Author Topic: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?  (Read 26336 times)

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Offline Radio TechTopic starter

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #25 on: May 06, 2016, 10:58:14 pm »
Thanks PSI

I got my microscope in and featured it in a mail time video:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/other-blog-specific/50-mail-time/new/#new

Also noticed it did not come with the tiny screws to hold the eye pieces in.

Offline DTJ

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #26 on: May 07, 2016, 12:49:50 pm »

Also noticed it did not come with the tiny screws to hold the eye pieces in.

When I got mine I was surprised the eyepiece screws were still in the housing. They were quite loose in the threads and I would not have been surprised if they'd vibrated out and gone astray. Perhaps that's what happened to yours.
 

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #27 on: May 07, 2016, 01:54:43 pm »

Also noticed it did not come with the tiny screws to hold the eye pieces in.

When I got mine I was surprised the eyepiece screws were still in the housing. They were quite loose in the threads and I would not have been surprised if they'd vibrated out and gone astray. Perhaps that's what happened to yours.

May be the case. I was not even looking for tiny screws to be running amuck.  I pulled the plastic off the head over the bench. So they may have fell out of the bag it was in and now lost in the Twilight Zone. Going to see if I can hunt some down today. Surly do not want to pull an eye piece off when removing the cover.

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #28 on: May 07, 2016, 02:13:07 pm »
Found some screws with correct thread from an old IPod. Not long enough to touch the eye piece but was long enough to keep them from being pulled out.  So can use one of them to determine thread size and find the correct length coated screw.

Offline Psi

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #29 on: May 08, 2016, 04:12:47 am »
Yeah, mine didn't come with those 2 grub screws either.
Some day i'll get around to finding some, for now it doesn't really matter, the eyepieces are fine without it.
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Offline TonyL

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #30 on: May 15, 2016, 02:36:06 pm »
Mine didnt come with any eyepiece screws either - queried the ebay seller and he said "Length: 2.39mm, Width: 1.6mm"
- does that mean M1.6?

SM-3TX-54S
3 = Single arm boom, 4 = double arm
X = Includes 0.5 Barlow

If its not "-xTP" then trinoc port will block left eyepiece
 

Offline DTJ

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #31 on: May 16, 2016, 02:22:17 am »
Mine didnt come with any eyepiece screws either - queried the ebay seller and he said "Length: 2.39mm, Width: 1.6mm"
- does that mean M1.6?


I pulled one of my eyepiece screws and measured it:

Its a slotted cheese head screw
Head diameter = 1.4mm
Thread length = 2mm
Thread diameter = 1.5mm

I guess M1.6 is the likely candidate.

Minibearings might have something. I could  not see M1.6 @ RS Components.
http://www.minibearings.com.au/

If you buy some get extras, they take 20 minutes to find if you drop them on the workshop floor..............
 

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #32 on: May 16, 2016, 09:34:37 am »
Mine didnt come with any eyepiece screws either - queried the ebay seller and he said "Length: 2.39mm, Width: 1.6mm"
- does that mean M1.6?


I pulled one of my eyepiece screws and measured it:

Its a slotted cheese head screw
Head diameter = 1.4mm
Thread length = 2mm
Thread diameter = 1.5mm

I guess M1.6 is the likely candidate.

Minibearings might have something. I could  not see M1.6 @ RS Components.
http://www.minibearings.com.au/

If you buy some get extras, they take 20 minutes to find if you drop them on the workshop floor..............

Yep, suckers are tiny!
I ended up using some from a IPOD that was damaged beyond repair. So I have extras :)

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #33 on: May 18, 2016, 09:03:15 pm »
Got my 0.5X barlow lens in today. Screwed it on and wow! That made a big difference in the whole scope.
Went from 4 inches to a full 8 inches. Noticed also that the focus is not quite as tight as it was.
Thanks for that suggestion PSI.

Offline DTJ

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #34 on: May 19, 2016, 02:28:35 am »
Went from 4 inches to a full 8 inches.

You have to be happy with that!

I had the same result.
 

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #35 on: May 19, 2016, 12:21:19 pm »
Went from 4 inches to a full 8 inches.

You have to be happy with that!

I had the same result.

Oh yes. I could not believe the difference it made.  Plenty of room to work under now.

Offline ar__systems

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #36 on: May 26, 2016, 08:12:20 pm »
Ok so I purchased Amscope stereo trinocular, and MA500 camera to go with it. All seems nice, but, there is a big problem: the FOV of the camera is considerably smaller than that of the eyepiece. I.e., with eyepiece the FOV is 30mm, and with camera only 9mm. I was kind of expecting to setup my view, switch to camera, and save the image.

Since I already use camera near or at lowest magnification level, I can't even zoom further out for a camera shot. SO8 chip takes pretty much entire frame of the camera! Definitely not what I wanted.

I spoke to Amscope and they are saying this is how it is designed to work. I don't understand this. How do you people use the microscope cameras?
« Last Edit: May 26, 2016, 08:37:34 pm by ar__systems »
 

Offline Psi

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #37 on: May 27, 2016, 06:58:12 am »
Follow up...

I bought this 1080P 60FPS HDMI camera from aliexpress for the trinocular output.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-60fps1080p-HDMI-camera-for-microscope-SONY-sensor-USB-SD-card-Microscope-camera-support-windowsXP/32644622439.html

It's way better than the cheaper camera you find on aliexpress for these microscopes (the 720P one that's also blue but has 6 buttons on the top and often bundled with the microscope).

This one looks sharper and has USB mouse control for setting exposure/gamma/brightness etc.. and can capture direct to SDCard (haven't tried that yet).


« Last Edit: May 27, 2016, 07:19:31 am by Psi »
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Offline Psi

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #38 on: May 27, 2016, 07:15:56 am »
Ok so I purchased Amscope stereo trinocular, and MA500 camera to go with it. All seems nice, but, there is a big problem: the FOV of the camera is considerably smaller than that of the eyepiece. I.e., with eyepiece the FOV is 30mm, and with camera only 9mm. I was kind of expecting to setup my view, switch to camera, and save the image.

Since I already use camera near or at lowest magnification level, I can't even zoom further out for a camera shot. SO8 chip takes pretty much entire frame of the camera! Definitely not what I wanted.

I spoke to Amscope and they are saying this is how it is designed to work. I don't understand this. How do you people use the microscope cameras?

Yeah, i found that with my scope/camera too when i used it in stock configuration.

Note that the info below may/may-not apply to your exact camera/microscope...

You probably need the trinocular adapter with a 0.5x lens inside.
Also, if you have a 30mm eyepiece FOV you probably want to get a 0.5x barlow lens as well.

If you open the trinocular port and hold a piece of paper above the opening with the room lights off but the microscope lights on you can bring the image into focus on the paper and see what the field of view actually is out of the port.

Using the adapter it's a lot better but still not 100% of eyepiece view.
Just did a check to see what i get.. 31mm on camera and ~50mm on eyepiece.

This is the trinocular and barlow 0.5 adapters that fit on my scope.

0.5x Trinocular adapter
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-C-MOUNT-LENS-ADAPTER-FOR-VIDEO-CAMERA-MICROSCOPES/565596888.html

0.5x barlow adaptor
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/0-5X-AUXILIARY-OBJECTIVE-LENS-FOR-STEREO-ZOOM-MICROSCOPE-MICROSCOPE-LENS/320845311.html
« Last Edit: May 27, 2016, 07:32:02 am by Psi »
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Offline Howardlong

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #39 on: May 27, 2016, 07:40:29 am »
A couple of comments on the Amscopes.

The one I purchased a year or so ago now came with an LED ring. I found this was quite intrusive for getting the hot air iron in, so I removed the ring and instead I use two clip on gooseneck LED spots at different angles clipped onto the scope mount.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lloytron-L1507SV-Apollo-Clip-Silver/dp/B00GMFKRI2

The key points about this specific lamp are that (a) it's a concentrated narrow beam, and (b) it doesn't "beat" when taking video, a facet which I found to be very common in the various other illuminating options I tried.

Secondly, on the unit I purchased I discovered that despite being trinocular, the left side is switched mechanically between either being directed to eyepiece or to the camera port, you can't have all three ports active simultaneously.

Mine came with the articulated arm which clamps to the desk: this fits well in my situation as it minimises the amount of desk space used when it's folded away.

The FOV is indeed smaller on the two cameras I have used on the Trinocular port. I have an adapter to minimise this but the FOV is still significantly smaller.

Edit: I use a third party C-mount 60fps 1080p HDMI camera but despite the specs I still find it much worse than using the stereo eyepieces for working on stuff. Part of this is the latency and part is the camera itself, possibly to do with its dynamic range, but I get scintillating artifacts. Not being stereoscopic I am sure is also part of it too.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2016, 07:43:22 am by Howardlong »
 

Offline Psi

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #40 on: May 27, 2016, 07:50:20 am »
I agree that its easier to solder under the eyepiece than on a monitor. Probably because you get 3D with the eyepiece.
However the monitor is really useful for inspecting things.
Greek letter 'Psi' (not Pounds per Square Inch)
 

Offline TonyL

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #41 on: May 27, 2016, 10:06:02 am »
Secondly, on the unit I purchased I discovered that despite being trinocular, the left side is switched mechanically between either being directed to eyepiece or to the camera port, you can't have all three ports active simultaneously.

Yeah, that really isn't made clear in any of the descriptions IMO; if you want all 3 ports at the same time you have to get the "Simul-Focal" head
 

Offline ar__systems

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #42 on: May 27, 2016, 12:29:28 pm »
You probably need the trinocular adapter with a 0.5x lens inside.
Also, if you have a 30mm eyepiece FOV you probably want to get a 0.5x barlow lens as well.

Thanks! I thought of something like this but could not find. Yes, I already ordered the barlow lens, now I need to order the adapter.
 

Offline apelly

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #43 on: May 28, 2016, 09:26:25 pm »
That's the one i got, but i bought it through aliexpress (exactly same thing though)
Paid $582 inc DHL shipping
I really love it, works well and its so handy being able to just push it out of the way when its not needed.
In some thread, or youtube video, someone commented on the mild steel slidey bits and how the linear bearings are chewing them up. Have you noticed this issue?
 

Offline Psi

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #44 on: May 28, 2016, 09:30:29 pm »
Haven't noticed that yet.

However i set the length once when i got it and now simply rotate it in/out of the way. I don't usually slid it on the rods in day to day use.

Greek letter 'Psi' (not Pounds per Square Inch)
 

Offline digsys

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #45 on: May 28, 2016, 11:14:16 pm »
Quote from: apelly
...
In some thread, or youtube video, someone commented on the mild steel slidey bits and how the linear bearings are chewing them up. Have you noticed this issue?
There is a lot of vertical drag on those beams, and they do get stiffer as time goes on. I haven't noticed it myself, BUT I regularly lube them, usually with
graphite dust. I've had the scope for several years as well. If you don't lube, I guess it is possible.
Hello <tap> <tap> .. is this thing on?
 

Offline DTJ

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #46 on: May 29, 2016, 11:50:11 am »
Just a comment on lighting.

I purchased two of these Ikea LED goose neck lamps and mounted them to the rear base of my Amscope. They work well, no shadows and plenty of light, they are $15 each. The goose necks allow them to not interfere with your hands / tools and they are easily re-positioned.

http://www.ikea.com/aa/en/catalog/products/60169661/


I later spotted this LED lamp at office works which has 3 times the light output, its twice the price, $30 each. I ended up with one for my other non-microscope soldering work.

http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/brilliant-vega-led-desk-lamp-black-brvegalmbk
 

Offline KL27x

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #47 on: June 01, 2016, 04:24:08 am »
Quote
In some thread, or youtube video, someone commented on the mild steel slidey bits and how the linear bearings are chewing them up. Have you noticed this issue?
Yes. Mine developed quite a noticeable drag. The ball bearings had made a distinct groove and a raised bur on one area of the rod.

There's a post on the forum if you can find it. A machinist noticed that the rods are basically lacking a chrome plating. So they're not only lacking the hard coating, but they are also undersized, at a bit under 20mm diameter, so they're loose in the bearings, which creates a few distinct high pressure points on the rod. (Per my calipers, 19.91mm)

Some have posted that their Amscope is unaffected. So it might be a recent thing where they stopped doing the chrome plating. You can tell by lifting up on the head. A non-plated scope will wiggle about 1/3" or so up/down when fully extended.

In an earlier post in this thread I explained how to fix this. Or at least to minimize it. By carefully aligning the bearings to best distribute the load, given the mismatched diameter of the rod to bearings. IMO. Anyway, since doing this a few months ago, my scope travel has remained smooth as when new.


« Last Edit: June 01, 2016, 04:34:59 am by KL27x »
 

Offline ar__systems

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #48 on: June 07, 2016, 12:17:02 am »
I bought this one -- but I can't figure out how to mount it. I tried different compinations and nothing works. The result always a circle in the middle of the frame....

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-1-3X-C-MOUNT-Lens-Adapter-For-Video-Camera-Trinocular-microscope-SZMCTV-1-3-CCD/32627386318.html
 

Offline Psi

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Re: Stero trinocular microscope. Amscope, Which one?
« Reply #49 on: June 12, 2016, 12:29:45 pm »
I've only tried 0.5x on my microscope, so i don't know if 0.33x works.

Do you get a circle image with black around the edges? If so my guess is that 0.33x is so much negative magnification that you have zoomed out too far and are seeing more FOV than the trinocular port outputs.

« Last Edit: June 12, 2016, 12:31:21 pm by Psi »
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