Homebrew PCBs

Hi all. I am new to this group. I am a ham interested in homebrew.

I have seen hundreds of usb microscopes with various specs. But, I hardly
see any specs regarding the working distance, which  is a property, much
important in pcb /smd soldering.

Which is the ideal microscope for pcb SOLDERING, not just inspection !

Apart from the expensive dinolite, I came across the AVEN 26700-206, which
claims to have  a working distance of  112cm !
Has anyone used this model please, or are there any other models, which are
not so expensive ??

Also, there are many pcb holders on the market. The panavice, ideal-tek,
the Weller, to name a few.
I intend to build my own, but first I need to know the ideal, so I can
design accordingly !
Lets hear some expierences.

Paul


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Any USB microscope will not be ideal for working under it.

The best solution would be a stereo microscope. It gives you magnified
3D vision and you can actually judge distances, which is very
important when manipulating stuff under the 'scope.

There are various options for stereo microscopes, with various working
distances. I would say you are looking at something like $100 minimum
for something you can work with that doesn't hurt your eyes while you
use it (unless you find a great second-hand deal). There is almost no
upper limit.

I do not use a PCB holder personally (don't see the point really), but
this one was recommended before and would be my first choice:
<http://www.amazon.com/PanaVise-333-Assembly-Circuit-Holder/dp/B000SSR8FY/ref=pd_sbs_indust_4>

ST

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 10:50 AM, Malti <pawlud@...> wrote:
> Hi all. I am new to this group. I am a ham interested in homebrew.
>
> I have seen hundreds of usb microscopes with various specs. But, I hardly
> see any specs regarding the working distance, which  is a property, much
> important in pcb /smd soldering.
>
> Which is the ideal microscope for pcb SOLDERING, not just inspection !
>
> Apart from the expensive dinolite, I came across the AVEN 26700-206, which
> claims to have  a working distance of  112cm !
> Has anyone used this model please, or are there any other models, which are
> not so expensive ??
>
> Also, there are many pcb holders on the market. The panavice, ideal-tek,
> the Weller, to name a few.
> I intend to build my own, but first I need to know the ideal, so I can
> design accordingly !
> Lets hear some expierences.
>
> Paul
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Working distance, 4 inches:
http://store.amscope.com/sw-2b13.html

Steve Greenfield AE7HD

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Stefan Trethan <stefan_trethan@...> wrote:

>
> Any USB microscope will not be ideal for working under it.
> 
> The best solution would be a stereo microscope. It gives you magnified
> 3D vision and you can actually judge distances, which is very
> important when manipulating stuff under the 'scope.
> 
> There are various options for stereo microscopes, with various working
> distances. I would say you are looking at something like $100 minimum
> for something you can work with that doesn't hurt your eyes while you
> use it (unless you find a great second-hand deal). There is almost no
> upper limit.
> 
> I do not use a PCB holder personally (don't see the point really), but
> this one was recommended before and would be my first choice:
> <http://www.amazon.com/PanaVise-333-Assembly-Circuit-Holder/dp/B000SSR8FY/ref=pd_sbs_indust_4>
> 
> ST
> 
>

That looks pretty cool. Thanks.

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 5:16 PM, AlienRelics <alienrelics@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> Working distance, 4 inches:
> http://store.amscope.com/sw-2b13.html
>
> Steve Greenfield AE7HD
>
>
> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Stefan Trethan <stefan_trethan@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Any USB microscope will not be ideal for working under it.
> >
> > The best solution would be a stereo microscope. It gives you magnified
> > 3D vision and you can actually judge distances, which is very
> > important when manipulating stuff under the 'scope.
> >
> > There are various options for stereo microscopes, with various working
> > distances. I would say you are looking at something like $100 minimum
> > for something you can work with that doesn't hurt your eyes while you
> > use it (unless you find a great second-hand deal). There is almost no
> > upper limit.
> >
> > I do not use a PCB holder personally (don't see the point really), but
> > this one was recommended before and would be my first choice:
> > <
> http://www.amazon.com/PanaVise-333-Assembly-Circuit-Holder/dp/B000SSR8FY/ref=pd_sbs_indust_4
> >
> >
> > ST
> >
> >
>
>  
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 4:50 AM, Malti <pawlud@...> wrote:

> I have seen hundreds of usb microscopes with various specs. But, I hardly
> see any specs regarding the working distance, which  is a property, much
> important in pcb /smd soldering.
>
> Which is the ideal microscope for pcb SOLDERING, not just inspection !

There are two serious problems with USB microscopes for soldering:

1.  Latency.  Depending on your setup, latency ranges from moderate to
severe.  Any latency at all will make soldering very difficult.

2.  2-D view.  You need the 3D view provided by a stereo microscope or
a large glass lens for effective soldering.

About the only thing USB scopes are good for is inspection.

-p.

They also sell an adapter that halves the power, while giving you twice the working distance and of course twice the field of view. I just ordered the adapter, 8 inches of working distance.

You can also order them via Amazon.com if you have an Amazon card or other credit card. I think Amscope's store only takes Paypal.

Steve Greenfield AE7HD


--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, joe M <joe9mail@...> wrote:

>
> That looks pretty cool. Thanks.
> 
> On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 5:16 PM, AlienRelics <alienrelics@...> wrote:
> 
> > **
> >
> >
> > Working distance, 4 inches:
> > http://store.amscope.com/sw-2b13.html
> >
> > Steve Greenfield AE7HD
> >

There is one point about working distance that isn't immediately
obvious, wasn't to me anyway.
The working distance added to the length of the optics is the eye
height above the work.

The worst combination is short working distance, short optics with
severely angled eyepieces, and a low base.
This forces the user to crouch his head down while looking forward at
an angle, very uncomfortable in the neck if you are tall.
Many of the cheap imported stereo scopes are exactly like that.

I haven't actually ever had a clearance problem with short working
distance, but ergonomics is another issue.

ST

On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 8:58 PM, AlienRelics <alienrelics@...> wrote:
> They also sell an adapter that halves the power, while giving you twice the working distance and of course twice the field of view. I just ordered the adapter, 8 inches of working distance.
>
> You can also order them via Amazon.com if you have an Amazon card or other credit card. I think Amscope's store only takes Paypal.
>
> Steve Greenfield AE7HD
>

I use an older version of a unit like this amscope stereoscopie microscope - http://store.amscope.com/zm-3by.html

They are large, heavy (60-80#s or so) but work exceptionally well and most importantly are comfortable to look at for extended periods of time.  Mine is a 20/40x magnification unit which I find is more than suffiecient for what I do which is SMT work so far down to 0402 w/ all the different packages for MCUs and Sensors w/ board traces/clearance 6/6 (manf boards).  My work is done @ 20x and I could even do 0201 at that magnification with no problem.

Personally, I would look on craigslist for a, stereosctopic unit and don't be too worried about the magnficiation level as I have used the 40x maybe 2 or 3 times in the years I have had this unit.

Having the depth perception helps more than you can imagine as I would be bumping into items on the board w/ a hot iron.

Hope this helps,
Bob 

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Malti <pawlud@...> wrote:

>
> Hi all. I am new to this group. I am a ham interested in homebrew.
> 
> I have seen hundreds of usb microscopes with various specs. But, I hardly
> see any specs regarding the working distance, which  is a property, much
> important in pcb /smd soldering.
> 
> Which is the ideal microscope for pcb SOLDERING, not just inspection !
> 
> Apart from the expensive dinolite, I came across the AVEN 26700-206, which
> claims to have  a working distance of  112cm !
> Has anyone used this model please, or are there any other models, which are
> not so expensive ??
> 
> Also, there are many pcb holders on the market. The panavice, ideal-tek,
> the Weller, to name a few.
> I intend to build my own, but first I need to know the ideal, so I can
> design accordingly !
> Lets hear some expierences.
> 
> Paul
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>