Selecting Illumination for Your Nucleus® MVR Inverted Microscope
By Mike Fussell, Marketing Team
Published on Feb. 25, 2022
Bright and even illumination is critical for most microscopy applications. The Nucleus automated microscopy platform provides a complete set of interchangeable hardware modules and software tools for building your bespoke standalone microscope or optical subsystem. The Nucleus reflected and transmitted light illuminator modules and lighting controller are compact, cost-effective and integrate seamlessly into the Nucleus MVR inverted microscope.
MLR3 Epi Illuminator
The Zaber MLR3 high intensity LED light engine is available in two standard configurations optimized for popular fluorophores.
MLR3A
Figure 1: Illumination wavelengths of MLR3A compared to excitation spectra of common fluorophores
| Property | Channel 1 | Channel 2 | Channel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center Wavelength | 385 nm | 473 nm | 568 nm |
| Color | UV | Blue | Green/Yellow |
| FWHM | 18 nm | 25 nm | 110 nm |
Table 1: Channel properties for MLR3A illuminator
MLR3B
Figure 2: Illumination wavelengths of MLR3B compared to excitation spectra of common fluorophores
| Property | Channel 1 | Channel 2 | Channel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center Wavelength | 385 nm | N/A | 625 nm |
| Color | UV | White (3000 K) | Orange |
| FWHM | 18 nm | N/A | 20 nm |
Table 2: Chanel properties for MLR3B illuminator
MLT Transmitted Illuminator
The optional MLT LED transmitted light illuminator adds to the MVR microscope's versatility by supporting transmitted light brightfield and phase contrast imaging. The MLT uses the same white (3000 K) LED as channel 2 on the MLR3B reflected light illuminator. 75 mm of clearance between the condenser and the stage provides ample room for stage top incubators, microfluidic systems, or cell culture flasks. The illuminator and condenser assembly can be rotated upward to provide more clearance for sample loading.
X-LCA4 Lighting Controller
The X-LCA4 lighting controller supports the simultaneous operation of the MLR and MLT illuminators. Users can control individual illumination channels with control knobs, or automate their operation with software such as μManager. This enables tightly coordinated operation with the MVR inverted microscope's filter cube selection and sample positioning systems. The X-LCA4 automatically simplifies system setup buy automatically detecting connected illuminators and configuring the channel properties.