{"id":2493,"date":"2009-10-26T12:56:19","date_gmt":"2009-10-26T19:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mightyohm.com\/blog\/?p=2493"},"modified":"2022-12-28T14:20:25","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T22:20:25","slug":"improvements-to-my-microscope-setup-for-smt-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/improvements-to-my-microscope-setup-for-smt-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Improvements to my microscope setup for SMT work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why do I need a microscope for SMT?<\/h3>\n

The single biggest challenge to doing “real” SMT work (0805 or smaller components and fine lead pitch ICs) at home is being able to actually see<\/strong> what you are doing.\u00a0 I know that there are many hobbyists (and maybe even some budget-conscious professionals) who will disagree with me, but I wouldn’t dream of working with surface mount components without using a microscope.\u00a0 I’ve tried many alternatives, including a 10X handheld triplet loupe<\/a>, a magnifier ring light<\/a>, even a nausea-inducing magnifying visor<\/a>, and none of these even come close.<\/p>\n

In case I haven’t made myself clear: I would rather solder SMT’s with a 150W soldering gun than with anything other than a decent stereo microscope.<\/em><\/p>\n

In January of this year, I scored a stereo zoom microscope on eBay<\/a>.\u00a0 While my scope is far from state of the art (it’s a “vintage” American Optical model 569<\/a>) the optics are fantastic and it quickly became the most prized piece of equipment in my shop.\u00a0 Here’s a photo of the scope shortly after I added it to my lab, for more photos and information about it, see my original post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Stereo<\/p>\n

For the first few months, I used the scope pretty much as it arrived.\u00a0 One of the first major tasks I used it for was assembling the first batch of AVR HV Rescue Shields<\/a>, and for this purpose it worked extremely well.\u00a0 However, as time went on, it became clear that I needed to improve my setup in a couple areas:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The magnification range of 7-30X was great for working on a few tightly grouped 0805 or smaller components, but was too high for general PCB work.\u00a0 A typical BGA package was larger than the field of view<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. The included incandescent projector-style illuminator (shown piggybacked on the scope in the photo above) could only be placed in a limited set of positions and did not have adjustable focus – it made a nice, bright spot in the center of the image that didn’t fully illuminate the field at low zoom levels.\u00a0 While it is removable from the scope (this provides a workaround for these issues), the included stand took up too much bench space to be practical.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Upgrading the microscope:<\/h3>\n

    The first upgrade I made was to add a secondary objective aka barlow<\/a> lens to the scope.\u00a0 A secondary objective serves to increase or decrease the total magnification of a microscope, while simultaneously trading off working distance<\/a>, the distance between the bottom of the microscope and an object in focus on the bench.\u00a0 In my case, I added a 0.5x secondary objective, which gave me half the magnification while increasing my working distance by approximately 2x.\u00a0 While American Optical stopped making accessories for the StereoStar 569 long ago, Reichert<\/a>, who acquired AO’s microscope line, still sells parts and accesories<\/a>, including the #575 0.5X secondary objective, shown below.<\/p>\n

    \"Supplementary<\/p>\n

    The secondary objective screws into the existing threads on the bottom of the microscope.\u00a0 Here it is installed on my scope:<\/p>\n

    \"Secondary<\/p>\n

    Now with the secondary objective installed, I have a zoom range of 3.5-15X and a working distance of 6-8″.\u00a0 If I need higher magnification, I can always remove the lens.\u00a0 Perfect!<\/p>\n

    The second upgrade I made was to add a fluorescent ring light to the scope.\u00a0 I picked up the cheapest one I could find on eBay<\/a>.\u00a0 This model is sold by Amscope, outputs 8W, and is available for under $30:<\/p>\n

    \"Fluorescent<\/p>\n

    The ring light conveniently attaches to the newly installed secondary objective by tightening three thumbscrews, and provides a decent amount of light that fully illuminates both the object I’m working on as well as the surrounding workbench area, which has been surprisingly helpful.\u00a0\u00a0 Best of all, the new light stays out of the way and provides more even illumination than the halogen projector that came with the scope.<\/p>\n

    Here’s a photo of the microscope setup as it looks today:<\/p>\n

    \"New<\/p>\n

    Conclusion:<\/h3>\n

    While the changes I made are significant improvements over my original setup, I have made a few observations that may lead to even more tweaks and upgrades in the future:<\/p>\n