Suggestion for a bench top magnifying lamp?

[Hansblooey Ribbon]

Optivisor.

 

[capacitorless]

I've been using a cheap plastic lens version of an Optivisor. It happens to have a flip down lens for additional magnification with the resultant reduced focal distance. I've been getting by with that as well as a +1.75 pair of readers. I'll see if I can find a link for those on a budget.

Edit: Carson Magnivisor, $22 atm at Lowes: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Carson-Opt...NRadq6FHO2otyE3IxEuIr-MBfxf_WALzN1SMhXjqS5fq4

 

[rock soderstrom]

Out of curiosity, I bought a cheap pair of LED magnifying glasses at Lidl for €10 this morning.

The whole thing is a bit plasticky and rather fragile.

The magnification is interchangeable from 1x to 3.5x, it could be a bit more but it's good for soldering and things like that. The LED is bright but unfortunately the whole apparatus gets quite heavy due to the 3x AAA batteries.

Conclusion: cheap, useful, let's see how long it lasts. In my opinion, such glasses are generally more suitable than magnifying lamps for soldering, see member @MicMaven post.

 

[Electrobumps]

Out of curiosity, I bought a cheap pair of LED magnifying glasses at Lidl for €10 this morning.

The whole thing is a bit plasticky and rather fragile.

The magnification is interchangeable from 1x to 3.5x, it could be a bit more but it's good for soldering and things like that. The LED is bright but unfortunately the whole apparatus gets quite heavy due to the 3x AAA batteries.

Conclusion: cheap, useful, let's see how long it lasts. In my opinion, such glasses are generally more suitable than magnifying lamps for soldering, see member @MicMaven post.

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I have a pair of these too, but mine has a built-in lithium battery, so not heavy, Okay for what I need, but wouldn't want to wear them all day.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Okay for what I need, but wouldn't want to wear them all day.

The same here. If the workplace is brightly lit enough, the batteries can be omitted. This makes the glasses much lighter...

 

[Plonker]

I recently did a mod on a AKG p220 which uses SMDs and as most would know there not the easiest components to work on.
I tried a couple of head mounted magnifiers but they didn't work as you had to be very close to see anything and the thought of having a hot soldering iron a couple of centimeters away from the tip of my nose was bit scary.
So I returned them.
I ended up getting a goose-neck phone holder which clamped to my bench and I used the camera zoom on my phone.
Works great and I didn't end up melting the end of my nose.

 

[rock soderstrom]

I recently did a mod on a AKG p220 which uses SMDs and as most would know there not the easiest components to work on.
I tried a couple of head mounted magnifiers but they didn't work as you had to be very close to see anything and the thought of having a hot soldering iron a couple of centimeters away from the tip of my nose was bit scary.
So I returned them.
I ended up getting a goose-neck phone holder which clamped to my bench and I used the camera zoom on my phone.
Works great and I didn't end up melting the end of my nose.

Yes, that is also a solution. But I always have problems with camera systems because the hand-eye coordination requires some rethinking. It's easier with glasses. Btw, with the Parkside glasses with the 3.5x lens the focal plane is about 23cm in front of the eyes. You are quite close with your nose, that's true.

 

[Hansblooey Ribbon]

The Optivisor has ground glass lenses. I would not trust plastic lenses for the amount of time that I use these. Mine have the 3.5x 4” focal length DA-10 lenses and I use them everyday. Can be found on eBay for dinner out money. They may smell like cigarettes though

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

SERVING SUGGESTION 193874 -- Use a head-worn magnification visor like jewelers do.

I HATE using a magnification lamp for multiple reasons.

1) The boom arm gets in the way.
2) The lamp is either too bright or too dim and may glare on the object.
3) The magnification is often too weak for the task or object
4) The boom and lamp constantly consume valuable air space over my desk
5) Expensive
6) Did I mention, it is always int he way over the desk?

The photos depict my alternative - whether they provide mor or less magnification depends on the model. I prefer the first one with white frame - they all work over eye glasses, too. While they may have LED lamps, I prefer other lighting over the desk for that.

Just MY take. Your mileage may vary. / James



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I have long ago ditched the boom-arm magnifier and use a headworn magnifier with LED lamp. I got mine from a market that sells all sorts of stuff from China and Indonesia. The lens carrier can carry 1 or 2 lenses and if using a single lens the lens can flip out forward for normal vision.
The fully enclosed box-type lens units are a bit clunky to use and lens interchange is either not easy or not possible depending on type. The open type with flip-out lenses means you can easily go from normal to magnified vision in a second, the light still remains on the job and they’re much lighter.
When the lenses get scratched I use QUIXX scratch remover. If they get badly scratched I use the 1500 grit wet&dry paper that comes in the QUIXX box, then I use my own 2000 and then 5000 wet&dry (wet sand only) before using the polish. Lenses come up like new.
The big downside of all these headworn units for sale is the crappy light. I tore out the light on mine and replaced with a Cree LED cycle headlamp with dual lights - one diffuse and the other pinpoint spotlight. I took the cycle lamp off its band and used cable-ties to attach its base to the headband’s light mount frame - this way the light position is fully alterable. The unit comes with 4 lenses and you can increase and change power ranges by using twin lenses together. The lamp runs on 3 AAA cells - I use rechargeable ones and carry 12 with me so I never run out on a job.
I made another with a more powerful light - diffuse only.

 

[José Antonio Maidana]

Mi oficio de tornero me obligó, desde hace varios años, a usar distintos dispositivos en función del trabajo que esté realizando. La lectura de instrumentos de medición, calibres, comparadores, micrómetros, se torna cada vez más difícil con el avance de la edad. Por lo que, aparte de las lentes para leer, uso lupas tipo visera con luz en ciertas ocasiones. Son muy cómodas, pero como cualquier lente de aumento, sólo enfocan a una distancia menor cuanto más dioptrías tengan. Lo que las inhabilita para ciertos trabajos que impliquen soldadura. Si uno tiene ojos jóvenes, le podría encargar a sus ojos compensar cierto desenfoque. Pero la dureza de mis córneas se mide en grados Rockwell, por lo que eso es impracticable en mi caso.
Hace tiempo que uso cámaras con monitores para mi hobby de electrónica. No creo que haya una mejor solución. Un buen módulo de cámara USB con una lente zoom y un brazo articulado se pueden comprar por bastante menos de 100 dólares. Y quién no tiene un monitor, o una PC, o una computadora portátil que pueda usar en su taller.
Eso para no hablar de un microscopio para electrónica, que vale algunos cientos, y realmente no le veo ventajas sobre una cámara con zoom montada en un brazo articulado.
Me encanta este foro. Toda gente muy amable y simpática. Les mando un saludo desde la Argentina de Milei, y espero que el traductor de Google haga su trabajo. No es que no sepa inglés. Pero mis habilidades de redactar son más que limitadas en ese idioma. Saludos.

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

My job as a lathe operator has forced me, for several years, to use different devices depending on the work I am doing. Reading measuring instruments, calipers, comparators, micrometers, becomes increasingly difficult with age. Therefore, apart from reading glasses, I use visor-type magnifying glasses with light on certain occasions. They are very comfortable, but like any magnifying lens, they only focus at a shorter distance the higher the diopters they have. This makes them unsuitable for certain jobs that involve welding. If you have young eyes, you could ask your eyes to compensate for a certain lack of focus. But the hardness of my corneas is measured in Rockwell degrees, so that is impractical in my case.
I have been using cameras with monitors for my electronics hobby for a long time. I don't think there is a better solution. A good USB camera module with a zoom lens and an articulating arm can be purchased for well under $100. And who doesn't have a monitor, or a PC, or a laptop that they can use in their workshop?
Not to mention an electron microscope, which costs a few hundred, and I really don't see any advantage over a zoom camera mounted on an articulated arm.
I love this forum. All the people are very kind and friendly. I send you my regards from Milei's Argentina, and I hope that Google Translate does its job. It's not that I don't know English. But my writing skills are more than limited in that language. Greetings.

There are VR 3D headsets available that use an iPhone or Android phone as the viewer - you drop the iPhone into the internal holder - with the right adaptation of cameras and wifi transmitter mounted on the headset they could possibly be a way to make a totally electronic magnifying headset.

 

[nashkato]

this thread makes me kind of happy that i'm shortsighted (~4 diopters not removeable with laser ) and i only need a good magnifying glass .
if soldering i flip my glasse to the forehead and i'm done . sure , you need to get used to feeling the warmth of the iron , but thats just how i get along with the little i do nowadays

 

[JohnRoberts]

Mi oficio de tornero me obligó, desde hace varios años, a usar distintos dispositivos en función del trabajo que esté realizando. La lectura de instrumentos de medición, calibres, comparadores, micrómetros, se torna cada vez más difícil con el avance de la edad. Por lo que, aparte de las lentes para leer, uso lupas tipo visera con luz en ciertas ocasiones. Son muy cómodas, pero como cualquier lente de aumento, sólo enfocan a una distancia menor cuanto más dioptrías tengan. Lo que las inhabilita para ciertos trabajos que impliquen soldadura. Si uno tiene ojos jóvenes, le podría encargar a sus ojos compensar cierto desenfoque. Pero la dureza de mis córneas se mide en grados Rockwell, por lo que eso es impracticable en mi caso.
Hace tiempo que uso cámaras con monitores para mi hobby de electrónica. No creo que haya una mejor solución. Un buen módulo de cámara USB con una lente zoom y un brazo articulado se pueden comprar por bastante menos de 100 dólares. Y quién no tiene un monitor, o una PC, o una computadora portátil que pueda usar en su taller.
Eso para no hablar de un microscopio para electrónica, que vale algunos cientos, y realmente no le veo ventajas sobre una cámara con zoom montada en un brazo articulado.
Me encanta este foro. Toda gente muy amable y simpática. Les mando un saludo desde la Argentina de Milei, y espero que el traductor de Google haga su trabajo. No es que no sepa inglés. Pero mis habilidades de redactar son más que limitadas en ese idioma. Saludos.

no hablo espanol?

JR

 

[José Antonio Maidana]

no hablo espanol?

JR

This is a google translation, provided by the forum:
My job as a lathe operator has forced me, for several years, to use different devices depending on the work I am doing. Reading measuring instruments, calipers, comparators, micrometers, becomes increasingly difficult with age. Therefore, apart from reading glasses, I use visor-type magnifying glasses with light on certain occasions. They are very comfortable, but like any magnifying lens, they only focus at a shorter distance the higher the diopters they have. This makes them unsuitable for certain jobs that involve welding. If you have young eyes, you could ask your eyes to compensate for a certain lack of focus. But the hardness of my corneas is measured in Rockwell degrees, so that is impractical in my case.
I have been using cameras with monitors for my electronics hobby for a long time. I don't think there is a better solution. A good USB camera module with a zoom lens and an articulating arm can be purchased for well under $100. And who doesn't have a monitor, or a PC, or a laptop that they can use in their workshop?
Not to mention an electron microscope, which costs a few hundred, and I really don't see any advantage over a zoom camera mounted on an articulated arm.
I love this forum. All the people are very kind and friendly. I send you my regards from Milei's Argentina, and I hope that Google Translate does its job. It's not that I don't know English. But my writing skills are more than limited in that language. Greetings.

 

[JohnRoberts]

This is a google translation, provided by the forum:
My job as a lathe operator has forced me, for several years, to use different devices depending on the work I am doing. Reading measuring instruments, calipers, comparators, micrometers, becomes increasingly difficult with age. Therefore, apart from reading glasses, I use visor-type magnifying glasses with light on certain occasions. They are very comfortable, but like any magnifying lens, they only focus at a shorter distance the higher the diopters they have. This makes them unsuitable for certain jobs that involve welding. If you have young eyes, you could ask your eyes to compensate for a certain lack of focus. But the hardness of my corneas is measured in Rockwell degrees, so that is impractical in my case.
I have been using cameras with monitors for my electronics hobby for a long time. I don't think there is a better solution. A good USB camera module with a zoom lens and an articulating arm can be purchased for well under $100. And who doesn't have a monitor, or a PC, or a laptop that they can use in their workshop?
Not to mention an electron microscope, which costs a few hundred, and I really don't see any advantage over a zoom camera mounted on an articulated arm.
I love this forum. All the people are very kind and friendly. I send you my regards from Milei's Argentina, and I hope that Google Translate does its job. It's not that I don't know English. But my writing skills are more than limited in that language. Greetings.

Gracias....

JR

 

[Cqwet Dbdfte]

For SMT work/rework a 4K hdmi zoom camera on an articulated arm, along with a ring light and two goose neck lights is a must. Connect to a 24" monitor. The built-in monitor types on 4" arm is not for varying size boards and assemblies, maybe ok for wristwatches.
The Bay is full of offerings for around $300 or so.
Good low force precision tweezers, a hot air "gun", and a decent soldering station are also needed. Hakko FX-951 with fast change tips, and brass wool tip cleaner have been very good and long lasting.
Obviously OK for less challenging jobs too.

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

FPV for model aircraft, drones and copters has been around for a while and you can get 4K single camera systems that interface with either a receiver headset with inbuilt screens or a headset+phone via an app. There’s not much in the way of inexpensive 3D 2 camera FPV systems but there certainly are in the upper price brackets - I guess due to market demands (over a certain distance the need for 3D stereoscopic vision is not so necessary as the brain seems to take care of it). For close work it is handy to have stereoscopic vision however and also low latency to ensure real-time vision for hands-on work and there are low latency HD stereoscopic FPV systems out there.

 

[MicMaven]

There are VR 3D headsets available that use . . .

Oh, no. No way!!!

I have watched way too many YouTube "fail" videos where guys using VR 3D headsets go crashing, thrashing, and bashing about the room, punching and breaking large screen televisions and other stuff playing some silly game ... Sheesh! A guy can get hurt using those things !!!!

James

 

[MicMaven]

and the thought of having a hot soldering iron a couple of centimeters away from the tip of my nose was bit scary.

OFF TOPIC SIDEBAR -- on a related, but different front ...

I understand how you feel about getting too close to a hot iron. I teach ham radio and very basic electronics to disabled and blind operators and I am game to research and teach pretty much anything they ask me about ... but, I drew the line when they asked me to teach them how to solder! While take pride in my ability to communicate complex matters, there are very definite, practical limits to what I can do safely! Can you imagine how difficult it would be to solder stuff you cannot see ?!?!?

We now return to our regularly scheduled program. James

 

[john12ax7]

A fixed lens on a boom is OK if you are just touching up a couple of cold solder joints or adding a connector to a cable. It is quite another matter if you are building a full ham radio transceiver or linear RF amplifier with 450 through-hole and SMT parts, and you harbor unrealistic, groundlessly hopeful expectations it will actually work when finished.

This isn't really accurate. The desktop stands are the standard in industry. Not a problem at all to build RF down to 0402. But they are also higher quality than the common $20 ones you see online.