# Got MicroScope In Today



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

the microscope i ordered from ebay is finally in .... about $45 US ..
goes to 500x and 1000 times on the magnification, usb 5v powered, don't need supply plugged in to operate....
stand is included ..have to figure out how to set the menu for english after it charges up , lol


eight leds [even infrared] for illumination, supposedly adjustable,should be good for decoders, yeah !


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

Link doesn't show anything.
I recently purchased a digital microscope from Wish.com. They have many to select from and they work great.

Dan


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Pretty sure it's the one we've been talking about, it's a very handy tool.

*4.3in LCD Desktop 8 LED Digital Microscope Endoscope 720P HD 5MP Camera*


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

yeah, looks like same one ....stand is the same anyways..
pretty good deal, even if i only use it a few times


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It's also great for taking pictures of small stuff. I wanted to post a picture of the new Lionel H10 (apparently really an H9) builder's plate, and this tool was perfect for the job.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

oh, just got it into engrish, 

wait a bit for the memory card, lol


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It does video as well, though I don't think I'd find that all that attractive. Probably good for the folks using it to study bugs.  I like the ability to snap pictures of what I see, I've used it several times already when I've gotten returns of a product to show where the customer overloaded it.

Consider this example. You can see that the trace was overheated, it's actually melted the solder mask. Also, there's a crack in the feed-thru that opened that trace. My calculation is that it took at least 7-8 amps to do that, and the board is rated at 2 amps. 

It was very difficult to illustrate that with a normal camera, I just didn't get close enough with a clear shot.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Ugly picture! Looks like black stuff oozed out also. Must have been some smoke!


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

got it into english ... good enough ... need to figure out how to change from 500x to 1000x ....don't intend to hook it up to the computer, no need ..


either magnification will help quite a bit on 201 smd size leds though


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

That unit looks nice, to bad I asked Santa for an airbrush. Maybe the Easter Bunny will be nice next year.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Xnats said:


> That unit looks nice, to bad I asked Santa for an airbrush. Maybe the Easter Bunny will be nice next year.


I sent Santa an email with a link to Amazon for a Badger Patriot 105 airbrush. Someone made a charge to Amazon for about the same amount as the airbrush + shipping, and it wasn't me! :smilie_daumenpos:


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

lol
MTF will be hosting airbrush reviews after Christmas 🎅


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lemonhawk said:


> Ugly picture! Looks like black stuff oozed out also. Must have been some smoke!


Makes you wonder how the guy that sent it back figured we'd miss that.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Probably thought it would just be accepted sight unseen due to the thousands of units you made


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

He was wrong.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

cant figure out how to change magnification, supposed to be in some kind of roller according to the seller ...
says adjustment is variable from 1x to 1000x on the sales listing for this unit ??

sent another ebay message to the seller in china ..
john, can you change yours ?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The magnification changes by the distance from the object on the table. If you roll the camera higher and then refocus, things will be at a lower magnification.

Here's the high magnification and then the low. The high was as close as I could focus, the low was at the top of the travel.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

ahhh.. i see ... tried it just now, and definitely the way you described ...
does it show on the screen [or anywhere else] what the current magnification level is ??


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Very cool guys. It is something I'd like to have, but where would I keep it?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Lee Willis said:


> Very cool guys. It is something I'd like to have, but where would I keep it?





it doesn't take up much bench space at all, the base is roughly 5" x 6" in size, with vertical room needed is around 8" ..
pretty small actually ..


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I got my son one. It came 2 days ago. He will be using it for coins. Looking for errors.
You would not believe how much errors sell for. Its a very cool tool.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I could not resist. I ordered a slightly different once from Amazon. A tiny bit smaller, 3.5 inch screen, with up to 1200 magnification and a feature that measures distance between two points on the image.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

They're a handy tool to have around, I've used it a few times already.

AFAIK, there is no indication of what the magnification is.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> They're a handy tool to have around, I've used it a few times already.
> 
> AFAIK, there is no indication of what the magnification is.





thanks, the seller didn't know very much about it at all ...


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Since at least a dozen people were selling it, small wonder. I suspect that it's like a lot of other things they make. They make a ton of them and then a bunch of retailers take them and try to unload them.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

yes, that's true ...
i don't assume the seller was the origional manufacturer of that item,
just another reseller for the same item, lol


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Another outfit originally sold them with a chintzy plastic base, so I bought the aluminum base separately. The unit was worthless with the plastic stand, it was just in a box in my closet.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

the base on mine is plastic, fairly small..
but good enough for its intended use


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The plastic base I got was not adjustable, it really sucked. Yours looks as functional as mine, mine is just all aluminum.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

aarg.... the hold / set height screw on the adapter is stripped ... actually the ferrule it goes into is stripped, and for some reason they want me to take photos of the box, which i no longer have .... the whole works will probably go back to china, lol


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's probably the difference between the plastic and aluminum base. It probably pains you to consider this, but why not get the much better aluminum stand?

Aluminum Alloy Stand Bracket Holder for Digital Microscope Suitable for Most Models


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

i ordered the aluminum base for it,, the adapter is made of the same metal as well,, 25.92 canadian , should be here in 3 weeks or so .. 

a good new years present !


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm real happy with the aluminum base, it really made the unit useful.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

well, i'm going to try and put a nut in there, maybe 4mm ?? and see if it holds three weeks, lol


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I do like that base! I just bought a Nat Geo dual Microscope for a 12 year old. It's not very high powered, but it is a binocular scope so you see things in 3d! About $20 more than than these. I can't help but think the 3d is a plus. Will see after Christmas! I think it would have enough power to see John's "Ugly" board and using both eyes helps, but depth of field also makes a big difference and higher power lessens the depth of field. I have a freeby that is virtually identical to yours, but without the stand, so I ordered the stand also.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Mine arrived sometime late last evening and spent the night in the snow on the front porch, but seems none the worse for it. I bought something slightly different - Koolertron with a 3.5 inch screen and magnification to 1200X on Amazon. It is simple to operate and lot of fun. I plan to keep in on the desk all the time.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Looks like the same basic scope, just another maker. They're pretty handy for us old folks that have trouble seeing small stuff nowadays.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Absolutely necessary with the small parts they make today. I will find it useful for a variety of model-train thing and other hobbies too.


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

mopac said:


> I got my son one. It came 2 days ago. He will be using it for coins. Looking for errors.
> You would not believe how much errors sell for. Its a very cool tool.


This is exactly what I use mine for. If he has trouble getting a complete view of the entire coin, What I did was replace the upright slide pole with a longer one, 18", now I can raise the head up and get a full field view of a silver dollar. 
I like the built in screen models, mine connects to my cell phone or computer. It only cost me $15.00 on WISH.com. I plan to buy the built in screen next month.
I've attached a photo to show the extended rod. The original rod is next to the scope.
The base has also been mentioned. I found the hollow plastic base was very easy to jiggle, and causes shaky images. If you notice on my scope the base has a white plastic insert. The insert comes out and exposes the hollow base. I simple mixed up some fiberglass resin and filled the base up with it. It substantially increase the bases weight and stability. Plus it's cheaper than a new base.
Mopac, I've included a couple error coins I've found with my scope so far. 

Dan


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

With the aluminum base, I don't feel the need for any additional stability, it's quite solid. It's a very useful piece, I'm happy with mine.


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

John;

Only 2 drawbacks to the aluminum base. For viewing full size coins I needed to add the additional length to the upright. How could I do that with the aluminum base ? Plus the cost of the aluminum base would double the cost of my scope, the resin to fill the plastic base cost practically nothing.

Dan


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I got the same one that John has. He posted the ebay listing. Got it for my son to use for coins. Only problem is you can not get the full coin in image. Would need a higher stand.
It has the aluminum stand. Its for Christmas but I showed it to son. He is fine with it.
His phone has a magnifier if he needs a pic of the full coin. Son really likes it. Super sharp, super clear image. The whole stand is very stable.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If you really want to zoom out, it's pretty easy to do. You can easily turn the mount around, set it on a platform, and just stick a weight on the backside, job done.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Same trick I use with a photo enlarger to get bigger pictures.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yep, works fine. The Microscope will actually take pictures from almost any distance, though hand held it was a bit shaky. Here's one from about 10 feet.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

got the aluminum base in just now .... a definite improvement !
the old plastic one went in the garbage ....


thanks John , it was a good idea


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The plastic one I got with a suction cup was totally useless, it hit the trash right away. 

I just used mine today. I had an ERR Cruise Commander M suddenly stop working after running for several years. I could flex the board and it would work, so I know it was a bad solder joint somewhere, but where??? The problem joint was almost impossible to see without serious magnification, but one pin on the microprocessor wasn't soldered. Tacked that down and we were back in business!


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