[sdiy] 3x or 5x Diopter Magnifying Lamp?

[Justin Owen]

-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Fritz [ijfritz at comcast.net]
Received: 07.03.2011 18:01:34
To: Justin Owen; SDIY List
Subject: Re: [sdiy] 3x or 5x Diopter Magnifying Lamp?

At 06:28 AM 3/7/2011, Justin Owen wrote:
>>  I tried a cheap optovisor but the short focus/depth of field was a 
>> freakout - i.e. I needed to have the work held right up near my face for 
>> it to focus/magnify...

> You can get different magnifications with the optivisor.  Some versions you 
> can actually interchange lenses.

The one I tried came with 4 interchangeable lenses and a little light bulb on the visor (which seemed to be more for comedy value than anything else). The magnification was clear when I was at the correct viewing distance - but, since I prefer to have the PCB on a desk when I work - I couldn't imagine sitting comfortably with my head that close to the desk (i.e. at the right viewing distance).

I found constantly flipping them up/down as I went from e.g. soldering to checking a data sheet or sending an email, etc to be clumsy as well.

Like the OP said - I might just have to try a few things until I find an option I like. The magnifying lamps are a lot cheaper than I originally thought - and the price is part of what scared me off them originally.

Thanks to everyone for the input. Appreciated.

Justin