Bright field illuminationpdf

The shadow should be focused and centered in your image. The focus and the centering can be adjusted on the microcope stand itself as shown in the next steps.

Darkfieldmicroscope

Try to illuminate only the part of the sample you are imaging at the moment. Illuminating bigger areas of the sample increases the amount of stray light, which reduces the image quality

Mount the hex keys to the two wholes as shown and rotate them whilst checking the live view. Rotate until you center the aperture.