Electron microscope slow-motion video of vinyl LP

I describe how I made a stop motion animation of a phonograph needle in an LP groove using an electron microscope. I also show electron micrographs of other recording media.
Support Applied Science: / appliedscience

[@AppliedScience]

The vinyl record that I cut into sections was actually Johann Strauss (The "CBS Masterworks" label can be seen at 0:26). Switched-on Bach remains intact.

[@CaveyMoth]

Good to hear. Even though your sputter coaster needs work, you are still a man of culture.

[@bryceschug486]

i got a little nervous for a moment...

[@oovalen]

great work by the way - just thinking about having a 12" single with recordings on 45 rpm would have been a more spectacular insight as the grooves are in fact a lot bigger than on LP. but anyway some great insights here.

[@joeysplats3209]

...and that capacitance disc... what a great chunk of history.

[@4thdimensiontravels855]

Around 1987 a good friend of mine had over 50 of the video discs and player. It actually played very well. Awesome to hear you explain how all of these various techs work. Thanks for a great video.

[@dickclark5656]

A rare moment when you click a youtube video and actually receive more than you expected

[@CaveyMoth]

No cheesy background music, no ads, no Fortnite...it's brilliant!

[@bobbyvinyle3389]

Dick Clark ..freakin ayyy

[@darrenoates4322]

Totally agree, this is brilliant

[@johnbrevard5966]

@Mason Gilbert ok, Gilbert Einstien!!!

[@MegaDicksplash]

Way to much ... but not what I wanted... which was visual gratification of something different

[@garymelnyk9370]

I once glued macaroni on a card and gave it to my mother.

[@AmadeuShinChan]

[ die I did. :D ]

[@aatishr9908]

Gary Melnyk 😂 so cute n hilarious at the same time..perfect comment in this geek vdo

[@ferrumignis]

@Roy G Biv It was last week, and he is 48 years old.

[@peterpapanestor9403]

I ate the the macaroni and glue

[@kbcoop3249]

😂😂😂

[@ollie2244]

Every note, every frequency, every volume change, every sound that is on a record is a just a series of bumps. It blows my mind!

[@paulkrupa]

Well, if you digitize it. In the vinyl, it's analog so you have a continuous variation with infinite changes in between.

[@mickeypopa]

@Bill Williams You can't understand the love affair with plastic? 2 words: Kim Kardashian. :>

[@ChuckD59]

@@TheGreatGadfly There is a style thing to a return to vinyl, but it's nearly the closest we have to actually capturing the full color of sound. Maybe magnetic tape as well. Even high bitrate, lossless digitizing doesn't capture it completely. Think that doesn't matter? Tell that to a person who can tell the difference between violins, or pianos or cymbals of a drum set. I can assure you there's an appreciable difference.

[@lobsterbark]

@@ChuckD59 It does capture it completely, denying that it does is denying math is real. Any difference you hear between lossless audio and vinyl is a discoloration or distortion introduced by an imperfect player or record.

[@ChuckD59]

@@lobsterbark Wow. I know "math" and I know music as a classically trained musician, and I know a bit about computers (actually a lot). I have to respond saying if you claim a digital reproduction captures all the nuance of an analog source, you may not know what "digital" means. Higher bitrate/depth reproduction come close, but the very definition of "digital" is ones and zeros.

[@noahway13]

It is mind blowing if you think about it. Any sound, from trumpet, to bird, to glass breaking, (x's infinity) can be etched in vinyl and re-played perfectly. Even a thousand people,saying the exact same words, can be differentiated by tone and timbre. An entire orchestra can be duplicated in one groove. I don't understand it.

[@iveharzing]

It's all related to the property of superposition in waves. And I'm not talking about Quantum Mechanics here, it's just the fact that if you have 2 waves, and you add them together, you get a new wave with a different shape, which in the case of sound would sound like the two original waves together. Now to actually be able to create these grooves, that takes a bit more mathematics. That uses a thing called the Fourier Transform, which is a mathematical operation which "picks out" frequencies. It basically multiplies the original signal/function with a pure sine wave at a specific frequency, and then adds up the entire function (integration), so see "how much" the original signal "resembles" that specific wave with that specific frequency. And then it repeats that for every single frequency to get a "frequency spectrum". So if you record a sound, you can convert that to frequencies, which you can then convert back to grooves by adding up waves with all the frequencies you found.

[@AlliSinned]

One way I can wrap my head around it is if you cut out the tiniest blip of an audio clip in a software like Audacity or any DAW, then played that blip back, it would just sound like a tiny click because it's so quick. It's only when those clicks are not surrounded by silence but the context of other "blips" that make it sound like anything.

[@Brain_Juice]

We all live in one big vibrated field of energy, we are all instruments of the cosmos!

[@jianhuang0124]

No matter how many instruments in the record, it's still one wave.

[@noahway13]

Yeah, thank you Captain Wikipedia. I don't think it's black magic. @@Manul_palla

[@1boboloco1]

I like when he says "you know", it makes me feel like he thinks i understand.

[@nyakwarObat]

You mean you love it when your ego gets a good massage 😱😱😱

[@powertotherobots0]

the state of education in your country is appalling

[@RayLewisPitt]

@@powertotherobots0 I know, right? I understood every bit of it. The average US adult has a lower math education than the average 8 year old Korean child.

[@Pvaeerener]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@James-gk8ip]

@@powertotherobots0 yes but we have better pizza so sit on it

[@keithrowe1007]

You had me at, “ever since setting up this electron microscope in my shop...”

[@2011littleguy]

When you cut a 2 x 4 you must make an amazingly accurate cut!

[@makeit7579]

me2

[@kennarajora6532]

apparently a quick google search revealed they can cost something like up to $1,000,000 in dollars. Not something I'd ever get as a birthday gift, let's put it that way.

[@etch3130]

@@kennarajora6532 not this one. He got it for free and just had to pay shipping. It's an older model anyway so could probably be picked up on ebay for under 10k. Still not cheap but not terrible for the capability.

[@paulkrupa]

@@etch3130 I was curious about what he meant when he said that cd was approaching the limit of the device . . . For now.

[@millroyboy07]

“Used Needles Bin” has a different definition to 98% of the rest of the world.

[@shawnspencer2001]

I died when he said this. Imagine a blind person listening to this.

[@LeeLeeVonMwah]

😂

[@ArruVision]

This is the part of the world you wanna be in!

[@lax1dude940]

yes

[@1mctous]

98% biohazardous.

[@BobSmith1980.]

First time I've ever heard 'used needles' in a positive way.

[@dlarremore]

It's actually in a negative way. You know... because of the electrons.

[@BobSmith1980.]

touche

[@paulkrupa]

I don't know that there is a used needle bin at the record store.

[@ThekiBoran]

If you need some free used needles find your way to a sidewalk in San Francisco.

[@wllm4785]

@@BobSmith1980. ne touche pas

[@WAQWBrentwood]

As soon as I heard "setup this electron microscope in my shop", I was no longer jealous of my neighbor with the Jaguar....... LOL!

[@lemonslice2233]

I'm sure he got it at a yard sale.

[@rerollyadice4224]

Matrix29bear Why does it matter if you're white?

[@junglesbongles8592]

+Okay bcuz science is racist my niggah

[@LiyemEanapay]

Jungles Bongles WTF is wrong with you?

[@joshfilmsstuff9769]

Jaguars are shitty cars

[@multiio1424]

One of these days this guy will upload a video in which he talks about how he had to use his nuclear reactor to turn toothpaste into gold because his particle accelerator still needed some work.

[@magiv4205]

If I could like this comment multiple times I would

[@VhectorDesignStudio]

I almost fell of bed laughing with this comment! OMG!!!

[@MatthewSmith-sz1yq]

multi io dude he's gonna make a tutorial for how to create a fusion reactor. "Now, I'm still trying to get a working heat shield, currently mine is lacking the needed materials as of now because they don't exist, so I had to use multiple electromagnets to try and prevent it from melting itself."

[@pepelepar515]

multi io you just won the internet for that comment! well done!

[@milesmouse72]

LOLOLOL that would make him an alchemist and I'd love to see that!!!

[@dyamondbolden5959]

I literally typed “how records work”. This was more than I expected and I’m not disappointed.

[@owendaulton9316]

Same here :)

[@philip6502]

You literally typed...or typed it?

[@dyamondbolden5959]

@@philip6502 I mean I searched on KZbin “how records work” and this came up.

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

There's more to it than this, but this is Step 1: Needle in groove. It's tiny, but physical, which is why decent equipment and care of your records is vital.

[@ScotTheGr8]

Holy crap. Let’s take a minute and compliment how well this was done. This is pretty amazing. The way you figured out each type of disk and the way you made the amazing video of the plastic phono record. Super well done! Bravo.

[@XxKINGatLIFExX]

This video is the complete opposite of clickbaite

[@AngelofDeath1431]

No, that's exactly what it is but put the words bull and s**t together in front of it and you're dead on the mark. I only saw about 2 seconds of needle on vinyl. Much more was expected, but he seemed to be having a love affair with the shiny discs instead.

[@troliskimosko]

Charles Franceschini like you even need anymore than 2 seconds to understand what’s going on

[@davidom7607]

Yeah, we got way more than we bargained for.

[@FUCKINGENIOUS]

I agree with Charles I wanted the video to be only what the title said.

[@AngelofDeath1431]

@@troliskimosko Well, having come from the generation heavily entrenched in vinyl, I know exactly what is/was/should've gone on. If ANY title has specific wording, then whatever is being referenced should contain a greater majority of said subject than only a few seconds, don't you think?

[@IAmMyOwnApprentice]

That's the best condition under which one can hear the phrase "used needles bin."

[@madscientistshusta]

indeed

[@graytonw5238]

Yeah, when I heard that I thought "best line in the video"!

[@caddyguy5369]

lol

[@Snyde91]

Or shoot a snowball. Hmm tasty

[@Puleczech]

Is that a fireball from Magic the Gathering?

[@Dreamerm6]

This is incredible. So many times we take small things for granted. How on earth they cut they grooves with accuracy back in the day is beyond me.

[@unpluggedtoaster7421]

The way it was invented was by recording with the vibrations that then kind of create the grooves but idk if that's how they do it now

[@RickrollFoot]

they molded it to like some sort of master vinyl tihng

[@kodinamsinh1267]

​@@unpluggedtoaster7421​they dont use vibrations in the way they did in the early days, as in recording into a horn and letting the vibrations from the sound vibrate the diaphragm and thus the needle. they use massive record cutters that use electronics to make master discs and then stamp all the records using that master.

[@klocke5247]

The field created by the current of a recorded signal moves magnets mounted on a stylus, pretty much the opposite of a phono cartridge, cutting the signal into a lacquer disk, eventually ending up as a stamper pressed into a hot vinyl "biscuit". Sure it took some work, getting everything to function correctly. But, basically it just replied on physics. The magnet field is an accurate representation of the current that creates it, and a magnet will accurately represent the change in field strength, if that makes sense.

[@savage22bolt32]

I used to cut my vinyl with a hammer and chisel..

[@dexterdexter6975]

Amazing video! I would have given up at the beginning when I realized that the record was an insulator. A great example of how far a person's curiosity can go. Respect!

[@KuroHebi]

It's actually common practice to coat whatever object you're imaging with a layer of conductive material when using an electron microscope.

[@tjjt6294]

I understood some of those words

[@typ044]

AHAHAHHA!! Killed me with that one !

[@rainblaze.]

Tyler Jackson i understand the words ok. It's the way he strings them together, that losses me

[@ignaciocatalan6592]

come on it's not that hard

[@nicowit8896]

He goes on like a broken record

[@jamesfarrell8339]

I cannot believe all of the hurdles that you had to go through to be able too do your video. You have incredible problem solving skills.I would not be able to do something like this because of all the different steps that you had to solve. So many problems to be solved that created new hurdles. I really admired that you showed how you were able to get the amazing image's. Without that information you would not understand the difficulties and problem solving that went into creating this video.

[@roddoney7568]

people mostly think they CANT, when they CAN, if they pay attention to simple things like thermodynamics, expansion and contraction. The most basic, yet observable laws of physics.

[@Ben_Dover753]

+Rod Doney Or even simply continued further with a problem, not quiting prematurely.

[@roddoney7568]

+Kostantinos Kanelopoulos exactly. life is about energy. Including how you use yours.

[@Ben_Dover753]

I meant that (more precisely) that it is simply not intelligence or idiocy but the depth and density of thought. Maybe some people just do not have the energy.

[@MegaSaunier]

+Kostantinos Kanelopoulos Relax man

[@cnrspiller3549]

Nice to see the old SEM. I used to operate one of those when I was a lab assistant back in the 90s. Once I found a dead bee on the window sill and when nobody was looking I popped him in. I zoomed in on his eyelashes and discovered they were long, splined cones! Who would have thought? I also got a shot of his knees. I printed that one off and labelled it 'The bee's knees' - (obviously) Happy days. This video took me right back. Thanks.

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Truly magnificent! Aren't we lucky to have videos like this on KZbin! The 'used needle bin' amused me too! Fantastic work. Thanks so much for making these highly technical but 'no fuss' videos. Other KZbinrs have a lot to learn from how you do things.

[@mozkitolife5437]

"OK, see you next time.".... ya frickin' genius. "What did I do last weekend? Oh, nothing much, just imaged some storage media with my electron microscope." O.O

[@jameszandstra2138]

"My sputter coder needs some work so I'm using physical vapor deposition" Yeah, me too bro... Edit: numerous replies have corrected me, it's "coater" not "coder"

[@DougPoker]

I know that feel

[@slipperyjk]

This guy needs a hobby

[@javierantoniosilva8477]

Don't we all...

[@darioorlic1941]

coater*

[@henryambrose8607]

@@slipperyjk This is a hobby.

[@shinigamilee5915]

I helped develop optical, electromagnetic and Nand storage so I've seen some of this done before, but this was really well done. There were plenty of challenges to overcome. I think anyone would benefit from watching it if they are studying physics or electrical engineering! Great job!

[@jecoharman]

This is what the internet was designed for, extremely accurate information and knowledge sharing. Great video.

[@sybo10]

This is what a real stable genius looks like

[@Treddian]

Don't underestimate the POTUS. The Trump family has some very high-profile scientific minds on their tree. John G. Trump, Donald Trump's uncle, inherited Tesla's work. Donald Trump was privy to some now mainstream science before it was mainstream.

[@Paid2Win]

@@Treddian There is what OP was talking about, and then there is what you're talking about.

[@Treddian]

@@Paid2Win Ah, I love a good condescending attitude. Thank you.

[@Treddian]

@Graham Hancucked You're obviously so disconnected from reality that you don't even know conspiracy theory from official government record.

[@Paid2Win]

@@Treddian Just pointing out the obvious bucko

[@SuperPhexx]

"My sputter needs some work, so I am using physical vapor deposition." I also want to do stuff where saying things like that is perfectly normal.

[@whatsup7202]

Lol

[@theknacke]

Haha, right! I want to do some things where things like "physical vapor deposition" is just the norm. lol

[@Sunjammr]

Just get a job in a resistor or capacitor factory! You'll be saying it 100 times every hour.

[@CaveyMoth]

Flirt with a girl by using that phrase. And let's see if she craves your conductive carbon glue.

[@nyakwarObat]

@@CaveyMoth 😆😆😆conductive carbon glue

[@cratecruncher4974]

That stylus/LP closeup really brings home the notion of physical wear.

[@donlindell1994]

Impressed with the experimentation and unique solutions. I can’t believe how simple the CD ended up. Great job

[@TheDeadSource]

So i started writing a comment about 5 times before I realised that I actually have very little in the way of words to describe the satisfaction I got from your video. So i just liked and subscribed and wrote this instead. Thanks man.

[@mickblock]

I made a bird house in my garage once. Out of a coffee can.

[@WSADKeysGaming]

Nice.

[@FerociousSniper]

I made a megaphone once out of a dead squirrel, some rope, and a mega phone.

[@madscientistshusta]

+Quintus Aurelius Symmachus serial killer art

[@theawecabinet]

I made a snake house in my garage once. Out of cardboard tube.

[@WSADKeysGaming]

I made a slightly successful KZbin channel with a keyboard and my hands... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Yoda8945]

Great demonstration. I knew how these devices worked but actually being able to see them is a great addition to my understanding.

[@D800Lover]

Wow! I am really impressed, as an audio R&D technician and audio designer, and also experienced in creating new methods of measurements, I am really impressed and especially with the amount of work required to make this possible. Thank you for letting us watch this and I will recommend/show it to others. Nice to see 4.7 million views so far. As another commentator said, this was not clickbait.

[@mitcht1026]

jesus. Listenning to this guy discuss how to use this equipment makes me feel dumb... then I start thinking about the people who actually designed and manufactured the equipment.. now I feel really dumb

[@diegodelafuente2142]

But then you read the comment section on youtube videos and you somehow feel smart again...

[@chavakano54]

You nailed it Diego

[@mylesbishop1240]

Diego de la Fuente hahah nice!

[@ArtemLokhovitskiy]

Not necessarily dumb, but uneducated. And yes, I'm with you.

[@blushingbunny3074]

lets all be dumb together!

[@trentonr.8428]

Of course, physical vapor deposition, obviously.

[@sqlb3rn]

hmm yes indubitably. I use this method all the time to butter my croissant.

[@yonidellarocha9412]

butter vapor is something i never considered, i guess that with a vacuum chamber, some high heat and a very fine butter spraying device you could coat your croissant. now im wondering if all the air in the croissant is going to escape making it look like a balloon under a vacuum. this is what keeps me awake at night, deflating croissants

[@hanloncaldwell8571]

@@yonidellarocha9412 dear God. You have just given me great anxiety

[@soggycereal16]

@@yonidellarocha9412 Great, now I'm contemplating whether croissants deflate in a vacuum. Nothing in the world will be right until I know! DAMN YOU SCIENCE!

[@joseluis.colungag]

The CVD is a common technique in material coating. It usually involves fusing with the substrate and making the coating part of it instead of just a layer on top.

[@markw4206]

Brilliant production here. Probably more work went into the content of this video than any video I've ever watched. Wow, thank you for this!

[@SarahHogan100]

It is absolutely crazy how this stuff works. My mind is blown 🤯

[@4200timeB]

This is the guy that can make real flux capacitors.

[@phrenzy1]

This is the geekist thing that ever happened. I have no words, it's so pure, it's almost zen like geekery. I am so deeply impressed as to not even try and enunciate an actual comment on the video. just wow.

[@SamiJumppanen]

Yeah, that's one way to put it. Similar feeling!

[@WAQWBrentwood]

+1!

[@Vlican]

+1 awesome geek is awesome!

[@etiennecouture1552]

He's not a Geek, he's a Nerd.

[@MrAaronbill]

'i evaporated sliver onto it inside a vacuum' 1000000 respect points ,probably the coolest thing anyone ever said . i love this type of content . its so much better than tv . thank you

[@Duncan_1971]

Most people are listening to digital files or streaming these days but records are still fascinating even for new millennials I think. They are pretty close to magic. Thanks for you work!

[@mollyclock8238]

what amazes me the most, is not the fact that you are an order of magnitude more intelligent than anyone watching this video, it is simply, that your intention, is to increase the knowledge, of the great unwashed masses, and you speak to us, as some sort of, equals. (...you are very rare...)

[@jamescarter3196]

Wow, that's a lot of pseudo-poetic crap falling over itself with triteness. "you are an order of magnitude more intelligent than anyone watching this video"-- seriously? You really think NOBODY else who sees this could possibly be more intelligent? Wrong. Your limitations of intelligence aren't matched by everyone else. "'great unwashed masses"-- maybe you're a great unwashed mass but speak for yourself. I showered recently.

[@ScootaReader]

@@jamescarter3196 Somebody's been watching a little too much Rick and Morty. Isn't it past your bedtime?

[@dasaauto2024]

James Carter Yeah, chill out. She’s just passing alone a sincere comment. (We can all imagine that tomorrow’s Einstein might possibly have watched this vid too-but that’s not the point.)

[@jamescarter3196]

@@ScootaReader Despite being in the target demographic for that show, I can't get into it, but I'm sure that wasn't your point. If someone wants to waste space for passively self-congratulatory poetry, they deserve to be ridiculed for it. They were probably drunk at the time; no sober person over age 12 would use a phrase like "great unwashed masses" and expect to be taken seriously. Dasa Auto, how about you just don't make any requests about my behavior since I'm "just passing alone a sincere comment" also. Why should stupid people get to waste space in public without retaliation? How about you get your priorities straight?

[@jumbo6498]

Thanks,

[@jimbeam9788]

where did you get the electron microscope? I've been to three different Walmarts looking for one

[@Port8ble]

LOL. Thank you, kind stranger, today has been rough this comment was the first lol I've had all day.

[@kayveevee]

:D

[@MisterLepton]

You can often find used ones one eBay (usually in pieces and you'll probably need to buy a few more parts), many of them functional anywhere from $500 USD to $100,000 USD. With enough knowledge and skill I bet you could get one functional in your home for $1000 (maybe less).

[@MisterLepton]

The device itself is really not as complex as you think at the basic level. It just becomes exponentially more complex as the image quality/res you want increases. I mean, think about it this way: the electron beam part of the microscope is just an advanced version of an old TV CRT. The sensor and the electronics that interpret the signal are probably the most complex parts (unless you're using some super-vacuum pump or something).

[@xiangyu1579]

Lmao what?! Did a double take haha

[@rasmuslundin199]

I have watched this 20 times since it was released, still golden.

[@TorrentUK]

"okay, see you, bye!" - how all youtube videos should end! (and some should start)

[@rockenrollbass]

This guy is BRILLIANT, he understands physics/engineering and audio/video and graphics, well balanced left and right brain activity.

[@rdizzy1]

+rockenrollbass No such thing as left and right brain activity. He is extremely intelligen though.

[@gui18bif]

rockenrollbass fucked IT up with the brain thing

[@zacheryhowell4230]

Well I mean he does have an electronic microscope so he is probably with sine kind of university electron microscopes are expensive and it is very difficult to buy one yourselg

[@brett84c]

rockenrollbass I agree. Speaks intelligently and clearly and is able to explain stuff in lamens (for the most part, heh).

[@cekdark]

This has got to be my favorite youtube channel. No waste of time, 30 second long intro; every video is extremely interesting and novel; no begging for subscriptions or thumbs. Keep up the good work, I'll be supporting your Patreon. Thanks

[@AppliedScience]

cekdark Thank you!

[@dnxx503]

@@AppliedScience sup

[@hipstarchild]

I still find it fascinating that music can be produced by a needle wiggling up & down along one bumpy groove on a vinyl record. Especially when musical compositions and the different sounds of the instruments can be so diverse. I understand that it's all to do with either a negative or positive voltage changes as the needle vibrates, but it's still beyond me.

[@missasinenomine]

I'm the same. But think about what beautiful sounds you can make by dragging some horse hair across some thin strips of sheep's guts stuck onto a wooden box. Did I say "Stradivarius"?

[@slipperyjk]

I'm hip... boggles the mind

[@fakiirification]

Its not that far out. you can see it in action in an audio editing ap. when you play 2 sounds together their waveforms mix. music, and really all sound we hear every day, can be represented by this mixed waveform. a record is simply a physical copy of that waveform produced by an etching needle on a record lathe and pressed into vinyl.

[@leomadero562]

Its the same as how a microphone works, its "recording" the grooves' waves instead of air pressure waves

[@fakiirification]

@Spike Flea this channel is called "applied science". Taking the mystery and intrigue out of things is sort of the point of science. Haha

[@Peter-pv8xx]

Thank you Mr Edison for so many remarkable inventions, i think you'd be amazed and proud to see your work used and improved on through the years.

[@Stay___Strong]

I don’t understand anything he’s saying, but I’m still fascinated.

[@tcb9775]

@MDS 😂 it's 50 microns

[@Gregorio416]

MDS for the technical aspects going on he is most definitely using layman’s language. There’s no reason to insult him just because you feel insecure

[@nathanwahl9224]

@@Gregorio416 Yes, it is indeed sad when people celebrate their own ignorance proudly in public.

[@cizzlen07]

"Ok. See ya next time. Bye." Lol great video

[@AwesomeRobot15]

Yeah the ending was kind of abrupt, wasn't it.

[@brehoffm]

+cizzlen07 By far the greatest part of this video! Haha, great video though, very informative.

[@MrChhetri]

yea, it sounded odd maybe because he didn't say "click subscribe button" or similar shits we see in every videos these days.

[@theonetojump]

I love these kinds of youtubers. Quick and to the point. Unlike most youtubers reminding you to subscribe in the intro, outro and 5 times in between. Great channel really!!

[@staberdearth3130]

Video award for the most understandable information per unit time. Translation: Excellent teaching

[@DavidMcMillan888]

Great to see someone making things, creating devices, solving problems and presenting all that as images. Good to be a human sometimes, and congratulations.

[@jeffmojica9934]

When looking for a video to fall asleep too, this actually made me stay awake instead because it's so damn interesting.

[@CaveyMoth]

I'm just LMAOing to all the comments.

[@JT_8283]

Exactly I tried changing the channel but the batteries in my remote are dead so I'm stuck watching this but now I'm intrigued and am going to finish watching it

[@dnxx503]

Look up a video

[@xcvsdxvsx]

Who doesn't have an electron microscope in their shop?

[@uba2]

I'm glad there are still people like you in the world (smart, curious, generous, good educators).

[@Fogertian]

I'm a WHY person since I was a kid ... IMAGINATION + WHY ... make things "enjoyable" ... as a viewer ... and what is most important during day/week/month ... is when WHAT IF ... pops out from nowhere im your mind ... Aah!!! .... pure exquisite food for the brain !!!

[@im1who84u]

I love the way you end this video. You just explained and showed something way over most peoples head and then you just simply say, "Okay, see ya next time."

[@tone8301]

ahah for sure

[@dnxx503]

Yeh

[@rideswithscissors]

This was fascinating! Thanks for going to all the trouble. Wikipedia explains it, but you _show_ it.

[@gayxor]

rideswithscissors wikipedia doesnt even manage to explain most scientific things due to terminology

[@dnxx503]

@@gayxor what’s that

[@gsau3000]

The fact that vinyl works the way it does is amazing.

[@chettyvendetti3253]

This is genius...on like every level. This dude's a genius. And almost as intricately concise as a SEM. I agree about the "rare moment when you click a youtube video and actually receive more than you expected" comment below. fire

[@stuey2112]

Always assume that if someone owns a sputter coater , they are really smart . Knowing how to jimmy rig something else into a working version of a sputter coater ? ... priceless

[@DougPoker]

Hard to find a reliable sputter coater repairman nowadays. They all just want to sell you a new one instead of fixing it.

[@dixonpinfold2582]

@@DougPoker Just more horseshit from the big sputter coater repair companies.

[@kendallevans4079]

I have one. They run the gamut on complexity (and thus price). The concept is pretty basic. Pull a vacuum, melt or evaporate material to where it is vaporized and is deposited on a part, usually some sort of sub-straight. Complexity/price go up dramatically depending on the vacuum needed, measured in negative atmospheres and size.

[@LichaelMewis]

Excellent video. To me it's more amazing how an LP (analog) works than a CD (digital). When that first came out it must have been like magic for the people.

[@dorcol725]

I worked at Hi Fi Haven in New Brunswick NJ in the late 70’s through the 90’s . A scientist audiophile who had access to an electron microscope ran a series of pictures for us to check the wear by both MC and MM cartridges. Great to see people still studying these issues.

[@ferociousgumby]

Peeling and separating that DVD was my "satisfying moment of the week" (if not the year).

[@markpenrice6253]

I didn't even know it was possible. I'm going to have to buy some random terrible (but still dual-layer) movie that I don't care about down at the thift shop and see if I can scalpel that apart the same way. Make a couple of conversation-piece coasters out of it.

[@philip6502]

@@markpenrice6253 I already own some like that, unfortunately.

[@calvinscheuerman]

the one thing i know i will never fully comprehend is how grooves in a record can actually produce complex sounds. that's always going to be witchcraft to me.

[@calvinscheuerman]

***** no, i mean i understand how it works; i'm just really incredulous that it actually works. every time i think about it, it just blows my mind.

[@daviddrake6875]

What blows mine is the Reed-Solomon Code and error correction!!!!

[@calvinscheuerman]

+David Drake - What is Reed-Solomon Code and error correction?

[@skierpage]

Calvin Lee The groove walls oscillate exactly as the sound wave compresses-expands the air, so all you have to do is amplify the signal (well there's an "RIAA equalization" to the sound because the vinyl medium is better at capturing some frequencies than others). It's an elaboration of the earlier gramophone and Edison cylinders in which the oscillating needle is simply connected to a horn, no electronics. What is impressive is how good such a crude method can sound.

[@skierpage]

Calvin Lee The groove walls oscillate exactly as the sound wave compresses-expands the air, so all you have to do is amplify the signal (well there's an "RIAA equalization" to the sound because the vinyl medium is better at capturing some frequencies than others). It's an elaboration of the earlier gramophone and Edison cylinders in which the oscillating needle is simply connected to a horn, no electronics. What is impressive is how good such a crude method can sound.

[@JLange642]

Thank you for taking the time to do such an in-depth presentation of these different media formats!

[@Fuq_you]

This channel is basically a science student’s dream in a KZbin channel.

[@RimstarOrg]

Awesome! Just seeing how the needles fits in the groove is interesting on it's own.

[@ImplodedAtom]

This guy just Tony Stark'd the shit outta this!

[@lmeza1983]

Andy Hale Stark is fake as fuck

[@scotthullinger4684]

In many ways, the old ways of doing things are far more sophisticated than the current ways of doing things. The talents and knowledge required for this sort of engineering is something which seems to be quickly disappearing.

[@jacobbosley2144]

It's not slow-motion. It's stop-motion animation. Like claymation. This is genius. Thank you for sharing.

[@lolmysteries]

In a CD/DVD/Blu-Ray, the data information is molded into one side of the polycarbonate substrate. The aluminum, silver or gold metallization is used mainly to reflect the three lasers (two tracking, one data) as they go thru the smooth polycarbonate side, then bounce off the metallized data side, and back to the laser heads. The lacquer coatings are purely for protection of the data side of the polycarbonate. Your method of tearing the aluminum is giving you only an embossed image copy of the data that is imprinted in the polycarbonate substrate. Retired Media, Manufacturing Engineer and Equipment Designer for Technicolor.

[@whatsup7202]

Huh. Didn't know that.

[@cliffstanich3401]

That's what I say

[@wyldanimal2]

What is really interesting is that all of the Media he tested is Stamped or Pressed. A Gold of Nickel coated master plate is made, From this a negative image is made, and then used to make positive duplicates in a press. This is called surface replication. The Replicated surfaces, depending on how it will be read, might need a reflective and or protective coating.

[@Dubz0408]

Cool, a lady yelled at me and got herself fired at Technicolor. Not going to go into detail on that one lol. Funny thing is i learned what you just said, not from technicolor, but from researching playstation 2 discs and trying to figure out why they were black when I was a kid lol.

[@Dubz0408]

Tyrant Patrol No prob!!! I will even spare you the research lol. He talks about it about 4mins in: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jobahIKchpZ3acU

[@flufanga]

Good GAWD I hope that you're on OUR side!

[@tmatheson54]

Thank you. Being involved in engineering for over 40 years I immensely enjoyed that. Great job!!!

[@Slickskelm]

I am speechless. You sir, have blown my mind with your novel approach to dissecting various media for the benefit of folks that would never come into contact with an Electron Microscope. For this I thank you ....awesome video.

[@kenolsen8774]

I used some tomatoes, olive oil and onions to make spaghetti sauce today. I feel somewhat inadequate.

[@williamvandervalk8369]

Haha...:-)

[@matthewb.7172]

Well, look at Mr fancypants over here with his fresh spaghetti sauce, making the rest of us look bad!

[@Beatlefan67]

Yeah I know ho you feel. I need a lie down.

[@MrTruth111]

yes rightly so, you should have also used parmazan and basil, :)

[@ae4164]

@@MrTruth111 More like garlic!, basil, oregano, and a few bay leaves. The _parmesan_ goes on top of the finished product while it's fresh.

[@noshok7436]

You are thee coolest nerd on this planet my friend. Very interesting stuff, keep up the good work.

[@CashewBestofNuts]

I believe he is a true or two above your standard nerd, definitely far beyond spazzoid too.

[@arvidlystnur4827]

I know I'm going to anger people by stating digital is clearly objectively superior in accurate sound reproduction, but the magic of the needle traveling through vinyl groves makes the sounds and technology subjectively beautiful.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Very cool..Enjoyed ! It's amazing how well the old LP record technology actually worked...

[@NoEgg4u]

When my sputter coder was being serviced, rather than loading the slide into a vacuum chamber and evaporating silver metal onto the pieces of the LP... ... I interaxelated depolarized tri-polymer plasma into a recursion matrix, by way of a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (with the promo-dynamic module set for differentially charged polaric ions), which left a quantum signature in the vinyl. This gave me zeta particle derivation compliance, and allowed for precise flow rate adjustments of positronic neural peptides.

[@tomeverett2212]

Perhaps I gotta put my hip boots for this one.

[@peterbustin8604]

Perhaps do what ?

[@rigidfinger]

I find that hard to believe. Where is the video?

[@CrazyPigeon834]

Sounds like you knocked that one off an episode of star trek

[@buddyclem7328]

CrazyPigeon834 Or possibly Rick and (BURP) Morty.

[@MajorHavoc214]

Though I have seen electron microscope images of a phonograph needle on a record before, this was the first time I have seen them in motion.

[@AppliedScience]

Mok214 Me too! I've been really interested in seeing stop motion and also realtime video from a SEM. I've got some projects on the way to show more of this.

[@AliMirjamali]

Applied Science It was really beautiful to watch. Looking forward to watch 3.5" Floppy and specially the MO Disc. I wonder if it would be possible to see helical scan patterns of VHS tape.

[@whitcwa]

Ali Mirjamali In the early days of videotape editing , we used Edivue tape "developer" on 2 inch quad videotape to see the tracks. The developer was a suspension of carbonyl iron particles in carbon tetrachloride. With a Smith splicer, you used a microscope to align and trim the ends before applying splicing tape. The tape ends had to be trimmed so that the splice was made just after vertical sync. There was always some disturbance on playback. Luckily they invented electronic editing after a few years.

[@AppliedScience]

Ali Mirjamali I haven't actually tried to view magnetic media in the SEM yet. The MO disk and floppies are for another project. But I can't believe I didn't realize that the magnetic areas would interfere with the beam in such a way that the information would be visible. I'll bet it will work! Thanks!

[@AppliedScience]

Anvilshock That's a good point. Having true high-speed SEM video would be incredibly useful!

[@scudder991]

Not only were the video results fascinating, but your explanations of how these LPs & storage disks work were interesting. Yet your problem-solving processes were best of all! Well done sir.

[@notasstupidasilookprobably]

I only clicked to see a close up of a stylus running over a vinyl. Being a DJ I was interested. Boy did I get more than I expected. Great video.

[@fabrizio483]

Listening to him talk is what reading a book whilst being illiterate must be like.

[@phlog_dog7336]

I bet you feel like a real genius for using whilst.

[@doiron12]

@@phlog_dog7336 When your name is Fabrizio you have to say whilst at least 5 times daily.

[@seabulls69]

Brilliant. For those not well versed in small stuff, a human hair can be anywhere between 17 and 180 microns. When I worked at HP, we had "dicing" saws that would "singulate" die from an 8" diameter silicon wafer. Those blades varied in width from 10 microns to 250, or wider. Imagine being able to literally "split hairs".

[@jamescarter3196]

Funny, someone else left a goofy pseudo-poetic comment about how 'nobody else seeing this video could be as smart as this guy' and you just proved that comment wrong. Some people think their own low bar is everybody else's. I'm not a scientist but did get to use an electron microscope at HP in Corvallis one time in the '80s (middle-school enrichment class) and saw some of what you're talking about. We got mis-printed wafers to cut up and look at.

[@andrewosei328]

I feel like an arts student that stumbled into the wrong lecture hall and got stuck

[@akicitaa.8233]

And yet my HP printer can't finish a job without a jam.

[@barneyboy7771]

You think about a meat slicer, then, there is such fantastic equipment built by fantastic people out there. Love it.

[@67kemo]

This was so fascinating, I sent the link to my artist/metallurgist wife. She almost went into anthropological art (the art of reassembling skeletons and stuff, whatever that field is) and I think she would find the mix of technology and art in this just as compelling. Great work!

[@clairekholin6935]

What I want now is a poster with all four images scaled, so a massive lp groove, a medium sized CED groove, a small CD track and an almost microscopic DVD track. . . Seeing all of them together at the same scale would be awesome!

[@mikehartmann5187]

Having caught up to this video, I would say that anybody who can build an electron microscope in his garage is fully capable recreating the lost works of Dr. Emmett Brown.

[@docbrown8404]

I made a time machine out of a train! Steam powered time travel! A refrigerator out of scrap parts! The flux Capacitor! The rocket powered drill! I love a good competition though!

[@anim8torfiddler871]

Thank you for all the Bloody Details, for us tech junkies! Sir, you have successfully recreated in EXTREME miniature scale, almost EXACTLY the methods I used to create Traditional animation almost four decades past. The industry in the 70s (in Hollywood, New York, Europe, etc.) was using room-sized Camera stands aimed downward at an art stage with pins ("pegs") precisely matched to holes punched in the animators' paper and acetate sheets, to _register_ the art under a camera with carefully angled lighting. Some were gorgeous collections of exquisite interconnected slides, with smooth gearing and locking levers and scales, knurled knobs and pointers and post-it notes... I used 18"square polarizing filters mounted in front of the lamps, with small glass polarizing filter on a 25mm focal length lens. This suppressed glare and dust, And increased the saturation of the colors. The procedure was frame by frame, just as you were describing, especially for pans and zooms in a sequence. Expose one frame, change the art, move the background one increment, close the glass platen to press everything in place, then repeat those steps until you'd shot all the art, and positions for that sequence. An individual shot in a story, that might have a running time of a few seconds, might take eight hours just to SHOOT one or two sequences, after a hundred hours to create the art. Fun stuff. My little studio started with a fer-Pete's-sake 16mm Swiss Bolex on a hand-built stand. I started working with "hi-end" CGI 35 years ago. You'd like to think that stream-lined everything, wouldn't you? Ask me about doing individual PIXEL surgery on the art for a driving game at Atari...

[@francis3603]

Wow the sheer dedication and expertise this guy has in order to make this work

[@dhebert111]

I still can't get over the fact that you made your own sputter coater, not to mention everything else you did. That's genius level creating. You'd have to have a PHD level of understanding in the various sciences used in this video. Hat's off to you and thanks for your video.

[@PBnFlash]

There are a lot of really great science youtube channels (and you somehow are subscribed to all of them) but yours is by far the best.

[@w2aew]

Fascinating stuff as always, Ben!

[@AppliedScience]

***** Thanks! And thank Tek for sending me the oscilloscope. I've been planning to build a direct-to-computer digitizer for the SEM, but using the oscilloscope has been so convenient and adjustable, I'll probably continue with that for a while.

[@JakeBiddlecome]

I go back and rewatch this video every few months. One of my favorite videos from this channel. I'd love to see more from his SEM - even if it doesn't have the resolution of modern scanning electron microscopes, it's still cool to see what he does with it. If I had this machine I'd be spending all day every day just putting random things in it.

[@stevenpike7857]

It's amazing looking at those grooves and how it captures a person's voice, music, and melodies.

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

That... Was... AWESOME! I am just now stumbling across this channel. This video is exactly what I was looking for every time I plugged the word "science" into the search bar.

[@BMRStudio]

Wow :) Everybody need a scanning electronmicroscope in the garage :) Nice vid! Thanks!

[@shano92107]

Ok that just knocked ‘Monster Garage’ off the top of Worlds Coolest Workshops. Fascinating video, thanks for posting!

[@blacksquirrel4008]

Opened this just to watch a few seconds of a needle moving in a groove but I learned so much I never even considered. BTW, RCA wasn’t the only one who lost money on CEDs, we had a bunch of them.