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Hi Tron,
? Well, I ordered the kit from Whizoo so I may be asking some
questions later when it's time to run it. Mainly profile info if
you have any on various solder. If you just use the datasheet I
can find that info, but any tweaks or tips and tricks will be
useful. No rush as I will be figuring out the SMD circuit board
layout at first and may even have to design a macro for a micro
USB port.
Thanks,
Dave
On 10/31/2019 10:57 PM, tron eee wrote:
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@Dave,
I too went through the process of attempting to resolve the
problem of soldering SMD components. I tried a variety of USB
Microscopes because they were inexpensive while the vendors
were promising performance that simply wasn't good enough.
However, microscope also have their foibles. I came to find
that its best to call the microscope company and tell'm your
budget and your goal. If they are an authentic company,
they'll help you make the correct choice.
If you are just soldering a few 1206 and 806s here and
there, well its fairly easy to solder these by hand using a
temperature controlled pencile soldering iron. If however, you
are doing a bunch of boards with many different sized SMDs, I
recommend ya take the extra effort to fabricate an SMD oven.
The ovens are simple to make and are VERY easy and effective.
I used a Black & Decker 1200 Watt InfraWave toaster
oven which have low mass 'crystal' heater elements that
exhibit low thermal inertia.
Check out this inexpensive SMD oven controller and homebrew
website.
tron nee
Anybody
using a microscope made for soldering? I finally realized I
need
to be able to see better, and I will pay for the needed fix. I
don't
think I want a USB style that has the little monitor/display
but rather
something like these:
Anyone use one? The only con I see often complained about is
if you
don't hold your head just right, the view disappears, kind of
like with
a rifle scope on high power.
Thanks
|
Ok, I'll use a little salt.
That will be interesting when you get the website updated. No rush of course, but I will definitely take a look at it.
Ok, now I understand the socket and pin removal.
Thanks,
Dave
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On 11/3/2019 8:04 PM, Harvey White wrote:
On 11/3/2019 7:34 PM, Dave wrote:
Harvey,
? Thanks for explaining all of that to me. I guess the old say applies here too.
Question: How to eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time. :) NOTE: needs salt.....
Where there is a will, there is a way. You need to make some youtube videos on this. They would be very popular. Or even write a book. I guess like anything else though. Take it one step at a time. But you still need to know a lot about the subject at hand.
Hmmm, well, tell you what, when I redesign the website, I'll update all the PC board sections, and then give some postmortems on some of the older projects.? Then I'll start with some of the newer ones.? No free software, but I will (hopefully) give people enough of an idea to know how to do things without following a cookbook.? I prefer learning rather than recipes.
Documentation? It's on my list so far.
On the connector and pin removal. Is this for when someone needs to change out a worn out connector or to reuse the pads and traces for a mod?
This preserves the board, while destroying the connector (for the most part).? ST Micro has a series of boards on which I base projects (NUCLEO 32/64/144).? You can't buy the boards and put the parts on them for that amount of money.? However, not all boards have all connectors.? I started off with sockets on one board, and then shifted (because I didn't look at the old boards) to sockets on the plugin.? So I got two boards with sockets, and two with pins, and I need pins for new designs.
Prying off the plastic leaves an array of individual bifurcated sockets, which are then removed individually, holes cleaned out, and then putting pins back in for the new designs.
so you get whatever you want once the part is removed.
Harvey
|
I already got a scope on order but thanks for the recommendation. :)
Dave
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On 11/3/2019 11:05 AM, Martin Whybrow wrote: I can recommend a PZO binocular microscope if you can find one, it has multiple objectives ranging from 0.63 to 4.0 with 6.3 eyepieces, it has a very good field of view and plenty of room between the stage and objective to work in. They're similar in optical quality to Zeiss but can be found for very reasonable money.
|
On 11/3/2019 7:34 PM, Dave wrote: Harvey,
? Thanks for explaining all of that to me. I guess the old say applies here too.
Question: How to eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time. :) NOTE: needs salt.....
Where there is a will, there is a way. You need to make some youtube videos on this. They would be very popular. Or even write a book. I guess like anything else though. Take it one step at a time. But you still need to know a lot about the subject at hand.
Hmmm, well, tell you what, when I redesign the website, I'll update all the PC board sections, and then give some postmortems on some of the older projects.? Then I'll start with some of the newer ones.? No free software, but I will (hopefully) give people enough of an idea to know how to do things without following a cookbook.? I prefer learning rather than recipes. Documentation? It's on my list so far. On the connector and pin removal. Is this for when someone needs to change out a worn out connector or to reuse the pads and traces for a mod?
This preserves the board, while destroying the connector (for the most part).? ST Micro has a series of boards on which I base projects (NUCLEO 32/64/144).? You can't buy the boards and put the parts on them for that amount of money.? However, not all boards have all connectors.? I started off with sockets on one board, and then shifted (because I didn't look at the old boards) to sockets on the plugin.? So I got two boards with sockets, and two with pins, and I need pins for new designs. Prying off the plastic leaves an array of individual bifurcated sockets, which are then removed individually, holes cleaned out, and then putting pins back in for the new designs. so you get whatever you want once the part is removed. Harvey Thanks,
Dave
On 11/3/2019 12:04 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Ok, doing it may be above your pay grade but the concepts won't be.
Typically, any graphics display knows how to draw a dot anywhere on the screen.
So you design graphics primitives, which implement drawing a dot, panel (square/rectangular area), line, and characters.
Then you figure out how a panel can *own* things you put inside it.? Draw the panel, draw the objects inside.
Then you figure out how, when you draw those objects, they don't go outside the panel.
Now for the LCARS look, you need to tweak a panel so that it's got rounded edges.
Then you need to design what I call a polycorner, which is the basic "up one side, rounded corner, across the top" shape.
You kinda make them out of primitives if you can.
if you want a button, it's a panel that owns a text object.
Then if you have a touch screen, you can ask each object if it's been touched.
if you touch a button, then go do something (if it's active, etc, etc...)
As far as drivers are concerned, that's also easy to understand. Each graphics display needs some sort of controller, like a display card is used in a computer.
Each controller has different capabilities and different commands to make it do stuff.? Some controllers know how to draw panels, some don't.
The driver talks to a particular controller, speaks its language, and then presents a united front to the application which is telling it to draw a square, there, and in a particular color... That little part is generally customized for each graphics controller/display.
the real trick is to realize that only a certain (and very low) level needs to actually know how the display works, the rest of the programming just needs to know the size and how many colors it has.
concepts are easy enough, doing it takes a bit of time.
more writing drivers and putting parts on a board now than not.
Oh, and a point to people who are removing lots of pin connectors from PC boards (and not saving the connectors).
Even a Metcal desoldering system doesn't get it all.
To remove a large connector, if female, pull off the body leaving the pins.? Heat and remove each with the desoldering tool, attempting to suck out the solder from the back.
If male pins, pry off the plastic.? Heat the solder side of the pin and pull out while using the solder sucker when it's out.
the fun part is that this doesn't always work, especially if the design didn't use thermals for ground pins and planes.
So:? take the thinnest soldering tip you have, ideally, it'll fit into and through the hole.
put it in one soldering pencil and have the desoldering tool at the ready.
put the desoldering tool on one side (and you can add solder to get a good transfer) with the point of the other iron on the other side of the pc board.? Desoldering will give you melted solder enough that the fine tip goes through and into the hole. Suck out the solder and remove the tip.? Seems to clean out the hole very nicely when the extra heat is added.
Harvey
On 11/3/2019 11:20 AM, Dave wrote:
Harvey,
? I looked up LCARS with Google and although it didn't have anything at the top from Amazon I dug further and found a few things. Even a mod for the Android to have the phone set up like Star Trek. Pretty neat stuff. Looks like a major task to undertake but I am sure you will get it done. All of the technical explanation is above my pay grade at first, but I did a little googling to understand what you are saying. And it's still above my pay grade. :-) I wish you luck on the project.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/2/2019 5:08 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Google LCARS.? The first thing to come up is that you can buy LCARS on amazon.? I so love brainless ads and bots.
Yep, it's the computer system in Star Trek, the Next Generation. It has a particular look to it that I'm copying in my own graphics primitives.? Designing something that does a radiused corner is fun, with a radiused fillet, too.
Just got finished putting a *theme* into play, so I can call up different color schemes as needed.
Currently, the basic board drives a 320 * 240 LCD TFT display. Using an S1D13781 (Epson), I can use the same SPI interface to drive a VGA display, since the Chinese board had its own driver. It's a straight plugin physically, and of course, needs completely different drivers.
Next project is to use the graphics DMA engine (rather limited) in an ST F7 processor to do much the same thing. Since its memory mapped rather than SPI interfaced, all I need to do is feed the processor graphics commands and it ought to be done faster.
We'll see how well that one works.? Got the driver for that written, but not debugged.
Harvey
|
Harvey,
? Thanks for explaining all of that to me. I guess the old say applies here too.
Question: How to eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time. :)
Where there is a will, there is a way. You need to make some youtube videos on this. They would be very popular. Or even write a book. I guess like anything else though. Take it one step at a time. But you still need to know a lot about the subject at hand.
On the connector and pin removal. Is this for when someone needs to change out a worn out connector or to reuse the pads and traces for a mod?
Thanks,
Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/3/2019 12:04 PM, Harvey White wrote: Ok, doing it may be above your pay grade but the concepts won't be.
Typically, any graphics display knows how to draw a dot anywhere on the screen.
So you design graphics primitives, which implement drawing a dot, panel (square/rectangular area), line, and characters.
Then you figure out how a panel can *own* things you put inside it.? Draw the panel, draw the objects inside.
Then you figure out how, when you draw those objects, they don't go outside the panel.
Now for the LCARS look, you need to tweak a panel so that it's got rounded edges.
Then you need to design what I call a polycorner, which is the basic "up one side, rounded corner, across the top" shape.
You kinda make them out of primitives if you can.
if you want a button, it's a panel that owns a text object.
Then if you have a touch screen, you can ask each object if it's been touched.
if you touch a button, then go do something (if it's active, etc, etc...)
As far as drivers are concerned, that's also easy to understand. Each graphics display needs some sort of controller, like a display card is used in a computer.
Each controller has different capabilities and different commands to make it do stuff.? Some controllers know how to draw panels, some don't.
The driver talks to a particular controller, speaks its language, and then presents a united front to the application which is telling it to draw a square, there, and in a particular color... That little part is generally customized for each graphics controller/display.
the real trick is to realize that only a certain (and very low) level needs to actually know how the display works, the rest of the programming just needs to know the size and how many colors it has.
concepts are easy enough, doing it takes a bit of time.
more writing drivers and putting parts on a board now than not.
Oh, and a point to people who are removing lots of pin connectors from PC boards (and not saving the connectors).
Even a Metcal desoldering system doesn't get it all.
To remove a large connector, if female, pull off the body leaving the pins.? Heat and remove each with the desoldering tool, attempting to suck out the solder from the back.
If male pins, pry off the plastic.? Heat the solder side of the pin and pull out while using the solder sucker when it's out.
the fun part is that this doesn't always work, especially if the design didn't use thermals for ground pins and planes.
So:? take the thinnest soldering tip you have, ideally, it'll fit into and through the hole.
put it in one soldering pencil and have the desoldering tool at the ready.
put the desoldering tool on one side (and you can add solder to get a good transfer) with the point of the other iron on the other side of the pc board.? Desoldering will give you melted solder enough that the fine tip goes through and into the hole.? Suck out the solder and remove the tip.? Seems to clean out the hole very nicely when the extra heat is added.
Harvey
On 11/3/2019 11:20 AM, Dave wrote:
Harvey,
? I looked up LCARS with Google and although it didn't have anything at the top from Amazon I dug further and found a few things. Even a mod for the Android to have the phone set up like Star Trek. Pretty neat stuff. Looks like a major task to undertake but I am sure you will get it done. All of the technical explanation is above my pay grade at first, but I did a little googling to understand what you are saying. And it's still above my pay grade. :-) I wish you luck on the project.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/2/2019 5:08 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Google LCARS.? The first thing to come up is that you can buy LCARS on amazon.? I so love brainless ads and bots.
Yep, it's the computer system in Star Trek, the Next Generation. It has a particular look to it that I'm copying in my own graphics primitives.? Designing something that does a radiused corner is fun, with a radiused fillet, too.
Just got finished putting a *theme* into play, so I can call up different color schemes as needed.
Currently, the basic board drives a 320 * 240 LCD TFT display. Using an S1D13781 (Epson), I can use the same SPI interface to drive a VGA display, since the Chinese board had its own driver. It's a straight plugin physically, and of course, needs completely different drivers.
Next project is to use the graphics DMA engine (rather limited) in an ST F7 processor to do much the same thing. Since its memory mapped rather than SPI interfaced, all I need to do is feed the processor graphics commands and it ought to be done faster.
We'll see how well that one works.? Got the driver for that written, but not debugged.
Harvey
|
Ok, doing it may be above your pay grade but the concepts won't be.
Typically, any graphics display knows how to draw a dot anywhere on the screen.
So you design graphics primitives, which implement drawing a dot, panel (square/rectangular area), line, and characters.
Then you figure out how a panel can *own* things you put inside it.? Draw the panel, draw the objects inside.
Then you figure out how, when you draw those objects, they don't go outside the panel.
Now for the LCARS look, you need to tweak a panel so that it's got rounded edges.
Then you need to design what I call a polycorner, which is the basic "up one side, rounded corner, across the top" shape.
You kinda make them out of primitives if you can.
if you want a button, it's a panel that owns a text object.
Then if you have a touch screen, you can ask each object if it's been touched.
if you touch a button, then go do something (if it's active, etc, etc...)
As far as drivers are concerned, that's also easy to understand. Each graphics display needs some sort of controller, like a display card is used in a computer.
Each controller has different capabilities and different commands to make it do stuff.? Some controllers know how to draw panels, some don't.
The driver talks to a particular controller, speaks its language, and then presents a united front to the application which is telling it to draw a square, there, and in a particular color... That little part is generally customized for each graphics controller/display.
the real trick is to realize that only a certain (and very low) level needs to actually know how the display works, the rest of the programming just needs to know the size and how many colors it has.
concepts are easy enough, doing it takes a bit of time.
more writing drivers and putting parts on a board now than not.
Oh, and a point to people who are removing lots of pin connectors from PC boards (and not saving the connectors).
Even a Metcal desoldering system doesn't get it all.
To remove a large connector, if female, pull off the body leaving the pins.? Heat and remove each with the desoldering tool, attempting to suck out the solder from the back.
If male pins, pry off the plastic.? Heat the solder side of the pin and pull out while using the solder sucker when it's out.
the fun part is that this doesn't always work, especially if the design didn't use thermals for ground pins and planes.
So:? take the thinnest soldering tip you have, ideally, it'll fit into and through the hole.
put it in one soldering pencil and have the desoldering tool at the ready.
put the desoldering tool on one side (and you can add solder to get a good transfer) with the point of the other iron on the other side of the pc board.? Desoldering will give you melted solder enough that the fine tip goes through and into the hole.? Suck out the solder and remove the tip.? Seems to clean out the hole very nicely when the extra heat is added.
Harvey
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Show quoted text
On 11/3/2019 11:20 AM, Dave wrote: Harvey,
? I looked up LCARS with Google and although it didn't have anything at the top from Amazon I dug further and found a few things. Even a mod for the Android to have the phone set up like Star Trek. Pretty neat stuff. Looks like a major task to undertake but I am sure you will get it done. All of the technical explanation is above my pay grade at first, but I did a little googling to understand what you are saying. And it's still above my pay grade. :-) I wish you luck on the project.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/2/2019 5:08 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Google LCARS.? The first thing to come up is that you can buy LCARS on amazon.? I so love brainless ads and bots.
Yep, it's the computer system in Star Trek, the Next Generation. It has a particular look to it that I'm copying in my own graphics primitives.? Designing something that does a radiused corner is fun, with a radiused fillet, too.
Just got finished putting a *theme* into play, so I can call up different color schemes as needed.
Currently, the basic board drives a 320 * 240 LCD TFT display. Using an S1D13781 (Epson), I can use the same SPI interface to drive a VGA display, since the Chinese board had its own driver. It's a straight plugin physically, and of course, needs completely different drivers.
Next project is to use the graphics DMA engine (rather limited) in an ST F7 processor to do much the same thing.? Since its memory mapped rather than SPI interfaced, all I need to do is feed the processor graphics commands and it ought to be done faster.
We'll see how well that one works.? Got the driver for that written, but not debugged.
Harvey
On 11/2/2019 2:40 PM, Dave wrote:
On 11/2/2019 12:12 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
Yesterday and one other time recently they seemed broke and too k many hours to get my messages. Maybe Cox or someone else had a hand in it but when I called them they said they were having no problems. But we know how that goes...
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
The automatic positioner is still sitting there, mostly put together, most of the software is written.? I did get diverted onto another project, and just added a plugin card that simulates a Chinese made 320 x 240 TFT display, but drives an 8 inch TFT VGA display.
So right now, I'm adding color themes to the display.? I'll be duplicating (to an extent) the ST TNG LCARS display format. Ought to be fun.? Got a bunch of boards to put together for now.
Harvey
Too many projects, so little time. I know the feeling. Is the "ST TNG LCARS" something to do with Star Trek?
Dave
|
I can recommend a PZO binocular microscope if you can find one, it has multiple objectives ranging from 0.63 to 4.0 with 6.3 eyepieces, it has a very good field of view and plenty of room between the stage and objective to work in. They're similar in optical quality to Zeiss but can be found for very reasonable money.
|
Harvey,
? I looked up LCARS with Google and although it didn't have anything at the top from Amazon I dug further and found a few things. Even a mod for the Android to have the phone set up like Star Trek. Pretty neat stuff. Looks like a major task to undertake but I am sure you will get it done. All of the technical explanation is above my pay grade at first, but I did a little googling to understand what you are saying. And it's still above my pay grade. :-) I wish you luck on the project.
Thanks,
Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/2/2019 5:08 PM, Harvey White wrote: Google LCARS.? The first thing to come up is that you can buy LCARS on amazon.? I so love brainless ads and bots.
Yep, it's the computer system in Star Trek, the Next Generation. It has a particular look to it that I'm copying in my own graphics primitives.? Designing something that does a radiused corner is fun, with a radiused fillet, too.
Just got finished putting a *theme* into play, so I can call up different color schemes as needed.
Currently, the basic board drives a 320 * 240 LCD TFT display. Using an S1D13781 (Epson), I can use the same SPI interface to drive a VGA display, since the Chinese board had its own driver. It's a straight plugin physically, and of course, needs completely different drivers.
Next project is to use the graphics DMA engine (rather limited) in an ST F7 processor to do much the same thing.? Since its memory mapped rather than SPI interfaced, all I need to do is feed the processor graphics commands and it ought to be done faster.
We'll see how well that one works.? Got the driver for that written, but not debugged.
Harvey
On 11/2/2019 2:40 PM, Dave wrote:
On 11/2/2019 12:12 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
Yesterday and one other time recently they seemed broke and too k many hours to get my messages. Maybe Cox or someone else had a hand in it but when I called them they said they were having no problems. But we know how that goes...
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
The automatic positioner is still sitting there, mostly put together, most of the software is written.? I did get diverted onto another project, and just added a plugin card that simulates a Chinese made 320 x 240 TFT display, but drives an 8 inch TFT VGA display.
So right now, I'm adding color themes to the display.? I'll be duplicating (to an extent) the ST TNG LCARS display format. Ought to be fun.? Got a bunch of boards to put together for now.
Harvey
Too many projects, so little time. I know the feeling. Is the "ST TNG LCARS" something to do with Star Trek?
Dave
|
Hi John,
? I appreciate you taking the time to write this informative
post, and for a first post, it is a good one. I think you may have
missed my other thread where I posted the scope that I ordered
from here:
If you read the specs it does everything I will ever need and all
I have to add in the future if necessary, is some other lenses and
a digital USB camera ( I have a cheap one already). I tried my
cheap USB camera in the past and although it works, it is hard to
keep it in focus (like you said). I think in the end I pretty much
have done what you recommended and only spent a little more, but
have other options I wanted for the extra money. Thanks for
posting and I hope to see you post some more in the future.
Dave
Here are the specs for my scope:
This is a highly-flexible stereo microscope, designed for
workshops and industrial inspection. Featuring a simul-focal head,
the photo port can be used concurrent with both eyepieces,
allowing you to have an active imaging system without losing use
of one of the eyepieces. The objective optics offer a continuous
zoom-range from 0.7 to 4.5X, providing 7-45X magnification with
the 10X high-eyepoint, super-widefield eyepieces. The addition of
a 0.5X Barlow lens reduces the magnification range to 3.5-22.5X
for a larger field of view, as well as a larger working distance.
This model also provides a zoom lock to maintain a fixed
magnification for calibrated measurement applications. The nose
cone provides a built-in ring-light adapter, as well as inner
threading for auxiliary lenses and other attachments.
The sturdy single-arm boom stand provides a stable and flexible
support system. The single-arm boom stand allows one to turn the
microscope head around two different axes, letting you point
microscope head in various directions. Especially convenient for
quality-control inspections, teaching demonstrations, and many
other industry applications, your colleagues or students can
simultaneously view clear images shown through the trinocular port
while you work through the eyepieces.
Features :
Simul-focal optical system allows simultaneous observation
through both the eyepieces and the trinocular port
+ Have well-focused, clear images on your computer/video screen
and through the eyepieces at the same time.
+ No need to switch between the trinocular port and the
eyepieces
+ No need to re-focus the microscope after each "switch"
30mm super widefield 10X eyepieces
+ Sharp stereo images over a super widefield view
+ High resolution with great flatness and contrast
+ Crystal clear original true-color images
Sturdy Boom Stand for Versatility and Large Working Area
+ Covers large working area
+ Stand Finished with Stain Resistant Enamel
+ 1.5" Rugged Solid Cast Metal Stand Base
3.5-22.5X, 7X-45X Continuous Zoom Magnification Ranges
45-Degree Inclined Microscope Head
Up to 8" (200mm) Large Optical Working Distance
Upright Trinocular Tube for Attaching Digital or Analog
Cameras
Accurate Alignment Ensuring Fatigue-Free Comfortable
Observation
Both Eyepieces Have Adjustable Diopters
Adjustable Interpupillary Distance
Full Optical Glass Elements
Precise Ground Glass Lenses
All Metal Mechanical Components
Manufactured under ISO 9001 Quality Control Standard
Excellent Five (5) Year Manufacturer Warranty
Specifications :
Head: 45-degree inclined, 360-degree swiveling trinocular
Eyepieces: 30mm super widefield high-eyepoint (WF10X/20)
Objective: 0.7-4.5X
Zoom Range: 6.5:1
Maximum Field of View: 2-1/2" (63.5mm)
Minimum Field of View: 3/16" (2.5mm)
Interpupillary Distance: 2-3/4" - 2-15/16" (47-75mm)
Working Distance: 4" / 8" (100mm / 200mm)
Head Mounting Size: 3" (76mm) diameter
Accessory Mounting Size: 1-7/8" (48mm female thread) diameter
Boom Stand: 16" arm (overall length: 24"), 17" high pillar, 9"
x 9" x 1-3/4" solid cast steel base
Packing List:
One Trinocular Simul-Focal Stereo Zoom Head
One Pair of Super Widefield 10X Eyepieces
One Single-Arm Boom Stand
One Focus Rack
One 0.5x Barlow Lense
User's Manual
------------------------------------------------------------------
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Show quoted text
Hi Dave,? I'm not new to this group but this will be my first
post.
I have been using a binocular microscope (Philip Haris BM620B) for
soldering since the late 1980's, as my eyesight was (and still is)
not great.
I picked it up really cheap while working in Nigeria as it was a
fraction of the price in the uk )?20 compared to ?160+ at the
time).
It has a single boom arm with the binocular head, and it came with
2 binocular objectives - an x1 and an x2, and had x10 eyepieces.?
I have found this to suit me perfectly for soldering THC's and for
many other uses.? I also purchased a pair of x20 widefield
eyepieces from ebay for well under ?20 (c. 2015) which work
great.? The light source is a filament bulb (MES 12v 0.5W) which I
managed to get spares from a microscope company called Brunel in
the UK back more than 10 years ago.? I find that they give me
sufficient light for all my needs and have never though about
changing for LED lighting.? The eyepiece lenses have adjustable
pupilliary distances which allows most users (children or adults)
to set them comfortably, and is great at a distance that lets me
solder with ease.? I can also alter the angle of the microscope to
suit viewing from the side.? I have also used them for SMD work
and have had no problems there either.? It is possible to get
adapters to fit a camera in place of one of the eyepieces and to
take pictures or videos as required using this microscope, but you
can't get a good view of what you are doing unless the camera can
show the picture on a screen so you can see what you are doing.?
It would not be easy to use/adapt this type for BGA rework, but
not impossible.
I bought one of the cheaper microscopes from ebay wich had a
magnification range up to x500 or so but I found that it was very
difficult to get focussed if it is not attached to a solid
non-moving frame.? It did have a sufficient range of viewing
distances which let you set a comfortable work distance, but you
needed a computer to run the software and also view your work on
it's monitor.? This microscope I gave up with using, after several
attempts mostly due to the problems of focussing.? These types
usually cost from ?20 - ?50.
I also have a collection of coins which I wanted to catalogue for
insurance purposes so I ended up buying a decent setup from a
Chinese company on ebay for around ?250.? This has a single boom
stand with a single head which holds the lens system.? A 16M
digital camera (for stills and video) is attached at the top and
you can also use various objective lenses ranging from x0.5 to x2,
and gives me a maximun magnification of x180.? It has an LED ring
light which works fine and gives even illumination.? You can use
the software supplied with a computer (USB), but I found it suited
my needs better using only a monitor with an HDMI input, and gave
high quality and sharply foucussed pictures.? Pictures (4608 x
2592) and videos (1080P @ 60FPS) are stored on a micro-SD card, I
am currently using a 32GB card.? Although this may be useable for
soldering I am not 100% certain that it would allow a comfortable
distance for working on a PCB without getting in the way.? As the
head tilts it may be possible to used this with a BGA Rework unit
but I have not yet tried this.? It may be that the lens is too
close to the heater elements and may be subject to heat damage.?
If I do give it a try I will try to leave a message on this thread
if successful.
Final thoughts:? I personally would recommend the
Philip Harris option from my list as this is the easiest to set up
and use, and you should be able to get something similar from
various suppliers without breaking the bank.? If you feel that you
need to record what you are doing for the likes of YouTube, etc,
it is still possible to do so but you have the extra costs for a
camera etc.
I would avoid the cheap digital microscopes, and go for a decent
one if you decide that this is what you need.? Do not go ahead and
buy without checking that it is suitable for what you want to do
so make sure to contact the seller and ask questions regarding the
working height, pupiliary distance and magnifications available.?
Also ask about the availibility of other parts such as different
lenses etc,? The one I have for my coins has an extension for the
upright on the stand so I can double the height from the work
area.? This could make it suitable for BGA work as well.
I would not personally spend much more than ?250 - ?300 for a
system as I don't see any benefit (for me anyway) in any of the
extra features sometimes offered.? I will add some photos of the
ones I have to give you an idea.? Hope this helps.
Regards,
John
|
Hi Dave,? I'm not new to this group but this will be my first post.
I have been using a binocular microscope (Philip Haris BM620B) for soldering since the late 1980's, as my eyesight was (and still is) not great.
I picked it up really cheap while working in Nigeria as it was a fraction of the price in the uk )?20 compared to ?160+ at the time).
It has a single boom arm with the binocular head, and it came with 2 binocular objectives - an x1 and an x2, and had x10 eyepieces.? I have found this to suit me perfectly for soldering THC's and for many other uses.? I also purchased a pair of x20 widefield eyepieces from ebay for well under ?20 (c. 2015) which work great.? The light source is a filament bulb (MES 12v 0.5W) which I managed to get spares from a microscope company called Brunel in the UK back more than 10 years ago.? I find that they give me sufficient light for all my needs and have never though about changing for LED lighting.? The eyepiece lenses have adjustable pupilliary distances which allows most users (children or adults) to set them comfortably, and is great at a distance that lets me solder with ease.? I can also alter the angle of the microscope to suit viewing from the side.? I have also used them for SMD work and have had no problems there either.? It is possible to get adapters to fit a camera in place of one of the eyepieces and to take pictures or videos as required using this microscope, but you can't get a good view of what you are doing unless the camera can show the picture on a screen so you can see what you are doing.? It would not be easy to use/adapt this type for BGA rework, but not impossible.
I bought one of the cheaper microscopes from ebay wich had a magnification range up to x500 or so but I found that it was very difficult to get focussed if it is not attached to a solid non-moving frame.? It did have a sufficient range of viewing distances which let you set a comfortable work distance, but you needed a computer to run the software and also view your work on it's monitor.? This microscope I gave up with using, after several attempts mostly due to the problems of focussing.? These types usually cost from ?20 - ?50.
I also have a collection of coins which I wanted to catalogue for insurance purposes so I ended up buying a decent setup from a Chinese company on ebay for around ?250.? This has a single boom stand with a single head which holds the lens system.? A 16M digital camera (for stills and video) is attached at the top and you can also use various objective lenses ranging from x0.5 to x2, and gives me a maximun magnification of x180.? It has an LED ring light which works fine and gives even illumination.? You can use the software supplied with a computer (USB), but I found it suited my needs better using only a monitor with an HDMI input, and gave high quality and sharply foucussed pictures.? Pictures (4608 x 2592) and videos (1080P @ 60FPS) are stored on a micro-SD card, I am currently using a 32GB card.? Although this may be useable for soldering I am not 100% certain that it would allow a comfortable distance for working on a PCB without getting in the way.? As the head tilts it may be possible to used this with a BGA Rework unit but I have not yet tried this.? It may be that the lens is too close to the heater elements and may be subject to heat damage.? If I do give it a try I will try to leave a message on this thread if successful.
Final thoughts:? I personally would recommend the Philip Harris option from my list as this is the easiest to set up and use, and you should be able to get something similar from various suppliers without breaking the bank.? If you feel that you need to record what you are doing for the likes of YouTube, etc, it is still possible to do so but you have the extra costs for a camera etc.
I would avoid the cheap digital microscopes, and go for a decent one if you decide that this is what you need.? Do not go ahead and buy without checking that it is suitable for what you want to do so make sure to contact the seller and ask questions regarding the working height, pupiliary distance and magnifications available.? Also ask about the availibility of other parts such as different lenses etc,? The one I have for my coins has an extension for the upright on the stand so I can double the height from the work area.? This could make it suitable for BGA work as well.
I would not personally spend much more than ?250 - ?300 for a system as I don't see any benefit (for me anyway) in any of the extra features sometimes offered.? I will add some photos of the ones I have to give you an idea.? Hope this helps.
Regards,
John
|
Google LCARS.? The first thing to come up is that you can buy LCARS on amazon.? I so love brainless ads and bots.
Yep, it's the computer system in Star Trek, the Next Generation. It has a particular look to it that I'm copying in my own graphics primitives.? Designing something that does a radiused corner is fun, with a radiused fillet, too.
Just got finished putting a *theme* into play, so I can call up different color schemes as needed.
Currently, the basic board drives a 320 * 240 LCD TFT display. Using an S1D13781 (Epson), I can use the same SPI interface to drive a VGA display, since the Chinese board had its own driver. It's a straight plugin physically, and of course, needs completely different drivers.
Next project is to use the graphics DMA engine (rather limited) in an ST F7 processor to do much the same thing.? Since its memory mapped rather than SPI interfaced, all I need to do is feed the processor graphics commands and it ought to be done faster.
We'll see how well that one works.? Got the driver for that written, but not debugged.
Harvey
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/2/2019 2:40 PM, Dave wrote:
On 11/2/2019 12:12 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
Yesterday and one other time recently they seemed broke and too k many hours to get my messages. Maybe Cox or someone else had a hand in it but when I called them they said they were having no problems. But we know how that goes...
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
The automatic positioner is still sitting there, mostly put together, most of the software is written.? I did get diverted onto another project, and just added a plugin card that simulates a Chinese made 320 x 240 TFT display, but drives an 8 inch TFT VGA display.
So right now, I'm adding color themes to the display.? I'll be duplicating (to an extent) the ST TNG LCARS display format. Ought to be fun.? Got a bunch of boards to put together for now.
Harvey
Too many projects, so little time. I know the feeling. Is the "ST TNG LCARS" something to do with Star Trek?
Dave
|
I have been a member of this group since 2007 and switched over to the new group when the switch was made. I know I made many posts so it was likely a glitch as the posts were on the groups website but just now being forwarded to my email.
Thanks,
Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/2/2019 1:38 PM, Dave Wade wrote: The default for groups.io is that users are moderated until they have made
one post. This can result in a delay on first post.
Dave
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of
Harvey White
Sent: 02 November 2019 17:13
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [homebrewpcbs] Microscopes for SMD soldering etc
On 11/2/2019 11:56 AM, Dave wrote:
Harvey,
? I may have already answered this post but after all the delays in
the posts actually showing up at my home pc... There was a delay of
over 6 hours from group post to forwarded posts yesterday. Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
|
On 11/2/2019 12:12 PM, Harvey White wrote:
Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
Yesterday and one other time recently they seemed broke and too k many hours to get my messages. Maybe Cox or someone else had a hand in it but when I called them they said they were having no problems. But we know how that goes...
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
The automatic positioner is still sitting there, mostly put together, most of the software is written.? I did get diverted onto another project, and just added a plugin card that simulates a Chinese made 320 x 240 TFT display, but drives an 8 inch TFT VGA display.
So right now, I'm adding color themes to the display.? I'll be duplicating (to an extent) the ST TNG LCARS display format.? Ought to be fun.? Got a bunch of boards to put together for now.
Harvey
Too many projects, so little time. I know the feeling. Is the "ST TNG LCARS" something to do with Star Trek? Dave
|
The default for groups.io is that users are moderated until they have made
one post. This can result in a delay on first post.
Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of
Harvey White
Sent: 02 November 2019 17:13
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [homebrewpcbs] Microscopes for SMD soldering etc
On 11/2/2019 11:56 AM, Dave wrote:
Harvey,
? I may have already answered this post but after all the delays in
the posts actually showing up at my home pc... There was a delay of
over 6 hours from group post to forwarded posts yesterday.
Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the
Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy
with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
The automatic positioner is still sitting there, mostly put together, most of the software is written.? I did get diverted onto another project, and just added a plugin card that simulates a Chinese made 320 x 240 TFT display, but drives an 8 inch TFT VGA display.
So right now, I'm adding color themes to the display.? I'll be duplicating (to an extent) the ST TNG LCARS display format.? Ought to be fun.? Got a bunch of
boards to put together for now.
Harvey
Dave
On 11/1/2019 10:07 AM, Harvey White wrote:
I've got several scenarios that I use. One is that I need to have a
field of view big enough to handle a 20x20 144 pin TQFP. That's
needed to center and sit on pins.
Secondly, I need as much of a closeup as possible needed for each
individual (or group of 5) pins.? Intermediate settings do individual
parts.
You do want the closeup if at all possible to look for shorts (don't
ask).
Ring lights are very very good, and I'd recommend them.? Mine's fiber
optics and I use an auxiliary side light.? I'll have to get an LED
replacement when the bulb goes or find another bulb (may be easy).
Using it on the lowest setting gives me the proverbial immortal light
bulb (a good thing).
Mine are american optical made, quite used.? A boom stand is an
excellent idea if you can find one.
That, and the metcal tips (oddly enough, the finest tip is not all
that useful), do well.
I'm busy putting together PC boards and writing (rewriting) low level
graphics drivers at the moment.
Harvey
On 11/1/2019 9:17 AM, Dave wrote:
Hi Harvey, how's it going? I have done a crash course yesterday and
learned from my early findings that I need distance to work with
plenty of access. And that a 0.5 objective lens for a wider view is
a good thing to have. I will be searching for a while but not too
long. I don't want to have to buy this thing twice after making the
wrong decision first.
Thanks,
Dave
On 10/31/2019 8:28 PM, Harvey White wrote:
I do.? An old american optical, 5 different powers, boom stand. Old
fashioned fiber optics light (bulb set on low).
Make sure that if you buy one used, that it's not made for chip
examination, and that the working distance between the work and the
lens is fairly large.? Chip microscopes have almost no working
distance.
You'll want a good fan as well.
As for the "hold your head just right, mine doesn't seem to have
that problem.
Harvey
|
Hi Harvey,
? That video I mentioned is:
So I knew if was something to be aware of anyhow. :) That
particular guy makes great youtube videos. At least I think so.
And machining when it can be avoided is always the best route to
take when 3d printing.
I use Notepad++ all the time for other stuff so i will try it
with OpenSCAD too.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/2/2019 12:07 PM, Harvey White
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I won't claim to be an expert, but I'll be willing to help.? I
do a lot of C and C++ programming.? Scope of a variable is one
thing, but this isn't that.? Variables don't have dynamic
assignments, they only get assigned one value which sticks.?
It's typically the "last" one, but that doesn't mean that the
first value is ever there or ever assigned.
You'll get the hang of it.
The easiest way is to use a separate editor (there's a very
good tutorial about that).? I use notepad++ with a user defined
template option (template was available already filled out).?
Make changes and the image is automatically updated.
Start with a cube, then fit another cube inside it and take the
difference.? You now have a box, either open top or not
depending on the size of the subtracted cube.
Make the sizes relate to each other, and you have the bottom of
a box.
You don't want to machine the box if at all reasonable, but you
can put holes in the box easily.
Easy way to make enclosures for your board projects.
Harvey
On 11/2/2019 11:51 AM, Dave wrote:
Harvey,
? Well, you know more about it then I do as I never used C. I
do remember seeing a video where the guy explains about the
scope of the variable like you mention below. I will see if I
can hunt that down as he explained it, or a workaround, or
maybe just why it doesn't work. But I am familiar with the
issue. I kind of wish someone would release a pdf or a print
book on OpenSCAD. I know you can print the new manual bit if I
print it, it never looks or feels like a real book. :) I just
started to learn it and have a bunch of resources to help, but
I haven't made anything of my own with it yet. But I see how
useful and easy it *can* be.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/1/2019 7:20 PM, Harvey White
wrote:
Style wise, yes, grammar is a lot like C
Procedural?? nope.
Let's assume you have
C = 1;
< do something assuming C = 1>
then you do
C = 2;
< do something assuming C = 2>
This does *not* work.
For a better explanation, you need to look at the fine
print in the openSCAD manual.? They finally have a 2019
version after many years.
IIRC: you assign a value, it stays, you can't assign
another.? Please check their documentation, it *does* make a
difference.
One thing you can very well do is to design a parametric
box, set inside width, height, depth and the program does
it.
You'll get the idea, but it takes a bit of practice.
Harvey
On 11/1/2019 6:34 PM, Dave wrote:
+1 on the procedural language. Kind of the same as Arduino
coding. I watched a lot of OpenSCAD videos. Got them all
bookmarked. Very powerful for little coding. I bought a used
Panavise from ebay recently and it came with the large pcb
board holder. Bought a smaller one from Amazon that is
steel/aluminum with plastic jaws.
Dave
_._,_._
|
On 11/2/2019 11:56 AM, Dave wrote: Harvey,
? I may have already answered this post but after all the delays in the posts actually showing up at my home pc... There was a delay of over 6 hours from group post to forwarded posts yesterday. Some groups are immediate, it seems, some may not be.
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
The automatic positioner is still sitting there, mostly put together, most of the software is written.? I did get diverted onto another project, and just added a plugin card that simulates a Chinese made 320 x 240 TFT display, but drives an 8 inch TFT VGA display. So right now, I'm adding color themes to the display.? I'll be duplicating (to an extent) the ST TNG LCARS display format.? Ought to be fun.? Got a bunch of boards to put together for now. Harvey Dave
On 11/1/2019 10:07 AM, Harvey White wrote:
I've got several scenarios that I use. One is that I need to have a field of view big enough to handle a 20x20 144 pin TQFP. That's needed to center and sit on pins.
Secondly, I need as much of a closeup as possible needed for each individual (or group of 5) pins.? Intermediate settings do individual parts.
You do want the closeup if at all possible to look for shorts (don't ask).
Ring lights are very very good, and I'd recommend them.? Mine's fiber optics and I use an auxiliary side light.? I'll have to get an LED replacement when the bulb goes or find another bulb (may be easy).? Using it on the lowest setting gives me the proverbial immortal light bulb (a good thing).
Mine are american optical made, quite used.? A boom stand is an excellent idea if you can find one.
That, and the metcal tips (oddly enough, the finest tip is not all that useful), do well.
I'm busy putting together PC boards and writing (rewriting) low level graphics drivers at the moment.
Harvey
On 11/1/2019 9:17 AM, Dave wrote:
Hi Harvey, how's it going? I have done a crash course yesterday and learned from my early findings that I need distance to work with plenty of access. And that a 0.5 objective lens for a wider view is a good thing to have. I will be searching for a while but not too long. I don't want to have to buy this thing twice after making the wrong decision first.
Thanks,
Dave
On 10/31/2019 8:28 PM, Harvey White wrote:
I do.? An old american optical, 5 different powers, boom stand. Old fashioned fiber optics light (bulb set on low).
Make sure that if you buy one used, that it's not made for chip examination, and that the working distance between the work and the lens is fairly large.? Chip microscopes have almost no working distance.
You'll want a good fan as well.
As for the "hold your head just right, mine doesn't seem to have that problem.
Harvey
|
I won't claim to be an expert, but I'll be willing to help.? I do
a lot of C and C++ programming.? Scope of a variable is one thing,
but this isn't that.? Variables don't have dynamic assignments,
they only get assigned one value which sticks.? It's typically the
"last" one, but that doesn't mean that the first value is ever
there or ever assigned.
You'll get the hang of it.
The easiest way is to use a separate editor (there's a very good
tutorial about that).? I use notepad++ with a user defined
template option (template was available already filled out).? Make
changes and the image is automatically updated.
Start with a cube, then fit another cube inside it and take the
difference.? You now have a box, either open top or not depending
on the size of the subtracted cube.
Make the sizes relate to each other, and you have the bottom of a
box.
You don't want to machine the box if at all reasonable, but you
can put holes in the box easily.
Easy way to make enclosures for your board projects.
Harvey
On 11/2/2019 11:51 AM, Dave wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Harvey,
? Well, you know more about it then I do as I never used C. I
do remember seeing a video where the guy explains about the
scope of the variable like you mention below. I will see if I
can hunt that down as he explained it, or a workaround, or maybe
just why it doesn't work. But I am familiar with the issue. I
kind of wish someone would release a pdf or a print book on
OpenSCAD. I know you can print the new manual bit if I print it,
it never looks or feels like a real book. :) I just started to
learn it and have a bunch of resources to help, but I haven't
made anything of my own with it yet. But I see how useful and
easy it *can* be.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/1/2019 7:20 PM, Harvey White
wrote:
Style wise, yes, grammar is a lot like C
Procedural?? nope.
Let's assume you have
C = 1;
< do something assuming C = 1>
then you do
C = 2;
< do something assuming C = 2>
This does *not* work.
For a better explanation, you need to look at the fine print
in the openSCAD manual.? They finally have a 2019 version
after many years.
IIRC: you assign a value, it stays, you can't assign
another.? Please check their documentation, it *does* make a
difference.
One thing you can very well do is to design a parametric box,
set inside width, height, depth and the program does it.
You'll get the idea, but it takes a bit of practice.
Harvey
On 11/1/2019 6:34 PM, Dave wrote:
+1 on the procedural language. Kind of the same as Arduino
coding. I watched a lot of OpenSCAD videos. Got them all
bookmarked. Very powerful for little coding. I bought a used
Panavise from ebay recently and it came with the large pcb
board holder. Bought a smaller one from Amazon that is
steel/aluminum with plastic jaws.
Dave
_._,_._
|
Hi Charles,
? I have looked at those digital scopes but for some reason they
seem to have some lag (I have a portable one already) and it seems
they would be a bit tricky to get used to. That said, this is good
info for if I want to try a digital scope again. My eyes are just
farsighted and the vision is the same on both so I am lucky there.
But that could always change in the future. The links you posted
are definitely affordable to try it out though.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/1/2019 5:47 PM, Charles R. Patton
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I have a very old B&L? 0.7x to 3.0x pod with 15x WF (cat 184)
eyepieces used with a 50 LED ring light similar to this 60 LED
light on Ebay:
In addition I suggest a couple
of things.
1) I use a single B&L 0.5x lens screwed into the bottom of the
pod along with a screw in glass cover.? This does two things?
?a) It increases the working distance from 3.5" to 6" from bottom
of the lens or pod to the work.? That distance makes a big
difference in access with your soldering iron.? The cover glass is
to keep rosin fumes from condensing on your good 0.5x lens or if
not using it, from rosin fumes condensing on the sensitive innards
of the zoom pod. I.e., cheap insurance.
? b) I have astigmatisms in both eyes, so working for long times
with a standard microscope creates eyestrain and/or headaches,
even when properly focused.? So what I did was take an old pair of
single vision eyeglasses and have an eyeglass optician cut the
lenses to a pair of 3/4" dia. lenses.? I mounted these in a slip
fit PVC that drops smoothly on the eyepieces.? Cut a single notch
in the left PVC and a double notch in the right PVC that lets me
keep them sorted and to adjust the orientation of the lens to
match the required orientation of my astigmatism.?
So with this combination I have a range of magnification from
5.25x to 22.5x.? This has been very satisfactory over the decades.
Couple of additional tips.?
1) I take off the astigmatic lens and then made a slip on PVC that
will position a camera about 0.2" (see a bit further for
explanation of the exact distance) and centered on the eyepiece to
take micro-photographs when needed to document FA work.? The
technique is to center your camera over the eyepiece (forming a
bright spot in viewer) then move the camera way from the eyepiece
until the entire viewing field in the camera is evenly filled with
image. This is a fairly exact position hence the use of the PVC to
make it easier and very steady.? That is the sweet spot for a
camera photo. If the microscope is properly adjusted for your eyes
then the focus is basically adjusted to your typical reading
distance of perhaps 12 to 18".?? Your camera will be adjusting to
that distance, too, when you take the photo -- easily within its
auto focusing range.
2) I have to admit in recent years I have also documented with a
digital USB camera similar to USB 1000X Digital Microscope 2MP 8
LED:
(ignore the magnifier)? I also have one of the earlier ones that
had a different stand (an articulated arm) and was 500x.? Both
have worked just fine for me.? You adjust the image size captured
by moving the camera away from the item and then manually focusing
the camera.?
Regards,
Charles R. Patton
_._,_._,_
|
Harvey,
? I may have already answered this post but after all the delays in the posts actually showing up at my home pc... There was a delay of over 6 hours from group post to forwarded posts yesterday.
?Well I got the boom and the ring light, and the Metcal. And the Panavise. That Metcal heats up fast! And I figured you would be busy with your pc boards and your drilling rig. How did that turnout?
Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/1/2019 10:07 AM, Harvey White wrote: I've got several scenarios that I use.? One is that I need to have a field of view big enough to handle a 20x20 144 pin TQFP. That's needed to center and sit on pins.
Secondly, I need as much of a closeup as possible needed for each individual (or group of 5) pins.? Intermediate settings do individual parts.
You do want the closeup if at all possible to look for shorts (don't ask).
Ring lights are very very good, and I'd recommend them.? Mine's fiber optics and I use an auxiliary side light.? I'll have to get an LED replacement when the bulb goes or find another bulb (may be easy).? Using it on the lowest setting gives me the proverbial immortal light bulb (a good thing).
Mine are american optical made, quite used.? A boom stand is an excellent idea if you can find one.
That, and the metcal tips (oddly enough, the finest tip is not all that useful), do well.
I'm busy putting together PC boards and writing (rewriting) low level graphics drivers at the moment.
Harvey
On 11/1/2019 9:17 AM, Dave wrote:
Hi Harvey, how's it going? I have done a crash course yesterday and learned from my early findings that I need distance to work with plenty of access. And that a 0.5 objective lens for a wider view is a good thing to have. I will be searching for a while but not too long. I don't want to have to buy this thing twice after making the wrong decision first.
Thanks,
Dave
On 10/31/2019 8:28 PM, Harvey White wrote:
I do.? An old american optical, 5 different powers, boom stand. Old fashioned fiber optics light (bulb set on low).
Make sure that if you buy one used, that it's not made for chip examination, and that the working distance between the work and the lens is fairly large.? Chip microscopes have almost no working distance.
You'll want a good fan as well.
As for the "hold your head just right, mine doesn't seem to have that problem.
Harvey
|
Harvey,
? Well, you know more about it then I do as I never used C. I do
remember seeing a video where the guy explains about the scope of
the variable like you mention below. I will see if I can hunt that
down as he explained it, or a workaround, or maybe just why it
doesn't work. But I am familiar with the issue. I kind of wish
someone would release a pdf or a print book on OpenSCAD. I know
you can print the new manual bit if I print it, it never looks or
feels like a real book. :) I just started to learn it and have a
bunch of resources to help, but I haven't made anything of my own
with it yet. But I see how useful and easy it *can* be.
Thanks,
Dave
On 11/1/2019 7:20 PM, Harvey White
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Style wise, yes, grammar is a lot like C
Procedural?? nope.
Let's assume you have
C = 1;
< do something assuming C = 1>
then you do
C = 2;
< do something assuming C = 2>
This does *not* work.
For a better explanation, you need to look at the fine print in
the openSCAD manual.? They finally have a 2019 version after
many years.
IIRC: you assign a value, it stays, you can't assign another.?
Please check their documentation, it *does* make a difference.
One thing you can very well do is to design a parametric box,
set inside width, height, depth and the program does it.
You'll get the idea, but it takes a bit of practice.
Harvey
On 11/1/2019 6:34 PM, Dave wrote:
+1 on the procedural language. Kind of the same as Arduino
coding. I watched a lot of OpenSCAD videos. Got them all
bookmarked. Very powerful for little coding. I bought a used
Panavise from ebay recently and it came with the large pcb board
holder. Bought a smaller one from Amazon that is steel/aluminum
with plastic jaws.
Dave
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