Trying out a low-cost USB Microscope

Those USB microscopes are great for what they are. I also find they're a good present for neices and nephews, etc.

Personally, I think it's really worth the step up to a stereo microscope - especially if you think you'll be using it for soldering. Amscope seem to be the brand to go for in the US. In the UK they were hard to get so I went for something similar from China via eBay. I did a quick review here quite a few years ago.

I went for the 3D Printed stand route.

Where'd you get the stand you're using? It looks nicely sturdy.

The magnification looks pretty good.  I will be on the lookout for one of the models that includes the display.

Surprisingly good images! I wonder if you were lucky, and got a unit that is well-assembled with the lenses. Very neat that you have the adjustable zoom too.

I had expected them to not be good for the low price. Having said that, I really like the low-price Carson magnifiers etc too, and they make nice gifts for children too. For instance this type of thing for longer-distance viewing, but it can be used a foot away from an item; my 9-year old nephew loves it, and takes it everywhere.

Another source for stereo microscope could be just ebay, keeping an eye out. I got a quite decent Meiji microscope for about £100 and the guy dropped it off to my home for that price too! It was really dusty, but after 30 mins of cleaning up it was great. However if you want to get the image onto the computer then the price goes up rapidly, since you'll need the camera and adapter to drop into one of the eyepiece ports. Although it comes in handy, I rarely use the microscope day-to-day. For soldering and quick visual inspection, I use a head magnifier (OptiVISOR is great, but I have not tried other head magnifiers). I went through a lot of non-head magnifiers however, to finally realize that the head magnifier suited my needs during soldering.

scottiebabe said:

Be careful with product specifications! There are 100’s of different listing for this style of usb microscope and some claim resolutions of up to 2 MP (I am skeptical that is true).

Some claim 5Mpix

USB Microscope - 5MP interpolated 220x magnification / 8 LEDs
https://www.adafruit.com/product/636

There appear to be several clones of that microscope with varying prices and image quality.

Thanks for sharing your purchase foray.

I have had similar experience making one purchase and having to augment it with another purchase to make it work. As my teeth have gotten longer, I tend to suffer analysis paralysis trying to avoid the multiple purchases. Experience of others surely helps in avoiding the scenario.

I have one of these with the LCD screen and (mostly) love it after two years of countless uses.

I paid about $100 for it on Amazon. It was this 7-inch that claims 12 MP. Although, it is clear there are many other models/brands that are OEMs of one design.

The LCD's latency is low enough for soldering. The built-in battery makes for a great portable unit too. (Although, I had to refresh its 18650 to get it to hold a charge.) The additional goose neck lights REALLY help improve image quality. (As with all small sensor cameras, the more light you can provide, the lower their ISO, so the lower the noise.)

Seriously, I cannot impress how important it is to get MOAR LIGHTS pointed at your board! You need 5 not 4 lights, in this case.

These also have a USB port to connect to a PC. HOWEVER. You cannot use the screen and the PC connection at the same time. Which is a real bummer. Because I enjoy using OBS (or VLC) to open it as a camera on a larger screen. (or, for WBW videos and live streaming, to share the video, like in the low temp solder paste episode.). But, then the LCD is disabled. It becomes awkward to use for soldering--especially with the USB delay. (I have started to get used to it though.)

BUT! It is FANTASTIC for inspection, especially as a standalone battery-powered unit. Whether you are checking solder joints or reading marks on an IC or looking at the balls inside of solder paste. :)

Basically, when connected to a PC, it becomes the same one scottiebabe is using except with a big awkward rectangle on top!

Regardless, I also recommend any of these USB microscopes (with sufficiently good sensor!)

This $100 was the best I have spent on a test tool in years.

O my, yes, great purchase! I have used stereo microscopes and as you say they are an absolute joy to use!

I haven't bought one yet partly due to price, partly due to space. 

Wonderful review!

I won't know until I try, I am guessing hot air soldering won't be to difficult looking a display versus stereo vision, but time will tell!

One of the million and one reasons to have a 3-d printer! Nice work.

The stand I purchased seems to be similar to the one used in the upscale display included digital microscopes. This was the amazon listing:

Source: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0797PPX8D 

Its pretty nice to use, I may also be able to use it with a c-mount camera in the future too. 

The holder I received is a solid cast part, whereas the listing shows a screw mount for the ring holder.

It definitely isn't terrible and quite usable but for just a small amount more, you get a lot more with those display included microscopes.