Due to the crazy pace of development of radio engineering and electronics in the direction of miniaturization, more and more often when repairing equipment you have to deal with SMD radio components, which, without increasing, sometimes even cannot be considered, not to mention careful installation and dismantling.
So, life made me look for a device on the Internet, such as a microscope, which could be made by hand. The choice fell on USB microscopes. have a very small focal length.
I decided to experiment with optics and make a USB microscope that would suit my needs.
Here is his photo:
The design turned out to be rather complicated, therefore, it makes no sense to describe in detail each manufacturing step, since this will make the article very cluttered. I will describe the main units and their step-by-step production.
So, “without spreading our thoughts along the tree”, let's start:
1. I took the cheapest A4Tech webcam, to be honest, they just gave it to me because of the fig quality of the image, which I didn't give a damn about, as long as it was in good working order. Of course, if I took a better and, naturally, expensive webcam, the microscope would have turned out with better image quality, but I, like Samodelkin, act according to the rule - "For lack of a maid, they" love "a janitor", and besides however, the image quality of my USB soldering microscope was fine.
I took the new optics from some children's telescopic sight.
To mount the optics in a bronze bushing, I drilled two holes ø 1.5 mm in it (bushing) and tapped an M2 thread.
I screwed M2 bolts into the threaded holes, on the ends of which I glued beads for ease of loosening and twisting, in order to change the position of the optics relative to the pixel matrix in order to increase or decrease the focal length of my USB microscope.
Next, I thought about highlighting.
Of course, it was possible to make LED backlighting, for example, from a gas lighter with a flashlight, which costs a penny, or from something else with an autonomous power supply, but I decided not to clutter up the structure and use the power of the webcam, which is supplied via a USB cable from a computer. ...
To power the future backlight, from the USB cable that connects the webcam to the computer, I brought out two wires with a mini-connector (dad) - "+ 5v, from the red wire of the USB cable" and "-5v, from the black wire."
In order to minimize the backlight design, I decided to use LED-LEDs, which were dropped from the LED-backlight tape from the broken laptop matrix, fortunately, I had such a tape in the "store" for a long time.
Using scissors, a suitable drill and a file, a ring of the required size made of double-sided foil-clad fiberglass was made and, on one side of the rings, the paths for soldering LED-LEDs and quenching SMD resistors with a nominal value of 150 ohm were cut out (I put a 150 ohm resistor ) soldered our backlight. To connect the power from the inside of the ring, I soldered a mini-connector (mother).
To connect the backlight to the lens, I used (not used for attaching the lens glass) a round threaded nut, which I soldered to the inside of the backlight ring (that's why I took double-sided fiberglass).
So, the electron-optical part of the USB microscope is ready.
Now you need to think about the movable mechanism for fine-tuning the sharpness, the movable tripod, the base and the work table.
In general, it remains to come up with and create the mechanical part of our homemade product.
Go…
2. As a movable mechanism for fine-tuning the sharpness, I decided to take an outdated mechanism for reading floppy disks (popularly called "floppy drive").
For those who have not seen this "miracle of technology", it looks like this:
In short, after a complete disassembly of this mechanism, I took the part that was responsible for the movement of the read head, and, after mechanical refinement (trimming, cutting and filing), this is what happened:
To move the head in the floppy drive, a micromotor was used, which I disassembled and took only the shaft from it, fixing it back to the movable mechanism. For the convenience of rotation of the shaft, on its end, which was inside the engine housing, I put on a roller from the scroller of an old computer mouse.
Everything turned out as I wanted, the movement of the mechanism was smooth and precise (no backlash). The movement of the mechanism was 17 mm, which is ideal for fine tuning the sharpness of the microscope at any focal length of the optics.
Using two M2 bolts, I secured the electron-optical part of the USB microscope to the movable mechanism for fine-tuning the sharpness.
The creation of a movable tripod did not cause any particular difficulties for me.
3. Since the times of the USSR, I had an UPA-63M enlarger in my shed, the details of which I decided to use. For the tripod stand, I took just such a ready-made rod with a mount that came with the magnifier. This rod is made of an aluminum tube with an outer ø 12 mm and an inner ø 9.8 mm. To attach it to the base, I took an M10 bolt, screwed it to a depth of 20 mm (with effort) into the bar, and left the rest of the thread by cutting off the bolt head.
The mount had to be slightly modified in order to connect it with the microscope parts prepared in step 2. To do this, I bent the end of the mount (in the photo) at a right angle and drilled a ø 5.0 mm hole in the bent part.
Then everything is simple - with an M5 bolt 45 mm long through the nuts, we connect the pre-assembled part with the mount and put it on the rack, securing it with a locking screw.
Now the base and the table.
4. For a long time I had a piece of translucent light brown plastic. At first I thought it was plexiglass, but during processing I realized that it was not. Well, okay - I decided to use it for the base and stage of my USB microscope.
Based on the dimensions of the previously obtained structure, and the desire to make a large table for reliable fastening of the boards when soldering, I cut out a rectangle of 250x160 mm from the existing plastic, drilled a hole ø 8.5 mm in it and cut an M10 thread for attaching the rod, as well as holes for fixing the table base.
I glued the legs to the bottom of the base, which I cut out from the soles of old shoes with a homemade drill.
5. The table was carved on a lathe (at my former enterprise, of course, I do not have a lathe, although there is a 5th grade of a turner) 160 mm in size.
As a base for the table, I took a stand for leveling the furniture relative to the floor, it fits perfectly in size and looks presentable, besides, it was presented to me by a friend who has this fittings, "like a fool's makhorka."
We propose to create at home an electronic YUSB microscope of medium resolution for connecting to a computer via a USB cable. You may already have the necessary parts to complete this project, otherwise you will have to buy them.
The necessary parts for assembling a homemade microscope with your own hands:
- One white LED.
- Wire with a cross section of 0.05 mm2.
- Heat shrink tubing or electrical tape.
- Glue gun (or any other suitable glue).
Step 1: modify the device
The pocket microscope has a built-in incandescent lamp for illumination, which is powered by two AAA 1.5V batteries. Remove the lamp and batteries from the housing and install one white LED by running the wires from it inside the housing to the top of the microscope.
Use heat shrink tubing or electrical tape to insulate the contacts.
Check the operation of the LED with a battery and mark which wire is the anode and which is the cathode.
There is a small but damn bright orange LED on the camera board. Remove it carefully and solder the wires from the white LED in its place. The LED is software controlled, USB will provide power to the camera and LED. Make sure the wires are free of tension.
Do not feel sorry for hot glue for gluing the white LED inside the case. Position the LED so that it illuminates where the lens is pointing.
Step 2: remove the plastic case from the camera
You do not have to remove the case, but it is better to remove it anyway.
There is a single locking screw under the shiny logo on the case.
Step 3: assembling
Assemble the case.
Remove the small rubber ring from the eyepiece and insert the camera into the eyepiece.
Apply some glue around the junction of the camera lens and the microscope eyepiece.
Step 4: make the base
The finished USB microscope is light enough to be held in an upright position. Glue a couple of neodymium magnets to the bottom of the microscope. Then make a wooden base with a small metal plate glued to it.
The idea is that a microscope magnetized to a metal plate can freely slide along it when moved by its hand and remains stationary if not touched.
Step 5: take photomicrographs
Above are some of the photos taken with this microscope. You can see how the microscope magnifies various objects.
See how, when zoomed in, a portion of the memory core from an old CDC-6600 computer looks like.
The left photo shows the board itself, and the right photo shows a close-up of the toroids and wire mesh that make up the memory cells.
Since the camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels, it has pretty good image quality. The ZEISS camera lens has an electromechanical body and, through software, adjusts to the focal length that we have created for it.
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 magnifying glass are also an alternative to a digital microscope, although it is not very convenient to work with a magnifying glass.
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.
Before making a microscope with your own hands, you should figure out what it can be used for, as well as what materials will be required for this. It should be noted right away that you can build such a structure yourself, while you do not need any expensive elements.
What is the device used for?
In principle, the main goal of any microscope is to magnify an object by several tens or hundreds of times. The presented devices are used not only in biology lessons at school, but also in medicine, electronics and other areas. For example, thanks to the digital microscope, it is possible to repair very small microcircuits, mobile and computer boards.
The most convenient is an electronic device, since it is capable of magnifying an object very strongly. It should be noted that building a microscope with your own hands is not difficult. You just need to know its structure, as well as collect the necessary materials.
What can a device be made of?
Naturally, you can design a microscope with your own hands from scratch. However, often those people who understand electronics, computer technologies and optics make the presented device based on other units: cameras, binoculars, webcams.
Before starting the manufacture of a structure, it is necessary to accurately determine its functions, select the necessary elements. It is also advisable to make a drawing of the device on paper. Naturally, all the necessary calculations are made.
We make the device from scratch: the necessary materials and tools
In order to make a microscope with your own hands without ready-made instruments, you will need the following equipment:
Glass tube. It should be approximately 20 cm long and up to 6 mm in diameter.
Several plates (preferably copper). The thickness of the metal should not be large (about 1 mm). As for the overall dimensions of the plates, they are 3 * 6 cm.
Several small pieces of glass.
Small diameter drill.
Gas-burner.
Hammer.
Screwdriver.
Nuts and screws.
If you do not have metal that will serve as the basis for the structure, then you can use thick cardboard. However, please note that in this case, the device will not be durable and will not last a long time.
We make the device: instructions
Before making a microscope, familiarize yourself with the sequence of work:
1. First of all, a small ball must be made from a glass tube using a torch, which will serve as a lens for the device. Please note that in no case should you touch this element with your hands, as traces will remain on the surface, which will subsequently distort the image.
2. At this stage, you need to make a housing for the lens. This will require metal plates. To make the use of such a device convenient and safe, it is imperative to round off the corners. Drill holes in the “body”: 4 fixing holes and one inspection hole.
3. Now you can put the whole structure together. For this, a "lens" is installed between the plates, and the body is bolted together. Further, on one side of the lens with the help of adhesive tape, you can glue the glass on which the object will fit.
This microscope design is manual and the simplest. The presented device can be used by adults at home and children. For professional work, you will need a more sophisticated digital apparatus. Next, you will learn how to build it.
How to make an electron microscope: materials needed
For the manufacture of the presented device, a webcam is usually used. Before making this type of microscope, collect all the necessary material and tools:
Personal computer or laptop.
Webcam (preferably with manual focus). Note that we will need a lens, so it should be easy to remove from the original device.
Several large and small corners, from which the rack will subsequently be built.
A small diameter steel tube and a special mount that can be moved and fixed on the metal surface.
A small mirror or a flash from a mobile phone to construct a backlight.
A metal plate for making a platform.
Fasteners, as well as a hot melt glue gun.
Digital microscope manufacturing instruction
Do-it-yourself digital microscope is very simple, you just need to follow a certain sequence of actions:
1. First you need to build a "skeleton" of the structure. To do this, you need to connect the metal plate to the corners. All elements can be bolted together. A small diameter metal tube can be used as a tripod. It has certain advantages. For example, using special fasteners, you can screw another small piece of pipe to the vertical element, to which the lens will be attached. If necessary, you can raise or lower this element. In addition, a small cardboard box can also be used to construct the platform, into which a tripod is inserted and covered with tile (or other) glue. Please note that the structure should be as stable as possible.
2. Next, you can make a focus adjustment slider. For this, a nylon thread (or elastic band), a movable sleeve, an eyelet for fixing the thread on a tripod are used. That is, you need to make a kind of reducer, thanks to which the lens focus accuracy increases.
3. Further, an electron microscope with your own hands is easy. Now you need to unscrew the lens from the webcam. Do this carefully so as not to damage the element. Next, you need to turn it over and put it in place. Use hot melt glue for fastening. The finished structure can be attached to the movable part of the tripod. A backlit stage should be organized under it. For this, a conventional LED is used.
4. The last step is to process the webcam wire. That is, you should cut off its thick braid. In this case, it will become more flexible and will not interfere with the movement of the lens.
Now you know how to make a microscope with your own hands. Good luck!
I came across an interesting note on how to make a microscope out of a smartphone on the Internet. The process in it was described in great detail and in an accessible way - the author was really well versed in what he was writing about. I even wanted to read the rest of his notes. But what a disappointment befell me when I discovered that the note was translated and borrowed from a German site.
Among the creative intelligentsia, the borrowing of ideas is not particularly condemned. So I wanted to repeat the foreign experience and write more detailed material. It is not difficult to repeat the design of a smartphone table. The table can be made in one evening if you stock up on everything you need.
Four M8 x 100 mm bolts, M8 nuts and a pair of "lambs" were bought in the nearest utility room.
Turning a smartphone into a microscope is very simple: you need to put a small lens on the camera lens. The lens can be removed from an old CD drive or from a laser pointer purchased from a nearby kiosk. But when you attach the lens to your smartphone. then you will face one problem: it is very difficult to keep the smartphone exactly at a short distance from the subject due to the shallow depth of field. This is where you need to start making a special table.
The base of the table is made of 20 mm thick trim boards. In the corners, holes are drilled for bolts with a diameter of 8 mm. I got 3 mm thick plexiglass at work - I borrowed a stationery stand. From it I cut out a cover for the table, on which there will be
lie smartphone. Just like in the base, bolt holes are drilled in the cover. A subject table was cut out of the same stand to place the objects of study.
We fix the lid. It rests on four nuts and is fixed with nuts from above.
We insert the bolts into the holes in the base. Their heads will be the legs of the table.
We fix the bolts with nuts.
Now we set up the stage. The table rests on two lambs, they also adjust its height.
A hole is drilled under the lens in the cover. Even two, since I managed to find two different lenses. The hole is drilled with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the lens, and then bored with a round file to the desired size. The place for the hole for the lens must be chosen by placing the smartphone against the cover and marking the position of the camera lens with a felt-tip pen.
We make the hole conical (it tapers downwards) - then the lens fits into the hole and does not fall through. There is no need to fix the lens.
Visually, the scrapbooking glass gives a very decent magnification.
Last year I ordered different glasses for caskets for Ali. A bag with 20 transparent cabochons with a diameter of mm cost about a dollar. This cabochon was used as a lens.
Poppy flower, stamens. Shooting in the sun without a table, with a hand. The magnification estimate is 30 ... 40x.
The first object of research is a banknote. We fix the hundred-ruble on the subject table. We combine the lens with the lens, turn on the camera mode and put the smartphone on the cover. Then, with the help of the lambs, we adjust the position of the stage, trying to achieve the maximum sharpness of the image.
One hundred ruble bill. The picture turned out quite clear, the image was slightly blurred only at the edges. The magnification estimate is 30 ... 40x.
Dandelion under the microscope. Shooting without a table, with a hand. The magnification estimate is 30, .. 40x.
OWN HAND LASER POINT LENS
I still wanted to improve the quality of the microcosm images. "Probably, if you use a real lens, the image will be better." - I thought. On the way home from work, I bought a laser pointer at a newsstand for 150 rubles.
Micro font on a 500-ruble note: the image was slightly blurred at the edges. The magnification estimate is 60 ... 80x.
Fine river sand. A very beautiful picture turned out!
I disassembled the device and got a small lens. A soft pad from the pointer also came in handy.
The lens with the gasket fits perfectly into the place of the cabochon. It remains only to combine the camera lens with it. Surprisingly, the smartphone itself focuses the lens, taking into account another optical element. How he does it remains a mystery to me.
Experimenting with the cabochon. I completely forgot that a good microscope should have a standard illumination. The better the subject is lit, the better the picture will be. This is where the powerful LED flashlight from the survival kit came in handy. By changing the angle of illumination of the object, I achieved a sharper image.
Fragments of a mosquito that wanted to bite me. Shooting in reflected light, magnification rating - 60 ... 80x.
Afterword
Make a microscope in the country - open a window to the microcosm for children! Perhaps this experience will determine their future specialty.
MICROSCOPE FROM THE PHONE WITH YOUR OWN HANDS - VIDEO IN HOME CONDITIONS
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