Nikon V12 Optical Comparator With Digitals
Harvey Engineering acquired this Nikon optical comparator in April 2012. An optical comparator is essentially a large magnifying glass that provides enlargement to scale for easy measurement. The optical comparator has a light source that shines on a table, configured with a set of ways, that allow for ease of movement. On the other side of the table the image is received by a mirror and a set of optics (10x, 20x and 50x) that magnify the image.
This Nikon is significant because the ways are outfitted with a digital measurement system. Instead of counting marked increments on the screen, the table is aligned so that one measurement point is centered (center is marked on the screen) and the digital is reset to zero. At this point the table is moved so the endpoint of the measure is on the center marking and the digitals display the distance traveled from point A to point B. This is a far more accurate system of measurement.