This model is a simple adapter for mounting a Coast G20 LED flashlight in place of the Nicholas illuminator on a Bausch & Lomb/Leica StereoZoom microscope. It may also work with American Optical stereo microscopes.

When working under the stereo microscope, I prefer the slightly directional light of the Nicholas illuminator over alternatives like LED ring lights. Unfortunately the factory incandescent Nicholas illuminator has some drawbacks:

• Its transformer takes up a lot of workbench space
• Its incandescent lightbulb emits very warm light especially at the lower brightness settings
• It tends to project the image of dust specks into the field of view
• When mounted on the microscope head, it does not illuminate the correct field of view when using a 0.5x accessory lens

There are some commercial LED replacements for the Bausch & Lomb Nicholas illuminator on the market which address most of these issues, and offer nice features like USB power and continuously adjustable brightness, but they are very expensive and do not solve the problem of compatibility with the 0.5x lens. This print is a low cost alternative that allows a Coast G20 Inspection Beam flashlight to be mounted in place of the microscope illuminator. This flashlight features a lens that projects an even field of light very similar to the Nicholas illuminator. The two parts of the adapter grip the flashlight by the flats on its body and are held together when installed in the tapered socket in the microscope head. The flashlight can be easily swung into two distinct positions, aiming the light beam either for use with the microscope's standard 7x-30x zoom range, or a more rearward position for use with the 0.5x Barlow adapter lens.

This model should not be too picky about the filament used. I printed mine in Sunlu Matte PLA.