Kern OBN 135C832 digital microscope set, OBN 135 trinocular (bright field) with ODC 832 camera

The Kern OBN-S range comprises seven digital microscope sets, each consisting of a trinocular Infinity microscope from the OBN series and a permanently mounted camera. The microscope is the OBN 135 for bright field, the OBN 142 for fluorescence or the OBN 159 for phase contrast. In addition, there is either a C-Mount camera with USB (ODC 825, ODC 832, ODC 861) or a tablet camera with a display (ODC 241, ODC 251). The model number indicates the combination: OBN 142T251 is the OBN 142 with the ODC 251 tablet camera. According to Kern, the appropriate C-Mount adapter is included in the delivery.

A choice of three microscopes

The OBN 135 works in bright field. Dark field, polarisation, fluorescence and phase contrast are options according to the data sheet. It features a 3 W LED for transmitted light and five Infinity-Plan objectives: 4x, 10x, 20x, 40x and 100x. The OBN 142 is a fluorescence microscope with a 3 W LED for transmitted light and a 5 W LED for epi-fluorescence. Both light sources can be dimmed independently. The fluorescence unit covers UV, V, B and G; according to Kern, the filter wheel can accommodate up to six filters and is fitted with B/G/UV/V filters. The OBN 159 is a phase contrast microscope equipped with the following objectives: 4x, PH 10x, PH 20x, PH 40x and PH 100x. All three have a Siedentopf tube, inclined at 30° and rotatable through 360°, with an interpupillary distance of 50 to 75 mm and dioptre adjustment on both sides from -5 to +5, plus five nosepiece positions, HWF 10x eyepieces with a 20 mm field of view and an Abbe condenser 1.25.

Köhler illumination and mechanical stage

The series features Köhler illumination, an adjustable field diaphragm and a centring and height-adjustable Abbe condenser with an adjustable aperture diaphragm. The very large mechanical stage is operated via a coaxial coarse and fine focus control on both sides. The fine focus mechanism operates in increments of 0.002 mm, and torque control is provided. According to the data sheet, the field of view measures 0.2 to 5 mm. According to the data sheet, the beam splitter ratio is 0:100 and 80:20.

The cameras

The ODC 825 and the ODC 832 have 5.1 MP and a 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor. The ODC 825 operates via USB 2.0 at 6.8 to 55 frames per second, while the ODC 832 operates via USB 3.0 at 14.2 to 101.2 frames per second. Both are powered via the USB cable; the VIS 2.0 PRO or LITE software is free of charge, according to Kern. The ODC 861 is a Peltier-cooled camera for fluorescence applications: 1-inch Sony CMOS sensor, 20 MP, USB 3.0, 5 to 30 frames per second, exposure time from 0.1 ms to 3,600,000 ms (one hour). According to Kern, the cooling is intended to significantly reduce image noise in low light; a black balance is possible. It is powered by an external 12 V power supply and comes with the VIS 2.0 LITE software (OXM 903).

The ODC 241 is a tablet camera with a 5 MP sensor (Sony CMOS, 1/2.8-inch, 30 frames per second), running Android and featuring 128 GB of storage. It saves data to a USB stick or microSD card, supports a USB mouse and outputs the live image via HDMI. The ODC 251 consists of an Android tablet with a 10.5-inch touchscreen (1,920 x 1,280 pixels) and an 8 MP camera (1/1.8-inch sensor) that records video in 4K. It has 32 GB of storage, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and HDMI. Both tablet cameras capture images and videos, measure distances and areas, and automatically adjust white balance and contrast. The ODC 241 also has a manual counting function and measures angles. According to the data sheet, the ODC 251 offers a choice of German and English as user interface languages.

Dimensions and current

The sets with the C-Mount cameras OBN 135C825 and OBN 135C832 measure 390 x 200 x 470 mm and have a built-in power supply for 100 to 240 V with IEC power cable. The OBN 135T241, OBN 135T251 and OBN 159T251 sets measure 390 x 235 x 620 mm. Kern states that the net weight for these five sets is approximately 11 kg. For the sets containing the OBN 142, the dimensions listed in the data sheet are the same as for the OBN 135 sets; however, the OBN 142 microscope alone measures 530 x 220 x 490 mm, which is why no dimensions are given in the table for these two sets.

Typical applications

• Haematology, urology, gynaecology, dermatology and pathology with image documentation
• Microbiology, parasitology, immunology and oncology
• Immunofluorescence, FISH and DAPI staining using the OBN 142C861 and OBN 142T251 fluorescence sets
• Phase contrast on living cells and bacteria using the OBN 159T251 set
• Water analysis, sewage treatment works, breweries and veterinary practices
• Training centres and universities: display specimens live on screen

Models at a glance

Technical details

These values apply to all sets. Any differing values are listed in the model table and in the text.

Scope of delivery

• OBN 135, OBN 142 or OBN 159 microscope with trinocular Siedentopf tube and two HWF 10x eyepieces
• Infinity-Plan objectives for each microscope
• ODC 825, ODC 832, ODC 861, ODC 241 or ODC 251 camera per set
• C-Mount adapter
• For the ODC 825 and ODC 832 as per the brochure: Microscope VIS Basic software (OXM 901), USB cable (2,000 mm), eyepiece adapter and stage micrometer
• For the ODC 241: tablet camera with pre-installed software and power supply unit
• For the OBN 142: Centring objective for fluorescence adjustment
• Dust cover, eyecups and multilingual operating instructions

Warranty

According to Kern & Sohn, these sets come with a 3-year warranty. Kern grants 3 years on products with a list price of €500 or more and 2 years on products below that and on components; wear parts such as batteries and rechargeable batteries are excluded. Warranty repairs are carried out by Kern or by a Kern dealer.

Downloads

• Operating instructions Kern OBN 135C825, 135C832 (PDF)
• Operating instructions Kern OBN 135T241 (PDF)
• Operating instructions Kern OBN 135T251, 142T251, 159T251 (PDF)

Regulatory information

As electrical devices, the microscopes fall under the ElektroG. The manufacturer Kern & Sohn GmbH is registered under the WEEE registration number DE 80821200. How to return old appliances is described on the page Environment and disposal.

Individual requirements and procurement service

Eyepieces (OBB-A1351, OBB-A1352 and OBB-A1448, as well as OBB-A1617 and OBB-A1618 with a 0.1 mm scale, OBB-A1354 WF 16x), the binocular tubes OBB-A1125 (Siedentopf) and OBB-A1359 (Butterfly), the OBB-A1237 complete phase contrast unit and individual PH units, PH plan objectives (OBB-A1390 to OBB-A1393), PH condensers with sliders (OBB-A1394 to OBB-A1397), the dark field condensers OBB-A1421 and OBB-A1538 (oil), the polarisation unit OBB-A1283, the fluorescence units OBB-A1153, OBB-A1155 (HBO) and OBB-A1156 (LED), the filters OBB-A1165, OBB-A1170, OBB-A1183 and OBB-A1188, the camera adapters OBB-A1514 (1x), OBB-A1515 (0.5x) and OBB-A1590 (0.75x), the eyepiece adapters ODC-A8102, ODC-A8103 and ODC-A8105, the calibration slide ODC-A2404, the OXM 902 and OXM 903 software, the dust cover OBB-A1388 and the travel adapter YKA-02 are also available. Enquiries are handled via our procurement service.