DIY Digital Microscope

In this Instructable, I'll be transforming a handheld optical microscope into a digital microscope for inspecting PCBs and small components.

This might not be the project for everyone and it might not be worth it because digital microscope prices are so low nowadays, but since I already had everything on hand, I decided to do it anyway and I'm glad I did because I learned quite a lot on how to mount 3d printed parts to existing objects.

This video is sponsored by Altium 365. Get your free workspace today and start transforming your design process today!

1. Handheld optical microscope - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oFkCEfs
2. Webcam - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oFb6TFM
3. Assorted Resistors - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_onLt8Vc
4. 3D printer - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_olXTtxM
5. Soldering Station - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCmKcOQ
6. TP4056 Charging Module - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCS7EDc

Or just buy it ready:

1. Digital Microscope - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDevHGO

During the lockdown, when there was a shortage of everything, I needed a webcam for my son to attend the online classes but unfortunately there wasn't any to be found so I remembered that I have an old broken laptop and I extracted the camera from it.

These laptop cameras are just USB cameras and after adding a wire to it, he was able to use it. Now, since it is no longer needed and I found it few days ago in a parts drawer, I came up with the idea to use it on the handheld microscope.

You can definitely use any webcam for this if you want to create your own microscope.

To create the mounting part, I started by measuring the eyepiece on the microscope and I created a circle that would fit over it. After extruding it for a few mm, I then created another smaller circle and I extruded that upwards so that I create a lip inside the mounting piece. This lip is what will keep the mount in place over the microscope.

Then, I extruded another rectangle on top of that so that I can make it hollow to hold the camera PCB.

I definitely did not managed to get it right on the first try but after a few iterations I managed to get a part that fitted perfectly over the microscope and was holding the camera perfectly aligned on top of it.

The batteries on the device were a problem from the beginning so if I were to use the microscope I had to replace them and to do so I chose to use a lithium battery cell that I have laying around that I extracted from from a vape device.

I have a separate video on using these cells if you are interested to check.

To mount the battery I was going to solder directly on the battery tabs but that was not working so I still opened the microscope and I soldered wires directly to the switch inside and to the negative side of the LED.

These wires I then routed outside of the microscope and I then soldered them to the output of the TP4056 charger module that was already attached to the battery.

Once everything was in place I made sure to check it so it still works which it did and I then secured the battery to the module with some electrical tape.

It would have been nicer to have a 3D printed enclosure for the battery but I was not feeling competent enough to make it happen so I resorted to what I had on hand which was the electrical tape.

Once I added the new battery one of the problems that I faced was that the LED was now too bright and the image that I was getting from the microscope was washed out.

To fix this I decided to use a 100 ohm resistor in series with the LED to make it less bright and hopefully improve the image.

After adding this I tested the microscope once again and it turned out to be perfect for reading out black chips but maybe a bit too bright for the rest of the soldered circuitry. In future I might go back and replace this resistor with a slightly higher one to make it even more dim.

So with that our project is now done and I now have a digital microscope to use when I make my videos to show you chip numbers or specific details from the PCBs.

It is definitely not capable as a commercial one but it should be decent enough to help me record better videos or to help me inspect chips when I'm doing repairs.

If you like this project then be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos and projects or check out my other Instructables for more guided tutorials.