USB pen microscopes

Douglas H Sanders <dohsande [at] indiana__edu> writes

>I'm writing to ask if anyone has experience and would care to share
>opinions about using the relatively inexpensive (US$100-150) USB
>accessible pen microscopes now on the market. ...

I've been using a USB Digital Microscope supplied by Maplin
electronics for several years. Their current models include one with
magnification up to 400X.

Advantages:

    Small, very portable, works from a laptop so easy to use on site
    visits and open days

    Software is very easy to use and allows still and video image
    capture as well as time lapse photography (brilliant if you want
    to record paint drying, crystals forming etc)

    Internal light is very bright

    It's robust--no one has managed to break it so far ...

Disadvantages:

    You have to have a laptop to see the images

    Image quality is adequate but not pin-sharp on a laptop screen

    Lighting is direct, not angled so it flattens out surface
    texture. This can be overcome by supplementing with a second,
    raking light

    The LEDs supply very cold white light so colour rendition is not
    accurate

    The item is so light it moves easily and it can be hard to
    maintain focus. For small items I hold the stand in place on the
    worktable with Bluetack or a clamp. For larger items it is
    helpful to mount the unit onto an anglepoise arm that can be
    locked into position

I have used it to enable people to look at pests in traps, small
artefacts, the surface of items (to show how much damage has been
caused by well-intentioned attempts at cleaning). It always attracts
visitors at open days and meeting. Even if people only look at their
hand through it it starts them thinking in new ways about how people
work with museum objects.  I wouldn't be without it and haven't yet
found a more expensive model that has significantly better image
quality. Hope this helps,

Helena Jaeschke
Conservation Development Officer
Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Exeter Ark
3 Exton Road
Marsh Barton
Exeter EX2 8LX
+44 1392 665951


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:37
                 Distributed: Sunday, February 6, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-37-006
                                  ***