Marlo,
I don't know the MikeLite name, per se, but the place where I work uses dozens
of microscopes with attached lights, which I have been known to use to look at
cowries (thus, this becomes a shell-related item). Some are similar to what you
describe, a halogen lamp in a base unit with ~1 meter fiber optic cable to a
ring-shaped fixture with set screws to affix it to your 'scope.
Electrically speaking, the lamp is controlled by an SCR or TRIAC circuit through
an intensity control that usually has an on/off switch also. The base unit is
heavy because it contains a step-down transformer to supply the desired voltage
to the lamp-control circuit.
The lamp is aimed directly into one end (initially, a high polished, almost
perfectly flat interface) of the fiber optic cable. At the other end, the
fibers are broken out to supply ten or more light-producing points around the
ring.
The lamps are rather troublesome because, as a halogen lamp is wont to do, its
wire terminals get really, really hot,... hot enough to melt solder (so the
connections are spot-welded), and hot enough to accelerate corrosion to many
times its room-temperature rate. This often leads to a runaway condition on the
terminals where a small amount of corrosion increases the contact resistance,
which causes even more heat in the terminals (by way of P = I^2 x R), which
causes more corrosion,...
So, having said all of that,... What's your question?
Bob Dayle
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Quoting marlo <[log in to unmask]>:
> Anyone have familiarity with the MikeLite illuminators? How do they compare
> to the Fiber-Optic high intensity (150 Watt) Halogen Illuminators?
>
> Marlo
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