Whoa, this mic(roscope) is pretty expensive.. Dave, you`ve done great with the microscope review, I was simply searching on youtube for "usb microscope review" and was presented with your video as a suggestion... However, $500 breaks the bank for me... Any cheaper alternative? I had found some "electronic focus" microscope (which I guess is user-controlled focus) on AliExpress for around $84, yet if anyone could recommend something similar without the auto-focus feature (that one breaks the wallet), I would gladly appreciate the advice and consider the thing...
Here are the cameras I found:
1. 84-usd one, I suppose I also need a C-mount (whatever this mount is) lens assembly, although I see none at this seller.. was hoping to find something compatible on seller`s page, yet it should be C-mount.. what should be a magnification for regular circuitry?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Remote-Control-SONY-imx323-sensor-HD-1080P-HDMI-C-Mount-Digital-Video-industrial-microscope-camera-for/32978144150.html2. some all-in-one camera, manual focus? doesn`t state anything.. $105 with 180x or 300x, $70 with 180x objective.. these numbers don`t tell me much, I am still watching videos to get some idea on this.. navigating forums etc..
So I`m fixing car keys and other stuff for now, as part of my hobby... Started fixing for my friends (I simply hate paying the stealership big bucks, didn`t want my friends to pay neither..), now I get about 1 key per week, sometimes less.. fixing is about $20~40 per key, parts included, so $500 for a microscope is out of discussion.. Currently I am doing this besides my full-time job (software engineer / industrial automation / c++) which is not a bad pay after all... yet, I don`t like taking from a jar and putting in an other one so every part with its funds.
I just purchased a seek thermal compact
(this is not an advertising, don`t buy from them unless you have to (so actually I advise against this product), the negative temperature range simply sucks (-20 is displayed as -2 or even +1 celsius), they don`t offer any support, no reply in more than 2 months since asked...... there are 2 cameras like this - an older belonging to one of my colleagues and my camera which is a little different in design, purchased 1 year later) for fixing "battery-eating" remotes (can`t use the isopropyl technique since key will be killed, provided enough current; there is hardly a 5°C difference between smd parts when constantly eating 20mA for at least 10 seconds (a key usually consumes a short burst of ~7mA in peak for a transmission).. this thermal camera is a big-enough budget hole already, not yet covered
...
I will also use the microscope for my hobby (which is obviously electronics and embedded, making things etc)...
So here come all the questions:
- Any advice of a cheap, yet powerful (10+mp) microscope that someone uses and is happy with? Manual focus will do.. but I would like at least "electronic focus" (e.g. user-controlled electronic focus).. autofocus is a dream, don`t twist the knife...
- What objective should I buy? I need to be able to inspect circuits (angled or not, maybe 5~10cm maximum FOV) and I need to see especially VIAs..
- What should I look for in a microscope characteristics? Any tips?
- Any variable intensity led ring for microscope that I don`t need to feed from the mains? (tips if you have, I can also search myself on Ali)
- A nice yet not very expensive stand.. should there be any..
Thank you!
EDIT: I found some nice page explaining every objective`s characteristics:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Adjustable-Magnification-100X-180X-200X-300X-600X-25mm-Zoom-C-Mount-Lens-For-HDMI-VGA-USB/33001173563.html