

Everything you need for the experiments in thisbooklet can be found in this kit or your home(make sure to ask a parent first before you bor-row any of his or her items, such as the measur-ing cup). Locate the follow items:

• Scissors • Paper towels• Petroleum jelly • A measuring cup• Natural, uncolored toothpicks • 2 or 3 small bottle caps • Wide mouth jar and lid• 3 or 4 paper cups, or any small containers

which can be discarded after use.Next, set up your work area....the kitchen table

TIP: Don’t alwaysassume thatincreasing magnifi-cation will producethe best image forviewing.

Each time youincrease in magni-fication, theamount of lightdecreases, and thesection of theimage you are ableto view alsodecreases. This isdesirable for somespecimens, but notfor others.

Experimentobserving with allthree objectives forall specimens untilyou get a feel formagnification lev-els.

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(make sure to ask a parent for his or her permis-sion), the desk in your room....any place whereyou can work undisturbed.

Label 3 of your cups: clean, flush and waste. Fillthe flush cup with clean water. Next, you willobtain a specimen and make your first slide.

Want to See Crystals?

Use a measuring cup to measure one or twoounces of hot (but not boiling) water and pour itinto a clean cup. Slowly add as much salt to thewater as will dissolve. Stir the solution continuously while adding the salt.

Use the eye dropper (N, Fig. 1) to place one ortwo drops of the salt solution onto a clean slide(Fig. 4).

Allow the slide to dry. You are now finished withyour tools for this experiment. Clean your tools:put the eyedropper in the flush cup, take upsome water and release it into the waste cup. Dothis two or three times. Stir the flush water.

The slide will dry covered with a white sub-stance. Place the slide into the microscopestage. Rotate the light source of the microscopeuntil it turns on. Before reading any further, lookthrough the microscope eyepiece and writedown what you observe.

If you carefully performed the experiment, youwill see little crystal cubes. A grain of table salt ismade up of many cubes. Place one or two grainsof table salt on another blank slide and compareit with the slide containing the crystal cubes.

If you wish to save your crystal slides, use atoothpick to put one or two drops of gum media(F, Fig. 1) on the slide and gently place a coverslip on top of the media (Fig. 5). Lightly tap thecover slip with a toothpick to evenly spread themedia under the slip.

Attach a label to each slide and set aside for afew days until the media dries. If you don’t wishto save the slides, wash the slides in clean waterand liquid soap. Rinse well and dry.

Begin to startthinking like a sci-entist as you per-form your experi-ments. Observecarefully, takenotes (make sureyou date them),and most impor-tantly, keep yourequipment and theworking environ-ment clean.Experiments workbest with cleanand uncontaminat-ed equipment.And your parentswill be appreciativeof a clean workarea, too.

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Further Experiments: Try out the above proce-dure with other salts such as Epsom andRochelle. Sugar will also crystallize, but you willneed to let it dry overnight for the crystals toform.

Preparing a Mount

Dip your spatula (C, Fig. 1) in some clean waterand make a smear across a clean slide. Useyour tweezers (A, Fig. 1) to place a portion of aninsect—a wing, a leg, or an antenna—on theslide. Attach a cover slip (I, Fig. 1) over the spec-imen and place the slide on the microscopestage.

Obtain a piece of hair from your head or fromyour pet and place it on a wet slide. Try thisagain with more than one type of hair on a slideand compare how they differ. Also try a piece offern (or other plant) and pollen and comparethem as well.

To save your slides, put gum media on a cleandry slide and then position your specimen in themedia. Place a cover slip over the media andattach a label.

Creating Smears

Using your scalpel (B, Fig. 1), gently scrape offsmall shavings from the surface of a freshly cutpotato.

Smear the shavings onto a clean slide (see Figs.6 and 7). Clean the scalpel by swishing it in theflush water. Draw up some water using your eye-dropper from the cup labeled clean and put onedrop onto the slide. Attach a cover slip to the

Fig. 6 Fig. 7

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slide and place to the microscope stage.Observe the slide and write down your observa-tions. You will see hundreds of starch grains.

Take a few kernels from an uncooked ear ofcorn. Scrape off some shavings and make asmear as you did with the potato. Compare howthe corn is different from potato. Create smearsof other foods such as apples, bananas, peach-es, and pineapples. You will observe that theseitems have membranes rather than starch.

To save your slides, put gum media on a cleandry slide and then position your specimen in themedia. Place a cover slip over the media andattach a label.

Before you make a permanent mount, you maywish to stain the specimen first.

Staining Smears

Not all specimens are easily observed in themicroscope. Staining specimens make themeasier to see. Staining is not difficult, but it doesrequire care. It is recommended that you keeppaper towels nearby as the process can bemessy.Before you prepare the smear, you willneed to prepare the eosin. See note at the left.

First, create a fresh smear (you may use shav-ings from an apple or other piece of fruit), asdescribed previously. Do not place any water ora cover slip on the specimen. Set the slide asideto dry, if necessary.

When the slide is dry, use the eyedropper toplace one drop of eosin (F, Fig. 1) on the slide.From the cup labeled flush, draw up water intothe eyedropper. Dispose of the water into thecup labeled waste. Perform this operation a fewtimes to clean out all the eosin from the eye-dropper.

Tilt the slide from side to side to spread the stainover the specimen. Remove the excess fluid tothe waste cup. Put down the slide and wait abouttwo minutes.

To flush away the excess stain and to stop thestaining action, hold the slide at an angle over

Note:

In order to stain aslide, you will needto prepare theeosin:

Without openingthe container, lookclosely at the container marked“Eosin (F, Fig. 1).”You’ll notice a fewgrains of ‘dust’ atthe bottom of thecontainer. Theseare the grains ofeosin. Remove thecontainer’s lid anduse the eyedropper (N, Fig. 1)to fill the containewith water. Gentlystir the mixture.You have now prepared the eosinfor use.

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the waste cup. Using the eyedropper, touch theslide just above the specimen area and slowly letthe water drain into the cup.

With a paper towel, pat the underside of slidedry. Be very careful and try not to touch thespecimen. Allow the specimen to air dry for sev-eral minutes.

Some of the specimen will be flushed away, butenough will remain on the slide to make goodobservations. To save your slides, follow the pro-cedure described previously.

The Micro-Slicer

Insert specimens you wish to study into the holesof the micro-slicer (O, Fig. 1). Rotate the knob tocut your specimen into thin slices. The Micro-slicer is an ideal tool in the making of sectionslides.

A Simple Section Slide

Section slides are extremely thin slices of tissuesof skin, leaves, flower stems, and other materi-als. Generally, section slides are very difficult tomake without special equipment and proce-dures. However, there is one common house-hold item which can be sectioned without specialequipment: the common onion, made up of lay-ers of tissue.

Peel off the very thinnest layer you can. One thatis nearly transparent will make an ideal section.Slice into a piece about 1/4 x 1/4 inch.

Put two drops of eosin (F, Fig. 1) in a bottle cap.Pick up the piece of onion with your tweezers (A,Fig. 1) and place it in the bottle cap.

Wait for a minute or two. Using the tweezers,remove the piece from the stain. Hold it over thewaste cup and flush it with clean water from youreyedropper. Place it on a clean slide. To saveyour slide, follow the procedure described previ-ously.

Life Under Glass

Fill a wide mouth jar with fresh water. Let it standfor three or four days without the lid. Then drop

CAUTION: Theblade of the micro-slicer is verysharp. Handle themicro-slicer withcare.

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a handful of dry grass and a pinch or two of dirtinto the jar. Put the cap on the jar and keep it ina place where it will receive light (but not directsunlight).

In about five days, you may examine the water.First make a special slide: Using a toothpick,make a ring of petroleum jelly on a clean slide.The ring should be smaller than a cover slip andbe about half as thick as a slide.

Put a drop of water from the jar onto the slideinside the ring. Use the lowest power of yourmicroscope and write down your observations.Did you detect any movement in the water? Themovement is caused by microscopic animals.Try to focus on one of the animals – this may notbe very easy as a drop of water is like an oceanto a microscopic creature.

If the animals seem to be moving too fast tostudy or don’t stay in focus for very long, soak upa little bit of water with a corner of a paper towel.

Care for Your Microscope

The MEADE 900X Microscope is a precisionoptical instrument and, when treated with care,will provide you with years of use and discoveryfun.

• Always carry the microscope with two hands—one around its arm and one under thebase.

• Always remove slides from the stage beforeputting the microscope away.

• Cover the microscope when not in use.• Do not use anything except lens cleaning tis-

sue to clean the lenses.• Never touch a slide with the objective lenses

of the turret.• Remove the batteries before storing the

microscope for a month or longer.

Remember, youcan make a speci-men slide out ofalmost any materi-al. When you areon a playground,at school, in apark, or just sittingaround at home,train yourself tolook at all thematerial aroundyou. Keep an eyeout for what mightmake a good spec-imen and discoverthe hidden micro-scopic world thatsurrounds us all.

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