iolight V8-3 Folding Fluorescence Microscope

Quick Start Guide – Folding fluorescence microscope

Excitation wavelength – 465nm (blue) Emission wavelengths > 500nm (green – yellow – red)
This microscope has fluorescence filters built in and so it is designed for fluorescence microscopy only. The filter behind the objective lens blocks blue light and so you will only see green-yellow-red colours in the images from this microscope.

Microscope operation:

Press power switch to switch on microscope. Wait 20 seconds until blue light flashes. Hinge the mast up.

iPhone and iPad:

1. Download and install the ioLight app from the App Store
2. Connect iPhone / iPad to ioLightxxxxxx WiFi network
3. Start the ioLight app

Android

1. Download and install the ioLight app from the Play Store
2. Start ioLight app & follow the on-screen instructions to connect to the microscope’s WiFi] network
3. Your device may tell you that there is no internet available on the iolightxxxxxx network, if it does, choose ‘Stay connected to this network’
4. Wait a few seconds for live image from the microscope

Web Browser

1. Connect your device’s WiFi to the iolightxxxxxx WiFi network
2. Open a web browser and type the address 192.168.1.1 into the URL bar

Switch on top and / or bottom illuminators using the onscreen controls:

Base Illuminator		Top Illuminator
0	off	0	off
1	White light low – non-uniform for alignment	1	White light – low
2	White light high – non-uniform for alignment	2	White light – low-mid
3	Blue fluorescent illuminator – low	3	White light – mid-high
4	Blue fluorescent illuminator – high	4	White light – high

• Place sample on stage above base illuminator. It is a good idea to put the sample on a microscope slide since this allows the sample to be easily moved and it puts the sample in the correct position to get good illumination from the blue fluorescent illuminator
• Slide head down to focus the image – the head needs to be approx. 2mm above the sample for the image to be in focus
• Adjust fine focus using ‘thumb wheel’ on screen
• Move the sample to put the object of interest within the field of view
• Switch on the blue fluorescent illuminator (base illuminator level 3 or 4) and switch off top illuminator to observe fluorescent image
• Save a high quality image by pressing the camera icon on screen – the images are saved to your photos app or in your web browser’s downloads directory
• Switch microscope off – press and release the power button on microscope. NOTE: it takes 10 sec for the microscope to switch off and the blue light to go out

Blue connection light	Continuously lit	Microscope is starting up or shutting down. Or microscope is streaming live images to a device
	Flashing	Microscope is on and ready to stream live images to a device
	Flashing long-short- long	Microscope battery is <20%
	Flashing fast	Microscope is in recovery mode (see trouble shooting)
Green Charging light	On	USB charger is connected and battery is charging
	Off	Battery has finished charging or no USB charger is connected
Power Switch	Switch on	A short press switches the microscope on. Note: after pressing the power switch it takes approx. 20sec for the blue light to start flashing which signifies that the microscope is now on and ready to use.
	Switch off	A short press switches the microscope off. Note: switch off takes approx. 10secs then the blue light goes out Press power switch hard and hold it for 5 seconds until the microscope switches off (blue light goes out). Only do this if there is a problem with the microscope.

Apps (Android and iOS)

Microscope battery charge level

Settings

HD mode:
On = high definition live image
Off = standard definition live image (best for general usage – higher frame rate and less prone to interference on live video
NOTE – HD mode DOESN’T affect saved images – saved images are always highest resolution

Screen grid:
Use pre-set for your model microscope, or the slider or numerical box to set the desired number of grid squares across the image

Time-lapse
Set the interval between images, and the duration. Minimum interval = 20sec (2min for Z-stack)
If you hold your finger on the Time-lapse icon you get a Z-stack Time-lapse ie the microscope takes 9 images at different fine focus settings at each time point in the Time-lapse sequence.

Time-lapse imaging can run for a very long time so it is recommended that you:

• Connect your microscope and Android/iOS device to their chargers
• Ensure that there is sufficient storage space on your Android/iOS device for the images (approx. 2-3Mb per image)
• Leave the ioLight app visible for the duration of Time-lapse

Web Browser

Web browser only
Microscope power off
Save 12 images for Z-Stack
Save Digital Phase Contrast image (takes several seconds)
Pinch, or mouse thumb wheel to zoom

Web browser Settings menu

• After changing a setting, press ‘Apply Changes’
• ‘Default Settings’ resets settings for brightfield
• ‘High Contrast Settings’ sets high contrast for low contrast samples such as unstained cells
• Phase Range sets the amount of focus offset above and below current focus for the digital phase contrast image (range is 0-200)
• In the ‘Keyboard Shortcuts’ tab you will see shortcuts to access many settings more quickly

Settings in the Web Browser Settings Menu also take affect when using the iOS & Android apps

For full user guide go to https://iolight.co.uk/user-guide/

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Q: Can I use this microscope for regular light microscopy?
  A: No, this microscope is designed for fluorescence microscopy only due to the built-in fluorescence filters.
• Q: How do I adjust the illumination levels?
  A: Use the on-screen controls to switch on/off the top and bottom illuminators. Adjust base illuminator levels using the controls provided.

Documents / Resources

iolight V8-3 Folding Fluorescence Microscope [pdf] Instruction Manual V8-3, A1-0-3-672, iOS680-fw16-22-10-24, V8-3 Folding Fluorescence Microscope, Folding Fluorescence Microscope, Fluorescence Microscope, Microscope

References

• User Manual