Microscope assembly having base mount for receiving dimmer circuit components

Claim 1

A microscope assembly comprising: lens barrel means; a base for supporting said barrel means; the underside of the base having a recess; a tray-shaped component mounting member having a flat central portion and upwardly sloping sides defining a tray-shaped recess; said mounting member having spaced openings for loosely receiving threaded fasteners; said base being adapted to be positioned upon said mounting member whereby said recess and the top surface of said mounting member cooperatively define a hollow substantial rectangular shaped enclosed volume; said base having openings aligned with the openings in said component mounting member and being threadedly engaged by said fasteners to secure said mounting member to the bottom of said base; said interior volume being of a size sufficient to fully enclose all of the electrical elements typically incorporated in a dimmer circuit conventionally employed for adjusting the intensity of a light source employed as an illumination means in the microscope; said base having a first opening along the exterior surface communicating with said recess; a voltage adjusting knob extending at least partially through said opening for manually adjusting the voltage supplied to the light source; a second opening being provided in said base and communicating with said recess; a cable connector extending through said second opening and into said interior volume; the upper surface of the center portion of said tray-shaped component mounting member being adapted to support at least some of the electrical components typically utilized in a dimmer circuit, said components including at least a transformer and a thyristor being mounted upon said center portion to thereby facilitate maintenance, repair, inspection, and/or replacement of said components when the component mounting member is separated from said base whereby said selected components are freely accessible from the top surface of the component mounting member; the bottom surface of said component mounting member serving as the supporting surface of the microscope assembly when secured to said base; said interior volume being the sum of said base recess and said tray-shaped recess.