PC controlled microscope

You mean the big blue one?

It is a toy. Buy one if you have children, in about a week you can get it from the toybox as they will be fed up of it. It is a usb camera, with a macro lens and a lamp fitted. Very fiddly to focus, as the image on the PC is about 2 seconds behind reality. Not a great deal of magnification or resolution either.

What use did you have in mind?

Mart>Some time ago I saw a microscope that connected to PC via USB. Forget where

Checking the sharpness of needles Martin. Thinking of using one a bit like a shadowgraph machine. Cannot justify spending a great amount. Using 50X Mitutoyo Monocula at the moment, very short depth of field, but does the job.

If I used a microscope connected to the PC could also print out photos of the profiles. Have Digital Camera, but not practical in the workshop with oily hands.

Lionel

I think it would do that, it has a small depth of field, but you could arrange for the needle to always be at the focus.

If I remember correctly, there is also a light under the "stage", which would help.

I had a play with one some time ago, I could probably check it out with a needle in a couple of weeks, I've got a weeks holiday now so I can't get it.

Martin L

ISTR that these are supplied as attachments for professional microscopes, as also are the microscopes themselves, (they seem to be the main suppliers of optics and associated equipment to industry and research), by...

Brunel Microscopes Ltd Bumpers Enterprise Centre, Vincients Road, Bumper Farm, Chippenham, Wilts.

(01249) - 462655

(Sorry, don't have their email or Web details)

THEIR EQPT IS MOST DEFINITELY NOT THE TOY VARIETY!!!!!

If you have a microscope already, may be worth experimenting with a cheap PC digicam - simply strap it onto the eyepiece.

If you don't have a microscope, try adding supplementary (close-up) lenses to the lens of a digicam - a simple meniscus lens such as can be obtained in the cheap pairs of reading glasses will give surprisingly good results; alternatively, camera shops will sell you more expensive add-on close-up lenses.

Regards, Tony

Depends on how much messing about you're happy with. I don't know the 50x Mitutoyo monocular but I would expect it to be using about a x5 objective with a 10x eyepiece. You can use adaptor lenses to get the eyepiece output focussed into a web camera but the additional lenses (including the web camera lens) are likely degrade the image.

If you're prepared to partly degut the monocular or provision a x5 microscope objective, a nicer system is to dispense with the eyepiece and camera lens and simply use the objective at its normal conjugates to focus the needle image directly on the web camera photo sensor. The web camera sensor is somewhat smaller than the field plane of a 10x eyepiece so your field of view for the whole TV screen will be similar but smaller than the monocular view.

Image contrast would also be helped by collimating the light source - making it as near parallel light as possible. This ensures that only light that passes the extreme object periphery can enter the objective. Collimation does not need to be very good - a plano convex lens (plano side nearest the light source) about 1 to 2" focal length would be suitable.

Jim

I bought one for my nephew two or three years ago, it worked but wasn't wonderfull. It was made by intel. The resolution was pretty poor, about 350x450, or even smaller. The picture wasn't wonderfull. It was cheap, i bought it from the states with some other pc stuff and it ended up costing about £35.

I was going to make an adaptor to put my digital cam' on my microscope, that would do nice 1600x1200 pics.

-- richard

My son (15) has the Intel "play" QX3 microscope, it is a toy, but a bloody good one at that, it has three magnifications 10, 60 and 200x, it can light the subject from below and from above, I would think it would be ideal for your purpose, you can buy them off EBAY.

I hope this helps Regards Phill

Amazon has them in stock:

message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

"Tony Jeffree" wrote

Thanks Phillip & Tony,

The reviews look promising on Amazon. 2 weeks delivery - pain in the arse.

I'll try a google search on it.

Lionel

Found this on google...

Availability: Usually ships the next business day.

Lionel

Lionel

If you want a UK supplier, Dabs direct are showing availability 1-3 days, £59 inc VAT.

Cheers Tim

Tim Leech Dutton Dry-Dock

Traditional & Modern canal craft repairs