Digital microscopes that output to either a computer (can you say Web Cam?) = or a standard video signal are not very expensive nowadays. If you can get used to looking at the screen while working on the itsy bits= y = stuff it might be a good way to go. Of course this '"Look one way while working in another direction" is exactl= y = what doctors do when using various kinds of 'scopes' poked into various = parts of the human body. Bob Ammerman RAm Systems ----- Original Message ----- = From: "Tamas Rudnai" To: "Microcontroller discussion list - Public." Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 1:32 PM Subject: [Bulk] Re: [EE]: tips for new lab My 6x magnifier works for me perfect. I found it better than a microscope as you do not have to 'touch' your face into it, just see the stuff above the instrument and have enough space to operate under it. Maybe a higher magnification would be better to check the soldering though, but for that you can get a 20x jewel magnifier at around 20 euros (or 10x for 5), maybe on eBay even less. Tamas On 25/09/06, Ariel Rocholl wrote: > > Binocular microscope of 20x (more than enough) are not expensive at all. I > bought one (new) from eBay for about 30=80, I guess is a very good tool to > work with SMD for that price. The drawback: you will see everything with > great detail, forget about thinking you have some "perfect" soldering > technic, as you will clearly see even the smallest defects. > > 2006/9/25, Wouter van Ooijen : > > > > > For fine pitch SMD work I use a binocular microscope. You don't have > > > to look straight down on the board through a magnifier. > > > > Yes, I know those things. When I was young we used them to study small > > insects. Should not be too expensive (at least compared to an LCD > > o'scope). > > > -- > Ariel Rocholl > Madrid, Spain > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > -- = unPIC -- The PIC Disassembler http://unpic.sourceforge.net -- = http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist = -- = http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist