Browsing for Magnifying Tools

I got a little digital camera at the drug store for about $135; it's I think 2 or 3 Megapixels, has macro down to a few inches, 3X optical zoom, a tripod socket, and a little phone jack with live NTSC video coming out. It came with a phone jack-to-phono plug to plug into the video input of your other device.

Have Fun! Rich

Maybe adapting a cheapo ebay macro lens from an old camera is possible if more magnification is needed.

A few months ago, I went shopping for a 3Megapixel camera. Damn... I should have gotten one with a video output. D from BC

Was it painful? I'm going to need that in a year or so, I estimate.

Can they leave me nearsighted?

John

No. I went to a French bistro right after ;-)

No I was nearsighted when I went in, 20/30 when I left.

This was 9 years ago. I've now developed some astigmatism, so I don't know if they'll do a Lasik tweak, or just implant a new lens.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Jim Thompson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I bought a nice clip-on binoc magnifier lens (2.5Xmag )on Ebay,cost me $9 including shipping.It clips on to my eyeglass frame,weighs less than the visor-type magnifiers,and doesn't obstruct peripheral vision.

BTW,Edmund Scientific

video inspection stuff,although it's pricey.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Jim Thompson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

you can buy binocular magnifiers at Home Depot,around $22 USD,IIRC;I've got two of them.

It may take some looking to locate where they are in the store....(tool section,around the measuring tools)

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

at:

using:

I bought a B&L Stereo zoom maybe 8 years ago for $300. It had a heavy stand that is designed so you can slip PCBs under it. No regrets. I'd sure hate to have to pay shipping on such a beast.

I've also fiddled with a supercircuits camera (B&W) and C-mount spaces for close focusing. It's not bad, but you still need a steady base. Such microscope stands show up all the time on ebay. This is the stand I have:

This is the focusing arm:

You can try your luck on ebay with complete microscopes, but I passed over so many clunkers at the flea market that I didn't even argue regarding the one I bought, which had nothing wobbly.

You can get microscopes on Craigslist. They tend to be lab scopes, not assembly scopes. The deal with the B&L is you have decent working room.

The VA won't do it till my cataracts get worse, and I can't afford to pay for it.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I\'ve got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

Sheesh, I'm glad I haven't eaten anything recently!

It's called an optivisor, Here's a google search.

You'll probably have to watch the wrap around on that address. Mike

On a sunny day (Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:27:47 -0700) it happened Jim Thompson wrote in :

Do those screw actually go into the skull?

Or you can go to one of the budget on-line glasses places (with prices down in the $14 delivered range on up, depending on which website you choose and what frames you want), but you'll need a tiny bit of research into how to specify a magnifier in optician terms. (ie, +3 diopter is

1.75X, +5 is 2.25X, +12 is 4X). If you happen to wear glasses, this can be a very good option, as you can get magnifying glasses that fit your eye spacing and other aspects of your prescription in one package (by starting with your prescription and adding appropriate magnification). If you bring the subject up while in the eye doctor's office, you can probably have a preview of the effect (useful - bring something you'd like to look at with you) and a prescription for your "special work-magnifying reading-type glasses" if you feel the need. If you don't wear glasses, it's still cheaper than most magnifiers, and you can still get the correct eyespacing (good luck on that with most magnivisors).

These simple magnifiers have working distance limitations (shorter as the power gets higher - 4X would have the work awfully close to your nose), but no worse or different than the visor type things that are the same principle. Telescopic magnifiers can improve the working distance, but generally cost quite a bit more. There's probably a way to home-brew a cheaper solution to the telescopic versions.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Yep. That's how I get a recharge ;-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

| 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Jan Panteltje a écrit :

...iufffffffP

--
Thanks,
Fred.

Yeah, I'm always fighting off the babes when I wear mine...

--

John Devereux

It's nice to know I'm prettier than he is - hell, I'm prettier than Ahnold!

Cheers! Rich

Not terribly. My Mom was getting home from having hers done as you posted this! Today she's tired, but fine.

Yes, they can leave you nearsighted. Discuss it with the doc & (s)he'll make you whatever you want. I encouraged Mom to do this, but she opted to shoot for emmetropia (0.0 diopters correction). I personally wouldn't want that. I like being able to see clearly up close, sans lenses. The imprecision of the lens replacement, however, is such that you could easily wind up +0.5 or more, i.e., significantly farsighted. Farsighted, of course, means you can't ever see anything clearly, ever, without some sort of appliance. Too early to tell, but it looks so far like that's what she got.

Another choice is to have one "far" eye and the other "close" aka "monovision." Very handy if you can stand it, but life-wrecking to those who can't. I'm that way naturally and like it. Most docs will Rx trial contact lenses beforehand that simulate the various choices so you can try it before you buy it. Highly recommended.

Cheers, James Arthur