In general, I got tired of looking at SMD elements with a magnifying glass, the markings on them and inspecting the tracks for damage and the quality of the soldering. Plus, one hand is always busy. Someone will say about binocular glasses, uv. glass on a stand ... Binoculars are far from the best solution, vision sits down quickly from them + the quality is far from ideal, from those that have ever been touched. (There is an idea to close up binoculars with a lens from a currency detector. But this is only an experiment in the prototype stage so far.) A magnifying glass on a stand often interferes and is not always convenient + distorts a little at the edges. You can use a microscope, but not suitable with large boards. And it is far from being a cheap toy. As well as factory cameras for such cases. So it will be as always ... We will do it ourselves
I bought the cheapest webcam I've ever had. It seems for 35 UAH ($ 4.37). I took another dead one from a friend for donor spare parts. Here's a purely Chinese webcam:
Next, unscrew the lens from the donor and remove all lenses from it. Instead of native lenses, I tried to attach a lens from a CD drive (I did not try it from a DVD drive, it has a very small diameter there). We screw it into the webcam, on [one focus ... The result did not fit. Since I was not going to do an optical sight. At a distance of about half a meter, small numbers and letters could be seen on the sticker from the old hard, stuck on the wall. Photo for example:
And when the lens was removed from the camera itself, it increased to greater distances ... In principle, such a result may also be useful in the future.
Further, after searching through the boxes, an eyepiece from a microscope or something similar was found. Previously, he looked at the markings on the SMD. For testing, I attached it to the "thermal nozzle" (At the moment, the eyepiece is rigidly fixed in the body of the old lens. Photo of what happened:
The log is in the frame, this is the tip of a wooden toothpick
Photo of the lens and lens (At the bottom, native, without alterations. On the right, the lens from the CD drive).
It remains to make a rigid tripod on the wall, turn the camera board in the case to show it adequately. Throw out the native cable and solder the thin one. And then the native is tough and fat. Well, attach a normal backlight, otherwise the native only interferes. If you return the original lens to its place, then you can use the webcam for its intended purpose
If you use a webcam with better characteristics, then, accordingly, the image will be of higher quality. Once I got my hands on a digital soap dish with a webcam function. It's a pity I don't remember the brand and model. It could have been used in the same version.
By the way, if you attach such an eyepiece or lens from a CD to a phone camera, you will have a similar result. The Chinese already seem to be stamping covers with a lens for iPhones. Recently I came across in a Chinese store. Probably I got the idea from contact with me.I took pictures on an old Nokia about a year and a half ago
I did this procedure six months ago, but today I have “put on the shelves” to describe what happened and how then.
I'll try to tell you how I made a microscope camera from a cheap Canyon CNR-WCAM820 webcam. The camera is made on a 1/3 ", 2MP matrix. I chose this camera, first of all, because of its easy-to-use design on the knees. At the same time, the camera remains intact, you can put everything back and use it as a regular webcam.
WARNING! You can repeat everything below at your own peril and risk, and I do not bear any responsibility for things damaged by you. In this case, you lose your webcam warranty!
So, let's begin :
1. We disassemble the camera and unscrew everything unnecessary (holder and lens)
2. Measure the diameter of the lens flange and grind a ring of the same outer diameter from thin (1mm) aluminum. The inner diameter of the ring is equal to the diameter of the frame of the used focus reducer lens. I took the eye lens of the viewfinder of an old Zenit-E camera. This lens is single-plane convex. By coincidence, it turned out that it perfectly suited my LOMO apochromats. This lens compensates for the magnification chromatism quite well. For achromats, an achromatic gluing would be necessary, but this one works quite well. Although the chromatism is a little more noticeable. The first (collective) lens from the 7x eyepiece can be used. But then you will have to tinker with the fastening design yourself. : D
3. From foil-clad PCB 1.5mm (not necessarily foil-clad, there may be another durable material) I cut out the second ring. Its outer diameter should be such that it fits inside the macro ring (I have M39) and is pressed by the second such macro ring. And the inner hole for the frame of our gear lens. Both rings should be painted with matt black paint.
4. Now we collect the "sandwich". We put an aluminum ring on the lens frame and press it with a nut from the video finder lens. Glue a textolite ring on top of the nut. It would be better to screw it with the same nut, but unfortunately it is the only one in Zenith.
5. We put the resulting reducer in place of the camera lens, before that we put on one macro ring on the camera, and assemble the camera body. The convex side of the lens should face outward.
6. To attach the camera to the microscope (Biolam, MBR, MBI), an adapter must be made of two long macro rings. I only used 1 set of M42 rings and 2 sets of M39. This is quite enough both for attaching this camera and for attaching DSLRs. So, two long rings are taken and glued with the sides with an internal thread to each other. For reliability, I glued it with epoxy resin, wrapping it with a thin synthetic cloth. Such an adapter will withstand a lot. I think the adapter can be made by gluing a thin macro ring into the front part of the gutted Helios-44 lens. In this case, it will be possible to smoothly change the length of the tube to achieve the correct position of the camera relative to the lens.
7. To install the camera on the microscope, remove the tube, twist the tapered mount from it and screw it to our adapter. We screw one thin macro ring to the other end of the adapter, put our camera on it and press it with the ring that we put on our camera. We twist, but do not tighten to the end. After connecting the camera to the computer and launching the program (I use the wonderful and free program Micam-1.4), we get the image on the monitor screen. (Before that, you need to adjust the microscope for sharpness with an eyepiece and place any object in the center of the field of view). Then, moving the camera to the sides, we center the image. We are tightening. Sharpness should be approximately the same as with the eyepiece. If the focusing position is very different, it is necessary to select the total height of the tube from the macro rings.
As you can see, a USB microscope from a webcam for soldering is quite easy to make from scrap materials within a few hours. For this will need:- Webcam;
- soldering iron with solder and flux;
- screwdrivers;
- spare parts for a tripod;
- LEDs, if they are not in the camera;
- glue or epoxy;
- a program for broadcasting an image to an LCD monitor.
This is the design of a homemade microscope from an SMD inspection camera.
The following video is devoted to the principle of making a microscope from a webcam with your own hands. A tripod is used and a video of the process of soldering the USB connector is shown.
Microscope from a camera
To be honest, such a "microscope" looks rather strange. The principle is the same as with a webcam - they flip the optics 180 degrees. There are even special ones for SLR cameras.
Below you can see what kind of image is obtained from such a homemade microscope for soldering. Great depth of field is visible - this is normal.
Disadvantages of a homemade microscope:
- short working distance;
- large dimensions;
- you need to come up with a camera to mount conveniently.
Soldering Camera Advantages:
- can be made from an existing SLR camera;
- the magnification is smoothly regulated;
- there is autofocus.
Microscope from a mobile phone
The most popular way to make a microscope from a mobile phone with your own hands is to screw a lens from a CD or DVD player onto the smartphone camera. It turns out this is the design of the microscope.
Lenses in this technique are used with a very small focal length. Therefore, with the help of such a microscope, it will only be possible to monitor the state of soldering of SMD components and search in the solder. You simply cannot crawl between the board and the lens with a soldering iron. Below is a video showing what magnification such a homemade microscope gives.
Another option is a microscope for a mobile phone. This thing looks like this and costs just a penny.In more advanced cases, the mobile phone is hung on an existing stereo or mono microscope for small parts. I got some good shots that way. This method is important when you need to take photomicrographs for training or consultation with other masters.
4th place - USB microscope for soldering
Nowadays, Chinese USB microscopes are popular, which are essentially made from webcams on and or even with a built-in monitor, for example, USB microscopes and. Such electron microscopes are more intended for visual diagnostics of electronics, video inspection of the quality of soldering, or, for example, for checking the sharpening of knives.
Let me remind you that the video signal delay in such microscopes is significant. With a built-in monitor, it is much easier to solder, but there is no depth of field and three-dimensional perception of micro-objects.
Disadvantages of a USB microscope:
- temporary lags that prevent fast soldering;
- low optical resolution;
- lack of volumetric perception;
- as a rule, this is a stationary version, tied to a computer or an outlet.
Advantages of a USB microscope:
- the ability to work at a comfortable distance for the eyes;
- you can shoot videos and photos;
- relatively low cost;
- light weight and dimensions;
- you can easily look at the board from an angle.
The reviews about them are pretty good. Both of them are certainly not role models, but they look impressive. The image quality is good, the working distance is 100 or 200 mm, depending on the attachments. These microscopes can be used for soldering with adjustment and proper care.
See the mini-review in the video, the image is shown in the lens at the 9th minute.
2nd place - imported microscope for soldering
Among foreign brands, the companies Carl Zeiss, Reichers, Tamron, Leica, Olympus, Nikon are famous for their microscopic equipment. Such models as Nikon SMZ-1, Olympus VMZ, Leica GZ6, Olympus SZ3060, Olympus SZ4045ESD, Nikon SMZ-645 have rightfully earned the title of popular binocular microscopes for soldering for their image quality. Below I will give approximate prices for popular foreign models:
- Leica s6e / s4e (7-40x) 110 mm - $ 1300;
- Leica GZ6 (7x-40x) 110 mm - $ 900;
- Olympus sz4045 (6.7x-40x) 110 mm - $ 500;
- Olympus VMZ 1-4x 10x 90 mm - $ 500;
- Nikon SMZ-645 (8x-50x) 115 mm - $ 800;
- Nikon SMZ-1 (7x-30x) 100 mm - $ 400;
- solid Nikon SMZ-10a - $ 1500.
In principle, the prices are not cosmic, but these are used microscopes that you can buy on eBay or Amazon with paid shipping. The profitability here must be considered separately in each particular case.
1st place - domestic microscope for soldering
Among truly domestic microscopes, it is well known LOMO and they make applied microscopes under the SME brand. The most suitable for soldering of new microscopes are MSP-1 option 23 or . True, their price tag is not childish.
I have to say that Altami, Biomed, Micromed, Levenhuk Are all domestic sellers of Chinese microscopes. Many people complain about the quality of performance. We do not consider them for professional use. True, there are tolerable specimens. It depends on the conditions of transportation and storage. The point is that their optics are aligned using silicone glue with appropriate reliability.
From old stocks or used ones, truly Soviet ones can be taken on Avito:
- BM-51-2 8.75x 140 mm - 5 thousand rubles. play around;
- MBS-1 (MBS-2) 3x-100x 65 mm - up to 20 thousand rubles;
- MBS-9 3x-100x 65 mm - up to 20 thousand rubles;
- OGME-P3 3x-100x 65 / 190mm - up to 20 thousand rubles. (I have one at work, I like it);
- MBS-10 3x-100x 95 mm- up to 30 thousand rubles;
- BMI-1Ts 45x200 mm - more than 200 thousand rubles. - measuring.
Results of the rating of microscopes
If you are still wondering which microscope to choose for soldering, then my winner is MBS-10- the people's choice for many years.
Rating of microscopes by purpose
Mobile Phone Repair Microscope
The following microscopes for soldering and repairing smartphones are sorted by picture quality increase:
- MBS-10 (low contrast, unrealistic colors at high magnifications, discrete magnification switching, 90 mm distance);
- MBS-9 (65 mm distance and low contrast);
- Nikon SMZ-2b / 2t 10cm (8x-50x) / (10-63x);
- Nikon SMZ-645 (8x-50x) 115 mm;
- Leica s6e / s4e (7-40x) 110 mm;
- Olympus sz61 (7-45x) 110mm;
- Leica GZ6 (7x-40x) 110mm;
- Olympus sz4045 (6.7x-40x) 110 mm;
- Olympus VMZ 1-4x 10x with a working distance of 90 mm;
- Olympus sz3060 (9x-40x) 110mm;
- Nikon SMZ-1 (7x-30x) 100mm;
- Bausch and Lomb StereoZoom 7 (working distance only 77 mm);
- Leica StereoZoom 7;
- Nikon SMZ-10a with Nikon Plan ED 1x objective and 10x / 23mm eyepieces;
- Nikon SMZ-U (7.5x-75x) working distance with Nikon Plan ED 1x 85 mm, with original 10x / 24 mm eyepieces.
Microscope for repairing tablets and motherboards
For such applications, the issue of limiting resolution is not so important, there the workers are 7x-15x magnifications. They need a good all-round tripod and a small minimum magnification. The following microscopes for soldering motherboards and tablets are sorted by magnification:
- Leica s4e / s6e (110mm) with 35mm field;
- Olympus sz4045 / sz51 / sz61 (110mm) with a field of 33 mm;
- Nikon SMZ-1 (100mm) with a field of 31.5 mm;
- Olympus sz4045;
- Olympus sz51 / 61;
- Leica s4e / s6e;
- Nikon SMZ-1.
Microscope for a jeweler or dental technician
The following long working distance microscopes for the dental technician or jeweler are sorted by degree of image enhancement:
- Nikon SMZ-1 (7x-30x) with 10x / 21 mm eyepieces;
- Leica GZ4 (7x-30x) 9 cm with 0.5x lens (19 cm);
- Olympus sz4045 150 mm;
- Nikon SMZ-10 150mm.
Engraving microscope
The following deep-field engraving microscopes are sorted in ascending order of image quality:
- Nikon SMZ-1;
- Olympus sz4045;
- Leica gz4.
How to check a used microscope upon purchase
Before buying a used soldering microscope, it is easy to check (partially taken from this specialist):
- inspect frame microscope for scratches and impact marks. If there are traces of impact, the optics may be knocked down.
- check handles backlash positioning - it shouldn't be.
- mark a small dot on a piece of paper with a pencil or pen and check if the dot doubles at different magnifications.
- when you turn the microscope adjustment knobs, listen for crunch or slippage. If they are present, the plastic gears may be broken, and they are not sold separately.
- inspect eyepieces for enlightenment... Often, from improper care, it is scratched or erased.
- rotate the eyepieces on a white background. If the artifacts of the image are also spinning, then the matter is in the dirt on the eyepieces - this is half the trouble.
- if visible gray spots, faded image or dots, the prism or auxiliary optics may be dirty. Sometimes a whitish coating, dust and even fungus are found on it.
- the most difficult thing in diagnosing a soldering microscope is to determine the weak non-mixing vertically. If it is difficult for the eyes to adapt to the image in a couple of minutes, then it is better not to take such a microscope for soldering - it has strong non-convergence. If, when soldering under a microscope, the eyes get tired within 30-60 minutes and the head begins to ache, then this is a weak non-reduction. Slight differences in height between objects are difficult to determine when purchasing.
- inspect spare parts, if available.
How to mount a microscope on a desktop
There are many ways to mount the solder microscope to the workbench. Manufacturers solve these problems with barbells. They keep the microscope from falling and make it easy to position it relative to the board.
A homemade microscope stand or tripod is usually made from an old enlarger or other available resources and spare parts.
But Master Sergey made a microscope tripod for soldering microcircuits with his own hands from furniture tubes. It turned out well. For a video review of it, see below.
Master Sergei and Master Pike worked on the material. In comments write what microscopes you use for soldering microcircuits and how good they are.
The high level of miniaturization of electronics has led to the need to use special magnifying devices and devices used when working with very small elements.
These include such a common product as a USB microscope for soldering electronic parts and a number of other similar devices.
Some experts believe that it is a USB device that is optimal for making a household microscope with your own hands, with the help of which it is possible to provide the required focal length.
However, for the implementation of this project, it will be necessary to carry out certain preparatory work, which greatly simplifies the assembly of the device.
As a basis for a homemade microscope for soldering miniature parts and microcircuits, you can take the most primitive and cheapest network camera of the A4Tech type, the only requirement for which is that it has a working pixel matrix.
If you want to get a high quality image, it is recommended to use higher quality products.
In order to assemble a microscope from a webcam for soldering small electronic products, you should also worry about purchasing a number of other elements that provide the required efficiency of working with the device.
This primarily concerns the elements of the viewing field illumination, as well as a number of other components taken from the old disassembled mechanisms.
A homemade microscope is assembled on the basis of a pixel matrix that is part of the optics of an old USB camera. Instead of the built-in holder available in it, you should use a bronze bushing turned on a lathe, fitted to the dimensions of the third-party optics used.
As a new optical element of the microscope for soldering, the corresponding part from any toy sight can be used.
To get a good view of the area for desoldering and soldering parts, you will need a set of lighting elements, which can be used as LEDs. It is most convenient to remove them from any unnecessary LED-backlight tape (from the remnants of a broken matrix of an old laptop, for example).
Refinement of details
The electron microscope can only be assembled after careful examination and refinement of all previously selected parts. In this case, the following important points should be taken into account:
- to mount the optics at the base of the bronze bushing, it is necessary to drill two holes with a diameter of approximately 1.5 millimeters, and then cut a thread in them for an M2 screw;
- then bolts corresponding to the installation diameter are screwed into the finished holes, after which small beads are glued to their ends (with their help, it will be much easier to control the position of the optical lens of the microscope);
- then it will be necessary to organize the illumination of the viewing field of the soldering, for which the previously prepared LEDs from the old matrix are taken.
Adjusting the position of the lens will allow, when working with a microscope, to arbitrarily change (decrease or increase) the focal length of the system, improving the conditions for soldering.
To power the lighting system from the USB cable that connects the webcam to the computer, two wires are taken out. One is red, going to the "+5 Volt" contact, and the other is black (it is connected to the "-5 Volt" terminal).
Before assembling the microscope for soldering, you will need to make a base of a suitable size. It is useful for desoldering LEDs. For this, a piece of foil-clad fiberglass is suitable, cut in the form of a ring with pads for soldering LED-LEDs.
Assembling the device
Damping resistors with a nominal value of about 150 Ohm are placed in the breaks of the switching circuits of each of the lighting diodes.
To connect the supply wire, a counterpart, made in the form of a mini-connector, is mounted on the ring.
The function of the movable mechanism providing the ability to adjust the sharpness of the image can be performed by an old and unnecessary diskette reader.
From the motor available in the drive, take one shaft, and then reinstall it on the moving part.
In order to rotate such a shaft it was more convenient - a wheel from the old "mouse" is put on its end, which is located closer to the inner part of the engine.
After the final assembly of the structure, a mechanism should be obtained that provides the required smoothness and accuracy of movement of the optical part of the microscope. Its full stroke is approximately 17 millimeters, which is quite enough for aiming the system in sharpness in various soldering conditions.
At the next stage of assembling the microscope, a base (working table) of a suitable size is cut out of plastic or wood, on which a metal rod, selected in length and diameter, is mounted. And only after that, the bracket with the previously assembled optical mechanism is fixed on the rack.
Alternative
If you don't want to mess around with assembling a microscope with your own hands, then you can buy a completely finished soldering device.
Pay attention to the distance between the objective and the stage. Optimally, it should be almost 2 cm, and a tripod with a reliable holder will help to change this distance. Reducing lenses may be required to view the entire board.
Advanced models of soldering microscopes are equipped with an interface, which significantly relieves the strain on the eyes. Thanks to a digital camera, a microscope can be connected to a computer, the picture of the microcircuit can be recorded after before and after soldering, and defects can be studied in detail.
Special glasses or a magnifier are also an alternative to a digital microscope, although a magnifying glass is not very convenient to work with.
For soldering and repairing circuits, ordinary optical microscopes or stereo can be used. But such devices are quite expensive and do not always provide the desired viewing angle. In any case, digital microscopes will become more widespread and their price will decrease over time.
A microscope is needed not only for studying the surrounding world and objects, although it is so interesting! Sometimes this is just a necessary thing that will facilitate the repair of equipment, help to make neat adhesions, not to be mistaken with the fastening of miniature parts and their exact place. But it is not necessary to purchase an expensive unit. There are great alternatives. What can be used to make a microscope at home?
Microscope from a camera
One of the easiest and most affordable ways, but with everything you need. You will need a camera with a 400 mm, 17 mm lens. There is no need to disassemble and take out anything, the camera will remain working.
We make a microscope from a camera with our own hands:
- We connect the lens 400 mm and 17 mm.
- We bring the flashlight to the lens and turn it on.
- We apply a preparation, substance or other micro-object of study on the glass.
We focus, photograph the object under study in an enlarged state. A photo from such a homemade microscope is quite clear, the device can increase hair or wool, onion scales. More suitable for entertainment.
Microscope from a mobile phone
A second simplified method for making an alternative microscope. Any phone with a camera is needed, better without automatic focus. In addition, you will need a lens from a small laser pointer. It is usually small, rarely exceeding 6 mm. It is important not to scratch.
We fix the removed lens on the camera eye with the convex side outward. Press it with tweezers, straighten it, you can make a frame around the edges from a piece of foil. She will hold a small piece of glass. We aim the camera with a lens at an object, look at the phone screen. You can simply observe or take an electronic picture.
If at the moment there is no laser pointer at hand, then in the same way you can use the sight from a child's toy with a laser beam, you need the glass itself.
Microscope from webcam
Detailed instructions for making a USB microscope from a webcam. The simplest and oldest model can be used, but this will affect the image quality.
Additionally, you need optics from a sight from a children's weapon or other similar toy, a tube for a sleeve and other improvised little things. For backlighting, LED-LEDs taken from the old laptop matrix will be used.
We make a microscope from a webcam with our own hands:
- Preparation. We disassemble the camera, leaving the pixel matrix. We remove the optics. Instead, we fix a bronze bushing in this place. It should be the same size as the new optics, you can turn it out of the tube on a lathe.
- New optics from the sight must be fixed in the manufactured bushing. To do this, we drill two holes of about 1.5 mm each, immediately make a thread on them.
- We stick in the bolts, which should go along the thread and match the size. By screwing in, it will be possible to adjust the focus distance. For convenience, you can put beads or balls on the bolts.
- Backlight. We use fiberglass. Better to take two-sided. We make a ring of a suitable size.
- For LEDs and resistors, you need to cut small paths. We solder.
- We set the backlight. For fixing, you need a threaded nut, the size is equal to the inner side of the manufactured ring. Solder.
- We provide food. To do this, we remove two wires + 5V and -5V from the wire that will connect the former camera and the computer. After that, the optical part can be considered finished.
You can do it in a simpler way and make a stand-alone backlight from a gas lighter with a flashlight. But when it all works from different sources, the result is a cluttered design.
To improve the home microscope, you can build a movable mechanism. An old floppy drive is fine for him. It is a once used floppy disk device. It needs to be disassembled, remove the device that moved the reading head.
On request, we make a special work table made of plastic, plexiglass or other available material. A tripod with a mount will be useful, which will facilitate the use of a homemade device. Here you can turn on the fantasy.
There are also other instructions, diagrams of how to make a microscope. But most often, the above methods are based. They may differ only slightly depending on the presence or absence of key details. But, the need for invention is cunning, you can always come up with something of your own and show off originality.
DIY microscope photo
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