Disassembly of the AO Reichert Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor

[Energy Conservation in Housing]

Disassembly of the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor
by David L. Meinert, O.D.

Table of Contents

Steps for disassembly of the phoroptor 3
Cleaning the inside of the phoroptor 4
Lubrication of the sphere dial bearings 4
Difficulty in Rotation of the 3D Lens Wheel (and knob) 5
External Cleaning near the Jackson Cross Cylinder (JCC) 6
Slipping Axis of the Jackson Cross Cylinder (JCC) Mechanism 6
Cleaning the Jackson Cross Cylinder (JCC) Mechanism 6
Cylinder Axis Knob Turns with uneven Resistance 6
Cleaning and lubricating the JCC mechanism 7
Difficulty Rotating JCC from Power to Axis 9
Replacing Grease inside the JCC mechanism, by partial disassembly 9
Disassembly of the Cylinder Assembly 10
Misaligned JCC lens 11
Other Types of JCC Problems 11
Replacing the Cylinder Knob Axis Scales 12
Lubrication of the cylinder axis change mechanism 12
Reassembly of the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor 13
Inspection of the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor 15
Various Inspection Steps for Phoroptor Servicing 15
Replacing Forehead Rests for Phoroptors 16
Loose Rotation of Phoroptor Body 16
Reading Rod Yoke adjustment 17
Loss of Calibration Markings – Risley Prisms 18
JCC Disassembly (in order to reassemble or replace a damaged part) 21
Phoroptor tilt mechanism 21
Re-gluing cylinder lenses for AO / Reichert / Leica phoroptors 21
Phoroptor Bank “Wobble” 23
Mis-aligned cylinder power label plate 24
Loss of Paint from Phoroptor Body 24
Stripping Threads on Screws in Phoroptor 25

An alternative way to clean phoroptor lenses is during disassembly. I
found a fairly good way to clean the sphere wheels when disassembled.
What I needed was a surface to place the two sphere wheels on, during
cleaning. What I was found was a specific size of plastic (Melmac)
kitchen plate, which was just the right size so that the rim of the
lens wheel was supported by the plate, but the lubricated area of the
bearings was well above the surface of the plate. This allowed me to
clean the lenses, from edge to edge without disturbing the grease from
the bearing area. After re-assembly, what I typically find is that
the lenses still need further touch-up after this cleaning method.
Typically the lenses will look “clean” with light reflecting from the
lens surface. However, with the phoroptor re-assembled I could detect
additional optical filming, not obvious while disassembled. With
light shining in from an angle, through the lens, optical defects were
much more obvious than by reflection alone. For me, the main value of
cleaning while disassembled is to remove larger quantities of dirt /
debris, without introducing additional lint from the cleaning
process. I can clean the lenses quicker, jumping from lens to lens,
and the lens surface dries out faster as the entire sphere wheel is
exposed to room air.

Disassembly of the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor
by David L. Meinert, O.D.

At times it may be necessary to clean the phoroptor internally, re-
lubricate, or re-glue a dislodged lens. It can be useful to obtain a
part manual from Leica (formerly Reichert and American Optical) before
proceeding. Their parts manual (photocopy data, about 24 pages long)
lists the part names, part numbers, and part positions in various
“exploded” diagrams of the phoroptor internal parts. The actual
replacement parts can be obtained from optical suppliers, such as
Lombart Instruments (1-800-LOMBART).
Tool Problems: The AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor uses
"American" size Allen wrenches for a lot of its external and internal
parts. The very smallest screws appear to be 1/20" Allen head, but in
most cases it is actually a Torx (T5) size. The Torx T5 heads can
sometimes be removed with a 1/20" Allen wrench, but the head typically
strips easily with a 1/20" Allen tool if it is actually a T5 size. I
nearly always use a T5 screwdriver for these screws. To verify which
type, the head of the screws can be viewed with a magnifier lens or a
direct ophthalmoscope set on high plus. (A regular hex shape is the
Allen format; the Torx has a six-point star shape.) The T5 Torx size
is very difficult to locate. I found T5 screwdrivers through the
Willi Hahn Corporation (www.wihatools.com), 1348 Dundas Circle,
Monticello, MN 55362, phone (763) 295-6591. A single Torx T5
screwdriver (from WIHA, item # 267-05) is about $6, plus shipping.
Unfortunately, as of the year 2001, the way this screwdriver is made,
it is difficult to remove the T5 screw from the Auxiliary knob since
the screw is recessed inside the threaded shaft of the Auxiliary knob
(see item 1, below). The shaft of the screwdriver is plenty long to
get inside the hole. However, the screwdriver shaft is slightly wider
after the Torx tip, which causes the shaft of the screwdriver to rub
against the internal threads of the screw hole. (This could damage
the threads for future use.) To prevent this damage, I custom-tapered
the shaft of my Torx T5 screwdrivers (using a hard grinding stone,
powered by an electric drill) so that the Torx screwdriver could reach
the Torx screw head, without damaging the inlet threads.
The 1/20" head of Allen head screws seem to easily slip and strip,
when tightening or removing. (It might really be a Torx size.) If
actually an Allen head, it is possible to modify the next larger size
Allen wrench (1/16") by filing the edges, tapering it so that it can
be forced into the stripped Allen head screw, to allow such damaged
screws to be removed and/or tightened. A slightly stripped T5 head
can sometimes be removed with a T6 size (or a custom-tapered T6). By
forcing a T6 wrench firmly into the partially stripped T5 head, such
screws can continue to be used instead of replaced.

Topcon makes a phoroptor similar to the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic
Phoroptor. However, the Allen-style screw heads are all in metric
sizes. Also most of their phoroptor lenses seem to be plastic lenses
with anti-reflection coating, making them fairly fragile, in that they
are easily scratched during cleaning.

Marco makes a phoroptor similar to the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic
Phoroptor. As with Topcon, the Allen-style screw heads are all in
metric sizes. Most of their phoroptor lenses seem to be glass lenses
with anti-reflection coating; I was not entirely happy with the
quality of the anti-reflection coating. However I have seen worse
anti-reflection coating problems with newer versions (2006) of the
Reichert Phoroptor. One annoyance with cleaning the Marco phoroptor,
is that the sphere lenses have 4 recessed areas of each lens well in
the frame of the sphere wheels. I suspect this is a way to introduce
glue to the edge of the lenses, during the manufacturing process, to
secure the lenses in place. These recessed areas tend to snag the q-
tips during lens cleaning – and on the opposite side of the lens wheel
there is also some q-tip snagging, possibly from dried glue that
seeped around the edge. Also, the Marco phoroptor has the 3D sphere
wheel and Auxiliary knob on the bottom of the phoroptor, making it
hard to work around when cleaning lenses. (Both the cylinder knob AND
the Auxiliary knob get in the way when trying to wipe the q-tip
against the internal lenses, mainly when cleaning the doctor side of
the lenses). With the Reichert phoroptor, the extra set of knobs are
on the top, and out of the way when I am cleaning lenses.

The Marco phoroptor has an interesting arrangement for the Auxiliary
knob. It has more screws and more parts. However, it makes it easier
to align the Auxiliary knob settings with the actual Auxiliary lens
position. With the Reichert Phoroptor, if you have to disassemble the
Geneva assembly for lubrication and cleaning, it is tricky to get the
Auxiliary knob re-aligned with the correct auxiliary lens. The Marco
phoroptor has a cylindrical knob INSIDE the exterior knob. The
interior knob attaches to the Auxiliary shaft. The exterior knob
screws into the internal cylinder knob. It becomes an easy matter to
align the Auxiliary knob re-aligned with the correct auxiliary lens as
you just line it up and tighten. With the Reichert phoroptor, the set
screw has to fit on the flat spot of the internal shaft. If the shaft
is misaligned, you have to disassemble to get the shaft aligned so
that it corresponds to the correct Auxiliary lens position. That can
be a tedious and time-consuming process. On the down-side, each time
you disassemble the Marco phoroptor, you have to re-align the
Auxiliary knob with the correct auxiliary lens, whether or not you
disassembled the Geneva assembly. With the Reichert, correct assembly
of the Auxiliary happens easier, simply by tightening the set screw on
the flat part of the shaft. (Unless you disassembled the Geneva
assembly – then it gets more complicated.)

Steps for disassembly of the phoroptor

1. Remove the Auxiliary dial scale & knob using the correct Torx vs.
Allen wrench size. Typically it is a Torx (T5 size) instead of a
1/20" Allen wrench. (See "Tool Problems" above for additional
clarification.)
2. Remove the 3D sphere control knob (Listed by Leica as "Wheel, Dial,
Strong Sphere") using the correct tool (Typically a Torx T5 instead of
1/20" Allen wrench).
3. Remove the cylinder housing assembly, by removing the two 3/32"
Allen screws at the top front (doctor side) of the phoroptor, and the
one 9/64" Allen screw at the bottom back (patient) side of the
phoroptor. After lifting off the cylinder housing assembly, the 0.25
D and 3D lens wheels can be accessed, such as to re-glue a lens (see 4
thru 10, below).
4. Remove the metal disc (listed by Leica as “Scale, Strong Sphere”),
which is the sphere power label disc, by removing the three screws
that secure it.
5. There is a central metal hub (listed by Leica as “Collar, Thrust)
securing the sphere wheels. First loosen the central lock screw
(Typically a Torx T5 instead of 1/20" Allen size).
6. Once the Torx (or Allen) screw is loosened, unscrew the central
hub.
7. Then lift off the bearing collar (listed by Leica as “Mount,
Strong Sphere dial”). Note: If the bearing collar is very difficult
to lift off, it may be necessary to remove the two screws securing the
“Geneva” bracket and remove the Geneva Assembly. Then retract the
sphere dial tensioner wheel (“index, weak sphere”), and lift off the
bearing collar, with the 0.25 D and 3D sphere wheels all inter-
connected. Before re-assembling the phoroptor, insure that the parts
go together and come apart more easily. I have found that sanding the
internal hole of the sphere power wheel (such as with “fine” grit
Emery Cloth) can loosen excessive tension. Once all the parts fit
together more easily, future re-assembly and disassembly will proceed
more smoothly.
8. Remove the 0.25 D sphere wheel (listed by Leica as “Dial, Weak
Sphere”)
9. Then you can lift off the 3D sphere wheel (listed by Leica as
“Dial, Strong Sphere”)
10. If disassembly is to re-attach a dislodged lens, then re-glue the
dislodged lens (such as with 5-minute epoxy), clean off excess glue
with Q-tips, and then with Q-tips moistened with alcohol.
11. If disassembling to clean debris inside the sphere change
mechanism, use q-tips to clean out the dust or lint from the mechanism
around the top/round corner at the Auxiliary knob area of the
phoroptor (listed by Leica as parts of the “Geneva” bearings and
brackets). If necessary, the Geneva mechanism can be disassembled for
cleaning and re-lubrication. However, it should be possible to clean
this mechanism after removing the two sphere dial assemblies, which
then exposes much of this area for cleaning and lubrication with
machine (“3 in 1”) oil. Periodically the Geneva assembly should be
disassembled (remove the two snap rings) and the bearing area of the
3D sphere change mechanism of the Geneva assembly should be re-
lubricated with grease and “3 in 1 oil.” This bearing area of at the
base of the Geneva assembly can be lubricated reasonably without
disassembly. Moisten a q-tip with 3 in 1 oil (or even drip the oil on
the 3 ball bearings, if necessary). Wipe it with q-tips covered with
3 in1 oil, and rotate the mechanism to spread around the oil. Once
moving more freely, re-coat with Sil-Glyde grease and rotate the
mechanism to work in the grease.

Phoroptors in use for a number of years can have dust and debris
coating much of the internal phoroptor surfaces, requiring extensive
cleaning time and efforts.

Cleaning the inside of the phoroptor

While the phoroptor is disassembled, clean off the interior surfaces,
to include all dust, lint, and other debris inside the phoroptor
housing and on the metal surfaces of the various lens power wheels.
While the sphere wheels are disassembled, it is also a good time to
remove the bulk of the filming off the lenses. One can thoroughly
scrub around the lenses (using Q-tips moistened with Glass Plus,
unless a lot more deposits are evident on the lens surfaces) without
the risk of introducing lint or moisture into the phoroptor. Then dry
thoroughly with dry Q-tips. (I have even taken the sphere lens wheels
to a sink and scrubbed around the lens area with liquid hand soap, a
soft toothbrush, and hot water; I then rinse and dry them thoroughly
prior to reassembly.) I have found that lenses looking very clean
while disassembled, do not appear so clean once back in the phoroptor
and viewing the lenses with bright, indirect light shining through
them. This typically requires re-cleaning the lenses for final touch-
up.
At the outer edge of the +/-0.25 sphere wheel is a rim of metal that
a plastic wheel (“Index, Weak Sphere Dial”) fits into. Over time this
rim can get a fair amount of debris, and needs to be cleaned.
Previously, I used to gently scraped off accumulated debris using a
small flat-tip precision screwdriver. I found a better way to clean
the area is to wet Q-tips with alcohol, and firmly rub into the rim to
clean the area. Using several Q-tips can clean the rim area quite
effectively. (What I typically do is to save used Q-tips from lens
cleaning [such as in a gallon zip-lock bag], and later re-use them to
clean off interior and exterior parts of the phoroptor. This way, I
get nearly “free” Q-tips to clean off phoroptor parts, even though the
Q-tips are too soiled to clean lenses a second time.)
Try to clean the phoroptor housing under the Auxiliary lens wheel
also. To clean that area I have put a small, folded up section of
tissue under the Auxiliary lens wheel, then wet it with alcohol, then
move the wheel and tissue around so as to adsorb dirt / debris from
the phoroptor body surface and the underside of the lens wheel. Then
one has to get the wet tissue out of place without it leaving lint or
tissue debris behind.

Lubrication of the sphere dial bearings

If re-lubricating and “packing” the bearings with standard heavy-duty
bearing grease, the bearings get very sluggish, which makes the sphere
wheels more difficult to turn, especially at the 3D changes at –
1.00/-1.25 and +1.75/+200, and so on, since both sphere wheels are
turning at the same time.
I now use Sil-Glyde Lubricating Compound, with a little “3-in-One”
oil added to make the bearing run more smoothly. (See the below
description of where to get this.)
I have tried a number of different grease types for the sphere dial
bearings. I tried using Permatex® White Lithium Grease (WL-9),
available in a 1.5 ounce size, less than $2 per tube. This is a light
duty grease. Even if applied liberally to the bearings and bearing
surfaces, the sphere mechanism still turns smoothly. I obtained this
from an auto supply store.
Lombart Instruments recommended (and sold to me) Sil-Glyde
lubricating compound. This grease also comes in a 1.5 oz tube, and is
sold by Lombart (about $7.50 per tube). This is a nearly clear
grease, which is my grease of choice for all applications inside the
phoroptor (such as the JCC flip lens re-lubrication). However, it is
too thick for the sphere dial bearings. To use it for the sphere dial
bearings, I find I have to thin the Sil-Glyde grease with “3-in-1 oil”
on the sphere dial bearings, or it gets too difficult to turn the
sphere wheels. (If you use too much oil, the oil can run around onto
the sphere power wheels and make a big mess.)
I have also obtained other light-duty grease from auto-supply stores
and some hardware stores, which works somewhat smoothly. (One brand
name I have used is “Sta-Lube” Lithium General Purpose Grease. The
package describes it as designed for light duty applications.) Such
light duty grease seems to still have too much rotational resistance
if you “pack” the bearings with grease. Typically, new phoroptors
have a thin coating of grease on the sphere wheel metal surfaces,
WITHOUT the bearings being packed with grease. Similarly, I typically
lubricate the bearings with a thin coating of light duty grease. I
then coat the flat metal surfaces of the sphere power wheels (where
the bearings contact) with light duty grease.
I have also tried heavy weight oil (SAE 140, available from Auto
supply stores) on the sphere dial bearings. This “worked” except if
you put too much of this oil, it runs around all over the sphere wheel
surface, and makes a real mess inside the phoroptor. (The sphere
wheels turned smoothly using this SAE 140 oil – except the oil didn’t
stay in place very well.) Ultimately I found that such thick oil
caused too much mess, and I now use Sil-Glyde, with a little “3-in-1”
oil added to make the bearing run more smoothly.
Currently, when I re-assemble the phoroptor power wheels I add 1 or 2
drops of “3-in-1” oil to each of the 3 sphere bearings (if it appears
the grease is at all dry) and spread it around the bearing, to make
the grease less viscous.
When reinstalling the sphere wheels, the central bearing collar
(listed by Leica as “Mount, Strong Sphere Dial”) should snap back into
place with little resistance. (On some phoroptors, this collar is
excessively tight. I found it necessary to use fine grit “emery”
cloth to sand the sphere wheel holes, so the hub easily fits inside
the sphere wheel holes.) Snug up the central metal hub (listed by
Leica as “Collar, Thrust”) to secure the sphere wheels, then back it
about 1/12 to 2/12 of a rotation, so that it does not bind up. (Each
lens position is 1/12 of an entire rotation. I have found that if I
snug up the central metal hub with a small screw driver, or the Torx 5
wrench tip, then back off by 1½ lens positions (3/24 rotation), then
the sphere wheel assembly is neither too tight or too loose.) Then
tighten the central lock screw (typically a Torx T5). If the bearing
collar and central metal hub are too loose, there can be a wobble of
the sphere wheels, and they can interlock, causing them to jam and to
move together instead of independently.

Difficulty in Rotation of the 3D Lens Wheel (and knob)

On some phoroptors, there is a lot of resistance in rotating the knob
which controls the 3 D lens change settings. The knob controlling
that lens wheel changes the power in 3 D increments. If still hard to
rotate after lubricating the sphere bearings, and setting the tension
on the central bearing hub correctly, the cause could be in the Geneva
assembly. The central shaft of the Geneva assembly has 3 ball
bearings at the base of the assembly. A snap ring at the top of the
Geneva can allow the central shaft to be removed, and the 3 ball
bearings then re-lubricated. It is possible to also re-lubricate with
less disassembly. One side of the ball bearings is visible with the
two sphere wheels removed. Wipe the bearing surface with “3-in-1 oil”
to remove debris and allow the oil to soak in. Apply a dab of Sil-
Glyde grease on the bearing surface. By rotating the 3D sphere
assembly shaft, it can spread around the fresh grease, which could
then allow the ball bearing assembly to rotate more smoothly, without
further disassembly.

External Cleaning near the Jackson Cross Cylinder (JCC)

Where the JCC and Risley assembly connect to the phoroptor is an area
that can accumulate a lot of debris. The mechanism rotates on a metal
shaft, where the JCC / Risley turns in and out of position. This area
can be cleaned with q-tips and “3 in 1” oil. Wipe off all the debris
and then oil the area lightly. Then blot off excess oil from the area
so it will not run down onto the front of the phoroptor. Then you can
re-coat that area with light duty grease, such as Sil-Glyde.

Slipping Axis of the Jackson Cross Cylinder (JCC) Mechanism
Cleaning the Jackson Cross Cylinder (JCC) Mechanism

After a period of time on some phoroptors, the JCC axis might start
to slip, when flipping the JCC or Risley prism assembly in or out of
place. This problem can occur because, after a number of years, the
internal JCC grease dries out. This causes much resistance rotating
the JCC from Power to Axis settings. This same resistance to rotation
can cause axis shifting when flipping away the JCC / Risley assembly.
To get the proper JCC tension, insure the JCC mechanism is first
cleaned (see below), then adjust the axis tension. One can tighten
the JCC axis tension (loosen the 1/16" Allen screw securing the
cylinder power knob, to access the 3/8" locknut and the slotted
adjusting nut underneath). By loosening the locknut, re-set the
tension on the slotted nut, and re-tighten the 3/8" locknut -- so that
the axis no longer slips. This re-adjustment must be done in a trial
and error fashion to arrive at the correct tension.
Such an axis tightening can resolve the symptoms of axis slipping.
However, the problem can actually be due to increased resistance of
the rotation of the JCC assembly (such as when rotating the JCC lens
to switch between the power and axis testing). The increase in
rotational resistance of the JCC assembly can be due to a build-up of
debris or dust inside the assembly and/or drying out of the lubricants
in the JCC assembly. As the rotation resistance increases too much,
this can cause the axis setting to shift when flipping out the JCC/
Risley mechanism. Eventually, successive tightening of the JCC axis
tension makes the phoroptor difficult to use, since it can become so
hard to turn the axis knob – or the axis flips out of position if not
tight enough.
This axis tension problem can usually be resolved by cleaning the JCC
mechanism. Once the mechanism is cleaned, if the JCC mechanism had
been earlier over-tightened, one can then loosen the axis tension
without the axis accidentally shifting position. When the cleaning
and re-lubrication of the JCC is completed, the axis should hold
position when flipping out the JCC/Risley mechanism. If the axis
still shifts, then one should tighten the axis tension somewhat.

Cylinder Axis Knob Turns with uneven Resistance

Once the axis tension set, so that the axis would not shift out of
place, it should not have too much resistance to turning. By removing
the cylinder power knob, it exposes a nut and bushings that allow
further adjusting to get the tension correct. On one case, out of
100+ phoroptors, the axis tension changed from easy to difficult as I
rotated the knob through 360 degrees of rotation. I figured that
grease under the adjusting nut had dried out. It didn’t help to drip
3 in 1 oil into that area. To get new grease inside the mechanism, I
first removed the snap ring from the shaft (and the spacer washers
under the snap ring), then unscrewed the 3/8” nut a substantial
amount, then unscrewed the underlying lock nut a substantial amount.
That exposed the compression bushing and washer underneath. I then
forced Sil-glyde grease into that area, pushed the grease around,
removed some of the excess, then reassembled the mechanism, re-setting
it again to the proper tension. This resulted in smoother (and even)
operation of the axis knob.

Cleaning and lubricating the JCC mechanism

1. During disassembly, place a large towel on a table top (to keep
screws and other parts from rolling away). Place the phoroptor
horizontal, JCC mechanism facing up.
2. Remove the two screws securing the JCC lens (usually Torx T5
instead of 1/20" Allen).
3. Remove the axis/power plate. (Listed by Leica as "Scale, Cross
Cylinder")
4. Remove the JCC spring/tensioner plate (Listed by Leica as "Spring,
Cross Cylinder")
5. Remove the JCC lens (Listed by Leica as "Cross Cylinder cell
assembly")
6. You now need to clean out dust and debris, which can be done
without further disassembly, using "3-in-1" type light oil and
tissues. If the JCC mechanism has much resistance to rotation, it can
take multiple sessions of cleaning (stretching over 15 to 60 minutes,
or longer, as needed).
a. Cover the phoroptor surface (between the JCC housing mechanism
(Listed by Leica as "Housing, Cross Cylinder") and the phoroptor
surface) with tissues to protect from oil drips. Try to make the
phoroptor surface level and flat, while setting on a tabletop. (I
found that a ¾” thick piece of wood under the top of the phoroptor
support arm (Listed by Leica as “Bracket, Clamp”) makes the phoroptor
approximately level.) Or, you can rotate the support arm assembly
(after tightening the rotation knob) so that it lifts the top of the
phoroptor to an approximately level position.
b. Partially fill in the space between the JCC housing and the round
exterior frame (Listed by Leica as “Guard”), in the space where the
JCC flip knobs usually sit) with cleaning / lubricating oil. Rotate
the JCC housing to spread the oil around.
c. Stuff a small amount of paper tissues in the space where the JCC
knob usually sits, gently pushing the tissue in place, such as by
using a small screwdriver or the Torx (T5) screwdriver.
d. Rotate the JCC housing a couple times around (DON'T use the
cylinder axis knob, just rotate the housing assembly directly).
e. Pull out the tissue, now soaked with oil. On a first cleaning, the
tissue should look dirty, as it soaked up oil and dirt during the
rotation of the JCC housing.
f. Repeat steps "b thru e" (above) several times (or many times) until
the tissue comes out with very little dirt. Try to agitate the JCC
mechanism so that the dirt/debris inside the JCC housing mechanism
also comes out. Agitation can allow oil to get under the internal
spring plate (listed by Leica as “Spring, Detent”) and the washer
next to it (listed by Leica as “Thrust Washer”), and the JCC housing.
(But agitation can also dislodge the ball bearing that locks the JCC
at the power and axis setting.) Wipe inside the JCC housing to remove
oil and debris that works its way around the thrust washer of the JCC
mechanism. Also by gently pulling and pushing on the JCC housing, you
can see oil working its way around the thrust washer and spring plate,
to help remove accumulated debris.
g. In some cases, there is visible persisting debris under the thrust
washer even after repeated cleaning with lubricating oil. I found I
could loosen the debris by using isopropyl alcohol as a solvent – But
then I later regretted using it. Use of alcohol seems to distort the
shape of the “Thrust Washer.” It is better to use more and prolonged
soaking with oil to loosen and remove the persistent debris.
h. If this lubrication or cleaning has been successful, the JCC
housing should now rotate with far less resistance than before. In
practice, it saves time to clean both JCC mechanisms at the same
time. One side can have the oil soaking in, while you work on the
other side. There is even some value in letting the oil soak in (and
loosen the debris) for a longer time period (even several hours, or
overnight). It can be time-wise more efficient if working on two or
more different phoroptors, the JCC mechanism can be soaking on some
phoroptors while working on another phoroptor. Then switch back to
the first phoroptor, while the other ones soak. While soaking, stuff
a ball of tissue paper inside the JCC housing space (where the JCC
lens usually sits) so as to soak up oil that works its way around the
thrust washer).
i. Once having thoroughly cleaned the JCC mechanism, blot off the
excess "3-in-1" oil with small pieces of tissues, so that no excess
oil remains to drip or run out.
j. Some phoroptors had such dried and persistent debris, that I
allowed the cleaning oil to soak through, and repeated the cleaning
and oil soaking a few times over a couple day period to finally clean
out the debris.
k. On future JCC cleaning, in successive years, a few drops of "3-
in-1" oil is sufficient to re-lubricate, unless it has become
substantially dirty inside. After this brief re-lubrication of the
thrust washer area, blot out the excess oil with tissues stuffed
inside the “guard” area.
7. Using dry q-tips, clean off the old grease from the shaft of the
JCC flip knob mechanism Then use q-tips, wet with alcohol, to clean
off any stains or sticky deposits for the JCC flip knob mechanism.
8. Before re-assembly, it can be a good idea to lubricate the ball-
bearing that causes the click-stop when shifting from cylinder Power
to Axis testing. (After cleaning the JCC mechanism, with oil, this
can remove some of the grease, which you will periodically need to
replace.) While the JCC is open and exposed, it is fairly easy to
stuff in some grease around the ball-bearing area, then clean off the
excess. This is especially important if there is any metal to metal
grinding feeling, when switching from the Power to Axis click stop.
9. Lubricate the shaft of the JCC lens with Sil-Glyde grease, and also
use that grease on the JCC housing where the JCC lens shaft will sit.
Replace the JCC lens. Clean the old grease off the JCC tension plate
and re-lubricate with new grease (such as Sil-Glyde), and replace the
JCC spring/tensioner plate.
10. Replace the JCC axis/power plate.
11. Replace the two screws securing the JCC lens (usually Torx T5
instead of 1/20" Allen).
12. With the JCC mechanism rotating more freely, if the JCC axis
mechanism had unusual tension to resist rotation, it may be possible
to now reduce the axis tension adjustment (inside the cylinder power
knob). When the adjustment is complete, the cylinder axis should stay
stable when the JCC/Risley is flipped in and out. The axis tension
should be sufficiently tight so that the axis setting does not change
when rotating the JCC flip lens. The axis tension should be loose
enough so that it is not difficult for the doctor to rotate the
cylinder axis knob to new positions.
13. Once completed, there can be a significant amount of cleaning and
lubricating oil on the exterior portions of the JCC assembly and even
the Risley Prism assembly. It is a good idea to use tissues to
carefully soak up all visible oil from these surfaces.

In some cases, the JCC spring/tensioner plate can exert too much or
too little tension. (With too much tension on the spring/tensioner
plate, the JCC lens can rotate out of position when trying to simply
flip the JCC lens. This can be very frustrating for the examining
doctor if the JCC lens keeps shifting / rotating out of position
during use.) The spring/tensioner plate can be re-shaped (such as by
gentle bending using 1 or 2 snipe-nose pliers). This can be a tedious
process – to re-shape the angle of the spring/tensioner plate to get
the proper amount of tension, while still having the JCC lens align
properly when flipped. If all else fails, the spring/tensioner plate
can be replaced if too deformed or damaged.
If having several phoroptor JCCs disassembled simultaneously, it is
possible to lose or damage some of the loose JCC parts. I found that
“cup-cake” foil / papers can hold the JCC lens, spring, plate, and
screws so they do not get lost easily.




Difficulty Rotating JCC from Power to Axis.
The two extremes of difficulty rotating JCC from Power to axis are:
(1) old, dried out grease, making rotation sluggish, and (2)
insufficient grease causing metal to metal friction, which can lock up
the mechanism so it won’t rotate from Power to Axis.
The old, dried grease problem can be resolved by the above-listed
cleaning process. However, if this process is done year after year,
eventually insufficient grease will remain for sufficient
lubrication.
While small amounts of grease can be stuffed in under the spring
plate from the side edges (a slow and tedious process), a better
approach is a partial disassembly to replace the missing grease.

Replacing Grease inside the JCC mechanism, by partial disassembly

1. Remove the Cylinder assembly from the phoroptor body.
2. Position the JCC mechanism so that one of the back screws of the
JCC spring plate (“Spring, Detent”) can be visualized through the lens
opening.
3. Remove one of the two (T5) screws securing the plate, and save it
in a dish (or cup-cake paper) so that it is not lost.
4. Next, carefully remove the ball bearing from inside the JCC
mechanism (it can be helpful to manipulate the ball bearing using two
small screwdrivers, especially if coated with grease to help pick-up
the ball bearing). Store the ball bearing in the same dish or cup-
cake paper.
5. Allow the second T5 screw to remain secured in place, while you
lift up the back spring plate. Using another screwdriver, put gobs of
Sil-Glyde grease under the spring place, until the internal gears and
mechanism are fairly well coated. It can be helpful to put a
paperclip wire under the plate to keep it from closing shut, as you
are adding new grease. Rotate the axis of the JCC mechanism, to
expose more of the gear area under the spring plate to help you put
grease more evenly under the spring plate.
6. To Replace the Ball Bearing: Take another small screwdriver; put a
small gob of grease on the flat surface of the side of the screwdriver
tip. Place the ball bearing on the grease. While stretching open the
plate, carefully place the ball bearing back against the circular hole
in the spring plate where it initially was. Carefully remove the
screwdriver (and paperclip that kept the plate open). Then rotate the
axis to where you can see the screw hole through the lens opening.
When reinserting the T5 screw, a small amount of grease on the T5
screwdriver tip can hold the T5 screw in position on the tip of the
screwdriver, while you put the screw back in place.
7. If re-alignment of the spring plate is needed, with one of the two
screws slightly loose, by pushing on the edge of the spring plate, it
can be shifted slightly from one side to another in the slotted hole,
until you get the best alignment.
8. Once re-assembled, the cylinder mechanism can be sluggish when
rotating from cylinder power to axis test positions. To make it
rotate more smoothly, I again use “3-in-1” oil to soften the grease
enough so that it is less viscous. Then blot off excess oil before re-
assembly.

Disassembly of the Cylinder Assembly

In 2007 and 2008, I did re-lubrication of over 100 phoroptors for the
cylinder assembly to replace internal grease, as I describe in the
above section. One of the cylinder assemblies needed a re-do as I had
put in too much grease, because it would not hold in the click stop
position securely enough. On disassembly, I inadvertently removed
BOTH of the T5 screws securing the inside back plate of the cylinder
assembly. At this point, the cross cylinder housing (which holds the
JCC lens) fell out. I now found it was easily possible to replace the
thrust washer, as it was fully exposed. The issue at this point, is
what happens to the internal gear ring of the cylinder assembly.
During this accidental disassembly, I also dislodged the gear ring.
When reassembling, the cylinder power and axis click-stops were out of
alignment, beyond the (perhaps 10 degrees) play allowed by the slotted
holes of the back plate. I again removed both T5 screws, and rotated
the gear ring by the amount I hoped would re-align it. I lucked out
and it was within the 10 degrees of play I had to work with. I
figured I might be at that all day trying to stumble onto the correct
alignment.
Trying to find an organized method of reassembly on correct alignment,
on one additional trial in 2008, the following is what I came up
with.
1. Remove the cylinder assembly from the phoroptor.
2. Remove the JCC lens (after removing the two T5 screws that secure
the “Scale, cross cylinder” and “Spring, cross cylinder”).
3. Remove one of the T5 screws and the ball bearing from the back
plate spring (“Spring, Detent”).
4. Click the cylinder assembly in place over the phoroptor lens
opening. Rotate the cylinder position arrow so that it can line up
with a visible landmark on the stationary part of the cylinder housing
frame (“Turret Housing Assembly”), such as one of the slotted screws
on the back of the cylinder housing frame.
5. Hold the cylinder assembly so that you are looking at the inside of
the cylinder assembly and the cross cylinder housing is facing down.
6. Support the part of the cylinder assembly that holds the JCC lens
(“Housing, Cross Cylinder”), and remove the final T5 screw that holds
the housing in place.
7. Move the back plate spring out of the way so you can see the gear
ring.
8. Gently lower the cross cylinder housing without disturbing the
alignment of the internal gear ring (“Gear, cross cylinder”).
9. Have the cylinder assembly clicked in place over the phoroptor lens
opening. While holding the cylinder assembly, lift up the ring gear
and rotate it so that the notches (where the ball bearing clicks in
place) line up with the landmark on the cylinder housing frame that
you are using (above in #4). Note that there are 4 of these notches
in the gear ring. You want to line up a notch so that the other notch
is 45 degrees to the left (counter clockwise) from the position of the
notch you are lining up.
10. Now get the gear ring to re-mesh with its internal gear in this
position.
11. Gently raise up the cross cylinder housing to fit inside the gear
ring WITHOUT un-meshing the gear ring.
12. Replace one T5 screw to hold the assembly together.
13. Replace the ball bearing and check for alignment. If properly
aligned, then reassemble fully.
14. You will probably have to do minor adjustments in the 10 degree
play you have to work with in the slots of the back plate spring.

Misaligned JCC lens

Once the JCC is reassembled, I have had times that the JCC lens no
longer sits flat in the cross cylinder housing, but is tilted out of
position. Yet, when I first saw the JCC it was aligned properly. The
problem can be due to the JCC flip mechanism not being symmetrical.
(There are flat portions on the JCC lens assembly that contact the
spring/tensioner plate (“Spring, Cross Cylinder”). Theoretically, the
two flat sides of the assembly should be parallel to each other. In
practice, they are not always parallel.) This tilt of the JCC lens
could be resolved as easily as removing the two T5 screws, removing
the Cross Cylinder Scale, lifting off the spring/tensioner plate,
rotating the spring 180° – and then reassembling the JCC mechanism.
If the JCC lens won’t align flat in either position, then it will be
necessary to change the angle of the bends of the spring/tensioner
plate. To adjust the bend of the plate, one can use an optical tool
(a “Snipe Nose pliers” – using either one or two of them). If re-bent
correctly, changing the angle of the bend can then allow the lens to
sit flat. What I typically do it to grip the spring/tensioner plate
at the edge of the bend with two snipe nose pliers – and carefully
change the angle of the bend of the metal. Sometimes I re-make the
bend using one snipe nose pliers, and with the fingers of my fellow
hand grip the other side of the bend with my thumb and forefinger
(getting as close to the bend as I can with my fingernails). It’s a
trial and error process. Bend it a little in the direction you think
it will need to go, then reassemble. Check for alignment. If not
correct, try it again (and again, and again, sometimes).

Other Types of JCC Problems

A few repairs I did were for JCCs that had excessive play when the
JCC lens was turned into a click-stop position (for cylinder power or
axis). Instead of locking in place, it would rotate 15 degrees or
more in either direction from the click-stop position. Ultimately the
problem was found to be a loose set-screw on a gear (“Gear, Drive”) in
the JCC mechanism. The gear was accessed by removing the 3 screws
(Torx T5) that secured the plate (“Cover, Turret”) covering the gear.
Tightening the set-screw on the gear resolved the problem. To prevent
future slipping of the screw, it can be sealed in place with clear
nail polish or a thread sealant, such as “Locktite.”

On rotating the cylinder assembly out of place, sometimes the axis
can change position. Sometimes when turning the JCC axis knob, the
cylinder assembly can start turning in place, if not already in “click
stop” position. It’s hard to be sure of the causes of these
problems. There are so many internal gears of the cylinder mechanism,
and most of the gears are not visible, without disassembly, and
disassembly of the cylinder mechanism is best left to the experts.
The cause of such resistance to turning might be due to internal
grease drying up.

On one occasion, BOTH of the (above) rotation problems presented on
an already serviced cylinder mechanism. I found that by rotating the
axis mechanism continuously, I could find positions that suddenly had
more resistance, and caused the cylinder / Risley assembly to swing
around. When it got to this position of resistance, swinging the
cylinder / Risley assembly in and out of position, caused the cylinder
axis to rotate (10 to 30 degrees) while when out of this resistance
position, the axis stayed stable. I appear to have gotten some relief
of this problem by lubricating certain positions: (1) the shaft where
the cylinder / Risley assembly attaches to the phoroptor (drip 3-in-1
oil in the gap on that shaft mechanism, and blot off the excess oil);
(2) removing the 3 screws that secure the turret cover of the JCC. I
put a drop or two of 3-in-1 oil so that it gets under the large gear,
presumably softening the underlying grease; (3) by removing the 3
screws that secure the cylinder axis scale (and removing the scale)
around the lens opening allows visualization of some gears. Carefully
adding a drop of 3-in-1 oil on each of the 2 gear clusters might
soften some dried grease. [After trying steps 1 and 3, above, the
resistance still persisted, but lubricating under the turret cover
appears have resolved the problem.] But this is all “guess work” and
I can’t be sure I resolved the problem – and can’t be sure the oil
won’t drip out can cause problems later.

Replacing the Cylinder Knob Axis Scales

At some point in time the numbers or calibration markings can become
worn off the cylinder knob axis scale on either the right or left
bank. To replace the scale, remove the cylinder power knob, then the
cylinder axis knob (using a 1/16” Allen wrench). There are 3 screws
(typically Torx T5) securing the axis scale. Remove the screws,
however be aware that one of the 3 screws (on one bank) may be
shorter. If one of the longer screws is reinserted in the space where
the short screw is supposed to go, it will cause rotation of the
cylinder axis to bind up. On loosening the screw, the axis will then
rotate freely. Put the shortest of the 3 screws in that hole.
Make sure the cylinder knob axis scale is properly aligned, as
compared to the axis scale over the lens apertures of the phoroptor.
It is useful to check the alignment at several axis points (such as at
30° intervals) to insure it is properly aligned and centered. The new
axis scale may be coated with a plastic film, which can be removed
(peeled off) during installation. Once the scale is installed,
replace the cylinder axis knob, insuring it is properly aligned and
not binding against the cylinder knob axis scale. Then replace the
cylinder power knob.
In maintaining over 100 phoroptors, I found one phoroptor on which
the cylinder knob axis settings did not agree with the axis position
showing at the lens aperture. The cylinder knob axis could not be
adjusted to the correct position, until I increased the size of two of
the 3 holes on the scale, to allow me to re-position the scale. (I
actually made the hole somewhat “oval” -- extending the hole a few
degrees beyond its standard position.) It appeared that the phoroptor
body had two of the screw holes drilled a few degrees out of position
when the device was manufactured.

Lubrication of the cylinder axis change mechanism

When the phoroptor is disassembled, the axis change mechanism for the
cylinder powers can be lubricated, if necessary. This seems rarely to
be needed. On only one of 100 phoroptors, I found the cylinder axis
changed with too much resistance. (That is, after the cleaning of the
JCC mechanism as described earlier, there was still too much
resistance to rotation of the axis, due to another cause.) After
removing the Cylinder Housing Assembly from the phoroptor, I found I
could lubricate (with “3-in-1 oil”) the gears (which are behind the
cylinder lenses). By changing the cylinder power setting slowly,
portions of the gears become temporarily visible when clicking from
one power to another. By stopping half-way during a power change,
wipe or drip on small amounts of the oil onto portions of the exposed
gears. By doing that several times, at different points along the
gears (while changing power settings) it is possible to add sufficient
oil to smoothen out the axis changes, without further disassembly of
the cylinder assembly.

Lubrication of the cylinder power change mechanism

On one side of one phoroptor (only one, of over 100 phoroptors that I
have serviced) I found the cylinder power knob turned with extreme
resistance. On turning the knob multiple times, eventually it moved
more smoothly. On sitting for a number of hours, it then became
difficult to turn once again. Adjusting the tension screw on the
mechanism made no improvement. Working from the assumption that
internal lubrication had become dried out, I attempted to enhance the
lubrication. Removing the cylinder power knob and dripping oil along
the shaft (to allow it to soak in) did not improve the situation.
On removing the Cylinder Housing Assembly, I could not readily
visualize the central hub area in order to do lubrication. Eventually
I tried a minor disassembly. There are three slotted screws that
secure a 5-point metal disc (“Plate, Cylinder Lock”) to the cylinder
power lens framing (“Strong Cylinder Dial Group”). Once this disc was
removed, I was able to insert a tiny tip of a “3-in-1 type oil”
container (which had a narrow, extensible nozzle) into the space
between the cylinder lens framing, so as to reach the gear mechanism
below. I was trying to put in only tiny drips of oil.
This lubrication attempt successfully loosened up the gear
mechanism. I tried to blot any excess oil with Q-tips. However,
eventually some excess oil ran downward toward the lower part of the
cylinder housing assembly, getting between the cylinder power label
plate (“Scale, Cylinder Power”) and the external housing (“Cylinder
Housing Group”). I then repeatedly blotted excess oil from the
exposed part of the cylinder power label plate, eventually removing
sufficient oil to clean it up.
On re-assembling the 5-point metal disc, it was necessary to insure
that the proper lenses were in their proper sequence, related to the
cylinder power label plate. Once the 5-point plate is removed, one
wheel of the 4 cylinder lenses is able to rotate independent of the
cylinder power knob. It is necessary to get the lenses in proper
alignment. (This means, that when the power label plate says “0.00”,
that there are indeed no cylinder lenses in the phoroptor opening.)
Once that alignment is achieved, then replace the 5-point plate in its
proper position, and re-secure with the three screws.
Other Loose Screws: Below the cylinder lens group, are other metal
plates, associated with the cylinder lens power labels. There are 3
holes in the visible plate. Three slotted screws can be visualized
through these holes. On rare occasions, the screws can loosen.
Insert a slotted screwdriver through the hole and tighten the 3
screws.

Reassembly of the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor

1. If having disassembled the Geneva mechanism, reassemble the parts.
2. Hook in the 2 screws that secure the black metal bracket (listed by
Leica as “Bracket, Geneva”) at the top (round corner) at the Auxiliary
knob area and lightly tighten the 2 screws. To check to see if the
“Auxiliary Dial Scale” is lined up with the lens position, temporarily
put on the Cylinder Housing Assembly. (The Cylinder Housing Assembly
can be temporarily put in place without installing the screws.)
3. Temporarily put on the auxiliary knob, to see if the auxiliary
scale readings agree with the actual auxiliary lens in place. If the
Auxiliary scale is NOT lined up, it will be necessary to loosen the 2
screws of the Geneva bracket (and actually remove the larger screw).
Then lift up the gear wheel (“Gear, Auxiliary Drive”) hooking into the
auxiliary lens wheel gear, and re-align to the proper gear position
that lines up the Auxiliary scale with the correct auxiliary lens.
Once the Auxiliary scale is properly aligned, then tighten the screws
for the Geneva bracket.
4. After lubricating the bearings, replace the 3D sphere wheel (“Dial,
Strong Sphere”). The top edge of the sphere wheel must fit under the
3-sided black disc (listed by Leica as “Geneva, Clutch Assembly”) at
the top of the phoroptor, and the notches of the sphere wheel must
interlock with the metal pegs, which rotate the 3D wheel assembly.
5. Replace the 0.25 D sphere wheel (“Dial, Weak Sphere”); insure that
the plastic (tension) wheel (listed by Leica as “Index, Weak Sphere
Dial”) at the bottom of the phoroptor engages at 0.25 D click
positions.
6. Insure the bearings are in place, then replace the bearing collar
(“Mount, Strong Sphere dial”), which must snap into position, so that
the sphere power label disc lines up properly.
7. Replace the central hub (“Collar, Thrust”). Tighten it slightly,
then back it off about 1/12 to 3/24 of a rotation, so that it does not
bind up. (Loosening by 1/12 rotation is the position from one lens to
another – this is usually not enough; Loosening by 2/12 rotation (two
lens positions) causes too much wobble. I usually try to loosen by
1.5 lens positions, which is 3/24 rotation.) Then tighten the central
set screw (usually Torx T5 instead of 1/20" Allen head). What I
typically do is to adjust the thrust collar tension during the power
change at -1.00 and 1.25, insuring that it does not bind excessively
at that lens change, nor is excessively loose, or the sphere wheels
will wobble.
8. If there is still too much resistance in changing from the -1.00 to
-1.25 powers, the problem could be insufficient lubrication of the
Geneva assembly and / or of the main sphere bearings. If the grease
in the Geneva assembly is too thick or partially dried, lubricating
the tiny central shaft and the outermost shaft with “3-in-1 oil”
should make it rotate more freely. (With the sphere wheels removed,
you should be able to “spin” the Geneva assembly with little
resistance. If the Geneva shaft turns with resistance, re-lubrication
is needed. It is possible to lubricate the Geneva assembly by a few
drops of “3 in 1” oil on the exposed shaft of the mechanism, and on
the top of the shaft of the Geneva, which will allow the oil to soak
inside the Geneva shaft and make it function more smoothly. Re-
lubrication can also be done by disassembly of the Geneva assembly.
Remove the Geneva assembly, remove the 2 snap rings, and clean the
shafts, and re-lubricate with Sil-glyde and “3 in 1” oil, so that it
rotates freely, then reassemble.
9. Replace the sphere power label disc (“Scale, Strong Sphere”), with
three slotted screws.
10. Replace the Cylinder Housing Assembly, 3D sphere knob, and
Auxiliary knob.

Excess clunking noise or other resistance on 3D sphere changes (at
-1.25, -4.25, +1.75, +4.75, etc) can be a sign that debris is in the
round (top) 3D & aux knob chamber. If this is already cleaned out and
lubricated, look for other imbalance or bearing lubrication problems.
(Sometimes re-positioning or shifting the Geneva assembly before re-
tightening can loosen the resistance.)
If there is metal-to-metal grinding sounds when rotating the sphere
power wheels, there can be misalignment of the Geneva Assembly. On
one such phoroptor, I found that by loosening both of the screws
securing the Geneva bracket (11625-112), that the metal-to metal
grinding sounds stopped. But the grinding sounds resumed when re-
tightening the screws in any position.

Most of the time, the Geneva assembly needs to be “pushed” as far away
from the sphere wheels as possible as you are tightening the two
securing screws. Sometimes this is only a fraction of a millimeter
further away from the sphere wheels that stops the binding up
problem.

On one phoroptor, no matter how much I pushed away the Geneva assembly
prior to tightening, it still caused binding up of the sphere wheel,
during its normal operation. Ultimately, what I did was to slightly
enlarge the hole for the larger of the two screws that secure the
Geneva bracket. I actually filed the hole (in the direction of the
sphere wheel) making the hole slightly oval, so that I was able to
push the Geneva assembly away by perhaps less than 1 mm. This
ultimately relieved the tension the Geneva assembly was placing on the
sphere wheel operation, and the sphere wheel now moved more freely.

On another phoroptor I found it already had 2 thicknesses of (custom-
made?) bearing shims (for the main sphere dial bearings), which were
needed to prevent metal-to-metal grinding. Then it was necessary to
space the cylinder housing assembly with small metal washers (which
are specially made for this exact purpose) to prevent metal-to-metal
contact with the underlying sphere mechanism.

Jammed Auxiliary Wheel
On a phoroptor that had been functioning properly a couple months
earlier, I found the Auxiliary wheel was jammed at one point in its
rotation. I could rotate it to a point where it had resistance to
further rotation. I could then rotate it nearly 360° in the opposite
direction, until it came to the same jammed point. On disassembly, I
did not see any obvious debris on the visible gears – or on the
“Index” assembly (the plastic wheel that fits into the notches of the
Auxiliary wheel). Ultimately the problem was found by removing the
Auxiliary wheel, and removing a clump of dust / lint / debris from an
underlying gear. To remove the Auxiliary wheel, first remove the two
sphere power wheels. Then on the back of the phoroptor, remove the
Vertex distance sighting assembly. Underneath that assembly are two
(Phillips head or slotted) screws, one longer than the other. Once
those two screws are removed, the Auxiliary wheel (and attached gear)
can be removed from inside the phoroptor. After removing a thick
clump of lint debris from the gear attached to the Auxiliary wheel,
and reassembling the Auxiliary wheel, it would again rotate smoothly.

Inspection of the AO/Reichert/Leica Ultramatic Phoroptor

Prior to cleaning lenses, the following inspection of phoroptors can
be helpful to detect mechanical defects, or adjustments needed.

1. Adjust the reading rod yoke if it is either too loose or too
tight. (See the section about Reading Rod Yoke adjustments in this
narrative.)
2. Clean and lube the rotation mechanism at the top of the phoroptor.
2. Check screws on the sphere dial covers (“Cover, Sphere Dial”) to
look for loose screws or overly tight screws. Re-seal screw threads
with clear nail polish to keep them from loosening. Do not over-
tighten, as this will crack the fairly expensive sphere dial cover.
3. Check assorted levers and knobs to find any that are loose or
needing lubrication. (See list below.)
4. Clean JCC / Risley rotation shaft of dust/debris and re-lube with
“3 in 1 oil” and then coat with a thin layer of light duty grease.
5. Disassemble phoroptor body (right and left banks), if needed, for
internal cleaning and lubrication.
6. Disassemble, clean and lubricate JCC mechanism (remove the two T5
screws to disassemble). See earlier sections in this narrative on how
to do this work.

Various Inspection Steps for Phoroptor Servicing

1. Flip in and out the JCC/Risley prism mechanism, changing axis
setting about every 30° to see if axis position holds stable.
2. Flip the JCC lenses to see if they rotate freely.
3. Rotate the JCC from axis to power positions to see if it rotates
freely, or with a lot of resistance.
4. Check the ease of change of 0.25 D sphere clicks, and in particular
the changeover at -1.25 and +1.75 to determine if any binding
occurs.
5. Check levers (near PD) and adjustment knobs to find any that are
loose.
6. Check phoroptor tilt mechanism to see if it holds its tilt position
securely. Re-lubricate tilt mechanism shafts.
7. Inspect axis numbers to see if intact or excessively worn off.
8. Check for binding as you change to different cylinder powers, using
the cylinder power knob.
9. Is the PD scale clean or greasy?
10. Inspect the forehead rest to determine if needing replacement due
to cracks.
11. Look for loose screws or any loose parts.
12. Check for rotation of the phoroptor body. Does the phoroptor stay
locked in position when the phoroptor body is rotated? Or does the
mechanism loosen. If it loosens, then re-lubrication or other
modification might be necessary. (See section below on “loose
rotation of phoroptor body.”)
13. Check for proper Polaroid cancellation on Right and Left Polaroid
lenses.

Replacing Forehead Rests for Phoroptors

The forehead rest is held in place by a pin. The pin goes through a
metal holder bracket and through the edges of the plastic forehead
rest. The pin can be pushed out, such as by using a small
screwdriver. (I have a #1 Phillips screwdriver in a compact Stanley 6-
piece screwdriver set that works well for pushing out the pin.)
The replacement forehead rest is then put back in position by
pressing the pin back into position, with the new forehead rest. The
forehead rest can be put back with the wider part of the forehead rest
up, or down – it seems to make no practical difference which way it
goes back on. However, it seems that most phoroptors have the wider
part of the forehead rest “up” when installed at the factory.

Loose Rotation of Phoroptor Body

When rotating the phoroptor body, the phoroptor should maintain
resistance to rotation, unless loosening the knob at the top of the
phoroptor. If the top knob of the phoroptor loosens while rotating
the phoroptor body, some adjustment is typically needed. After
removing the knob (“Reichert Ultramatic Pivot Knob Assembly”) at the
top of the phoroptor, clean off the washers, bearing and bearing
surfaces. (See the paragraph, below, for other lubrication ideas.)
Then lubricate the internal bearing and surfaces around the bearing
with light duty bearing grease. After cleaning and re-lubrication,
the phoroptor body can usually be rotated without the knob loosening.
In some cases, the phoroptor body can rotate with too much
resistance, even after the above cleaning and lubrication. It is
difficult to lubricate the section of the phoroptor below the bearing
chamber (which was described in the above paragraphs). In the past,
once the bearing chamber was cleaned out, I squirted some “3 in 1 oil”
in this bearing chamber, and moved around the phoroptor support
bracket and tilt it back and forth so that the oil can percolate
inside the rotating shaft. I later regretted it, as dirty oil keep
seeping out between the bottom edge of the phoroptor support bracket
(“Bracket, Clamp”) and the top of the “Head Yoke.” In actuality, that
area should be lubricated with bearing grease. Fortunately, it is
rare that it needs re-lubrication.
I found it possible (yet very difficult) to force bearing grease into
that area, without further disassembly. It involved finding (in a
hardware store) the right size of (plumbing or tubing type) plastic
cap (see paragraph below) or rubber bushing that could be used to
force grease into the lower bracket area. Basically, after finding
the right size bushing, I removed the bearings and flat washer. I
filled the bearing chamber with grease, put the bushing on top,
screwed on the top knob (with the curved washer). As I tightened the
knob, the curved washer pushed down the bushing, which forced some
grease into the lower bracket area. Then I repeated the above process
(several times) until I could find grease expressing out from the
lower portion of the bracket. While I was forcing the grease into the
lower bracket area, grease was also oozing out through the top of the
bearing chamber (past the bushing and curved washer), which made it a
very messy lubrication project. Once lubricated, all the excess
grease must be carefully cleaned up. Also be sure to clean out the
excess grease that was forced into the threaded hole of the knob
shaft. Depending on how dry the lower bracket area is, you may or may
not successfully express grease all the way through this shaft area.
Instead of using rubber bushings, I found that I could use a specific
type and size of plastic cap to force grease into the lower bracket
area. The plastic cap I found has a nearly flat top, with ribs along
the side. By filling the cap and bearing chamber with grease and
forcing the cap into the bearing chamber, grease is forced into the
lower bracket area. To prepare the cap, I drilled a 3/8” hole in the
exact center of the cap. I then put the knob shaft through the hole;
the top rim of the knob makes a fairly good seal in the 3/8” hole.
Tighten the knob down until it bottoms out. It is possible to force
more grease in, by adding one or two thick (3/8” center hole) washers
around the knob before tightening it. This pushes the plastic cap
further into the bearing chamber. Doing this procedure once or twice
should force enough bearing grease into the chamber to improve
lubrication for phoroptor body rotation.
The above procedures nearly always are sufficient to provide proper
functioning of these parts. If the top knob of the phoroptor still
loosens while rotating the phoroptor body, the next thing to try is to
increase the resistance of knob and threaded shaft to rotation. First
remove any oil and lubricants from the threaded shaft and the threads
inside the hole. If that is not sufficient, the external and internal
threads can be coated with clear nail polish (and then allowed to dry
overnight, before reassembly). The nail polish causes the threaded
shaft to turn with greater resistance, so the tightening mechanism
will not so readily loosen up with rotation of the phoroptor body.
On one phoroptor, I had extensive difficulty getting grease forced
into the head yoke assembly. I tried all the above methods, with no
obvious success. At that point, I designed a method to use a grease
gun to try to force grease through the head yoke. I bought a ½” (iron
pipe) coupling. I drilled and tapped a hole in the side of it (¼-28
thread size and screwed in a grease fitting. Then I put a large
(“fender”) washer above and below the coupling and ran a 2 ½” long
¼-28 bolt through the washers, screwing into the screw shaft inside
the head yoke. (I made gaskets to seal between the washers and the
coupling and the top of the head yoke. This made pretty much a sealed
compartment. Then I pumped in grease through the grease fitting.
Despite all the grease pressure, I still did not find any appreciable
grease working through the bottom of the head yoke assembly (though
some grease squirted out through the washers and gaskets). A very
time-consuming and frustrating process. With that phoroptor, I still
did not achieve good lubrication and smooth functioning of the head
yoke.

Reading Rod Yoke adjustment

Use an actual reading rod to make the adjustment comparable to normal
operation. When checking if the reading rod yoke (“Card Beam”) is
tight enough, one has to strike a balance between the tension on the
large slotted nuts on either side of the yoke, and how tightly the
metal clip hold the yoke in place. In proper adjustment, the two
slotted nuts should support the reading rod and card throughout its
travel (not being excessively loose or excessively tight). If the
nuts will not stay tight, it is necessary to use a strong thread
sealant – the brand name “Locktite” is what tends to work. I have
found that using (clear, or other) nail polish does not have
sufficient strength to keep the slotted nuts from slipping. Coat the
threads with Locktite, tighten the nuts in place and allow the
Locktite to set. Locktite typically takes a number of hours to fully
set (around 24 hours, or longer, it seems).
Adjust the metal clip (“Latch, Card Beam”) so that it secures the
reading rod in the upright position, but not so tight that it is
difficult to pull the reading rod out of the clip.
It is possible to change the bend of the metal clip that secures the
reading rod holder (“Holder, Card Beam, Enameled”) if it is too tight
or loose. It is important to carefully bend the metal clip at the
angles. If simply squeezing the sides of the metal clip together, the
clip will tend to bend at the middle, and eventually cause the heads
of the securing screws (“Screw, Latch”) to break off.
If there is metal-to-metal grinding while pulling down the reading
rod, there may be rough areas inside the clip. The problem can be the
holes in the metal clip have sharp edges that cause excessive friction
against either of the two round-headed pins (“Drive Screw”) onto which
the clip attaches. Over time the sharp edges of the holes in the
metal clip can shave off the heads of the “Drive Screws.” Those drive
screws can be replaced if too worn down. To prevent this, one should
file the edges of the holes in the metal clip smooth so that the card
beam lock more easily unclips from the lock position. Using small
files (either round or oval-sided files) the metal clip holes can be
smoothed out. I obtained an inexpensive set of small files from
MicroMark – a company that sells miniature tools and parts for
hobbyists. (You can search for MicroMark products on the Internet.)
If the drive screws are too worn down, they can be removed, WITHOUT
drilling them out. Use a tiny slotted precision screwdriver. Gently
tap the screwdriver between the head of the drive screw and the metal
bracket surface. The drive screw will begin to lift up. Continue to
do this on both sides of the drive screw. Then switch to
progressively larger screwdriver tips, slowly prying out the drive
screw. Then gently tap the replacement drive screw into position. At
this point it will likely be necessary to re-bend the angles of the
metal clip of the reading rod, to achieve the correct adjustment.
On rare cases, it can be necessary to disassemble the Yoke for the
reading rod assembly for internal cleaning. Over time, so much debris
coats the internal mechanism that it will not function smoothly, even
with lubrication. On one such case, I unscrewed the tightening nuts,
cleaned the central shaft, two internal washers, and the surfaces
contacting the washers, since they were all coated with debris.
(Using “Goo-Gone” was helpful for the cleaning.) Then reassemble all
the parts using bearing grease on the bearing surfaces. Then use
thread sealant (“Locktite”) on the threads of the tightening nuts.

Loss of Calibration Markings – Risley Prisms

On some older versions of phoroptors, over time, the marking “arrow”
of the Risley Prism assembly can rub off. This is typically with the
version of Risley prism that has bare, unpainted metal, on which an
arrow is painted. With oil and/or alcohol getting on the metal
surface, the painted arrow can loosen and rub off. If there is still
some remnant of the marking arrow remaining, it is a good idea to make
a permanent marking before it is lost completely (such as by scoring
the metal surface with a very thin, knife-like optician file).

1. Rotate the marking all the way around, so that the arrow is away
from the prism calibration scale.
2. Carefully file a fine line in the metal rim, where the calibration
arrow is located, so as to make a relatively permanent mark. (There
is a very thin type of optician file that is useful for making this
score line. The score line can then persist, even after the visible
old or new arrow rubs off.) If the original calibration arrow is
already lost, you can determine where the “zero” point on the scale
should be: (a) Look at a distant object through the Risley prism and
to the side of the phoroptor opening, adjusting the Risley power until
it seems to have no prismatic deviation. (b) Make a temporary mark
with an ultra fine point marking pen for this determined zero point.
(c) Then score that point with the file, so the zero point can be
found in the future.
3. Clean off the metal rim and the scored area with alcohol.
4. Align two small pieces of masking tape, centered on the score mark,
to prepare the rim to receive triangular-shaped visible arrow shape.
5. Paint Type: A fairly good paint is the “Testors” brand paint, as
commonly used on toy models. From a crafts store (“Michaels”) I got
the black color (1147 GI Black). Paint a triangle. As an
alternative, you could otherwise paint with colored nail polish (such
as “red”) or with black paint to make a visible marking.
6. Remove the tape, and allow the paint or polish to dry. This is now
your new arrow. If desired, you can cover the mark with clear nail
polish to make the visible mark last longer.
Around 2007, I talked with a Phoroptor expert at Lombart (Tai, in
their phoroptor repair section), and he uses black spray paint as the
source of paint, such as to re-paint arrows. He sprays the paint onto
some surface or dish, and then transfers the paint to the arrow area,
using a tiny brush.



1. Rotate arrow away from calibration scale. 2. Score arrow position
with thin file. 3. Tape with masking tape to form the new arrow.
Paint arrow with black paint or (red) nail polish. 4. Remove tape.
Allow to dry. Cover new arrow with clear nail polish so it lasts
longer.

Difficulty rotating the Risley knob. On some phoroptors, I found that
the prism adjusting knob occasionally turned with too much
resistance. The most likely the cause is lint / debris getting into
the internal Risley gears, and clogging up the mechanism. Trying to
resolve this is potentially disastrous, since if the internal gears go
out of alignment, when the assembly is partially disassembled, Risley
calibration can be lost. The end result can be the images through the
assembly moving diagonally, instead of up and down or side to side.
Adding lubrication is NOT typically the answer – and it ultimately can
make the problem worse. Cleaning out the debris is the solution.
Such work is best left to trained phoroptor service personnel, at an
optical service point (such as Lombart Instruments) to have the Risley
assembly cleaned, reassembled, and re-calibrated.
Risley problem can potentially be resolved by partial disassembly,
then cleaning debris from some of the internal gears. However, I have
not figured out the exact method. Some attempts I made caused the
situation to become worse. By trying to lubricate the mechanism,
ultimately oil seeped between the Risley prism lenses, and remained
trapped there. The lubrication I introduced not only didn’t make the
knob move any more smoothly, but it also contaminated the optics of
the Risley assembly. What NOT TO TRY: Don’t remove the Risley prism
“scale” to drip oil into the underlying mechanism, as this oil could
eventually seep between the Risley prism lens surfaces, and get
retained there. Even if such retained oil can be removed, the oil
film is left behind. Complete disassembly and cleaning of the Risley
prism lenses (by trained service personnel) will then be necessary.
(This is about a $75 charge for one Risley [or sometimes $100 for both
Risleys], plus round-trip shipping, as of 2004, by Lombart
Instruments.)

Partial disassembly of the Risley mechanism. This is a risky
procedure, since calibration of the Risley mechanism will be lost, and
it can be tough to get the calibration back to normal. It is a lot
less grief to send out this sort of repair to phoroptor experts, such
as at Lombart Instruments.

1. Place the phoroptor on a towel, with the Risley mechanism facing
upward.
2. Before disassembly, use a fine tip “permanent” marker to mark the
Risley prism (exterior glass surface, on both sides, to help get
realignment, if you shift any internal gears). I found it necessary
to remove the Cylinder housing assembly from the phoroptor body, in
order to mark the inside surface with a straight line. First set the
prism scale to the “0” setting. Mark a fairly straight line on the
patient side of the prism. Then flip over the assembly and make a
line (on the doctor side of the prism) exactly superimposing the line
you made on the patient side of the prism. (When you put the assembly
back together, these lines can help you figure how to get it back to
proper calibration, without necessarily sending the assembly out to
Lombart, for re-calibration.)
3. Remove the Risley “scale.”
4. Remove the round Risley gear that has the calibration mark on it.
5. Remove the small gear that connected to the calibrated gear.
6. If you remove the remaining visible small gear, you will likely
lose Risley calibration. So, you should probably stop further
disassembly and simply clean off the removed gear, and any visible
debris in the chamber where the gear sat.
7. Caution: (To remove the remaining visible small gear, slip a tiny
slotted screwdriver under the edge of the gear, and gently lift the
gear upward.) Once that gear is removed, any movement of the other two
internal gears, will result in loss of alignment. Images through the
Risley assembly could move diagonally, instead of side to side or up
and down, once reassembled. It is very tough to figure out how to get
proper re-alignment. Perhaps if one were to mark the external Risley
surfaces (front and back), PRIOR to such disassembly, it might help
guide to correct realignment. However, further disassembly is a
disaster waiting to happen.
8. Remove any debris from the exposed opening (where the gears sat),
and remove any debris from the removed gears. (You could brush the
tiny gears with a soft toothbrush.)
9. Put a tiny amount of “3-in-1” oil on the gears.
10. Reassemble the gears back into position and position the
calibration ring gear in place. (A tiny amount of 3-in-One” oil on
the underside of the calibration ring gear can help make it turn more
smoothly. Determine the endpoint of the rotation of the Risley prism
in both directions of rotation. By trial and error, you can then find
out the position that the calibration arrow should approximately point
to, in relation to the Risley Scale. Lift up the calibration ring
gear and then position it, so that it is in the approximately correct
position. Replace the Risley scale. Check to see if the endpoint of
rotation matches in both directions.
11. Next re-hang the phoroptor, to determine if, when on the “zero”
point, the Risley makes no apparent deviation, and shifting to 1 prism
up deviates in one direction, and 1 prism down deviates in the
opposite direction. The Zero point is also present, when rotating the
entire Risley assembly, the viewed image does not displace up, down,
or to the side during rotation.) If this zero point is not achieved,
then remove the Risley scale and move the Calibration gear, and
replace it by 1 tooth in the compensating direction. Recheck if you
now have proper prism calibration. By trial and error, repeat this
process until calibration is re-established. Verify that there is no
diagonal component to the final Risley prismatic deviation.
12. If you are unsuccessful, you may have to send the phoroptor in to
an optical service point (such as Lombart Instruments) to have the
Risley assembly re-calibrated.

JCC Disassembly (in order to reassemble or replace a damaged part)

After partially disassembling a JCC for cleaning and lubrication, I
managed to dislodge the tiny ball bearing needed to click into AXIS
and POWER positions. The following details how to disassemble and re-
assemble the JCC internal mechanism.
1. Remove the cylinder housing assembly from the phoroptor body, to
make it easier to work on.
2. Remove one of the two T5 screws securing the spring plate (“Spring,
Detent”) that holds the JCC ball bearing in place.
3. Re-center the ball bearing on the spring plate. It can be held
temporarily in the hole of the plate using a small blob of lubricating
grease.
4. Replace the T5 to secure the spring plate back in position. If out
of alignment by only a tiny amount, slightly loosen the two T5
screws. While holding the spring plate, rotate the JCC mechanism by a
slight amount (within the confines of the curve hole around the T5
screws) to get proper JCC alignment. Then re-tighten the T5 screws in
this corrected position.
5. If the internal parts of the JCC mechanism are not lubricated, drip
“3-in-1 oil” in the mechanism to provide lubrication. Blot out the
excess oil so that it does not drip out.
6. More details on this disassembly of the JCC are around page 9, in
the section: “Disassembly of the Cylinder Assembly.”

Phoroptor tilt mechanism

On some phoroptors, the tilt mechanism appears excessively tight.
Sometimes cleaning debris off the metal pistons (“Plunger, Tilt”) will
restore free movement. (Dried debris can be loosened from the metal
pistons with alcohol; then re-lubricate with “3-in-1 oil.”) If no
amount of cleaning and lubrication of the metal pistons on either side
of the top of the phoroptor makes the tilt mechanism adjust fully and
smoothly, another solution is possible.
Remove the forehead adjustment knob (the 1/16” Allen head set screw
must be loosened first). Once the knob is removed, this accesses two
lock nuts that have slotted heads. I found I could use the thin metal
blade of my adjustable carpenter’s square to fit in the slotted area
of the first nut to loosen the pair of nuts. Once the first nut is
loose, then determine how much tension is on the larger nut (“Nut,
Jam”). If excessively tight, the internal bearings are not able to
freely rotate. Loosen the larger nut to the appropriate tension, then
re-tighten the first nut to allow the tilt mechanism to pivot / rotate
more freely. If necessary, lubricate the internal bearing (“Bearing,
Needle Thrust”) on either side of the large bracket (“Head Yoke”) if
the bearings are dried out. Once properly reassembled, then replace
the forehead adjustment knob.

Re-gluing cylinder lenses for AO / Reichert / Leica phoroptors

Unlike spherical lenses, it is necessary to critically align a
cylinder lens to make it function for refracting. The size of the
lens (for plug-in auxiliary cylinder lenses and the actual cylinder
lenses in phoroptors) is so small that these lenses are barely wide
enough to be “dotted” by two of the three prongs of the lensometer
marking prongs. With careful alignment, it is possible to mark the
axis position of the lens, to allow the lens to be re-glued back in
the “on-axis” position.

THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE PROCESS. The safest thing to do is to send the
dislodged lens and the cylinder housing assembly (or plug-in auxiliary
lens frame) to an optical servicing company (such as Lombart
Instruments) for the lens to be re-glued on axis. With careful work,
it may be possible to follow the below directions to do it yourself.
The whole re-gluing process can take less than an hour, which can take
less time than boxing up the items and taking them to be shipped out
for repair. But it is still a lot of work, and less complicated to
let the experts do it.


Setting up the cylinder lens
1. Set the axis position of the lensometer to 180° (“zero” degrees).
2. Set the lensometer power to plano.
3. While hand-holding the cylinder lens in the usual lens power
measuring position in the lensometer, rotate the cylinder lens so that
the “single line” mire comes to a clear image.
4. It is now necessary to slide the lens to the extreme (right or
left) side position to allow the center prong and one of the side
prongs to “dot” this axis orientation.
5. While still hand-holding the lens in place, insure that the lens
axis is still aligned. Then mark ink on the prongs and push the lens
marking lever forward so that it dots the lens on the right and left
side of the lens.
6. Using a “permanent” ultra-fine-point felt marking pen and a PD
ruler (or equivalent), carefully draw a line toward the dots (it’s
probably better not to cover the marking dots with the marker, so you
can see if you got good alignment).
7. To confirm your axis alignment (hand-holding the lens is unsteady),
re-align the axis and re-dot the lens (higher or lower on the lens
than your first marks), and again re-draw the axis line. These two
lines should be parallel if both measurements were correct. (If not,
repeat the axis dotting / axis line drawing.)
8. This is the axis marking for lining up the lens in the (plug-in,
2D) auxiliary lens frame – or in the actual phoroptor.

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. Dot the lens axis with the lensometer. 2. Draw a line toward the
dots to mark the axis, but not obscuring the marking dots. Double-
check the axis alignment (if desired) by re-dotting the lens in a
slightly different position, and then re-draw the 2nd axis line. They
should appear parallel, if your alignment of the lens is correct. 3.
This is the appearance of the plug-in (-2.00 D) Auxiliary cylinder
lens. 4. The marked axis line must be rotated to line-up with the
cylinder arrows, and then the glue allowed to set while the lens is in
that position.

Gluing the lens in the lens well
1. The above drawn axis line(s) should line up with the arrows of the
cylinder axis on the face of the plug-in auxiliary lens, or the arrows
on the (doctor-side of the) phoroptor lens opening.
2. For best results, the minus (or plus) cylinder side of the lens
should face the patient side of the lens, while the flat side of the
lens should face the doctor side. (It can be tough to figure this
out, since the lens size is too small to use a conventional “lens
clock.” Visualizing reflections from the two sides of the lens can
help determine which side is the flat side and which is the curved
side of the lens. For lower powers this is less obvious, but probably
makes less difference. Another way is to set the lens on a flat
surface, and determine which side of the lens sits flat, and which
side “rocks” a little.)
3. To re-glue the plug-in auxiliary lens, insure that the lens will
fit inside its well. Clean the internal part of the lens frame, if
necessary, prior to set-up for gluing.
4. Once the frame is ready, mix the two parts of the epoxy glue. (Put
equal parts of the liquid on a piece of paper towel, for example, and
whip the two liquids together, such as with a “chop-stick.”) Using a
tiny screwdriver, for example, put small amounts of the epoxy glue
around the edge of the well, where the lens is to be re-glued.
5. Then put the lens in position, and rotate the drawn axis line of
the lens to the orientation of the arrow markings on the plug-in 2D
auxiliary lens frame.
6. Hold the lens in place, pressing firmly, such as with the pressure
exerted by a “Q-tip.” Set a timer (or check what time it is) so you
know if enough time has elapsed for the glue to set. With 5-minute
epoxy, it typically starts to harden in 5 minutes; holding the lens in
position for 15 minutes can be a good idea.
7. Allow the lens to set for a while longer to make sure the glue had
enough time to set. Then clean off the lens surface, so as to remove
the markings and any stray glue. Glass Plus makes a good lens
cleaner, and isopropyl alcohol can clean off any fairly fresh epoxy
glue.
8. To confirm that the lens is in the proper axis orientation, view
the completed lens through a lensometer (having the axis arrows
pointing horizontally, NOT vertically). Then compare that measurement
to the way an intact (factory-made) plug-in auxiliary lens appears in
the lensometer.

To glue a cylinder lens back in a phoroptor, follow a similar
procedure. (THIS IS NOT AN EASY PROCESS, AND IS BEST IF SENT TO AN
OPTICAL SERVICING COMPANY, such as Lombart Instruments.) The cylinder
housing assembly should be removed from the phoroptor to access the
lens well. Make sure the cylinder power setting is proper to expose
the opening for the cylinder lens to be re-glued. Similarly, once the
lens is in place, rotate the lens so that the marked axis position
lines up with the arrows that show the axis position on the (doctor-
side of the) phoroptor lens opening. Allow similar bonding time, and
then clean up the lens, as described above. You can put the cylinder
assembly in a lensometer to confirm the axis orientation. If you re-
glued a –2.50 cyl, compare that lensometer view to the –1.25 cyl and
the –3.75 cyl, to confirm if you have the axis aligned properly.


Phoroptor Bank “Wobble”
On one phoroptor, I noticed the banks of the phoroptor had excessive
“wobble” from front to back. I searched for a cause of the loose
bank, and eventually found a screw to tighten that resolved the
problem. It is a 5/64 Allen screw. It is located on the underside
the “Main Support Group” (For a picture of this item, see Figure 4 of
the exploded parts diagram from Reichert, part # 62, 11628-912).
This is actually the horizontal frame of the phoroptor, from which
hang the two banks. I found it necessary to remove the cylinder
housing assembly from the affected lens bank, in order to reach the
Allen screw head, to do the tightening.

On some other phoroptors that had a similar excessive “wobble” to the
banks, but it was NOT due to this loose screw. I was able to reach
the area that needed tightening by a more elaborate disassembly.
1. Remove the two T-7 screws on the top of the phoroptor body. Once
these screws are removed, you can lift off the top cover of the
phoroptor frame (which houses the PD width adjustment / and phoroptor
tilt mechanisms).
2. Loosen the set screws on both end knobs at the top of the phoroptor
(the knobs that adjust the PD width). This allows you to remove the
knobs.
3. Removing the knobs exposes 2 Allen screws on both sides of the
phoroptor. Remove both screws from both sides.
4. Slide off the washer assembly from both sides.
5. Now you can lift off the (PD adjust) screw assembly from the top of
the phoroptor.
6. There is a metal bracket (“Bearing, Upper Slide”) above the right
bank and another above the left bank, secured by 2 Allen screws.
Loosen those 2 screws on both sides.
7. Push the bracket down, to snug up the wobble, then re-tighten the
screws. That should be sufficient to resolve the problem. (Also, on
both ends of both of these brackets is a T-5 screw that allows the
bracket to shift up or down. Tighten / loosen the T-5 screws to allow
the banks to still slide apart & go together, without having either
too much wobble or too much resistance.) Make sure the banks can
slide apart, before reassembly, so that your adjustment is not too
tight.
8. Then reassemble all these parts, and test if you got the resistance
correct.
9. Also, it can be tricky to get the PD screw adjustment evenly
centered, so both banks go evenly apart and back together again, when
using the PD adjustment.

Incidentally, during this (above) disassembly process, it is very easy
to lift off one bank of the phoroptor.

Mis-aligned cylinder power label plate
On one phoroptor, during annual maintenance, I found the cylinder
power label plate did not agree with the actual lens power. When in
the “0” power position, the plate power was listed between .50 and .25
power. It seemed locked in that position. I found that by loosening
and removing 2 specific screws I was able to re-align the cylinder
power plate to agree with the actual lens position. The cylinder
power plate is secured in position by two plastic wheels (bushings),
secured by one T-5 screw and one slotted screw. Once these screws
(and the bushing held by the T-5 screw) were removed, I was then able
to shift the cylinder power plate to one side, which allowed me to
change the lens position, without moving the power plate. I could
also see that the power plate (when shifted to the side) has some
internal gear notches, which likely locks it to the lens position. By
successive shifting, of the power plate, I was able to get the power
plate to read “0” when the lens position was in the “open” position
for the cylinder lenses. I then got the bushings and screws back in
place to secure the cylinder power plate in its proper location.


Loss of Paint from Phoroptor Body
Overtime, areas of the phoroptor body can loose paint. It can be re-
touched, such as with the paint used to re-mark the Risley Arrow.
Paint Type: A fairly good paint is the “Testors” brand paint, as
commonly used on toy models. From a crafts store (“Michaels”) I got
the black color (1147 GI Black, of Testors paint). I tried other
paint types, but found they wore off fairly quickly, such as near the
patient side of the lens openings. The Testors black paint was the
only type that survived a year, without flaking off.

Around 2007, I talked with a Phoroptor expert at Lombart (Tai, in
their phoroptor repair section), and he uses black spray paint as the
source of paint, such as to re-paint arrows. He sprays the paint onto
some surface or dish, and then transfers the paint to the arrow area,
using a tiny brush.

I tried this same spray paint method at least once, and it also works
well.

Stripping Threads on Screws in Phoroptor
I found that after a specific screw stripped, and the thread was very
hard to match (this happened on a phoroptor I was servicing around the
year 2006). It was the larger of the 3 screws that secure the
phoroptor, cylinder assembly, together with the main body of the
phoroptor. The threaded hole stripped for the cylinder assembly for
the large screw that goes into the bottom, back of the phoroptor.
That screw was still intact, but the hole was stripped. I did not
find an exact match for thread type. Ultimately I put some epoxy-like
bonding material in the hole and managed to re-thread the hole. The
thread size seems close to the Metric size 4, with a pitch of 0.7 --
In fact I bought a metric M4x0.7 screw and it inserted smoothly into
an intact threaded hole at the back, bottom of the cylinder assembly
(but it was perhaps slightly loose). However, when trying to screw
the original phoroptor screw into a standard M4x0.7 nut, the screw
would not insert. Looking at the threads of the original phoroptor
screw and an M4x0.7 screw, the threads appear to match exactly; the
phoroptor screw appears thicker than the M4x0.7 screw. The original
phoroptor screw size appears to be closer to the metric M5 size, but
with a thread pitch of 0.7; the standard metric screw of M5 comes with
a pitch of 0.8 – which does not match the screw threads. Similarly in
2009, I found this standard phoroptor screw was hard to screw back in
place after I received the cylinder assembly back from being serviced
at Lombart. I tried cleaning debris out of the hole. I later screwed
in a standard M4x0.7 screw, which went in smoothly. I then put in the
original screw, which went in with some resistance but ultimately did
not strip out.