Can't see all a component with an Amscope se400-Z - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: nbenm
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 12, 2019, 04:17:26 pm
content: Hi everybody,I've just bought an Amscope SE400-Z.I want to solder a tqfp 100 pins IC, but I can't see it all. I see only parts. So it's difficult to place it correctly on the board.Is there a way to see all the component at once ?Thanks in advance.Noury

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2019, 07:58:34 pm
content: *edit: ne'ermind, your microscope is a fixed zoom. I am not even sure if a Barlow fits it. It sure doesn't look it. What you don't want to do is buy x5 eyepieces. It will half the magnification, but it will just leave a black ring instead of increasing the FOV.If you want to make lemonade out of lemons, try aligning just the corner of the chip and tacking a pin, then checking the opposite corner?Barlow lens. They come in 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7.To install the Barlow, you remove the LED ring adaptor if you use one, screw the Barlow directly onto the bottom of the objective, and then screw the LED ring adapter back onto the end of the Barlow lens.As the number goes lower, the magnification goes down. The FOV goes up. The focal distance (height of the microscope when the object is in focus) goes up.I imagine the 0.5x Barlow is the most popular size for PCB level electronics work. This doubles the FOV and halves the magnification/zoom. It also reduces the amount of light you get, so the image will be dimmer at the same level of magnification as without. The focal distance doubles, but since the lens takes up some of that distance, you don't actually get double the working space. You go from like 4 inches to like 6 inches, or thereabouts.Because of the difference in height, you may have the big downside of ergonomics. Hopefully, you have not yet spent a great deal of time adjusting your workspace to suit your microscope.

author: nbenm
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 12, 2019, 08:53:30 pm
content: Thanks KL27xI should have read more before buying it.All I have read or watched was saying it was a good choice.I didn't understand it had a so narrow FOV.My IC is so small (14 x 14 mm), and I can't see it entirely.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2019, 09:02:27 pm
content: Depends on what your needs are, this scope is pretty cheap and gets the job done for many people.It's like drugs. When you get a better microscope, you learn new ways to use it. And if those things make it into your work flow, you never want to go backwards.According to the other thread, you might have options for changing out the objective, itself. Or if your budget and workbench are bigger, you might consider upgrading to a harder drug. The investment in time is so big in setting up a permanent location and working out the ergonomics, I just went whole hog with my first one. Zoom, double boom, .5x Barlow, tilt adjust in every direction. Pretty close to the endgame, I think.I bought a cheaper one for a business partner/friend, basically the same features except in the smaller less adjustable stand. I wasn't sure he'd even use it. He ended up upgrading the stand shortly after to the full monty.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2019, 05:40:14 pm
content: I took a very hard look at this model, but I ended up with theSM-1TS-V203One of the reasons is that I didn't have space for a boom stand, thus I got a smaller footprint. The other reason was that it has the standard Amscope head, which can be adapted with other bases and lenses if needed.I wonder if Amscope would make a lens adapter for this model in the future. Perhaps you could ask them?

author: Stiletto
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2019, 11:40:38 pm
content: Noury,If it fits the objective lens mount for the Amscope SE-400Z, this 0.5x rectangular objective might be just what you are looking for. It would halve the power of the 1x objective the SE-400Z ships with and give you a better field of view.https://www.microscope.com/omano-0-5x-objective-lens-for-omano-om-b10-l-b20-l-wd-250mm.htmlMicroscope.com ships internationally and has a pretty good return 30 day return policy with no restocking fee if it winds up not fitting or doesn't work (you pay shipping costs of course). Or, as the costs might be more to return it than it is worth, just keep it.Anyway, might be worth a shot, as the microscopes it is intended for (OM-B10L & OM-B20L) appear to be identical to the SE-400 Amscope models. If it were me, I'd say it has a decent chance of working. Hope this information helps you out.John

author: 17_29bis
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2019, 05:54:34 am
content: I am very interested to know if "0.5X Objective Lens for Omano OM-B10-L / B20-L, WD=250mm" mentioned above is the salvation, so Noury or anyone if you tried it please share your experience with other Amscope SE-400Z users.As a side note: I own Amscope SE-400Z and I decided to add a camera to this microscope. I have chosen "HAYEAR Full HD 34MP 2K 1080P HDMI USB Industrial Electronic Digital Video Microscope Camera for Phone CPU PCB Repair " (can be found on Amazon), it came with 0.5x c-mount adapter and it has digital zoom 1x:5x.What I don't understand is why this setup has such extremely small FOV - just enough to accommodate 1 smd component.Strangely enough the combination "Amscope SE-400Z original rectangular objective 1x" + "10x eyepiece" gives much better FOV than "Amscope SE-400Z original rectangular objective 1x" + "0.5x c-mount adapter". May be someone can explain this to me?Either way, I am looking at "0.5X Objective Lens for Omano OM-B10-L / B20-L, WD=250mm" rectangular objective" and wonder if it's worth trying.Thanks!

author: jameslite
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 03, 2020, 05:53:33 pm
content: I wonder if Amscope would make a lens adapter for this model in the future. Perhaps you could ask them?