[g29cc]

Ok I just bought a USB Microscope and waiting for it to come. I am curious to Tormachs scanner software going through Mach3.

Any input from guys that actually have this setup?

I also have the Wild Horse Probe as well , though I haven't done that hook up yet. But I am hoping to have both optical and digital cloud point type setups to scan and digitize parts and use it as a location platform as well.

Thanks
Todd

[David Bord]

Her you go. Ask your questions here: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106444

Already a 3 page discussion on it.

David

[g29cc]

Thank you for the link. But it didn't seem like to many people had the setup and were discussing other things and ways to accomplish the same thing.

I am looking for someone who specifically has the software and how they like it.

Thanks
Todd

[kanton]

I am also looking for someone who specifically has the software and how they like it. I would also like to know if this system would work with a Taig CNC mill.

[g29cc]

Machine wise, there should be no reason it won't work with the Taig. Though tread carefully when mentioning here that you don't own a Tormach.

I believe its just a Mach3 based setup. So it should work with any Mach3 based machine with ease. I know the software is a separate entity and I have the demo downloaded. I am waiting for the "scope" to come in the mail, hopefully today. So I ll report back when I get some time and materials in stock to try it out.

Good luck and if you find anything out yourself, please post.

[gunrunnerx]

Machine wise, there should be no reason it won't work with the Taig. Though tread carefully when mentioning here that you don't own a Tormach.

I believe its just a Mach3 based setup. So it should work with any Mach3 based machine with ease. I know the software is a separate entity and I have the demo downloaded. I am waiting for the "scope" to come in the mail, hopefully today. So I ll report back when I get some time and materials in stock to try it out.

Good luck and if you find anything out yourself, please post.

Please keep us (me) updated on this. I am very curious as well and thanks for sharing. I wish I had input on this for you but I've yet to take the plunge.

[David Bord]

I posted in the other thread that I was very impressed with the software and accuracy using the scope I posted in that thread.

In summary, I was able to resolve at or better than .001". I was able to take measurements of holes, and positions very accurately.

You cant save anything, but you can measure size and position and write the results down and transfer to your CAD program.

If you were to use the software somewhat often it would be worth upgrading to the full version, if not the free software works, as long as you understand you have to write down/record your coordinates and measurements and transfer them.

Paying $50-100 for a decent scope and using the free software is a no brainer IMHO and works as advertised.

David

[BobWarfield]

FWIW, I have their scope and software. I'll be writing a full review in CNCCookbook shortly.

So far, I've mostly just played with it, and it seems very well done and very well thought out.

For the Taig, make sure you have enough Z-axis travel to accomodate the thing. It hangs down pretty far.

I only hit a couple very minor negatives so far.

One is I had to add a USB port just because I didn't have enough USB's available once I plugged in USB mouse, keyboard, dongle for the Tormach software, and, opps, not one left for the camera! Very minor issue and nobody's fault, just how my system was.

Second, even though the microscope has some LED ring lighting, the photos can seem kind of dim sometimes. The scope just has to get real close to do its thing sometimes. Not sure how to improve that unless it would be to add some high intensity lighting of some kind to augment.

Seems like there is never enough light with microscopes anyway.

Cheers,

BW

[Magnum164]

The scope just has to get real close to do its thing sometimes.

Isn't that by default the way any microscope works? They are designed to get close to objects and get very high detail. Macro lenses for camera's are the same way and you need a LED ring light as well for good pictures.

Get to far away and you will need a telescope

But seriously if you need additional light you can buy more powerful LED ring lights. But they are not cheap.. http://www.microscope.com/illuminati...c-4_48_75.html

I wouldn't consider that a negative.

[g29cc]

Thanks for the info guys. If recall correctly I don't have led lights on mine, but I have very high powered lights for my camera light box, so I could always snag one of those if lighting seems to be an issue.

Hopefully I ll have my scope here soon and I ll play with setting it up shortly if I can muster up some free time.

If all goes well, it will probably turn my production of discontinued or hard to get parts, into a massive machining festival LOL.

This new tool may be a curse as much as it is a blessing, since I don't have enough time to do what I need to do now.....


Thanks again !


Todd

[Don Clement]

Get to far away and you will need a telescope

You mean like this: http://www.company7.com/questar/microscope.html

[Magnum164]

You mean like this: http://www.company7.com/questar/microscope.html

Yep.. For $5K you can move out to a little under 4" optimal focus distance

[Don Clement]

Yep.. For $5K you can move out to a little under 4" optimal focus distance

Magnum:
If $5K is all you've gleaned...

It's not only working distance but also depth of field that's an important consideration in using microscopes. Just as F number determines depth of field in photography , NA or numerical aperture determines depth of field in microscopy. see: http://www.microscopyu.com/articles/...ielddepth.html

BTW I use interchangeable objectives to gain different depth of fields and magnifications to suit my particular purposes in using a microscope. All of my objectives have the RMS thread (look in the Machinery's Handbook for the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) special Whitworth 0.8"-36 thread dimensions, BTW I also have a special RMS tap)
I have objectives ranging from a Unitron objective magnification 0.5 NA of 0.004 to a Leitz objective magnification 100 NA 0.9.

Also a good way to illuminate is through the objective using Köhler illumination and beamsplitter arrangement see: http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/a...ectkohler.html The new white LEDs are a great new source for microscope illumination see:http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/...y04/iwled.html
BTW there are now powerful white LEDs have come on the market such as the Cree 1W that I installed in my minimaglite http://www.niteize.com/collections/f...q-switch-combo BTW White LEDs are a cold light source no more need for IR filters as there were with incandescent sources.

Don

[Don Clement]

I have spent many hours staring into the binocular eyepieces of AO & B&L zoom microscopes mounted on an air table with micro manipulators mounted DC & RF probes. Those AO & B&L microscopes with binocular eyepieces were not true stereo microscopes though since there is only a single objective. The view through the binocular eyepieces was not significantly different than the view of the CRT monitor with feed from a video camera mounted on the microscope. However the view through a true stereo microscope is like viewing a 3D movie with spacial information supplied to both eyes with a slightly different image fed to each eye from two separate objectives. I was wondering if a pair of USB microscopes could be used and the outputs from each microscope processed by DSP software to give even more spacial information than a single USB microscope.
Here is a picture of my classic AO Spencer cycloptic stereo microscope with florescent tube ring illuminator. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...Microscope.jpg With a stereo microscope objects such as the penny shown on the stage looks truly three dimensional . BTW the classic Spencer Cycloptic stereo microscope is very popular nowadays on TV seen in both Dexter's and Grissom's labs http://www.xmission.com/~psneeley/Pe.../AOHistory.htm
Don

[Magnum164]

Magnum:
If $5K is all you've gleaned...

It's not only working distance but also depth of field that's an important consideration in using microscopes. Just as F number determines depth of field in photography , NA or numerical aperture determines depth of field in microscopy. see: http://www.microscopyu.com/articles/...ielddepth.html

BTW I use interchangeable objectives to gain different depth of fields and magnifications to suit my particular purposes in using a microscope. All of my objectives have the RMS thread (look in the Machinery's Handbook for the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) special Whitworth 0.8"-36 thread dimensions, BTW I also have a special RMS tap)
I have objectives ranging from a Unitron objective magnification 0.5 NA of 0.004 to a Leitz objective magnification 100 NA 0.9.

Also a good way to illuminate is through the objective using Köhler illumination and beamsplitter arrangement see: http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/a...ectkohler.html The new white LEDs are a great new source for microscope illumination see:http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/...y04/iwled.html
BTW there are now powerful white LEDs have come on the market such as the Cree 1W that I installed in my minimaglite http://www.niteize.com/collections/f...q-switch-combo BTW White LEDs are a cold light source no more need for IR filters as there were with incandescent sources.

Don

Optics is not my strong point.

[MichaelHenry]

Don,

Do you have any advice or links for how to use a digicam to take high quality pictures through a microscope? We have a nice microscope at work that could do digital images to a PC, but the hardware failed a while back and I'd like to get something working with it again. Using a $300 Canon seems attractive, but I'm not clear on the details of connecting it to the scope.

Mike

[g29cc]

I received my scope and was able to get it running rather fast. I wasn't at first able to get it to work for some reason and my daughter was at the shopping wanting to go. I promised only a 1/2 there which turned into an hour and a half. So I was a little under the gun and stressing a little. So I left it, came in today, first try I was able to get their penny test to scan in a few minutes. Came out beautiful.

Now I am trying something else and I get a distance too far etc. I saw the problem listed someplace and will try and find it and get it working.

But it seems to be pretty plug and play. I just would ask those that are looking at this , are you thinking of getting the software to export DXF files ? Simple projects would seem to be easy enough to write down dimensions, but more intricate projects would seem very useful to have a full version. But at $335 is it worth it ?

One job done with it could easily pay for it on a business level. But a hobbyist level ?

I am going to toy with it a little and see how it goes and then make a decision.

But so far so good...

And BTW my camera did have lights on it and no issues with light or focus / image.

Thanks
Todd

[g29cc]

Ok I fixed my distance problem and its scanning as we speak. I am hoping for good results !

[g29cc]

Ok it scanned and I was playing with Tormachs Scan Cad software. Seems pretty decent. Other then of course you can't save it ( I know buy the licensed version ).

Interesting program and setup. Its pretty darn fast scanning and works pretty good from what I can tell so far.

[Don Clement]

Don,

Do you have any advice or links for how to use a digicam to take high quality pictures through a microscope? We have a nice microscope at work that could do digital images to a PC, but the hardware failed a while back and I'd like to get something working with it again. Using a $300 Canon seems attractive, but I'm not clear on the details of connecting it to the scope.

Mike

Mike,

This might be of interest: http://www.truetex.com/micad.htm

Don