Magnifying glasses - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 10:58:38 am
content: I think I need to design a new mag set for my glasses, kind of like a hollow frame with another frame inside, the outer frame clamps to each side of the regular glasses and the inner frame moves in and out with mag lenses on them held in place with a screw or clamp. Sound good to anyone?. those jewellers loupes keep falling off my face and I have a pair of what i call newton lenses that clip on one side but also fall off , I kind of like the idea of not peering through a single lens on the table as well.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 11:41:16 am
content: Ok.

author: sdg
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 01:29:34 pm
content: Google "Eschenbach Laboclip"

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 01:36:04 pm
content: You poor bald, blind, old bugger.Me too, but got much more hair.http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=190405&initiative_id=AS_20150805053305&SearchText=magnifying+headset

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 02:03:38 pm
content: I cant disagree with that observation, however at least my teeth dont fall out onto whatever I am repairing, you really ought to try double sided sticky tape for that one

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 02:04:53 pm
content: And what hair I have is mine and doesn't fly of in a wind .....

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 03:30:09 pm
content: I have two pairs of spectacles. The first pair are bi-focal and for normal use but the second pair are 9 diopter with a focal point about 8cm from the end of my nose. The optician thought that I was crazy until I brought in some surface mount parts and she saw the size of the lettering on them.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 03:34:03 pm
content: At the moment I wear my normal glasses but have to put another pair of +1.50 from a local shop over the top to magnify things enough to see the vero board strips to solder.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 04:08:35 pm
content: Gary, I use those headsets all the time and if you only need glasses for close stuff you'll find them very useful.Mine aren't illuminated and that would occasionally would be handy. Lenses flip down to give additional magnification if needed although the focal length then becomes somewhat shorter.BTW I only need the cheap specs like you described if in poor light or reading very fine print.Hope this helps.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 06:31:54 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on August 05, 2015, 02:03:38 pmI prefer hot snot, myself.

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 07:07:06 pm
content: QuoteThanks for you thoughts. I had a long discussion with a friend over why my eyes are going bad until we both realized it is because of old agehttp://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=190405&initiative_id=AS_20150805053305&SearchText=magnifying+headsetI have these BUT what I am starting to like are old fashion reading glasses ( and I am near sighted). They are cheap and easy to use (on - off). I have +4 (read datasheets) and +6 and +8 and I see this seller goes up to +9.75. The difference in using them is how close you get to the subject. As an example +4 spans the width of paper.http://www.amazon.com/EyeBuyExpress-Rectangle-Reading-Magnification-Strength/dp/B00C2GIH9G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438801071&sr=8-2&keywords=8+reading+glassesEdit:QuoteIs your second pair bi-focal? I just called my optician and made an appointment and said I wanted a bi-focal with +4 on the bottom and she said it cannot be done. Next week I will talk to her more when I get my exam and I will take some SMC parts with me, I think this is a good idea.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2015, 08:53:54 pm
content: No, they are fixed focal 9 diopter lenses in the cheapest frames she had. I'm not making a fashion statement wearing these I'm doing some work so I don't care what they look like. Certainly an AD9851 or some SMT resistors in the smaller sizes will get the point across but make sure that they are not too powerful or the focal length will be too short. Using my #9 spectacles I managed to solder and repair some parts in an iPod but some care needs to be taken with a soldering iron 8cm away from the end of the nose.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 10:53:15 am
content: For general desk and reading use I buy multiple 1.5 mag specs from two dollar shops (they're actually about $3 or 4 each.) This way I can afford to leave pairs lying around in places I often need them. And also it's no big deal when I lose or break them. (Often.)For finer work a 3x pair. And for 'bifocals' I perch the 1.5x on top of the 3x - which works surprisingly well.Oh, and a jewers eyeshade-lenses thing now and then.Then there's the Luxo magnifying lamp (recently repairedhttp://everist.org/NobLog/20150725_plastic_cancer_combat.htm), then stereo magnifier, then microscopes for getting serious.One thing that really isn't working for me is glasses with arc welding facemask. The glasses are forever drifting out of line with the mask's view aperture, and the thick gloves and closed mask etc make stopping to readjust them a huge nuisance.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 11:42:19 am
content: I like the Luxo type lights, I had one for ages. I did find the lamp contacts kept falling out of the holder and turning of at the wrong moment though,

author: eliocor
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 12:11:07 pm
content: May I suggest theEschenbach MaxDetail 162451goggles?They give 2x magnification, very few chromatic distortions/aberrations and a WORKING distance from 15 to 40cm; a 3 dioptric correction can be set for each of the two eyes.Much more useful than high dipotric glasses because the working distance is much higher.It does exist even theclippableone: but I have never seen it.BTW, I also use stereomicroscopes (Olympus) but for the "casual" work (I'm 52) on 0603 and 0402 they are really worth the expense!!!

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 12:13:43 pm
content: Ooh those are my kind of thing and what I was thinking of making. wonder what the price is though,.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 12:31:03 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on August 06, 2015, 12:13:43 pmhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Eschenbach-1624-51-MaxDetail-Magnifier/dp/B00481YIS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438864247&sr=8-1&keywords=eschenbach+maxdetail

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 12:32:34 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 06, 2015, 12:31:03 pmThanks Mike, i just put those on my hit list.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 02:27:58 pm
content: Let me know how you get on - I can't work without my Mantis - would be good to find something more portable for off-site work.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 02:33:41 pm
content: Will do.

author: eliocor
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2015, 05:15:45 pm
content: I can confirm they are REALLY good for their price.I have tested some other long distance loupes but they were much costly and their chromatic aberrations were higher.If you want to spend more than 150-200 UK pounds I can suggest some rather good devices but I think one of the most important thing about those spectacles is the rather large working distance:the typical enlargers you find on eBay/... oblige you to put your nose too near the device you are working on.A good optician shop (I mean the place in which they sell/prepare spectacles/glasses) sometimes sells also Eschenbach products: they are rather famous for their binouculars. I do not know if there is a list of this company distributors in the UK: you can try to ask.When found a shop nearby your town, you can go there, ask to try the goggles; afterwise you will buy them cheaper online.Forgot to mention: I'm able to use them for several hours a day without any trouble.P.S.: I love _precision_ tools: JFYI you can check myopinions/choiceson good tweezers

author: Melt-O-Tronic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2015, 03:40:18 am
content: I am very pleased with my Donegan visor (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015IN8J6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage). The optics are very good and it replaced a cheaper set that now lives in the garage.However a friend of mine went very cheap and got this $8 illuminated visor (http://www.amazon.com/SE-MH1047L-Illuminated-Multi-Power-Magnifier/dp/B003UCODIA/ref=pd_sbs_328_12?ie=UTF8&refRID=0K7GV8AXQYVN7DP1EXBJ"). He says he's very happy with it.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2015, 09:07:03 am
content: Considerhttp://www.maplin.co.uk/p/rolson-2-led-12x-18x-25x-and-35x-magnifying-visor-n70fkCheap, effective, multiple magnifications, works with glasses available from your local Maplins. I have +2D or +3D glasses and pop that on when I'm doing SMD work.Other things I've found useful when assembling PCBs athttps://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/assembling-pcbs-with-surface-mount-components/Or pop along to your local model engineering exhibition. For example there's one in Thornbury, Glos in 7 days time:http://www.bristolmodelengineers.co.uk/Exhibition/exhib.htmThe main danger is you'll see too many cheap bits of stuff that you simplymusthave. Best exhibit there from a couple of years ago: an R/C jet powered airliner with a fuselage that was ~400mm in diameter; 60lbs thrust from the engines. I'd only want to watch it fly from a mile awayI wonder if they ever completed it?

author: tomlut
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2015, 09:08:46 am
content: I have a pair of binocular loupes on order from ebay and will review them here when they arrive in a month or so.$70 AUDMagnification: 3.5XWorking distance: 320mmDepth of field: 80mmField of View: 60mmWeight: 52g

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 07, 2015, 09:24:34 am
content: I have a number of hobbies, of those coin collecting ( victorian shillings mainly but all sorts of English coins ) and photography being two, I have had the rolson type headband visors, a small 20x illuminated magnifier, a bench magnifier, jewellers loupes, clip on single sided magnifiers with 2 lenses and none of them do the job for me, I dont want to be wearing a headband for hours, the loupes fall off the face as do the single sided clip on lenses.What I really want is a pair of glasses type thing as posted earlier, I like the light weight and as much a field of vision as possible

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2015, 07:29:16 pm
content: Quote from: tomlut on August 07, 2015, 09:08:46 amHow about include the ebay link. I see there are a lot of sellers. Look forward to your review.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2015, 05:24:14 pm
content: Just for a laugh I ordered these cheapos from Ebayhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171287466739?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=470367895697&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITThe image quality is surprisingly good and the LEDs work well and the switches are convenient to use - you can even adjust the LED angle.The biggest problem is there is no left/right angle adjustment, so unless your eye-to-eye distance happens to be right you basically can't use them in stereo mode.In monocular mode, they are OK for inspection, but working distance is too close to work (certainly solder) with - 10-30mm for x25 to x10.The x10 would be just about useable for emergencies if you had nothing else and didn't mind the occasional smell of burning hair, and there;s a good chance you'd melt the casing with accidental contact.You can even fit one x10 and one x25 and swap eyes for closeups!If they made a x4 or 5 with longer distance it would probably be a lot more useable for electronics stuff.

author: bookaboo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2015, 05:31:15 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 10, 2015, 05:24:14 pmOrdered these, gotta look the part.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2015, 09:17:43 am
content: Great to see all these glasses alternatives. You can buy a few cheapo pairs at varying magnifications. If you lose them, you don't lose sleep. For serious work, you cannot go past a Vision Mantis, proudly designed in the USA, proudly made by in the UK, and the design is so good it has never been able to be copied by Hoo Flung Dung Enterprises. No glasses needed unless your eyes' focal lengths are unbalanced.Shop around for your nearest electronics company that is going bust and see if you can score a Vision Mantis. Even at a grand, they are worth every cent.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 11, 2015, 09:46:54 am
content: Mantis ?. have you never tried sticking a couple of coke bottles to your glasses, does the job and costs less than a grand or more.

author: tomlut
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2015, 12:26:28 pm
content: Quote from: ez24 on August 07, 2015, 07:29:16 pmHere you go:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/111522538217

author: tomlut
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2015, 02:16:59 pm
content: My review can be found here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/review-dental-surgical-binocular-loupes-with-led-light/