More, CloseUp Tablet Photos

After thinking about the photos taken for the previous post, I was wondering how photos compare; when taken with the Tablet "Magnify App", and when taken through the Microscope Lens with a Tablet or Cell phone Camera?

Here is a photo taken with the Cell Phone Camera (at the Eyepiece Lens) through the Microscope at 15x Power (30x Eyepiece and with a 0.5 Diopter Object Lens).

Cell Phone Photo
through the Microscope Lens
(2.6MB)

The following photo shows the same area, taken with just the Tablet Camera with the "Magnify App".

Tablet Photo using "Magnify App"
(1.5MB)

And the same area with just the Normal Tablet Camera.

Tablet Photo using Normal Camera App
(2.5MB)

The following is the set up, as can be seen, I am just holding the Tablet, using the Microscope LED Ring Light for lighting. The photo was taken with a Cell Phone. The mouse-PCB (the photo subject) is in the spot light.

Set up Configuration
Photo take with Cell Phone
(3.7MB)

By the sizes of the saved photo files, it is obvious that the Magnify App is using Digital Zoom. but for my blogs the photos are large enough and have enough resolution.

Conclusion: I think until I get a better Microscope Mounted USB Camera, I will be using the Tablet with the "Magnify App" for most of my blog photos.

To make taking photos easier, I plan to build a stand to hold the Tablet steady. The Microscope Ring Light works fine for my photos.

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Mouse Surgery

Several weeks ago my Computer Mouse started acting up.  It would sometimes Double-Click on a single left button Click. This is very frustrating as unexpected functions results.

I had recently updated the OS and was thinking that the update had tweaked the Mouse Drivers and inappropriately set the de-bounce timing in the software. But Nope, replacing the mouse solved the problem.

Because I had a similar junk box mouse, I decided to see if I could replace the left button switch and solve the problem.

Right Button Switch Salvaged
From Junk Box Mouse

I successfully removed and reinstalled the mouse switch, I used the right switch from the junk box mouse, thinking that it had "less use" than the left switch. De-soldering the switch was a pain, because it was constructed with Lead Free solder.

I hate Lead Free solder ! And now, my local source for good 62/36/2 is going away, that is RadioShack is going out of business.

62/36/2 Solder

This Mouse surgery was done under heave sedation (battery removed) and with the aid of a Microscope :-)

After surgery, I decide to take some Microscope photos, but my standard microscope USB Camera is OLD and with a bare minimum resolution, I think it is 3Meg Pixel Photo Frame. For modern photos, a minimum is 9 to 12Meg Pixels would be ideal, but high resolution Microscope USB Cameras are expensive.

Recently I had read that reasonable photo can be taken through the Microscope (or telescope) with a cell phone camera, just place the phone camera at the eyepiece. Holding the my tablet steady and in focus was a real problem. Adaptors and fixtures are available on-line.

Microscope and Tablet Camera Photo

The photo resolution is 3264 x 1836 pixels (1.8Mbytes).

The tablet has a Camera "Magnify" Application, just for fun I decided to try it on some small parts. The following were taken with just the tablet camera. Most photos are about 2MBytes in size. I am pleased with the simple results.

The first part is the dis-assembled bad mouse switch, I was wondering if I could spot the problem, I thinks so, "crud" on the contact causing switch bounce.

The following were take just for fun. Note: all of these were taken with just the Tablet Camera. The dime in the corner for scale, note: at this scale, everything appears with "crud" attached. It is no wonder that "clean rooms" are necessary for manufacturing.

For me, this switch is amazing, beautiful, and a marvel of Engineering and Manufacturing.

Just for fun, more photos were taken of other miscellaneous parts.

I Think this is a 1206 size Capacitor

BTW: The Mouse will live, to Run another day :-)


-- Home Page: https://WA0UWH.blogspot.com

Minima VFO - Under the Microscope

I have been doing some troubleshooting of my Minima VFO, for some reason it is not "talking" with my Minima CPU module. My friend Jeff - KO7M as provided some suggestions for resolution that I am working on.

My Minima VFO
As Built

Just for fun, I took some Microscope Photos while reviewing the circuit and PCB layout for errors. Here are a few for your review.

Si570
From Pins 4 and 5 Perspective

The 3.3 Volt Regulator - SOT-89-3
and Its Output 0805 Filter Caps

Power Indicator with its attending limiting Resistor
The Resistor and LED are size 0603

Binocular Core Output Transformer
This is 32 AWG Wire

SMA RF Output Connector

I enjoy working under the Microscope, there are many things that otherwise we would not see.

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Minima FN - Troubleshooting

I am still testing my Minima CPU Module, for some reason the FUNCTION (FN) switch will not work. The microscope was used for inspection, looking for shorts or open circuits.

This is the ATmega328 Processor
and Crystal Circuit

Note: I have mounted the 0805 bypass capacitors on edge so that they will fit on the 0605 pads. For this module space reduction was not really necessary, but  I generally use this technique by default.

ATmega328 - 32QFP

So far, nothing found that would cause the malfunction. Resistance and switch operations appear normal. The other switches and functions work as expected.

This is not considered to be the "Ugly Style" of Homebrew hobby construction. But, under a high power microscope everything is "Ugly", especially after it has been setting around for a while. It is a wonder that any modern high density electronic devices work at all, with all of the accumulated contamination that everything collects.

More circuit review, software program review, and testing is required.

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UPDATE: Apr 30, 2014 15:09
Success, I got my FN switch problem solved. There were two problems.

The first, was a missing via on my board that should have provided a ground path for the FN switch.

The second, I have been working on the frequency Display and the associated Human Interface within the Sketch. My new modifications had not been properly integrated with the rest of the Sketch.

Now,  all is working as expected.

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Minima - CPU Module Progress

After making modification to my experimental Minima CPU board layout, I built a board via the Toner Transfer Method, then coated it with solder, and then started installing the via's and a few components. At this stage, the board looks a little rough as the thin layer of rosin coats everything. When complete, the board will be washed with Alcohol and a very thin coat of high tension oil (Corrosion Block) will be applied.

The 11 mil Via holes are Stitched
With Stripped 8 mil Wire Wrap Wire

The new layout is larger than had been previously posted, because I decided to include small push button switches for each of the normally external controls. By including switches on this board other modules or wired connectors are not necessary for full operations, although edge headers (as shown along the near side) are supplied for eventual use of the external controls.

The current board is slightly wider than a 16x2 Character LCD module and other dimension (height) allows the switches and header to be exposed below the mounted LCD. Note: the LCD plugs in via a header across the top of the board, and in normal use, the LCD would typically be mounted remote.

Stitched Loops of Wire Wrap Wire

Installing small via's is NOT a lot of fun, but can be done with the aid of a Microscope. My method starts with drilling the hole in the via that is just big enough for the intended wire used to make the via connection. If the hole just fits the wire, the wire will stand straight through the hole. I stitch all via's together with a single wire, leaving very short loops on each side.

The very thin stripped Wire Wrap Wire is 8 mils in diameter, and the via holes are 11 mils (a tight fit), the via pads are 40 mils. Note: 8 mils are less than the thickness of 3 sheets of typical bond paper, but I really enjoy working on microscopic projects.

Once all holes are stitched together, the loops are bent tight to the board and then cut just out side of the edge of the pad with an X-Acto Knife. Wire Wrap Wire cuts very easily with a gentle wiggle of the knife. The loops on the backside are left in place to hold the wires in place.

After each via is soldered from the first side, the "cut and solder" procedure is repeated on the other side. Care must be taken to avoid heat transfer to the opposite side solder joint, even as small as the Wire Wrap Wire is, it can transfer enough heat to melt the backside solder (if to much heat is applied).

A very-very fine tip soldering iron is used with very fine 15 mil solder.

Because the stitching process is somewhat random, the Wire Wrap Wire is typically bent in to a "Z" shape, with a short flat tail on each side of the board.

I make a Microscope video with a USB camera of the process, but it did NOT turn out. I need to find an adapter for my good low light camera.

About one half of the parts are installed now, but a few (i.e., the 16 MHz Crystal) has not been ordered yet (maybe tonight).

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Use of a 0402 Size Thermistor

This post and project is keeping with my On-Going Goal of working on very small projects as long as my eyes and steady hands allow.

The Thermistor Fan Control Circuit is working very well for my PA47 RF Power Amplifier (see selected links to previous posts). The PCB was re-laid out to include the circuit. Initially for testing, I just used an available 10K NTC Thermistor super-glued to the heatsink on a 1 Watt PA47 configuration.

For this project, my plan is to attach a small 10K NTC 0402 size thermistor directly to the 2N7000 for best FAN Control and cooling of the FET.

Here are some Microscope photos of the attachment process.

Shown is the 0402 Thermistor super-glued to the back of the TO-92 2N7000, along with the tip of a standard X-Acto Blade (for additional size reference).

Attached 0402 Thermistor on a TO-92 2N7000

A Wire Wrap Wire (30 AWG) was then soldered on each end of the Thermistor.

Thermistor with Wires Attached

A small drop of Epoxy was added to cover the connections and support the attached wires. Epoxy does not stick to the Kynar (wire insulation) very well (if at all). The wire connections may need better/more support.

Waiting for the Epoxy to Cure

I used Fast Cure Hobby Epoxy, but it will take over night to harden completely, in circuit testing maybe started tomorrow.

I am not sure of the thermal conductivity of Hobby Epoxy, perhaps something else would be better? Maybe another harder Epoxy such as JB-Weld?

This is ALL probably not necessary, but I wanted to see if I could do it. For future projects and use of Thermistors will probably be a larger size, and maybe not attached directly to the FET.

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Camera Received

I received the Camera for the Microscope the other day, it is supported via a Windows program and drivers - just as the description suggested.  I was hoping that my Shop Ubuntu System would see it as just another camera device. But NO luck.

The only one MS Windows system in my Shop is not readily accessible and therefore I have not had time to move things around to make use of the camera.

My immediate goal is to document my results and use of my Toner-Transfer Method to make very small PCB's.  The current project is another 10m Crystal Marker on a 1/2 inch square board with 0603 parts. Viewing this board via the Microscope shows that my previously thought pristine DIY fabrication efforts has always had many holes/pits in the pads and miss-shaped traces. I am finding out that you don't want to look very close. That is, if you have very critical eye. It is a good thing that electrons do not care where they flow (at least at this frequency)!

I want to see how "wiped solder plating" changes the results.

When I etched this latest board, it seemed to take a inordinate long time to etch. Now looking at it via the Microscope it is obvious, I used a scrap piece of 2oz copper PCB material. I normally use 1/2oz copper for my circuits. When viewed at a angle, the 2oz traces and pads makes for a interesting photo.

One part of the Amateur Radio Hobby is building HomeBrew projects,  for my part of that,  I enjoy shrinking normal circuits with very small parts, and building on extremely small PCB's. I strive to continually make things smaller.

Soon, I should have photos to share.

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SM-3T Microscope Received

My ordered SM-3T Microscope has been received, it will be a great addition to my Shop and will be very helpful for Homebrew PCB and SMT projects.

Later with the addition of a mounted camera I will post close-up photos of some of my projects. So far, it has been fun just looking at different things!

Also, I am sure the Microscope will provide many hours of fun with my Grand Kids - I am sure we will look at a lot of Bugs, Rocks, Sticks, and Leaves!

Of recent, I have not posted many photos to this blog because my computer with a "compact memory slot" is still packed waiting for my office to be set up.  But, soon photos of my Shop and Projects will return to my blog posts.

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SM-3T Microscope Is On Order

The SM-3T Microscope is on order, I had to pay more than I would like, but it will be a great addition to my Shop.

SM-3T

As accessories, I also ordered the 144 LED Lamp and the 0.5X Barlow (auxiliary objective) lens.

The Microscope will also be used for many things, and not just for building Homebrew SMT electronic projects,  .  .  .  or at least that is the way I justified the purchase!? :-)

Soon, you may see photos on this blog via this Microscope!

I am still setting up my Shop in the new location, and progress is slow, but soon, I should be able to find things again.

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A Need for Magnification

For my continued work on very small Homebrew SMT projects, I am considering a real 3D Boom Microscope, so far I have used just an office "light ring with magnifier".

On the Internet there are many varieties of microscopes and vendors to choose from.

I think I want something with 7-30 zoom, and a camera mount/port would be useful for blog photos.

Currently I am looking at the Model SM-3T at about $350, has anyone used this model or does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions?

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