Soldering magnification

[Russell Senior]

Hi,

I have been using a small table top illuminated magnifier with a
gooseneck kind of position adjustment at my soldering station and ...
i kind of hate it. The light is fine and the magnification is fine,
but the damn thing isn't adjustable enough, it wants to be too far off
the surface I'm soldering on and so the focal distance is wrong. I can
mash it down and it's tolerable for a bit, but it relaxes into the
wrong position.

So, I'm looking for something that is more of a pleasure to use.

Do people have suggestions they kind of love to use themselves?

Thanks in advance!

--
Russell Senior
rus...@personaltelco.net

[Jason Barnett]

A stereo microscope is the way to go. A nice light ring with adjustable intensity and a swing arm make for a pleasant experience. Not cheap but worth every penny.

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[Jon Boro]

I also enjoy a stereo microscope, but you must get the correct stand to avoid a similar experience to what you’re already having. I would also note your range of view and range of head motion will be much more limited with a microscope, you might not like it, at first at least. 

This is a pretty expensive option depending on your use case. I imagine there are better magnifiers/stands if that otherwise suits you. I have something like below. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 14, 2024, at 12:13 AM, Jason Barnett <jason.b...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Jason Barnett]

I have this setup and like it because it is easy to move and get positioned exactly where I want it. https://amscope.com/collections/amscope-stereo-microscopes/products/sm-6t

If you want to go cheaper then perhaps this magnifying lens is the better option. https://amscope.com/collections/new-products/products/c-magled-96mc

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[Jon Boro]

Jason,

I’ve really liked the idea of the articulated arms that have more recently appeared, but have had concerns about stability, like that it could pick up and amplify bumps/vibrations of the table. That’s how my similarly made monitor stand is. Is this an issue with this microscope stand?

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 14, 2024, at 1:39 AM, Jason Barnett <jason.b...@gmail.com> wrote:



I have this setup and like it because it is easy to move and get positioned exactly where I want it. https://amscope.com/collections/amscope-stereo-microscopes/products/sm-6t

If you want to go cheaper then perhaps this magnifying lens is the better option. https://amscope.com/collections/new-products/products/c-magled-96mc

On Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 1:03 AM Jon Boro <boro...@gmail.com> wrote:

I also enjoy a stereo microscope, but you must get the correct stand to avoid a similar experience to what you’re already having. I would also note your range of view and range of head motion will be much more limited with a microscope, you might not like it, at first at least. 

This is a pretty expensive option depending on your use case. I imagine there are better magnifiers/stands if that otherwise suits you. I have something like below. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/dorkbotpdx-blabber/CA%2BPcUTPiMW9-L3wffR0Z_Ejq5Cu6NTtvThxBcST1YTc0XBiGVw%40mail.gmail.com.

[David Turnbull]

Stereo microscopes on an arm are the gold standard. A camera+lcd will require practice to solder under. Spyglass on a gooseneck is ok, but for a similar price you can get a head mounted magnifier which is a lot more pleasant to use.

[Jason Barnett]

Jon,
Yes, it does amplify bumps and vibrations, however I have never had a problem with it unless I am really zoomed in.
I tend to rest my eyes on the eyepieces which dampens the vibration a lot.

If I'm zoomed in to 70x magnification then it is really annoying, but at 10x (which is where I typically am using it) I don't even notice.

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[Neville Mair]

Have you tried one of these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7MDHJ96/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Works great for me

Neville

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