USB endoscope

[geerten]

Hello,

On the 2011 edition of mondomusica, I saw a USB endoscope, which had some different sondes, and was suited for violin research. Can anyone here PM me the name of this company? They were located in the corner close to the bar. Unfortunately, my suitcase was too heavy at Malpensa airport when I flew back home, so I had to leave behind some promo material I had collected at the fair, including the one from the endoscope company....

Thanks!

[Bernhard Ritschard]

http://www.cremonatools.com/product_info.php?products_id=3256

This one?

[WNitkin]

Has anyone found a less exspensive camera than the Microtex Discovery discussed above?

[geerten]

Hello Bernhard,

Thanks for your reply. As I recall, it was a system very similar (or identical) to the one you suggest. However, the price at the fair was around 600 euro, so much cheaper as the one in the webshop....

[Noah Scott]

We have one here at the shop and it really is a useful tool, both for diagnostics and condition reports. 2 complaints center around the packaging- it's a good ten minutes to get all of the cable neatly stored in the case in order for the case to close. Second, the power supply to the light sources is a bit cumbersome.... but te resolution and over all ease of use beats the old fiber-optic endoscope we used to use.

I believe the lower price was a pre-sale offer. We bought two and sold the other one to a colleague because it seemed like such a good deal.

[FiddleDoug]

Cheaper cameras = less resolution, or something that is too big to fit into the instrument. As for lighting, my Luthier Lights work really well.

I know that this isn't an endoscope, but this was taken with a pinhole webcam (640x480?) through the endpin hole.

[Bernhard Ritschard]

Has anyone found a less exspensive camera than the Microtex Discovery discussed above?

This one?

http://www.camera2000.com/en/white-leds-1-12-cmos-30fps-usb-mini-tube-camera.html

Dia. 7mm, 640x480px, 77$

[Stonehedge]

This one?

http://www.camera200...ube-camera.html

Dia. 7mm, 640x480px, 77$

Here you go:

http://www.ebay.com/...=item337b36991e

6mm diameter, huge magnification, under $35 delivered.

Fixed focis depth though.

[FiddleDoug]

You really need less than 5mm to get into a violin.

[David Burgess]

Can we continue to work on a couple of things? One is a less expensive USB insertable camera with good resolution which isn't too difficult to use.

The other is a USB microscope (real time display on a screen) for restoration, which can be far enough away from the work to allow room for tools and cleaning brushes etc.

FiddleDoug, you came up with the best interior lighting device I've run across, so would you be willing to look into these other areas? I'd be willing to offer some minor financial compensation upon success. We've brought in some megabuck microscopes for the Oberlin restoration workshop, but it would be really nice to have something less expensive to send people home with, not to mention better ergonics than contorting to look through eyepieces for hours on end.

[Michael Richwine]

You really need less than 5mm to get into a violin.

7mm will go through the lower end of most f-holes, if the lens assembly is short enough to let let it bend out of the way in time. I've been looking, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'd really like more capability than the <$100 ones I have seen so far.

[Stonehedge]

You really need less than 5mm to get into a violin.

I beg to differ.

What is the diameter of the lower eye of the F-hole?

[Michael Richwine]

Can we continue to work on a couple of things? One is a less expensive USB insertable camera with good resolution which isn't too difficult to use.

The other is a USB microscope (real time display on a screen) for restoration, which can be far enough away from the work to allow room for tools and cleaning brushes etc.

FiddleDoug, you came up with the best interior lighting device I've run across, so would you be willing to look into these other areas? I'd be willing to offer some minor financial compensation upon success. We've brought in some megabuck microscopes for the Oberlin restoration workshop, but it would be really nice to have something less expensive to send people home with, not to mention better ergonics than contorting to look through eyepieces for hours on end.

This one might work: 10x to 200X, focuses 4" to infinity. Needs a better stand, but that's easy. Less than $100.

https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_info/pfam_id/PFAM8846/products_id/PRO22311?sc_cid=Amazon_CAL-CM1-USB

[Jeffrey Forbes]

I recently bought an inexpensive endoscope on eBay HERE. $44 and free shipping from China. I measure it at 7.4 mm diameter, and fits easily thru the endpin hole, and most of the large eyes of f-holes. But with the latter, you'd need to be very careful because of the stiffness of the flexible camera cable. If you weren't so careful, you could crack the f-hole wing.

The resolution is not great, but for the price, that's what you'd expect. Here's an example of a photo capture from this endoscope. I used four high brightness LEDs (2 white and 2 pink) for lighting. That's why the color looks rather pink. I found that the little lights on the endoscope itself weren't all that bright, and gave the image a weird You can bend the cable, but it would be tough to get a good shot looking directly at the top or back from the inside of the instrument. Cheers, -Jeff

[Stonehedge]

This one might work: 10x to 200X, focuses 4" to infinity. Needs a better stand, but that's easy. Less than $100.

https://www.schoolou...zon_CAL-CM1-USB

This one gives you video refresh rate only at 20 FPS. For still image it would be fine, but if you plan to work under it your tool movement would be like an old jerky movie.

Depth of focus also would be a big question, with high magnification it becomes VERY shallow.

How much magnification range do you really need? 3x to 20x? 30x?

Also even some of the cheap models do have autofocus wich might come handy.

[FiddleDoug]

Jeffrey, That pink color just doesn't do it for me. Looks like you need one of my lights. Other than that, it looks like something like that would work. Just needs higher resolution. I'll be keeping my eyes open.

[Dalton Potter]

Not exactly under $100, but a 5mm diameter is much more to my liking... No USB on this one either, but I'll wager that if there is the possibility of a 5mm camera, the USB version can't be far behind.

http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/B005FUUEW4

[Bruce Carlson]

Here are two shots I captured from the one being sold in Cremona. I'm sure with some practice the quality could be even better.

You can adjust the focal length for macro or normal shots.

Bruce

[Stonehedge]

Here is some update on using USB microscope Aven 26700-300 ZipScope.

Why this one? Because it has large 1/2†color CMOS, 10x-50x optical range, 30FPS using 640x480 resolution video, 1600x1200 max resolution, stellar reviews, and it cost only $72!!! Here are the specs: http://www.aventools...f/ZipScopes.pdf

In short it gave me really mixed feelings. First – there is no option to set white balance, built-in 8 LEDs are hardly sufficient, and the thing is very finiky for lighting. You will see it in the pictures. Quality of still pictures is very decent, particularly for the price. Here are some pics with magnification about 60x. (pics 1-6)

Here are some pics with magnification about 20x. Good news is that at 20x it gives you viewing field over 25mm.(pics 7-9)

Last is small video illustrating “instrument†movement at magnification 20x, resolution 640x480 at 30 FPS. If you try higher resolution video – frame rate quickly becomes almos nonexistent.

It is passable, but makes you feel nostalgic about decent optic stereo scope. Possible deal killer is that this device has short clearance distance at 20x magnification, about 50mm., only 8.5mm at 40x.

In summary, my subjective impression is that decent generic optical stereo microscope under $500 will provide you with much better return on investment. It will give you large working clearance 15-20cm!, slightly smaller but decent field of view, nolag and stutter from "refresh rate" and a path to supplement it with digital video as technology progresses.

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[David Burgess]

Thanks for all the work, Stonehedge. If you bought it just to test for restoration work, and have no further use, I'll buy it off you to help defray expenses and try to test it at the next level.

Even if it's not as good in some ways as an optical microscope, there are some people who spend hours at a time working on cracks under a microscope, so the ergonomics of looking at an ideally positioned screen might outweigh the disadvantages.

There seem to be some annoying reflections from the internal light source, so can it be turned off, so the work can be lit from a different angle? If not, that's not a deal breaker. One could make a mask for the lights, I suppose.

[fiddlecollector]

Ive got one of those usb microscopes and although very handy for examining areas, i found the reflections annoying on any surfaces with the slightest amount of varnish. Even varnish in the pores reflects alot .They go out of focus with the slightest movement. Cant beat a stereo microscope for close up work but it would be nice to look at a screen instead of hunched off one for extended periods.

[Stonehedge]

David, let me again underscore a few points:

1. For exam purpose it can be quite useful!

2. You can switch the LED's off.

3. Working distance IS a killer, only 50mm clearance between your work and microscope at 20x magnification.

4. At 40x magnification your clearance is only 8.5mm!!! How are you going to squeeze your hands and tools.

5. Ergonomics. Most of us do not have young necks and backs anymore (only soundposts!). There are two possible solutions.

A. Triscope with separate video output and higher quality video camera (not terribly expensive). You can have much better quakity view on the screen.

B. High quality boom stand with ball bearing head would make any positional adjustment a breeze, including pointing at any angle toward your work (not terribly expensive either)

6. With Barlow lense 0.5 you can easily have clearance 20cm for your hands and tools - very ergonomical.

[fiddlecollector]

Stonehedge ,you seem to know what your talking about,can you tell me ( get highly confused with optics etc) what options i could have for taking photos/ video through an old stereo microscope possibly connected to a laptop. Its an older type from the 1960`s and doesnt even have a built in lamp. Though the optics are crystal clear . Because of the position of the eye pieces ,you have to bend over quite far and it gets pretty uncomfortable after a short period.

Not interested in a highly expensive suggestion but dont mind fiddling around with parts bought seperately.

Thanks

[David Burgess]

David, let me again underscore a few points:

1. For exam purpose it can be quite useful!

2. You can switch the LED's off.

3. Working distance IS a killer, only 50mm clearance between your work and microscope at 20x magnification.

4. At 40x magnification your clearance is only 8.5mm!!! How are you going to squeeze your hands and tools.

5. Ergonomics. Most of us do not have young necks and backs anymore (only soundposts!).

.

A few thoughts and questions:

Maybe it's narrow enough to do some of the work alongside the microscope, rather than under?

Some extra working clearnace could be obtained by removing that clear plastic extension?

Work could be done with angled tools from the side, rather than having a straight vertical handle?

With this kind of sensor, would it work to put a minus lense under it to increase the working distance? If the lens was close enough to the sensor, it should increase focal length without decreasing image size very much. I have -.5 to -4.5 lenses around to try this with, and they can be gotten quite cheaply. Or if you wear "minus" prescription glasses without too much cylinder, those could be used to test the idea.

[Stonehedge]

Stonehedge ,you seem to know what your talking about,can you tell me ( get highly confused with optics etc) what options i could have for taking photos/ video through an old stereo microscope possibly connected to a laptop. Its an older type from the 1960`s and doesnt even have a built in lamp. Though the optics are crystal clear . Because of the position of the eye pieces ,you have to bend over quite far and it gets pretty uncomfortable after a short period.

Not interested in a highly expensive suggestion but dont mind fiddling around with parts bought seperately.

Thanks

Hi there

You have some good options:

1. Separate camera set-up on the eyepiece. Something like that:

It starts from around $130 and goes upward. Do not buy into megapixel hype, 2MP will give you 1600x1200 resolution, 3MP is more than enough, video frame rate is MUCH more important.

To reduce ergonomical discomfort this is the greatest thing since the sliced bread: Ball bearind boom stand.

For rhe record, I am not connected to microscope industry and not promoting any specific brand!