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Stereo Microscope


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if  you really want a shocker, price them new :o

afaik isoma's don't have an internal light source, at least the one have (for a Schaublin 70 milling spindle) doesn't.  You reflect to the subject, or you could make something up from leds.

The challenge as I see it is the graticule or cross hairs - I don't know of any digital ones that come with any sort of graticule.   If you did find one, they would have to be very accurately centred with the OD of the body.  Maybe there is a way to do it with software?

With traditional optics, the cross hairs are under the eyepiece.   You need be able to focus the eyepiece on the crosshairs and the objective on the subject.

I've thought about taking cheap microscope optics (more than good enough as you'd use the lowest power objective) and making a centre scope (need some for other machines).  There is some stuff on web about making the cross hairs from single strands of dental floss that look promising.  That or get a trained spider.  as for concentricity, I thought two slight eccentrics holding the objective, one inside the other, would make it fully adjustable so you could get it spot on after the the build

So far for me its just talk, but I would like to have a go at making one (or two) one day

Edited by measuretwice
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  • 1 month later...

I have very limited experience. Bought a fairly cheap microscope. Images are pretty cool!! Where the money is the WORKING DISTANCE. If you want to work on the movement while looking on the microscope then you’ll have to invest in a serious scope.




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Some have one very useful feature - they can be calibrated and then used for measurement. For example: with a little patience, and using the calibrated circle at high magnification, they can be used to measure the size of pivot holes.

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I bought a USB microscope but I had a lot of issues with lighting and i couldn't look at pinons for oil. Good for taking pictures but it had it limits.

Today i bought a vintage Spencer microscope. It's pretty dam old but it came with the original box and it's in nice condition. It looks like it's made from solid brass and the knobs are just a joy to turn.

It's definitely not as good as modern ones but it's a lot of fun to use. The working space is non-existent and I literally have one setting I can use before it starts to hit the work piece. But it's nice to have a little piece of American history.

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I got a BL StereoZoom 7: 1-7x zoom range, 10x WF eyepieces, and 3" of working space. It's a fairly high magnification and the working distance is lower than a StereoZoom 4. 

Someone recommended a working space of 8". I can confirm that. A working space of 3" isn't enough to screw anything in, my screw driver hits the pod. However, the microscope still was great for inspecting parts. It's an entirely different world from loupes and compound microscope. With this microscope, you could hold the piece and move it around while maintaining high magnification. With my compound, the image is reserved so it can be hard to move it around to check jewels. 

Unfortunately, I had to return my microscope because it was more damaged than the listing shown. Frustrating, but I ultimately returned the item without paying for S&H because it was SNAD.

Anyway, I am thinking of getting a microscope with Barlow lens 0.5X and 2X. That way I can use one for general disassembly and another for inspection. Amscope sells microscopes with this configuration, they are about $500 which is reasonable for a new microscope. I can probably get another microscope in reasonable condition and buy the barlow lens separately. 

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On ‎12‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 5:24 AM, arkobugg said:

Cheers mates, I have with great joy reading about this microscope, and this great photoes.

Thought I just should tell you about this type of microscope I have been using for some time. And it working great...

www.brunelmicroscopes.co.uk BM1 long arm microscope

I think there is a tread her someplace about it, but I can find right now. But this is the best investment I have done...

Working with reluming, setting the second arm, placing the balance wheel and so on....

post-138-0-25040500-1396615350_thumb.jpg

   also known as "dissecting" microscopes.  vin

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Hi all, i have been repairing clocks for a while now but im thinking of adding a string to my bow and repairing some antique watches as i often get asked to have a look at them, my thinking is to get myself a usb microscope something like ANDONSTAR  ADSM 301, im just wondering about the working distances, i do have a 10x stereo binocular microscope on a boom are thats ok but its a bit old but the working distance is good, any thoughts would be appreciated,

 

 

                                                          john 

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  • 1 month later...

Well gents a couple of weeks ago I jumped on a post about microscopes, at the time I had just ordered from AliExpress one of these, a 600x mag with built in screen etc etc.

well it arrived and it’s great, it really is, the screen picture is very clear and the height of the screen and microscope are adjustable to the height where it is easy to manipulate hairsprings with tweezers in the vertical position. For jewel inspection etc you can lower it down to take advantage of that 600x mag and get a proper look at jewels and staffs etc etc.

all in  I’m very happy with this as it saves me having to have a laptop on the bench with leads etc getting in the way and also finding a program that works with the microscope.

This one accepts a memory card and will take stills and 1080p HD video aswell all in one unit so it’s ideal. It’s light and as you can see quite compact, it’s powered by its own internal battery that has a 6 hour life before charging is required , a plug ( albeit a Euro 2 pin one ) and a usb lead is included for charging purposes.

my only gripe is that you don’t seem to be able to turn off the led light when it’s switched on, but that is the only one so far. Well with the £40 and 3 week wait for it to arrive from China.

 

 

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I got the exact same model recently to use for quick examinations, as it takes some time to set up my "proper" microscope as I want it. I find it a very useful bit of kit for this, although I don't use it for photos. It's also a lot easier to move around! I can't remember the exact price but it was less than £35 from a UK seller on Ebay, arrived within a few days. Listed as 600x 4.3" LCD 3.6MP.

Stephen

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You won’t regret it mate, just been using mine on a job that I’d  wish I’d never taken on ( we all know that feeling I’m sure ) anyway, I quick update for you, I said on my last post that you can’t turn the LED light off, well I was wrong!! You can and you can adjust the brightness too, very handy, it’s on a control wheel on the side of the screen where you slot the SD card.

One thing I do do is place either a white bit of paper on the base, either that or a nice bit of green card that I use as a bench mat ( hobbycraft £2.50 for 20 A4 sheets ) this helps to emphasis what ever you are looking at making for a sharper image.

Edited by transporter
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Yes that’s what I thought, they are are a long pair of tweezers there aswell, my dumonts have a lot of room which makes for easier work in hairsprings.
Great catch it seems.
Do you think it would be OK to use it for servicing a movement ?.. is there place enough
Another question I have is about the magnification ... is it possible to regulate it ?

Envoyé de mon Moto G (5) Plus en utilisant Tapatalk

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To be fair guys nothing beats a  Loup and the eyeball but this can be used for servicing, the base is a bit slippy but attaching the aforementioned card will sort that, the camera cannot be angled so it’s vertical I’m afraid. The magnification is adjustable by moving it up or down, at the highest point it is more than acceptable to use for servicing.

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