EEVblog

[@thisnicklldo]

Good review. But fantastic video making. I can't believe there is anybody on the web making close up videos at this quality level, complete with picture-in-picture, sound on direct capture etc. You've really got it all worked out now.

[@electronicsNmore]

Dave has it made. He has all the toys that we would love to have. :-)

[@pengiethebird]

He just doesn't know about flux, or at least he's not using it.

[@SudosFTW]

AMD Radeon 6770M, not intel. the issue with the stuttering on the better camera is possibly something driver-related. the HP should be more than fast enough to handle running that without recording. it could be that USB selective suspend is on, I've had this issue with a couple webcams in the past. the other thing to obviously try is not to use cyberlink youcam, since it's pretty buggy for 1080 recording anyway. there's much better options that make use of hardware better that don't bog down when recordings are done... thers is no reason why your hardware shouldn't support recording at that resoluiton.

[@karanpreet279]

Exactly what i was waiting for , since you showed teaser for both of them .

[@bmmcwhirt]

Dave, I know this is an older video and maybe you revisited this, but... I've found that if you either modify the base to add weight or use a bench clamp then rotate the arm around 180deg to the back you gain significant stability improvement.

[@KevinTwiner]

Real nice Dave, and being able to see what your physical process in soldering( picture in picture) is awsome! Great review and a couple of screw holes on the base wouldnt be a problem .And maybe an added extension to allow you to work on bigger board without having to rotate the board itself.nice work

[@dannygrob]

I feel with your specs you should be able to record that tagano output with no problems!

[@rarbiart]

the focus distance a few mm too short is probably just an issue which can be resolved by a simple twist on the "aftermarket" lens of the usb livecam.

[@douro20]

No, comparing a modified Lifecam to the Tagarno microscope is not a fair comparison, considering the Tagarno product is individually handmade in Denmark, uses a state-of-the-art 35mm Sony image sensor and instrument-grade lenses made by Mitutoyo in Japan!

[@KD0CAC]

Checked out the site for the complete system & the DIY lens upgrade . Did not see either an opt. to buy light kit or video ?

[@TheAmmoniacal]

Have you tried recording with VLC? (VideoLAN), it doesn't give you that many options, just records the "direct" video stream. Worth a test.

[@EEVblog]

Ah, I forgot VLC did recording, use it for my playbacks. Will have to try it.

[@DemonTraven]

I wasn't aware that VLC could record. Thank you for this comment.

[@TheAmmoniacal]

Media -> Open Capture Device... and View -> Advanced controls (for the record button).

[@DemonTraven]

TheAmmoniacal Thanks! I'll try it out when I get around to it.

[@PareshMathur]

EEVblog make a DVD extra video.

[@creamshop]

bought the camera on Ebay for 50$ and ordered the lens and stand from diyhk and it is exactly as you detailed in your video, i use the Microsoft lifecame software, it gave me the best image

[@F34r1355]

I don't know if it has been mentioned previously. If the Tagarno is able to be used as a camera, you could try using Open Broadcaster, which will allow you to use Quicksync which is available with your processor. It would make capturing 1080p@60FPS a breeze. Provided the Tagarno is doing compression for USB 2.0, or you have USB 3.0 available. Really surprised that HP doesn't have 3.0

[@1kreature]

The limited FPS in full HD is most likely due to the video format chosen by the application. The LifeCam has the ability to deliver MJPEG compressed "video" stream allowing full framerate at full HD, but the windows drivers and libraries may no longer expose that so app runs video uncompressed. Source: www.mgraves.org/2015/08/a-better-understanding-of-the-microsoft-lifecam-studio-webcam/

[@sparkyprojects]

I notice the bolt in the bracket is off centre, rotate it 180, and reposition the camera to suit, you may get a couple of inches advantage, and hopefully be able to put the board flat on the bench though you may need to drill a new hole for the camera hook

[@JaredReabow]

Dave your laptop, are the ports USB 3? because if they arent, you would not get faster transfer rates. You do not need usb3 for 1080p 60fps

[@colinstamp9053]

It looks like the mounting point for the bracket is offset, so turning it upside-down would lower the camera a bit. Perhaps it could then focus down to bench level.

[@JustinHallPlus]

Wow. This is impressive! Even the audio from the internal mic sounds just about as good as the mic you usually use.

[@rich1051414]

That laptop with an SSD should have no issues with recording at 60 fps. It is definitely your software. Have you tried the scope in virtual dub as well? VLC is fast but is not intuitive and tricky to get setup. Also, record in RAW format. Your ssd can handle it and you dont have to do extra processing. Youll have a higher quality final video as well since you will not be compressing it twice.

[@EEVblog]

I'm currently working on direct streaming solutions.

[@GeorgeTsiros]

EEVblog windows is a bloody mess for realtime, high-bandwidth stuff. You have probably figured it out yourself already.

Recently I've started using AVS Video Recorder. Really nice. Windows 8 included Camera app might also be enough!

[@wb5mgr]

Did I see that you finally upgraded to a real metcal iron? Those things rock... I've had mine for years and it's the best iron I've ever owned.

[@EEVblog]

It's a JBC iron, not Metcal.

[@Qban220]

Dave, try to mount this cam lower in that custom bracket, just like on the picture on the DIYINHK website, this should fix the focusing issue problem.

[@90SecondsofAviation]

Dave, a question - Are those edges on that aluminium bracket are sharp ? cuz it looks like it is !

[@aurora4018]

It is too bad the manufacturer "missed" the working distance by about 1cm or so. It would be nice if it could focus all the way down to the bench. This seems to be a problem with the way the microscope is mounted to the armature. Perhaps they should have made the main support tube (vertical tube) a little shorter, and it would have worked just perfectly. I suppose a purchaser could modify the mount in order to lower the microscope body a tiny bit, so that it could be adjusted to focus on the table as it should. Perhaps right where the scope connects to the pivoting mechanism, you could take a small piece of flat steel, and with a little tinkering make a little 'extension' bar to keep the scope thrust slightly forward (downward) of where it normally sits when assembled right out of the box. In other words, have the camera "crane its neck" forward a little bit so when it is lowered to the lowest elevation, it can see the table surface within its focal range. Luckily, this seems to be the main problem, and it is more a "crude mechanical issue" rather than optics or software. Therefore a crude mechanical workaround similar to what I'm suggesting would be well within the skill set of many users. An excellent review of an amazing budget microscope!

[@kakureru]

the lifecams have 2 modes, it has a yuv and a mjpeg. The mjpeg is the smooth one. Web cams only have shutter priority exposure so lower light means stretching out each frame time making it choppy. Im surprised they did not build this around one of the newer logitech ones that support AVC mp4

[@arvinbaba]

Why you didn't look into Monitor when you were soldering? Is the reason PICTURE DELAY ? the big problem of digital microscopes?

[@j.lietka9406]

A real good test is doing SMT work on a board. The small one you about tossed out is an inexpensive model, albeit limited. Thank you 🤓

[@XantheFIN]

VirtualDub... i almost complained that you would not use it. Of course there is lots of settings about Source.

[@redtails]

20:06 Polaroid filter would really really help with this.. you're just getting a lot of reflection

[@theslawek]

I would put my money on bugs with the USB 3.0 port. Check for latest drivers. Make sure you are using a using a USB 3.0 port native to the chipset if available. Some ports also share channels to the controller so try your camera without any other USB devices if you haven't yet. Another thing to try is to disable any power management features in Windows 7. Search for advanced power settings.

[@valveman12]

Hey Dave, Since you already have a Mantis Microscope, why would you want a video magnifier?

[@spongebob7285]

How did you get that HD microscope? It has a monster price tag.

[@JaredReabow]

Dave, try debut for your recording, It is similar to you cam, just choose the free version. you can record the display from the computer, you do not need to point a camera

[@EEVblog]

What the video, I tried it.

[@JaredReabow]

EEVblog you do know you can manually set the frame rate

[@CalcProgrammer1]

EEVblog You might have to change the video compression settings from the camera. If it was trying to stream raw RGB over USB2.0 that could cause the slowdown. I suspect YouCam and VirtualDub were using an MJPEG or other compression setting on the camera.

[@plecto1234]

I've had massive issues with a TQFP-32 MCU. Chip getting hot, can't upload code, all sorts of issues. Even though there were no directs shorts between the pins, reducing the pad width (to get higher pin spacings) seemed to fix the issues. Is it a common problem that short pin spacings on these SMD packages can cause issues? I'm thinking flux residue, humidity or stuff like that?

[@mike7958]

Hey dave, wondering if you've seen the new Andonstar ADSM201. It's fairly new and seems to be a better alternative to both of the ones mentioned in your video. And its cheaper.

[@Daveyk021]

In 2017, is this still the best USB real time microscope available for the money? Like Dave states, eBay is full of that cheap $50 ones. I had one of those at work and it was to sluggish to use but that was 3-5 years ago. 30 fps sounds great without a supercomputer attached.

[@redtails]

8:20 USB2 struggles getting even 30fps of 640×480 in jpeg-compression across it.. the maximum throughput is never an issue

[@jinglebots]

Dave, you said you'd solder while looking only at the monitor for the microscope. Am I wrong or am I watching you look directly at the actual board?

[@EEVblog]

Mostly the screen I thought, I may have been glancing at the monitor, so maybe looks like I'm watching the board all the time?

[@rocktheworld2k6]

It's a shame we won't ever be able to see the 60 fps on the Tagarno cause KZbin only does 30 fps at best.. :\

[@RFC3514]

And, as everyone knows, KZbin is the only way to transfer video over the internet. ;-)

[@LBCAndrew]

haha. And this is why one should never make such bold, and quite frankly... poor, claims.

[@elrickking9293]

4 years later well... Now you can!!!

[@diyfixtool830]

Good job!!!!Thank you for your sharing!

[@shodanxx]

Is the tagarno constantly autofocusing or does it change focus only when you zoom in ? Like if you move your work piece up and down, does it stay in focus ?

[@darrylmay4510]

If you have excess solder on your board or if you just want to make it look nice, run some solder wick over the pins. It will also take care of solder bridges, including the ones hidden under the chip, and make it look nice. Good for passing QA inspection. I have fixed more than a few boards using this method.

[@tonybroadhead2020]

Did you know if you dont have solder wick you can use some of the copper braiding as used in coax 75ohm wire just strip It out and flatten dip in solder flux and you got solder wick cheaper as well as you can strip old Ariel cable :D

[@amxen1]

Was the mount the cam is attached to on the rite way? It looks as though the bolt that attaches it to the stand is off set . so it maybe upside down. This may fix the focus issues.

[@EEVblog]

Probably. That's how it came assembled though IIRC.

[@tubical71]

I use my old PAL analog Video Cam for this job, hooked up to an old and little PAL S/W video monitor, to view my SMD soldering. The cam´s optic gives me a 10x macro-zoom so i can view a sot23 full screen where the cam is 20cm above from the PCB. Just made with "junk" components, which lying around doin´ nothing....I can record the whole thing with my PAL/USB (800x600/50Hz) capture interface if I want...

[@WayneJohnsonZastil]

Do you have youtube example?

[@tubical71]

No, sorry -- just because i do not do SMDs at the moment, therefore my "smd-monitor" resides somewhere out of reach (means: i do not know where i left my cam:) but when I do the next SMD job i´ll do a video...

[@kairus1]

Lapsun 14MP USB microscope kit. is this any good?

[@obiwanjacobi]

That focus height problem is pretty stupid IMHO. Can you swing the arm 180 to get that stand-foot out of the way (and put some weight on it so it doesn't fall over)? Thanx!

[@daque1960]

I wonder if its set for when its straight down and not tilted to focus on the base. The distance added when angled off to the side may be about how how high it needs raised. Still they could have made the bracket a bit shorter minimum and gave it more up range.

[@ttkoh123]

Time for a Tagarno teardown...

[@A13tech]

can you write me, what type of flux you use ? Is it cheap ebay or something better? thank you

[@reddy4what]

Can you use this for accurate 2D measurements? Optics have to be flat.

[@topxe.]

Interesting. Thinking along the same lines I wonder if you could use something like a Canon digital camera instead of the Lifecam. The firmware on those can be hacked allowing full control of the camera from the computer. Then you would have super high resolution, optical zoom, focus control, etc. Would cost a bit more but still way less than the Tagarno.

[@RFC3514]

The macro lens required to get that kind of magnification at that aperture would probably end up costing as much as the microscope. And you don't really need to hack the firmware; most Canon DSLRs can be controlled via USB using the software supplied wit the camera.

[@topxe.]

RFC3514 I wasn't thinking DSLR level, too expensive. Just a point and shoot can take remarkably close very high resolution macro shots in stock form. Not sure how fast it could continuously stream it though.

[@npham54]

Do you think this would be able to be usable soldering 0603 (1.6mm x 0.8mm) SMD? I work with cell phones and don't want to spend $2k when I can do with modifying the Microsoft webcam and get away for about $100. Also, your computer is WAY more than enough to capture 60FPS. Use a Hauppauge PVR 2. It'll capture via HDMI to your computer no problem. I did it with a dual core computer a couple of years ago with the previous version. Well worth the $200 investment.

[@tomwilkinson4630]

Dave. Your notebook should be more than capable at capturing full HD video over USB provided it has a USB 3.0 port. If you don't have USB 3.0 ports, you may be able to add them if you have a PCMCIA port. Either way your computer is definitely not the reason it's not working ! Great video really enjoyed it :).

[@EEVblog]

Yes, it is the reason. It's not easy to re-encode full HD at 60fps in real time. It will only possibly work is streamed direct to disk.

[@RFC3514]

EEVblog Well, depends on how you are encoding it. H.264 encoding is probably out of the question on that laptop's CPU (although some encoders might use the Radeon GPU to accelerate it), but you can probably run at least a simple codec like HuffYUV, which should get the file size down a bit while requiring very little CPU power.

[@redtails]

22:09 F1.6 zooming lens is amazing.. You can't afford that in standard photography at all

[@techy4198]

NCH is australian? i use pretty much all their programs and never realised.

[@j.lietka9406]

What kind of prices (US) do the Targano have?

[@kairus1]

hi i was looking at the price for this item and it cost more than 499 dollars on eBay now? why ? were did u get it for 250?

[@Bigrignohio]

$280 at the website he put in the description. I guess the price has increased slightly in the last two years.

[@lynnnash4576]

I would forget it. andonstar took his remarks to heart and has a new model for 200 US shipped. HDMI direct to a monitor built in 7 inch camera at 45 degrees from the barrel lens. Internal monitor is perfect for soldering or blow it up on an external monitor. Self records to micro SD so no computer needed it does support USB 2 to a pc and has software for it. To quote Dave beautiful. If you are just starting a lab look at it. I actually paid for one putting my stereo microscope in the back cabinet.

[@kairus1]

Lynn Nash how do i find the one your talking about ?

[@lynnnash4576]

kairus1 ebay search for adsm201 or KZbin has several videos it is fairly new

[@kairus1]

Lynn Nash Great thank you very much

[@redtails]

14:50 oh god I didn't notice until now, but Dave has a Beats Audio notebook..

[@MOTOSNOWRIDER]

Dave try a screen recording program called Fraps. I use it a ton.

[@redtails]

14:30 that's pretty good quality!

[@camtheham13]

When is the video about the computer for the Taganrog coming

[@redtails]

4:41 jeez that's some mighty zoom..

[@FredrikRambris]

How is the lag on the DIYINHK and how is that to work with? Also, shave down that stand a bit and you're in business.

[@hunorshands]

I love your videos Dave! It is the best!

[@frankschieschke3442]

Hi Dave, why do you turn the U-shaped aluminium bracket not 180°, to get deeper with the camera?

[@EEVblog]

That's the way it came mounted. Could probably flip it though as the bolt is not centered.

[@frankschieschke3442]

EEVblog Hi Dave, sorry, turn 90°, not 180° as i wrote. I think you get about 10mm deeper then whith the focus point.

[@alexsorensen2000]

"Intel radeon graphics card" You probably meant AMD or ATI radeon graphics card

[@aserta]

How many processes are you running on that laptop? I have 38.

[@360MIX]

Flip the BASE to the back side... so the BASE does not get in the way.. use it an a counter balance..

[@peterkaufmann9788]

Hello Wo kann ich diese "Kamera Set" kaufen ?. where can I buy this camera Please help me.

[@FrankSandqvist]

Now THAT'S a video title!

[@Valenorious]

(Tagarno) zoomlevel shown in Hex numbers. How nerdy is that!

[@CyberAndrew]

How much costs Tagarno FHD ZIP microscope? And do you know some else microscopes with good magnification? I need quality microscope for my work, price is max $3000.

[@EEVblog]

Tagarno is around that price, ask them.

[@SantaClaw]

Intel Radeon Graphix ?

[@JohnKha]

We all mis-speak sometimes. I think that is one of my favorite things about the EEVblog series, it really is, "Off-the-cuff," as advertised.

[@Falcrist]

John Kha We all make mistakes... and get ribbed for it when it's funny. :D

[@Gunbu]

***** ATI was bought, but it was by another big cpu manufacturer. AMD :)

[@rich1051414]

Sounded like he was trying to say two different things at the same time. In other videos, it is clear that dave knows enough about pc components to not intentionally make that mistake. Pretty sure he was trying to say Intel Processor with integrated Radeon Graphics, but it came out as intel radeon graphics xD However, strangely enough, intel radeon graphics may actually become a reality, as there are rumors that intel may be adding AMD radeon graphics to their APU's in the future. This is allegedly due to Intel sinking too much money into Intel HD but barely being able to compete performance wise.

[@redtails]

Nice video!

[@DavidLeeMenefee]

I need something like that, but without the zoom ability I'll have to pass on this one. Thanks, Thumbs UP

[@FrankenPC]

How much does the Tagarno cost?

[@semibiotic]

8:37 and 11:13 start of actual device capture.

[@rocketman221projects]

You should put a 1tb samsung 840 evo ssd in your laptop and record uncompressed video. That should hold about 40 minutes. If you want to record h.264 at 60fps, then you really need a good desktop with something like an i7-4770 or better to get good quality.

[@Ghost_Ding]

Hi~ I really like this diyinhk，but i love the tagarno and i want buy it，can i know how much thetagarno？ thanks~！

[@sdrcomputer]

2500-3000 dollar

[@mrrelliot4950]

I had one of those laptops, the 6670m always gave me grief, some graphics stuff just would not run right, tried updates on it but ended up selling the laptop, horrible graphics built in.

[@svhuwagv2965]

Where can I get that awesome ruler?

[@rolando112972]

Where can I buy the microscope tarango

[@yaghiyahbrenner8902]

nice video I have the small microscope and its rather good. do tear down the big one.

[@redtails]

17:02 oh so that's why the graphics card had been lying on your work bench!

[@rahalmehdiabdelaziz8121]

Please I have the camera and I want the software to move it (up-down)

[@IllSkillz]

you should take tagarno apart

[@AustinSpafford]

The lifecam's limit of 5 fps at 1080p is due to USB 2.0 being saturated. I was surprised when I ran out the math and found that out for a previous project: www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%2835+MB+per+second%29+%2F+%28%28%281920+*+1080%29+*+3+bytes%29+per+frame%29 However, I've since had good luck with Logitech's C920 camera (~$70), as they appear to be the first ones on the market running H264 compression on the camera itself to get around the limit. Of course that means it eats up about 5% of your CPU in the worst case to perform the decompression when viewing the full 1080p x 30 fps on your computer, but the results seem to be well worth the overhead. Anywho, here's hoping that it's not too hard for DIYINHK to take advantage of this newer generation of cameras that have figured out how to get around the USB 2.0 chokepoint. :)

[@redtails]

USB cameras can send the image data raw across USB (like the calculation that you did), but modern webcams can also do image stream processing into mpeg2, mJPEG or even h264 in hardware, so they don't have to completely saturate the USB link just to get a video stream across

[@RFC3514]

Also, these are single-chip cameras, they don't send 3 bytes per pixel, only 1 (sometimes not even that, only 6 bits). The image is then interpolated to full RGB in software (either on the PC or on the encoder running in the camera itself).

[@redtails]

RFC3514 this isn't true. colour cmos contains three to four times as many light sensors as it has pixels because each pixel contains three colour channels, separated by bayer filtering. Color filter array is a serious science. You're right that really cheap cameras will probably struggle to quantify the 7th or 8th bit, though you won't see this on regular cameras. Hell, even shit point-and-shoot cameras have 10-12 bit per colour channel these days (yet it still gets processed into 8-bit jpeg)., and dslrs venturing into 12-16 bit per colour channel. CMOS development is by no means stuck, the stuff they're doing right now with sCMOS designs is beyond what we imagined cmos to become, and emccd is nearing single-photon sensitivity, so I guess they're nearly done

[@ZonaALG]

Those folks complaining about the "Intel Radeon Graphics" and now we have Intel vega graphics...

[@dabke1958]

WHERE CAN WE BUY THIS

[@kandalfus]

rather you did the pub for TAGARNO

[@encryptededdy]

What's with the zoom numbers OSD on the Tagarno?

[@EEVblog]

HEX values of some description. Seems a bit silly to me, I'd like to turn the OSD off.

[@dharmeshsolanki4354]

Can someone tell me the spec of that lens used in that diyinhk

[@RFC3514]

11:18 - "My one, as I said, is a little bit stiff, so I've got to hold that when I'm doing it." Well, the stiffer it gets, the less need to hold it.

[@harezy]

wow he couldn't even be bothered to de-burr the bracket. My daughter could of done this blindfolded... just stick a better camera on. would never of thought of that !.

[@2gnospam]

cupped soldering tip?

[@Rain_Zima]

"Intel Radeon" lmao

[@SqueeDee]

I plug my EOS 60D into my monitor and put it on a tripod and it's perfect.

[@sdrcomputer]

Can you use it to do socket pin repair

[@lukeogaykarvoiei9833]

nice laptop 11/10 would intel radeon again.

[@akobenadinkrahene2153]

@EEVblog you do great video, however, you are truly out of touch with people with low budgets. 250.00 for many who are just attempting to learn is just not in the ballpark for a person doing this as a hobby with a low budget! I have one of those microscopes that you think are garbage and it seems to work very well for my needs. Would I like a 250.00 scope? Sure and if you are willing to buy one for all of us who can't buy one for themselves I'll be in the front of the line.

[@Brentcolo]

Very cool!

[@rozbitesklo6349]

Please don´t solder without add flux. I know that solder can containit, but no enought. When aply fluxsoldering will be clear.