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Trying out a low-cost USB Microscope

scottiebabe

Recently I purchased the “8 Dollar Microscope” and of course I ended up spending far more than $8… In total I ended up spending $50 CAD LOL

If you haven’t seen the microscope in discussion it is the following:

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It is essentially 0.3 MP UVC USB webcam with optics that provide a magnification of 50x to 500x. As you can see from the product photo, the included base shown in that photo would have poor utility for looking at electronics straight down. However, I received my microscope with a plastic adjustable stand similar to the following:

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Nice surprise! But, the included plastic stand was not easy to use, and would frequently bind up trying to adjust the height.

Assuming I would receive that tiny plastic swivel base I opted to purchase an aluminum alloy universal microscope stand:

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The height adjustment mechanism on this stand is smooth and easy to use. There is a small amount of backlash that is noticeable when trying to focus at the highest magnification, but it isn’t severe enough for me to be bothered by it. I really like the stand I’m glad I bought it.

The USB microscope sits inside the 1.4″ mounting hole and is held in place with 2 set screws:

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The aluminum stand looks great! The microscope doesn’t sit normal to the viewing surface, but as will be seen in the sample images it didn’t seem to be a big deal.

When the microscope was adjusted for a magnification of 50x the resulting field of view had a width of 12 mm across :

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That is a little bit smaller than I’d like but it is what it is. I would have like to capture maybe say 50 mm across, but I would also like more image resolution…

Here are some random photos I took:

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At maximum magnification, the lens casts a shadow onto your viewing area. So, you need to provided external lighting in that case.

Could you solder with it? At 50x magnification the working height was approximately 7cm. I think that is a personal question whether you are comfortable looking at a display and making fine movements with your hands..

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).

Was it a good purchase? The stand absolutely great, the microscope is fine for what it is a 0.3MP usb microscope…

The price of the digital microscopes with included displays is not that much more.

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Of course if you have any advise or recommendations on what to look for in these 4″ or 7″ digital microscopes I would be grateful to hear it Slight smile

  • in reply to baldengineer

    That is wonderful! Thank you soo much. That was exact measurement I was interested in, apologies for not know the correct optical jargon.

    So at minimum magnification you can see 19/16" across or approximately 30 mm. That sounds like it would be prefect for photographing sections of a circuit.

    The $8 microscope I bought only at minimum magnification sees 12mm across, which is just enough to see an soic-8. Hypothetical comparison:

    image image  

  • in reply to scottiebabe

    Thanks, the 3D printed part works for quick and light, small parts, but I can see the advantage of having a sturdy metal stand.

  • I'm surpised to see such good quality images from the 0.3MP USB scope. I was confused between the USB non display one and the one with integral display + aluminium stand one.
    I bought the one with integral display (they claim it to be HD display) and 8MP camera with 1000X zoom lol, thinking that it would be of somewhat better quality (since I'm paying more) but the images do not look anything like 8MP nor the display looks HD.

    image
    I got it from Banggood, at Rs.4500 INR ~ 75 CAD. I will post the images taken from the microscope soon, just for comparison.

  • in reply to Andrew J

    I hope they never ever change the design. Or that faded blue colour. This tool always brings a smile when using it. And the styling is like the old boxy Volvo of magnifiers! 

    imageImage source: Google Images

  • I bought a unit a couple of years ago after careful examination of specifications to get the most real resolution. It works as the specs indicate, but the focus and zoom adjust are very touchy and not smooth. The stand (like the one you have) helps with adjustment although the depth of focus is miniscule. It is crucial to find a unit where the display has enough pixels to see what the camera is capturing and be sure to read the fine print that the camera resolution is not some interpolated hi-res spec. Just because the display is bigger, doesn't mean it has more pixels. I was hoping to alleviate the fatigue of using a stereo microscope, but there image quality cannot compare to a stereo microscope, so I wasn't using it at all. Eventually I built a much better system based on a R Pi HQ cam, (and I recently upgraded it to eliminate the R Pi boot time) but I still use the stereo microscope far more often. I only use the digital microscopes when I need to capture an image.

  • in reply to Andrew J

    I stopped using the high-magnifying ones. I get sick when I use those. My set has 1.2, 1.8, 2.5 and 3.5X. I use the first two often. The two higher-magnification ones only when absolutely needed. I can look at a PCB with the 3.5X ones. But if I have to take my iron out of its stand with those on, my stomach turns. 

  • It looks really useful.  What really amazes me though with the photos is how clean your PCBs are!!  What's that all about??

  • in reply to scottiebabe

    It's what I use.  I think Shabaz termed them "nerd goggles", which I have shamelessly appropriated.  Even the wife calls them that!

  • in reply to scottiebabe

    Lucky you, I saw that right before I headed to the lab to grab something. I couldn't find my metric tape. Here's an imperial tape (1/16th inch markings) at the tightest and farthest range of the neck. (I think this is what you meant. If not, let me know.)

    Wide-angle (at highest position)

    wide shot of microscope and tape measure

    Highest Position:

    Highest position

    Lowest Position:

    Lowest position

    lol, thanks for the coffee cup comment. It is a design that I made (shameless plug.) As for the DMM, stay tuned. I think e14 is going to find a way to give that one away (or already did? Probably not, it's still in my lab.)