USB Microscopes

[Jo]

I fear I am getting  after an hour or so using my Cowells I am finding problems with focusing my eyes. I have already installed a magnifier on the Cowels but keep thinking about the idea of mounting a USB microscope on the lathe to enable me to see better what I am doing and hopefully to avoid so much eye strain.

Has anyone else tried this? Does it work?

Jo

[Jasonb]

Just build bigger engines

J

[Jo]

That just means I have the opportunity to add more detail  .

Jo

[zeeprogrammer]

Not sure if this would help...

I have a stand on rollers with one of those desk lighted magnifiers. I think it's a 4x or 5x.
It's been very handy. Easy to adjust and move out of the way.
I should have mounted a clear plate on the front to make it easier to clean.
I sometimes think of mounting it from the ceiling.

[b.lindsey]

Jo, since you nemtion the USB connection, are you wanting to output the microscopes view to a larger screen for viewing or would that be more for just taking pictures or videos of the "tiny" work in progress?  I haven't tried it yet but suffer from the same malady often when working with small parts. Had considered the addition of a stereo microscope to the Sherline lathe but at $775 that is out of the question. A quick google search shows some of these USB versions ranging from $30-$100 but they would require a monitor to view the output and I assume a computer as well. At least that gets into the ballpark of feasibility since most of us probably have a stray older computer or laptop around somewhere.  I will be following along though to see what others have done in this regard. Getting old(er) ain't fun...but it still beats the alternative

Bill

[Jasonb]

I wonder if a web can may be more suitable as you don't really need the amount of magnification from a microscope.

I would have thought that by the time the camera image is up on the screen you would get 10x mag which should be more than enough.

The other thing that may give issues is strobing if the refresh rate of the camera/scope syncs with the revolving part making it seen still or rotating the wrong way.

J

[Jo]

Zee: I already have a magnifier lamp. Still get the problems .

Bill: I have a net book that kicks around all over the house, great little gadget, I was thinking of outputting the image to that. I can imagine if I put a screen up behind the lathe it would quickly get an oil line down it .

Jo

[Jo]

I wonder if a web can may be more suitable as you don't really need the amount of magnification from a microscope.

I had also considered that, but have no experience of them. My concerns was focal length.

Jo

[b.lindsey]

I can imagine if I put a screen up behind the lathe it would quickly get an oil line down it .

True, or even more likely on the lens of the microscope!!

Bill

[Jo]

  I have just found someone who has used one of these for milling circuit boards.

They toldl me that webcams did not provide enough resolution. The microscope had sufficient update rate and operated happily from about 6".

Jo

[Bezalel]

Hi Jo


A friend of mine uses one to help with his gem cutting,


He seems to have no trouble cutting 40 plus facets on a 4 mm gem stone using the microscope to check his work occasionally.


That's sort of getting into George B territory 


Cheers


Bez

[ausdier]

The one I use to look at things.
http://www.kaiserbaas.com/cameras/digital-microscope#sthash.kESkRkN1.dpbs
example of my verniers at 0.0005"gap with the mic at the same distance but two focal lengths.

[Jo]

That's sort of getting into George B territory 

You have to have something to aspire to.  But I fear I am unlikely to achieve it in this life time .

Jo

[Raggle]

This is what I bought

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190679872997&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:GB:1123

50-500x mag.

The stand supplied is plastic/metal and pretty useless and my plan is to adapt it to fit the Starret scribing block when suitable tuits arrive.

I wouldn't have thought it has much to offer for live machining situations, but it comes with Cooltech software which, after a bit of a learning curve, must be very useful for measuring tiny objects, including labelling, dimensions, angles, etc. This is only for saved stills and calibration is as good as the user can make it.

I have another, bought from Lidl for ?30. It's a Bresser 20x80x350x mag. This is a better instrument altogether and has a focussable stage with top and back lighting. The head is detachable from the stand and it should be possible to arrange it for machine mounting, though back lighting is of course gone.
Just seen this identical one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRESSER-20x80x350-USB-MICROSCOPE-SOFTWARE-BNIB-/251143854106?pt=UK_Collectables_Scientific_MJ&hash=item3a7957181a

I also note there are lots of the first type on Ebay for around ?15-16

So far I've failed to get either of my 'scopes to work or be recognised by Ubuntu linux and my experience is small as I avoid Windoze like dog mess. But then I have found I've got a dodgy USB line on here somewhere. Both work well in Windoze.

Ray

[Jo]

Further feedback:

I have just had a clockmaker respond to this question via the Cowells yahoo group. His advice is to try to work with a Optivisor. I have one of these, it wins all the prizes for being one of the most uncomfortable things going to wear.

As I have one I will give it a go before I put my hand in my pocket.

Jo

[b.lindsey]

That's what I use 99% of the time now Jo, and not with just small parts either   After a while they will conform more to your head.

Bill

[Stuart]

Dont worry Jo its only the AGE factor wait till you get a flu jab then you may find your arms are not long enough 


Jo on a more PC correct tone it may be that your eyes are not balancing the focus to your master eye if your non dominant eye has the better focus it will give you a bad head and eye fatigue ( at least that what my optician told me years ago when I had a similar problem with a PC screen ( CRT )

with my sparks hat on it may be that your mag lamp unit is strobing with the chuck speed causing a flicker that you may not evan notice but its there that too can cause eye strain, one of the reasons I will only use incandescent lamps for task lighting

to illustrate the point when I worked for the local iron works ( base exchange units and pipe spinning ) we always paired a mercury vapour lamp with a 1000w incandescent lamp to avoid the strobe effect

Hope you sort it out without to much harm to your purse ( nearly said wallet  then ) not very PC


Stuart

[Jo]

with my sparks hat on it may be that your mag lamp unit is strobing with the chuck speed causing a flicker that you may not evan notice but its there that too can cause eye strain, one of the reasons I will only use incandescent lamps for task lighting

Hope you sort it out without to much harm to your purse ( nearly said wallet  then ) not very PC

Stuart

Stuart you maybe right all of these magnifying lamps use fluorescents

I have dug out my cheap and nasty head band binocular viewer: it is actually better than I expected but has a magnification of about 5 and a focal length of about 3" so it is no good for lathe work .

My purse has been emptied and the moths have escaped  I have ordered a DA-4 Optivisor from the States, for the vast sum of ?32, hopefully customs will not look on it as a revenue opportunity . I will tell you if it is any good in a few weeks .

Jo

[Stuart]

Jo

hope you don't get the customs and excise lot on your back import duty plus ?8 handling fee will hurt


try this firm ? 29 plus Vodka And Tonic
http://www.moleroda.com/acatalog/Complete_Optivisors.html

btw I have had some specs made up with reading bit as the main part and the bifocal bit to focus at 8 inches , plastic lens with side cheeks AKA safety glasses
as I have to wear glasses all the time this is the only way I can get by in the WS as these stupid vary focal things are useless except for general use

Stuart

[Jo]

Jo

hope you don't get the customs and excise lot on your back import duty plus ?8 handling fee will hurt

Stuart

It is too late it is ordered.

But thanks I just checked the final price by the time they add VAT and postage it is ?40.55, so the ?8 Royal Mail rip off plus the tuppence halfpenny they might charge me import duty it is likely to be about the same price. If I am luck they will be nice to me, see my title and think it is for medical reasons .

Jo

[dvbydt]

For the ultimate, look up Mantis Magnifier! Very expensive, but the idea of the long stand-off distance and choice of magnification is also used in surgeons stereo magnifiers, like two adjustable, small telephoto lenses, also expensive.

Ian

[gmac]

Just for reference and a thought starter;

http://www.microscope.modelengines.info/taigmicroscope.html

http://www.modelengines.info/microscope/

Cheers Garry

[zeeprogrammer]

Just what I need. An even better look at my lousy finishes. 
It would be just the thing for me if you all would send me your parts and I could enjoy seeing good stuff.
Please send postage paid. No returns.

[Pete49]

Like the friend of Bez I use a usb scope for faceting and it works well. I think for lathe work it may be a bit ordinary though I have been getting thoughts of using it for marking out as I seem to have the odd problem there. Never thought of using a web cam while working on the lathe or mill but maybe worth a look
Pete

[tel]

Just what I need. An even better look at my lousy finishes. 
It would be just the thing for me if you all would send me your parts and I could enjoy seeing good stuff.
Please send postage paid. No returns.

Wear an eye patch Carl - they'll only look 'arf as bad!

[Bezalel]

Just what I need. An even better look at my lousy finishes. 
It would be just the thing for me if you all would send me your parts and I could enjoy seeing good stuff.
Please send postage paid. No returns.

Wear an eye patch Carl - they'll only look 'arf as bad!

Wear two it'll look twice as good!!

[Bearcar1]

OUCH! Tough room tonite..... 




BC1
Jim

[zeeprogrammer]

Good idea. I'll wear two. Then you'll all look good too. 

[ScroungerLee]

On some USB cameras you can take off part of the housing and then turn the focus wheel around the lens much farther.  I did that and it will focus as close as six inches from an object if you really want to get that close.

I also bought a USB microscope, a cheap one from dealextreme.com, and it would have to be really close to the part being machined.  Probably the farthest it can be and still focus is about eight inches.  A better quality one might be totally different of course.

Lee

[Jo]

Update: the Optivisor has arrived and successfully sneaked through customs without being seen as a Tax opportunity

I will report later on how good it is after I have used it for a few hours.

Jo

[Stuart]

Good on you there Jo just shows what an education can do for you 


Stuart

[Bezalel]

Hi Jo




Should be a lot easier than trying focus a camera down a normal microscope eye piece 


So I'm looking forward to seeing some sample images


Cheers


Bez

[Ian S C]

I tried the web cam in one lens of my binocular microscope, its not easy,  but could be useful perhaps.  Ian S C

[Alan Haisley]

Further feedback:

I have just had a clockmaker respond to this question via the Cowells yahoo group. His advice is to try to work with a Optivisor. I have one of these, it wins all the prizes for being one of the most uncomfortable things going to wear.

As I have one I will give it a go before I put my hand in my pocket.

Jo

Jo,
I have an Optivisor (maybe knockoff.) My problem with it is that the headband won't stay put. What I think it needs is a round tuit to make some kind of over the top additional strap so at least the thing will stay on my head where I put it. I also have incandescent lighting that I can add to the overhead fluorescents to not only take out any visual flutter but also to increase task lighting. I'm using two old photoflood clamp-ons (really need to improve their mounting though.)
Alan

[Jo]

Report on the Optivisor:

It is comfortable to use over time and stays put where ever I position it

For me the focal length is slightly shorter than the claimed 10", this is due to my slight short sightness, when I put my glasses on the focal length is ideal . However  my glasses don't allow me to see anything clearly under about 3ft so when I raise the optivisor to reach beyond the lathe for something I have no focus due to the effect of my glasses .

So... the problem with my glasses is going to annoy me. I may need to go see an optician to sort it. The visor helped no end doing the 12BAs today.

I am now trying a halogen light to increase work lighting.

Jo

[Jo]

I have an Optivisor (maybe knockoff.) My problem with it is that the headband won't stay put.

Alan: I have that problem with my copy. The leather headband on the real optivisor helps no end with the comfort and the way it clamps on the head is miles better than the cheapy which you can only adjust off the head and it is not flexible enough to fit close to the head.

Jo

[ScroungerLee]

Here are some images from my USB Microscope and my modified webcam.

USB Microscope, less than one inch from object:


USB Microscope three inches from object:


USB Microscope 6 inches from object, might have been able to focus better.

[ScroungerLee]

And here are images from my web cam.  I removed the plastic housing around the front of the camera so that the focus ring can be screwed in much farther for close ups.

Web Cam one inch away.


Web Cam three inches away.


Web Cam 5 inches away.



You can see that both with the USB Microscope and the modified WebCam the area that is in focus is very small, and the lens has to be really really close to what you are working on.  Also the slightest movement of either type of camera or of the object makes the view scroll away from where you want it.  Even small vibrations make the image impossible to see.

I hope these help.


Lee

[Jo]

Thanks Lee,

I had thought that USB microscopes could be mounted further back but clearly not. I recall one advert for one of these where they zoomed in on a spider and went so close that it killed the luckless creature  .

The web cam seems to be giving a better view, the idea distance to keep it out of the machining operations would be around 6". 

Jo

[ScroungerLee]

Those image sizes are just the default in the software that came with each camera.  Both do video too of course.  I am sure the video can be displayed larger.

Lee