Browsing for Magnifying Tools

Do a little more google searching. I've seen digital cameras that still accept real lenses from real cameras - you could zoom in arbitrarily tight, or photograph the Lunar Explorers, depending what's the budget to buy the lenses. :-)

As far as finding one, you know I'm not about to do your homework for you! ;-)

Have Fun! Rich

Just gambling that someone here might have set up a video/photo cam+macro lens to create a computer based PCB magnifier. I'll also be looking into crazy junk yard ideas like maybe getting an ebay security camera and stick on any cheapo ebay macro lens.

I'll keep searching and check out digicam's with ~ real~ lenses too :) D from BC

Now that you mention it, I have a "web-cam", which has, I think, 320 x 200 resolution, that I got off ebay for $0.01 + $5.00 shipping. It plugs into the parallel port, and has a Windows driver, somewhere around here.

It's about the size of a golf ball, and has the quality of lens that you see on disposables, but when you unscrew the lens you can see the element itself - if you had the proper setup, you could probably point just about any lens at it - if you think you'd be happy with 320x200 resolution. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

I've a colour CCD video camera with a zoom lens. Can have it on it's tripod about a foot away from the pcb and with zoom, have useful close ups. Camera video plugs straight into a Haupannuage? TV card in the PC, so I've a live picture on the iiyama monitor and can adjust zoom and focus at will. A click and a pic is frozen to a jpg. Camera needs as min' a 1/3rd inch CCD sensor and at least 500k pixels of video on display. (Preferably 1M). Beats farting about with those useless, back of camera LCDs and crappy USB, low res', low frame rate video. I originally modified a webcam but found the video quality from those things is barely at 'toy' level. john

Interesting :) I do plan on using above web cam quality.. Likewise, I have a TV card too with video in. Thanks the resolution recommendation. D from BC

I have a set of strength 4 reading glasses, available at the drugstore or in the supermarket for 10 bucks or so.

Rene

Good for you, but they don't work for everyone. All "reading glasses" do is make my vision worse. My uncorrected vision was 20/200 &

In the US you can find them for a couple dollars at flea markets. I used to sell over 100 pair a day at $1 a pair. Some people bought them by the dozen.

Michael, Get cataract surgery... aka lens replacement... fastest way from 20/400 (which I used to be) to 20/20 ;-)

...Jim Thompson

"Hey I resemble that remark" I usually buy 10 at a time, last time they had a sale, I got 12 for $10. Mike

I have 2 (soon to be 3) solutions;

1. A pair of the cheap magnifying goggles that sit on a head-band and you can flip up and down, I find they work very well with my normal prescription specs.

1. A Swift stereo microscope (x10 and x 20) I bought mine from a used microscope dealer (I Miller) in Philly, he usually has a good range.

2. Soon to be. In Oct 01, "Silicon Chip" published an article on building one from a cheap digicam, an old SLR lens and PVC waste-pipe fittings. It looks pretty good.

Barry

You can see the Silicon Chip "Videoscope" here

Ahhh I've been wondering what to call a digicam+macro lens+videoOut to a PC. Is Videoscope the globally accepted name :) ? D from BC

Nope, but it's not a bad start, A much better one does not spring to mind.

Micro-cam has a bad ring to it.

Here's the way I do it....

...Jim Thompson

Headgear!!! Looks like it does the job :) Stereoscopic too for depth... I do wonder where that's sold..

But I can't resist the "cool" factor of a DIY PC based videoscope. Just makes me feel like a kid again. New toy microscope :) It'll be good for inspection and documentation of PCB's.

D from BC

Scopecam?? It's composed like webcam.

Could make up an acronym such as: Digital Video Microscope or DVM?

I'll have to do some googling.. I've seen doctors on tv using similar equipment.. Endoscope?? D from BC

I bought that visor around 1980.

...Jim Thompson

Jim Thomps>Michael, Get cataract surgery... aka lens replacement...

I would think "resurfacing a watch crystal" would be the analogy for cataract surgery.

Messing with the lens seems much more invasive.

Used to be that way... fuzzy vision and various infections.

You obviously haven't had it done... I have.

They blast away you existing lens with a laser, make a small slit and slip it an artificial lens.

Takes just a few minutes.

...Jim Thompson