I've tried using my Zeiss Universal to scan for specimens in a petri dish but the stage was NOT designed for that. After flipping the dish onto the floor once and other times balancing it while trying to stay in focus I had had enough. Yesterday, while mixing a cool beverage with watching my wife rake the lawn, the fermenting idea coalesced into a solid plan. After supper I hit the machine shop and started milling a couple of discs; one out of aluminum, the other plastic. Held together with some thin, double-sided tape and a couple of screws, it fit perfectly into the existing stage housing. And I was now able to slide around a petri dish to my heart's content, just like the old days with my student microscope.
Due to lack of clarity on my part, I've been asked for additional photos to explain my device. In response, I offer the following:
Here is a photo of the original stage in place, complete with all paraphernalia that allows manipulating a slide using geared mechanical movement in the X and Y direction. Unfortunately, it is less friendly when trying to scan a petri dish.
Pictured here is the stage base, with stage removed. The three contact points are evident; two in the back and a spring-loaded one at the front. The new flat stage is designed to lock into these same three contact points.
And here is the finished product, a flat, unobstructed surface. The petri dish is moved around until a victim is isolated under the objective. The water, including said victim, is then drawn up into a pipette and deposited elsewhere in the dish or onto a slide .
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