(Edit) Anybody tried "Aomekie" brand stereo dissecting microscopes from China? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2017, 02:24:02 am
content: For a long time I have been looking for a fairly low magnification stereo microscope for close up inspection of PCBs that offers a long enough distance for soldering, etc.There are a bunch of really inexpensive Chinese brands that from the photos Ive seen appear to be better quality than I would expect for the price.The one in the photo appears identical to one thats sold on ebay by user Aomekie for $52 and they have another cheaper one for $35(I dont know who the OEM is, but the city of Ningbo clearly seems to be a center of optical manufacturing activity.)Anyway, I'm sure some good deals are out there.I'm really on a tight budget and cant afford to spend over $100 on a (second) microscope I could get for less. I already have a Chinese monocular microscope thats from one of these companies and it has coated glass optics, is built like a tank and for the money (I paid well under $50 for it some years ago) its quite good. The optical quality is not great but its good enough for me to have taken some good macro photography with it. Its a powerful microscope but much too powerful for electronics and the working distance is just a few mm.Does anybody have any experience with "Aomekie"? Seems like there are reviews on youtube for this brand, but they all appear to be in Russian and perhaps Greek.. (Cyrillic text)

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2017, 04:45:56 am
content: For us$100 I imagine you'd get much better value in a second hand unit off gumtree / Craigslist / eBay?

author: WastelandTek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2017, 04:47:48 am
content: lots of widefield units on booms at the hamfests around here, I don't think I could work with that thing in the pic

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 01:11:08 am
content: Thats not an option for me as I don't own a car. I have never owned a car. So I don't get to go to those hamfests.Ebay user aomeckie seems to maybe be the OEM of that scope, or it looks quite similar. Anyway, they sell one thats similar but without the prism (so straight through view) thats 20x for $35. Its advertised as being for soldering. Is 20x still too much magnification?Even $100 is too much for me right now. $35 is better. As long as it has glass optics and independent focusing for one eye and rubber eyecups, I think I can live with a plastic case, etc.We're about to see massive job cuts in the next few years so I'm trying to save my pennies.

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 02:31:34 am
content: I think 20x is too much magnification.I have an adjustable zoom model with a 3.5x to 20x range.Most of the time I use it around 5x for SO & 0805 size parts, maybe 10x for finer pitch stuff and only use 20x if I'm looking closely for a problem.If you get one with a standard lens on the front then you can buy a 0.5x Barlow lens that will halve your magnification and double your working distance.Make sure you get a scope with WF / Wide Field ocular lenses to give you a wide field of view.Take your time and keep looking until something good comes up second hand or even persevere with a good headband magnifier.Speaking from experience there's nothing more disappointing than spending hard earned $$ and not getting what you wanted.Read some of the other microscope threads on here, I was given some really good advice when I was looking for a microscope.

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 06:29:35 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on July 11, 2017, 02:41:17 amI think a lot depends on your eyes. When they are old and poor like mine soldering under the microscope is a pleasure!For youngsters with good eyesight it might not be an issue. I have two bright LED lamps I point at the work.The microscope is also fun for digging the odd brass or metal splinter out of your finger as well.

author: Pinkus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 07:07:37 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on July 11, 2017, 02:41:17 amWe will talk about that again in 10 yearsI would not touch any SMD board without a good binocular or a Mantis anymore.,@cdev: if you ever touched a good binocular stereo microscope, you would know, that a $24 offer only can be crap. Better throw your $24 into the trashright now. That will give you the one advantage that you do not have to wait for it. You will buy twice if you buy cheap. And if you have no money you are just too poor to buy cheap because in the end you will have paid more. Save your $35 until you saved more.Thus: get a used decent brand (Nikon, Olympus). With some patience you will be able to get one for a good price. Two hints: Get one with a boom stand, otherwise it will be in the way all the time. And as someone already posted: get one where you can screw a standard x0.5 (or better x0.3 or x0.4) barlow lens to it. This is important to gain some working distance.Check Craigslist! Look here for example:https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/bfs/6213430145.htmlyou will get two scopes including boom stand for $50 and one is a Leica. A bargain!!! Sell the other for $50 and you have one for free. Be creative but don't buy crap!

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 12:19:14 pm
content: Quote from: Pinkus on July 11, 2017, 07:07:37 am$50 for the two - great bargain.The stand at least is a Bausch & Lomb and one both scopes are Leica.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 12:54:19 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on July 11, 2017, 07:26:39 amYou can't protect your eyes against father time. Mine started to go at 40 and I got some fairly regimented eye exercises from my optometrist. That prolonged the inevitable a couple of years, but I got reading glasses not much before I turned 43.Some people are lucky, but most people I know over mid-40s use reading glasses.

author: WastelandTek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 02:12:00 pm
content: Quote from: DTJ on July 11, 2017, 06:29:35 amoh man, you got that right, lol, I probably use mine more often for that than SMD work

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2017, 08:45:17 pm
content: What helps there are antioxidants and phytonutrients, they can make ahugedifference.Another nutrient that can actually reverse some damage to the eye is l-carnosine. Not the insanely expensive n-acetyl-carnosine eye drops (which are so expensive because they are patented) cheap l-carnosine has similar effects. Topically, it can improve the clarity of the lens of the eye. However the shelf life of home-made l-carnosine eye drops is short so one needs to know how to do it one's self and know how to maintain cleanliness. L-carnosine eye drops can be particularly useful for the owners of aging dogs, some of whom seem especially prone to cataracts. Cataracts seem to at least in part be related to formation of advanced glycation end products which causes a loss of integrity (and loss of elasticity/stiffness) in proteoglycan based tissues. The same process also causes a lot of systemic inflammation in peoples bodies as they get older. So an inhibition of "AGE" formation would be really useful in slowing the aging process, and any hypothetical substance which could reverse the cross linking of AGEs would in theory be able to reduce some of the most damaging effects of aging.Needless to say much research is being devoted to looking for such a substance but as far as I know as it stands now, the process can be slowed or inhibited somewhat but not reversed..Quote from: BradC onTodayat 06:54:19>Quote from: blueskull onTodayat 01:26:39You can't protect your eyes against father time. Mine started to go at 40 and I got some fairly regimented eye exercises from my optometrist. That prolonged the inevitable a couple of years, but I got reading glasses not much before I turned 43.Some people are lucky, but most people I know over mid-40s use reading glasses.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 12, 2017, 01:43:13 am
content: Quote from: BradC on July 11, 2017, 12:54:19 pmLucky you. I have worn glasses since the 3rd grade-amblyopia-right eye and astigmatisms in both. I have had progressive bi-focals for 20 years. I currently use Seiko Digital progressive lenses, amazing lenses-$300 for lenses alone because my insurance company won't cover them and my Optometrist is out of network anyway. I won't go back to standard progressive lenses.