I have a binocular microscope which provides lots of magnification, and I've been using that to do my SMD assembly work. However, I recently took a gamble on a manual pick-and-place tool and realized that I was struggling with parts placement because the pickup head/arm obviously cannot go under the microscope.
I just picked up a "visor" magnifier from Amazon for ~$16 that turned out to be pretty good optically and fairly comfortable -- and the "floating lens" design allows looking outside of the lens at the schematic/BOM printouts and the component labels by just peering above/below the lens.
Just wanted to suggest it to others, as I think it's an affordable and worthwhile investment!
I'm only 53 yo but I do need magnifiers to solder anything, the problem is the relation between amplification and focal distance, I bought one with 30x amplification that's totally worthless because I can only see in focus at about 2 or 3 cm.
So, please tell us the focal distance too, thank you.
Yup. The latest fad is to have an actual human create a reasonable post then vomit links in a later post.
Fortunately, our autoban (not to be confused with Germany's autobahn) has been working well. But it does the appearance the the original poster rudely wandered off.
I have a magnifier like the one that Terry posted. I like it very much. Mine came with 6 lenses of various magnifications, eye to lense is adjustable and the visor has a LED lamp. I can wear my regular glasses, too. They are way more comfortable that the visor that I had before.
I'll try, but my wife bought them for me for Christmas 2 years ago so I'll have to get lucky. They look just like the pictured ones in Terry King's post #1.
I ve been using a magnifying lamp for smd soldering for some time now.
I sometimes stick on top of the lamp's own lens an additional lens taken from an eye loupe which increases the total magnification but, as others have pointed out, the focal distance is then only about 2-3 cm.
Yes, it is SM-4TZ-144A. @75lbs with stand
3.5X-90X Continuous Zoom ‘with’ a 4-zone 144-LED Ring Light
They could have used better steel in the boom, but otherwise, I have no other complaints.
You can attach a camera to to the ‘simul-focal’ trinocular port.
Makes soldering individual SMDs a breeze.
The included Barlow Lens gives an 8” working distance.
Wives can use it when cutting the center out of button holes.
Wife is Scottish/German.
I bought an AmScope but a much cheaper model. No camera port, no ring light, no nothing.
It is extremely useful but I do have a few regrets I didn't get a slightly better one:
Very limited eye position to see the whole circle - I have to keep my head very still to see through it. I expected the binocular scope would be better than the piece-of-junk I used in biology class at school but it isn't.
Magnification fixed at 10x or 20x. I never use 20x as it's too much and 10x is still kind of high to actually work with.
I mostly use it as a high-magnification inspection station, not an assembly station.
If I got one with a camera port and USB camera, I think I would use that more than actually looking through it. Mostly due to point #1.
MorganS:
I bought an AmScope but a much cheaper model. No camera port, no ring light, no nothing.
It is extremely useful but I do have a few regrets I didn't get a slightly better one:
Very limited eye position to see the whole circle - I have to keep my head very still to see through it. I expected the binocular scope would be better than the piece-of-junk I used in biology class at school but it isn't.
Magnification fixed at 10x or 20x. I never use 20x as it's too much and 10x is still kind of high to actually work with.
I mostly use it as a high-magnification inspection station, not an assembly station.
If I got one with a camera port and USB camera, I think I would use that more than actually looking through it. Mostly due to point #1.
I ve tried usb microscope cameras but again i ended up jsing it mostly for inspection.
