$25 diy usb microscope : Tutorial

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Active Member
First we start with a cheap $10 webcam from Walmart, and a $12 Radio Shack handheld microscope (p/n 63-1313).
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Take the camera apart as pictured..

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Next remove the camera card from the case, and unscrew the lens, leaving just the chip exposed..( 2nd pic)


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Take a piece of black vinyl tubing that will fit over the microscope lens and the camera chip housing...

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All together, it should look like this:



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Now open up your webcam viewer software, blaze one up and enjoy!!!
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-\x0D :bigjoint:
 
I would consider on using a better cam. They have megapixel webcams now that won't produce the blurriness.

+Rep for the good DIY.
 
GrowTech said:
I would consider on using a better cam. They have megapixel webcams now that won't produce the blurriness.

+Rep for the good DIY.
Click to expand...

Yes this was just what I had laying around, i think a better quality cam is the ticket, for sure, but I cant be sure that the guts will be similar enough for the vinyl tube trick..

We stoners are an inventive lot though, Im sure theres a million ways to skin this cat :)

If anyone makes one of these, please post some examples of your results with it.
Thanks for all the + reps, by the way!!

-\x0D :joint:
 
\x0D said:
Yes this was just what I had laying around, i think a better quality cam is the ticket, for sure, but I cant be sure that the guts will be similar enough for the vinyl tube trick..

We stoners are an inventive lot though, Im sure theres a million ways to skin this cat :)

If anyone makes one of these, please post some examples of your results with it.
Thanks for all the + reps, by the way!!

-\x0D :joint:
Click to expand...

Which is why God gave us superglue!!!

I guess that due to the variable focal length of the scope, chip to lens distance isn't crucial?
 
thelastpirate said:
Which is why God gave us superglue!!!

I guess that due to the variable focal length of the scope, chip to lens distance isn't crucial?
Click to expand...

Correct, the microscope does all the focusing for the camera chip.
.. I removed the lens completely, exposing the chip itself, so the only optics that come into play are the lenses of the microscope and the CCD chip on the camera circuit board.

The first revision of this idea had the lens assembly intact on the circuit board, but the image appeared much smaller, and circular.

-\x0D :joint:
 
Wow nice trick. I will undoubtedly have to actually go and purchase both component as my scope is the 30x and i threw away all those crappy cams, even encouraged others to toss theirs. Now i'm gonna have to get one,
 
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