Dino-Lite 411T/413T - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2011, 07:45:00 am
content: I am getting ready to get a Dino-Lite 411T.Is there anyone on the forum who has this item or the entry-level Dino? Are the images of the PCBs clear? I mainly rework stuff, inc. BGA reball, so I thought I'd spend more and get the 411. I also looked at ProScope, but they look uncomfortable to use, lenses are separate, and they are too expensive, imo.All advice is appreciated.

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2011, 07:52:57 am
content: DX have something similar.http://www.dealextreme.com/p/portable-usb-2-0-25x-400x-cmos-digital-microscope-with-8-led-illumination-black-70709Regards

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2011, 08:13:47 am
content: Thanks for the link. The million dollar question is, how good is the quality?When I am spending over £250 on a Dino-Lite, am I buying just a name, or there is a massive difference in quality too?

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2011, 08:50:53 am
content: Given the price of the DX version, i would get it to see if it meets your needs. It could save you a lot.The specs are listed and there are reviews on a few of them.Regards

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2011, 06:02:47 pm
content: Having just read this page:http://www.microscope.com/dinolite-am411t-13mp-digital-microscope-p-527.htmlI would say that the Dino-Lite is an amazingly overpriced USB microscope ! The 'advert' does nothing for me..... factory set fixed white balance.... they state that as though it is some special advantage .... total crap !I use several Chinese USB microscopes that look very similar and have the same 1.3 Mega Pixel Resolution. The most I have paid for one is GBP35.There is a difference in quality between different USB microscopes in the sub GBP50 marketplace so you do need to be carefull when selecting one. Do not be fooled by crazy claims of amazing magnification and huge MegaPixel counts. 1.3MP is pretty common for the imager chip but some sellers detail the INTERPOLATED resolution which is deceptive to say the least. Claims of 400X magnification should be treated with caution. 20X is pretty reasonable and those units claim 200X as their other setting but often fall far short of this unless you have a giant screen to view it on !I bought a 'no-name' Chinese 1.3MP 20X/200X unit that has 4 white LEDS and works very well. I then tried a 20X/200X VEHO 'Discovery' and the optics are far inferior to my no-name unit (cheap and wobbly!). I have since bought more of the original no-name units for as little as GBP20and they all give excellent PCB inspection capability but additional illumination can sometimes be helpfull.I can upload some pictures next week if you would like to see the quality....it provides very clear images of SMD pins etc.As a side note... my dentist even bought the same unit after seeing the picture quality when I imaged a fault in one of my teeth for her to see ! She was amazed at the fine detail and colour reproduction.I found the advertising picture of my units and have attached it for information. This is from ebay but the current seller is not the one I bought from and his product spec is not that of the unit picture he is using.Note the oval snapshot button. That is important as others with the round button have often been found to have inferior optics (cheapening of the product over time). I had a look for my units on eBay but they appear to be superseded nowMy units were originally GBP50- GBP60 but dropped to around GBP25 as competition increased from competitors. Watch out for units that state a limited focus range as they also have the poorer optics. Mine is 10mm to infinity and has a deliberately small lens aperture providing good depth of field. If the lens looks like it belongs on a PCB board camera, avoid the unit as the lens will disappoint.I am afraid this can be a real mine field when selecting a unit without testing it first. All I can say is that the quality that can be purchased for less than GBP50 is excellent and the only real differences are the lens structures used and even then you should still be pleased with the pictures produced considering the low cost.IMHO, sources like Digi-lite are charging ripoff prices for not very advanced products that come from Chinese factories anyway. There will always be people who believe that paying more means better performance.... with USB microscopes like the 411T, it ain't necessarily true.Take a look on Amazon and read the reviews. You should find a decent one there that offers the benefit of real world reviews.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2011, 06:16:41 am
content: Aurora, I can't thank you enough. I agree that Dino-Lite is overpriced, which is why I posted a request for info here. I eBay-crawled yesterday trying to compare the cheap and cheerful Chinese microscopes, and so far isolated 5 flavours of sub-£50 ones.I'd be grateful for sample pics, especially legs of tiny chips, BGA balls, etc.If I don't need to spend a fortune on Dino, I can then spend a fortune on 4.5x or 6x headband magnifier that I've been wanting for a while now (my dentist has one). What fun...

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2011, 06:44:34 am
content: Here are the ones I like:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2207317272338 LEDs, 1.3MPhttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/260705297450?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp5039.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D260705297450%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=18 LEDs, 2MP, seller praises the lens (as compared to another one of his products).

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 11:26:41 pm
content: IMG,I'm just back from attending RIAT so will upload some sample pictures tomorrow (Tuesday)

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 09:35:37 pm
content: OK Picture timeSome close ups of SMT leads and and a couple of failed resistors. One was badly reqworked at some time and the resistive layer failed at the point where it met the solder cap and the other was a dry joint, very sensitive to impact.Greater magnification is available by getting closer to the object or selecting the X200 mode.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 09:39:15 pm
content: More picturesDamaged PCB - RF socket mounting feedthru's

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 09:41:53 pm
content: More picturesMicrowave downconverter PCB inspection

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 09:43:38 pm
content: More PicturesDamaged thermal head on a Seiko DPU printer

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 09:47:09 pm
content: And finally.... pictures taken whilst investigating the self destruction of my AVO Megger(it burned up whilst sat on the storage shelf !)

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 08:48:59 am
content: Quote from: img on July 16, 2011, 06:44:34 amGot that one for cheaper last year, be aware that with these things the base are actually hollow, so be prepared to put something in them to add weight.the 20x spec is about right but when I magnified a single pixel at max the black image was about 100x wide.

author: Lawsen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 07:05:18 pm
content: Dino-Lite 411T/413T is not 3 dimensional like Dave Jones's stereo Greenough microscope circa 1970s Olympus SZ or my Nikon SMZ-U. Dino Lite costs a fraction of the cost and it is a good digital macroscope. It is a macroscope, because the magnification is below 100X and it is a single optical system, not dual optical system to produce a 3 dimensional view. It is not a stereo microscope, but a macroscope, which is very good with a digital sensor integrated. It is way cheaper than a $1,500.00 USD Nikon SMZ-U, that I use for fossils and minerals.Thanks for your post.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2011, 08:52:28 am
content: Quote from: Lawsen on July 23, 2011, 07:05:18 pmThank you for the comment.This is perhaps why, after viewing the photos that Aurora kindly uploaded for us (thank you!!!!!), I got a Meiji zoom scope.Not sure if I can have a meaningful relationship with it, but will keep the forum posted.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2011, 09:12:10 am
content: I can't say I'm overly impressed by the image quality of the Dinolite product. I think the problem seems to be with the lighting itself, it saturates the camera too much with specular reflections etc. Perhaps an alternative (and more diffuse) light source could help...

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2011, 09:14:42 am
content: Quote from: AntiProtonBoy on July 27, 2011, 09:12:10 amThat's interesting. Which model DinoLite do you have?

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 03:57:39 am
content: Oh sorry, I was actually basing my comment on the images posted in here; I don't actually own one.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 07:55:06 am
content: The images above are from an unbranded Chinese scope that can be had for about £30.It's possible, although unlikely, that DinoLite's image quality is better, although it's debatable whether this 'better' could justify a £250 price tag.In defense of Aurora's scope I gotta say that the image quality can be improved by experimenting with illumination. DinoLite, for example, can supply some of their scopes with a polariser, and that reduced glare to an extent, but takes the price into the over-£300 range.Very recently I got some sample images from Dinos which I'll upload shortly for comparison.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 04:20:23 pm
content: Everyone please be aware that the pictures I posted are just 'real life' images taken whilst I have investigated various PCB's etc over the past months. No effort was made to correctly illuminate the subject or process the images after capture. I feel certain that better picture quality is possible if some thought is put into lighting. The white illumination LED's can be a little fierce but can be switched off so that external illumination may be used. The pictures of the ripped out socket feed-throughs is a classic situation where my desk light illumination actually degraded the image by causing lower contrast for some reason.The camera does have a range of software settings for the displayed image but I have yet to find a need to adjust them except for the brightness.