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  • Author Author: shabaz
  • Date Created: 10 Nov 2021 1:55 PM Date Created
  • Views 6332 views
  • Likes 5 likes
  • Comments 14 comments
  • magnification
  • pcb_inspection
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Recommended

Seeing the Smaller Picture – Magnifiers Shoot-out

shabaz
shabaz
10 Nov 2021

  • Introduction
  • Previous Magnifiers
  • Coil 8277 ATMax
  • Coilcraft Free Magnifier
  • Edmund Optics 35359 10x Magnifier and BelOMO Triplet
  • Donegan OptiVISOR
  • Carson MG-88 MagniGrip 4.5x Magnifier with LED and Tweezers
  • Carson 2.5X CrystalView Aspheric Magnifier with 5x Spot Lens
  • Carson Lume Series COB LED 2.5X Magnifier with 7x Spot Lens
  • Other Recommendations
  • Summary

 

Introduction

Since none of us are getting younger, we eventually need to consider how to see small parts in the electronics engineering world. There are thousands of options, including handheld magnifiers, microscopes and video cameras. Even a mobile phone can be effective to view things close-up.

 

Over the years, I've tried quite a few magnifiers, ranging from a cost of free to perhaps $100, and the main use-cases have been to be able to read surface-mount component part numbers, inspecting solder joins looking for shorts, and for aiding me to solder small parts with an iron. For this blog post, I won't cover the previous magnifiers again, but I will look at some additional ones I've tried in the past few years.

 

From the previous magnifiers, the most outstanding one was made by UltraOptix. It has lasted more than 5 years, survived a couple of battery leaks, and the image quality and the LED light quality is good. Furthermore, it's really low-cost (under $10). The only disadvantage is availability; it is cheap and easily available in the US, but in the UK it is a bit harder to obtain, there are just a few sellers on Amazon, and they charge more.

 

This shoot-out covers:

  • Coil 8277 ATmax
  • Coilcraft Freebie
  • Edmund Optics 35359 10x Magnifier
  • BelOMO 10x Triplet
  • Donegan OptiVISOR DA-4 2x Head Mount MagnifierDonegan OptiVISOR DA-4 2x Head Mount Magnifier
  • Carson MG-88 MagniGrip 4.5x Magnifier with Tweezers
  • Carson CrystalView 2.5x Aspheric Magnifier with 5x Spot Lens
  • Carson Lume Series COB LED 2.5x Aspheric Magnifier with 7x Spot Lens

 

From the magnifiers examined here, the best ones were the OptiVISOR, and the Carson 2.5X handheld magnifiers (CrystalView and Lume), which come in illuminated and non-illuminated options.

 

There is a 15-minute video that attempts to show what it is like looking through each magnifier.

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Previous Magnifiers

From an earlier blog post Building a Digital PCB Inspection Microscope with the Gizmo 2 , the photo here shows UltraOptix 7x Aspheric 1.5 inch LED Lighted Magnifier along with others not really worth mentioning. The UltraOptix is very good for examining part markings, and it is very low-cost.

image

 

Coil 8277 ATMax

This magnifier was quite expensive, and performed poorly from my perspective. This is a 7X magnifier made from a biconvex lens, with a touch-sensitive built-in LED light, and contains two AA batteries. It comes with a storage bag.

image

 

The magnification is quite high (7X) which in part makes it harder to accurately position, although the far cheaper UltraOptix magnifier (with better aspheric lens rather than biconvex) managed just fine. With the ATmax magnifier, everything is heavily distorted, and there's plenty of colour fringing anywhere off-center too. There are also lots of reflections off room lighting. Also, I have encountered situations where the touch-sensitive light would stay on even though the magnifier was placed on a desk, so it's not completely reliable. The only positives are that the device is constructed nicely and its very ergonomic with the rubbery grip.

 

The photo below shows it centered on a SOT-23 component. Everything else is distorted.

image

 

Coilcraft Free Magnifier

Buying a Coilcraft inductor kit results in receiving a free magnifier inside the box : ) It's actually not bad, I have several of these now, and they are quick to use with their plastic stand. They are good enough to read part markings. This style of foldaway magnifier is usually known as a Linen Tester or Linen Magnifier.

image

 

Edmund Optics 35359 10x Magnifier and BelOMO Triplet

A loupe can be quite handy to read part markings. They are intended to be used with the eye close-up, and this particular one would only be of use if you can get your head close to the object to be inspected. Despite being close to the object, the eye still focuses at a distance, and therefore there is no eye strain.

image

 

The image quality with the Edmund Optics magnifier is great with no distortion (see the photo below, but when actually using it, it is possible to position it so that the entire board is clear without the white blur visible in the photo), however the room needs to be well-lit, otherwise the loupe and your head will block out light. I think an illuminated loupe would be a better idea.

image

 

The earlier photo also another loupe, called BelOMO Triplet, which is a bit too small I feel. I keep it on a neck-strap, but I don't use it often, it suffers from the same issue that good lighting is needed.

 

Donegan OptiVISOR

The OptiVISOR OptiVISOR is one of my favorite magnifiers – it's simply brilliant. This head-mounted magnifier can be worn for hours without tiredness. It can be easily swung up when normal vision is needed. I like positioning it such that I can look down and have normal vision, or raise eyes to look through the lenses; that way, I don't need to frequently swing the lenses up and down.

 

This magnifier can be used for soldering. Objects are in focus approximately 6 inches away from the end of the magnifier, and so although you'll need to bring your head in while soldering, it's not uncomfortable.

 

Different strength lenses can be fitted. Mine came with number 4 lenses, they seem fine.

image

 

This magnifier could single-handedly make the difference between being able to do surface-mount work, and not being able to do it, if you're no longer blessed with perfect vision.

 

The photo below was taken with the OptiVisor placed in front of the camera; the field of view when actually wearing it is just slightly more than the width of a Raspberry Pi.

image

 

Carson MG-88 MagniGrip 4.5x Magnifier with LED and Tweezers

These tweezers have an LED attached to one arm of tweezers, and a combined watch battery compartment and twist switch at the back of the device. The magnifier is on a long arm hinged at the joint. 

 

I really wanted to like this product, but despite the magnifier itself being semi-reasonable, the other parts of it were a let-down; the tweezers are not really intended for precise work with electronics, this is not their target market. The tweezers are hard to squeeze and are not made with the accuracy needed for electronics. I don't think they could be improved with a bit of DIY either; the entire tweezers would need replacing. The length is too short too – I expect tweezers to be about 120 mm long, but these ones are barely 100 mm long, and the battery section falls into the palm on the hand. I don't know how long the three L926F watch batteries would last.

image

 

Carson 2.5X CrystalView Aspheric Magnifier with 5x Spot Lens

This magnifier is physically large, does its job, and is low-cost (about £10) – it's excellent. It comes with a sock to protect the lens portion.

image

 

The lens is plastic and aspheric. The image quality is great, with no noticeable distortion when using it. It can be placed about 5 inches away from the circuit board, and so it is feasible to solder using this magnifier, provided it can be clamped in position. I used a DIY clamp: Building Custom Helping Hands

image

 

Carson Lume Series COB LED 2.5X Magnifier with 7x Spot Lens

This magnifier has thee diffused LEDs spaced around the edges, and the power switch provides two brightness settings. It takes two AAA batteries.

image

 

The image quality from the plastic aspheric lens is very good. It is possible to perform soldering work with this magnifier provided it can be clamped into position.

 

I also liked the smaller 7X lens next to the power switch, it is useful if extra magnification is briefly needed to read part markings. The LED lighting is effective for that too, since the light arrives at a shallow angle, which works well with etched markings to provide good contrast.

image

 

Other Recommendations

If you have any favorite magnifiers, it would be great to learn about them, since there may be excellent ones that I don't know about. It would be very useful information - saves people spending on poor-performing magnifiers!

image

 

Summary

The table here shows my conclusions. Thanks for reading!

 

Magnifier NameConclusionCost (GBP or USD)
UltraOptix 7x Aspheric 1.5 inch LED Lighted MagnifierExcellent image quality, good built-in LED light, extremely low cost $9.95
Coil 8277 ATmaxAwful image quality with heavy distortion and color fringing. Comes with a zip-up cover.£55
Coilcraft FreebieVery usable for reading part markings$0 with any inductor kit (or maybe ask them nicely?)
Edmund Optics 35359 10x MagnifierExcellent image quality, but needs good lighting because your head will block the light£25
BelOMO 10x Triplet Excellent image quality, but same issue as the Edmund Optics magnifier£35
Donegan OptiVISOR DA-4 2x Head Mount MagnifierExcellent image quality, and ideal for soldering surface-mount components $43
Carson MG-88 MagniGrip 4.5x Magnifier with TweezersGreat image quality, but poor tweezers for engineering purposes (fine for beauty work I expect!)£12
Carson CrystalView 2.5x Aspheric Magnifier with 5x Spot LensExcellent image quality, and good depth for soldering, provided it can be clamped in position. Comes with a sock/cover.£10
Carson Lume Series COB LED 2.5x Aspheric Magnifier with 7x Spot LensExcellent, as good as the Carson CrystalView, but has really great LED lighting too (with two brightness levels). Doesn't come with a cover.£15
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Top Comments

  • genebren
    genebren over 3 years ago +1
    Excellent comparison of magnifiers. I too have quite a collection of handheld magnifiers, but most them are less than useful. My go to magnifier, for taking a quick peak at electronics is the TRIPLET 10x…
  • wolfgangfriedrich
    wolfgangfriedrich over 3 years ago +1
    My favourite magnifiers (besides the Mantis microscope at work) at clip-on lenses on my glasses. I saw at jeweler wearing them at our local farmers market. They only do about 2.5x but that is sufficient…
  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 3 years ago +1
    I have been after a new magnifier for a while and after reading this, I got hold of the Carson CrystalView 2.5x magnifier. First impressions are that its main 2.5x lens is quite impressive for the money…
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 2 years ago

    The OptiVISOR has solved most problems for me - I can comfortably solder tiny parts with it. However, I was still on the lookout for a small handheld magnifier for reading part numbers and general inspection, when the OptiVISOR is not convenient, and a microscope or other large optical instrument isn't handy.

    I recently tried a Carson 11X MagniFlash  and it was definitely not suitable for board inspection, because it needs to be held very close to the surface of the PCB, and connectors and other things would get in the way.

    So, I returned it, and tried the 7X MagniFlash today (there is also a 9X version but it was out of stock). The 7X is much better; I can position it about an inch away from the board. Also, the depth of field is really good! I can read part markings on DIP package ICs in sockets, while at the same time reading the board silkscreen. Very surprised at that.

    However, everything is not rosy, because although it is advertised as a magnifier, I can't get the stated performance (the manufacturer claims a flat image due to the lens asphericness) without using it as a loupe (i.e. positioning the eye close to the magnifier). It's very strange. If I use it as a magnifier with the eye 30 cm away or more, then I get a clear image, but not edge-to-edge by any stretch. I see a clear image in only the central 33% of the lens. The rest is distorted. However, if I use it as a loupe, then I get a clear edge-to-edge image as shown below. This was taken with my mobile phone, and I cannot keep everything aligned easily. The image looks better than this in real life, but the camera at least captures some of the edge-to-edge flatness and clarity to some degree. In real life, I can easily inspect each solder fillet on the 0.5 mm pitch QFN parts on the board.

    image

    Even using it at a distance, the 33% of flatness might be acceptable for some uses, because the lens is quite large anyway (1.5 inch diameter) compared to typical loupes.

    There is a built-in LED which is important for me, because some loupes block out a lot of light. There's a second LED at the rear of the magnifier, for using as a torch! It produces a very focussed spot though - about 25 cm diameter if standing 2 metres away. I don't know how useful that is.

    Because the magnifier can be held an inch away from the item being inspected, and the eye doesn't need to be that close (1.2 to 2 inches seems optimum if using it as a loupe) it doesn't block out as much light as typical loupes either, so using it without the LED switched on seems fine in normal indoor lighting too, which is great.

    I do see the reflection of lights in the room in the lens, which is irritating, but it's not as extreme as some other magnifiers. Those reflections are less of an issue when your head is close to the magnifier.

    The MagniFlash comes with a cloth draw-string bag.

    In summary, it's not perfect, but has a fair amount going for it, at an OK-ish price (I think it's a bit overpriced, but everything is expensive nowadays - £32 in the UK). I'd rate it 7/10 : )

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  • shabaz
    shabaz over 3 years ago in reply to mp2100

    Thanks! I'm not a natural with video, so I only post maybe one video a month approximately! : )

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  • mp2100
    mp2100 over 3 years ago

    Whoa, there's a Shabaz channel on youtube?  I'm going there to subscribe now!

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 3 years ago in reply to shabaz

    Hi Shabaz,

    Experiencing similar with the notifications here.

    Getting good illumination onto the subject is often an issue. In general the lighting on loupes could be greatly improved if there was more user control available.

    This loupe though was marketed at cleaning DSLR camera sensors, so it can still focus when positioned around 30-35mm above the subject, e.g. when the loupe is placed flat on the lens mounting ring of the camera observing the surface of the imager chip located behind the lifted reflex mirror down below.

    This also means if your work area has good lighting either side of the subject being viewed, then you don't always need the built-in LED lighting as you aren't blocking the ambient light. It's different for the camera situation as there you are looking into a dark hole and you need to rely on the built-in lighting.

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  • shabaz
    shabaz over 3 years ago in reply to beacon_dave

    Hi Dave,

    I'm not receiving notifications on comments on this blog for some reason : (

    Very interesting loupe : ) The built-in LEDs would solve my problem using loupes, in that a lot of ambient light gets blocked.

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