5.0 MP USB microscope specs?

[silicon_ghost]

It looks like some of the specs are missing from the Technical Details tab and may be mixed with info from the old model. It states "20x/220x axis micro-lens" and "20x/200x magnification". Can I get clarification on the following details?

1. How is the unit switched from 20x to 220x?
2. What are the FPS numbers at the various resolutions? The old 2.0 MP model had poor performance above 640x480. Indicating 30 fps at 600 lux is not sufficient description for a USB camera.
3. What type of standoff range can I expect at 20x magnification?

Any info that highlights the improvements over the previous model would be great.

[adafruit]

you can change the magnification by rotating the side - that will move the lens closer (higher magnification)
this is not a high FPS camera - we don't have any specs for the FPS but its not meant for video
for 20x magnification you want to be about 2" away.
the main improvement, as we noted, is 5mp instead of 2

[silicon_ghost]

you can change the magnification by rotating the side - that will move the lens closer (higher magnification)
this is not a high FPS camera - we don't have any specs for the FPS but its not meant for video
for 20x magnification you want to be about 2" away.
the main improvement, as we noted, is 5mp instead of 2

Well this seems a bit contrary to the answer given in another thread indicating that this is a great scope for doing surfacing mount soldering. If you can only get low-res video and you have to have the scope super close, it kinda defeats the purpose. It looks like you demo'd it in a recent video. What FPS and resolution did you achieve?

You have no other details or part numbers on the chip inside of this device?

[adafruit]

it is not contrary, we use this for inspection after reflowing or reworking. and some people have reported they use it for soldering with a fine tip, its certainly possible. can you point to which exact thread you are referring to?

if you are looking for the best SMT tool you'll probably want to purchase an optical stereo microscope, those cost about $1000+.

we do not have any more details regarding chipsets, it is manufactured and sold as is - we did not design, create, manufacture, or spec this microscope.

The video on this page http://www.adafruit.com/products/636 is a great introduction as to how focusing works, demonstration of captured video frame rates and focusing distance, be sure to check it out!

[Gregarious2]

There is a note on the 2MP version concerning the USB camera chip set ( http://www.marshalltradecorp.com/coDe/m ... linux.html ) and Linux operation. Hope that helps.

I'm running Win 7 Home on a Dell PC.
My own issue is that neither the downloaded software from your website or the installation CD recognizes the USB microscope. The app window comes up but I get a No Device Detected message. I 've de/re installed twice with reboots in between. Under device manager, it comes up as a Venus USB2.0 Camera .

And one of the 8 leds is dead.

[Gregarious2]

The microscope works now. The late night third installation cycle seems stable under Win7. I have an optical stereo microscope with camera for assembly work but I bought this to document Kapa samples and am impressed with the image quality.

I unsoldered the ringlight and resoldered the "dead" LED. Works fine now though I'm tempted to connectorize the ringlight so I can swap in a UV version later. A dark field illuminator would be handy too.

[adafruit]

swapping in UV LEDs is a great idea, please let us know if you do that, we'd love to post abou ti!

[Yoshm]

Re: UV LEDs - I am also interested in hearing about how you did it and how it worked

Re: the specs - can someone please clarify if this is a true native resolution 5.0MP sensor or if it is lower resolution (e.g., 1.3MP or 2.0MP) with interpolation up to 5.0MP?

Thanks,
Yosh