DIY digital microscope for soldering and inspection - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: frenky
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 09, 2016, 08:39:54 pm
content: For a while I've been wanting to get a nice digital microscope. Something like this:This things can cost over 1000$ so I decided to make something out of the stuff that I already have at home.After a lot of testing I came to this setup which works for me:I took Canon lens "EFS 18-55 IS II" and stuck 31mm macro extension ring on the back.Then I drilled 10mm hole in the cap that usually covers back of the lens (when you are not using it of course).I disassembled Logitech C270 (720p, 30fps) webcam and unscrewed the lens from the lens holder:And stuck it into the hole of the lens rear cap:And put it on the back of the lens:I still need to make a robust stand and led ring with difusor.But I could not wait to test it, light is very poor because I just used a flash light so images are not as good as they could be with good lighting.Focal length 18mm, focus: 40mm (minimum), dof: 3mmFocal length 18mm, focus: 143mm (max), dof: 7mmFocal length 55mm, focus: 95mm (minimum), dof: 5mmFocal length 55mm, focus: 320mm, dof: 10mmAs you can see the quality of image heavily depends on the current lighting conditions. But I'll fix that.I understand that not everybody has this Canon lens laying around so I'll do the same test with Canon FD 70-210mm F4 which you can get on ebay for approx 40$.Together with C270 webcam and extension ring you could have a nice digital microscope for about 70$.I constantly get 30fps in virtualdub so this thing is usable for pcb inspection and soldering.I hope you'll find this setup usefull. I've sure had a lot of fun putting it together.

author: altaic
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 12:05:48 am
content: Brilliant! I'm going to have to give that a shot.I noticed that it's set to 30 fps, but seems to drop down in some screenshots-- do you know why it's dropping (lighting, computer issues, etc.)?

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 12:11:03 am
content: HiThe drawback that I see is that this is a *big* (as in diameter) microscope. If you are going to work under it ... that's a bit of an issue.Bob

author: altaic
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 03:02:50 am
content: Came across another DIY USB microscope, which looks to be quite nice with a similar cost:http://operationalsmoke.blogspot.com/2014/05/diy-usb-soldering-microscope.html

author: frenky
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 07:46:29 am
content: Quote from: altaic on March 10, 2016, 12:05:48 amYeah in poor lighting frame rate drops. But this should not be an issue after I make a ring led light.Quote from: uncle_bob on March 10, 2016, 12:11:03 amIt depends on the distance. If lens is 20cm or 30cm away then this (to me) is not an issue.I like this big lens because I can easily change the magnification/dof/work distance...But I do have some old M42 lens that anyone could find on flea markets for a few $...I'll try them out to see if they could be useful:

author: frenky
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 10, 2016, 12:50:12 pm
content: This is how my led ring will look like. I'll cut 60leds/m led strip into 5cm pieces and stick them on ALU ring:Then I'll put some baking paper or milk jug hdpe plastics in front of leds to act as diffuser. And add pwm power control if needed.

author: lordvader88
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2018, 02:55:22 am
content: Yup, I have a camera phone in a un-used phone, 2-3 in broken cellphone's I found, a crap webcam, some magnifying glasses.I need to built a sturdy wooden base/frame and see what I can make this week, and later get proper camera.I've had to solder some SMD stuff lately including QFP-100 and a DSO138 chip, I'm just about to retry the DSO138, hope its not fried but I have 5 other chips.I have salvged PCBs I should practice SMD on today, but I wanted to see what they did on the scope before wrecking them.Too many things to to