And shouldn’t have removed it from the lab/bench. There are two less expensive HAAKO stations on the shelf for people who need a soldering iron outside the lab. I also believe Art gave VECTOR one of the old METCAL stations.
But it does illustrate ONE of the ways that things just walk off.
I would not complain one bit should DMS electronics pony up for a $200-600 scope solution. I know everyone would be happy to have such a thing.
Its just that I also think that the $40 andonstar is also a nice addition to consider. Am I the only one who thinks that sticking toes in $40 waters first is worth a try? This might actually reduce the need for pricey scope, possibly even eliminate it. Either way, I think I want one for the home.
Meanwhile, here is a picture of what I will call microscope utopia. It is a dreamy place, not all that far from where we all tinker with electronics…
Microscope utopia indeed.
However all is not as appears to be.
Optics are missing, some parts don’t work.
There’s a mix of brands and models.
Science is in the process of evaluating.
I have a couple of thoughts on this. What follows is only my opinion.
First, a microscope is in the “nice to have” category for almost all purposes. A good headband magnifier is way cheaper and is in the “must have” category, and we don’t have a decent one. We could by 6 really nice headband magnifiers for the price of one lower end (price and usefulness) stereomicroscope.
Second, for some categories (like pliers, cutters, tweezers), expensive gear gives a hobbyist (or even professional) only marginal benefit over cheap gear. For other items (soldering iron, microscope) the difference between the entry level and the good stuff is game changing.
I am in favor of finding something usable from the science lab for now, and holding out for the Mantis for an eventual purchase.
The Mantis scopes have a much more forgiving eyepiece, good depth perception, and the stand (bolt down or clamp down) allows convenient positioning over a wide working area. Overall more flexible in use, with less neck strain and eye strain. If I could only have one objective, it would be a 4x, but a 6x would be fine as well. 2x is not much more than a head maginfier, and at 8x, vibration and shallow depth of field start to be an issue.
The disadvantage of the Mantis is that you have to wait a while to find a good used one on Ebay for under $1000, but they do show up with some regularity. Working heads without the boom go for less–I’ve seen them in the $500-$700 range, and the booms have gone for $150-300. Again, this requires waiting and judgement. Ebay is a lot less risky for these purchases now than in the past, as it’s policies have shifted toward buyer protection.
The original Mantis and Mantis Elite are great to use, and the Compact seems similar.
Here is a summary of the differences between original and elite, from EEVblog:
Both the original Mantis and the Mantis Elite can mount two objectives.
They both can be fitted with 2x, 4x, 6x, 10x, and 6x SuperLong-Working-Distance objectives, but the Elite also fits 15x and 20x objectives. The new objectives have different product codes (but I’m not sure if they are compatible).
Only the Elite has LED illuminators (it has one for the left and one for the right). The Elite can also use an epi-illuminator (a halogen bulb that shines down along the same optical path as the image). The original Mantis only has a diffuse halogen light. The original Mantis bench stand version (Mantis FX) also uses a halogen substage illuminator for transparent samples, whereas the Mantis Elite substage uses LED lighting. The Elite is available with an articulated boom, in addition to the standard boom type like the one on the original.
FYI, anything remotely portable will walk to another location. Head mounted magnifiers will be useless in a week.
And i really hate that…maybe color code all the tools so its easy to identify strays.
I worked in a shop once where all the handles were painted light blue for electrical green foe automotive etc. And there were signs on the wall reminding people not to carry tools around.
Well thats funny right thar
The head magnifiiwer I donated to the electronics lab last until I had my stroke over a yeat. I tyoughly engraved it as such. Hopr it istill around time will tell me one way or another., eventually
I just got a toy in from ebay. And within 5 minutes, I took this picture of my arduino uno. I had always wondered what the inscription was on that atmel part. I could not read it prior to today.
Oh, I spent $60 on Monday, and now I have something I think is even better than mantis. The mailman delivered the small box a few minutes ago, and now I can do this with ease:
What product am I raving about? Hint: Andonstar.
Its a 6 foot USB cable, and I like the stability. I did not like the stability of the tray attached to camera we have in the lab right now. It moves around when you try to rest your hands on it to solder… lol…
However, this little thing is solid. You can even flip the thing around 180 so that endoscope camera is above the table if the metal base bothers you.
Nobody is telling DMS not to get a scope, However I have used plenty of them in my day, including the Mantis style, which was my favorite. That is until now: This thing is just simpler and easier to use, as long as you are comfortable dialing in a PC connected camera. This may be personal preference, but I don’t want anything obstructing my whole face or eyeballs if I can avoid it, and now I can.
Here is another item worth mentioning: see the little button and knob on the usb wire about a foot from the camera? It has a knob on it that turns on the LEDs at the camera. You can adjust the lighting, and then there is auto adjustments on the camera that dial things in nicely so you don’t overexpose.
Anyways, I now have what I need for soldering at home. Having other options at DMS is a plus too.
After fiddling with the settings a bit, check out the quality of live video I can grab while working. Also, I have about 1.5 to 2 inches of space beneath the pen style camera to work.
How much depth perception do you get with the camera based solution ?
( Somewhat rhetorical question )
I vote for a real microscope, possibly with a camera port.
I don’t have a feel for how much the delta in cost would be. I was thinking the use for a port might be for classes.
Although we could probably manage those almost as well with the straight up camera based units.
I like the stereo optics idea as well, since I have one of these now. Its good to have various options and equipment I have learned, as you never know what you may face in the future. And I cannot personally afford the optics what with all the business expenses I am facing.
But I did want folks to see that the Andonstar is more than just a toy, and have found it to be a perfect option for my home lab. Now if only I can get that 4 channel Tek up and running…lol
