Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Digital Microscope Stand!

Adam's currently obsessed with his new digital microscope, and as he does with all his new tools, builds a way to make it better. In this case, it's modifying an old dissection microscope stand that he's had for 10 years and combining it with the new microscope. Adam machines and modifies the mount and also finds a place to affix dedicated lights on his new microscope rig!
Adam's new digital microscope: • Adam Savage's New Digi...
Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks
Closed captioning and descriptive audio track provided by the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP); learn more at dcmp.org
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks:
/ @tested
Subscribe for more videos (and click the bell for notifications): www.youtube.com...
Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: tested-store.com
About Tested: www.tested.com...
Twitter: / testedcom
Facebook: / testedcom
Instagram: / testedcom
Discord: / discord
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/...
Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching!
#adamsavage #onedaybuilds

[@AdamWrightthegeek]

I would pay good money to watch a Junk Yard Wars reboot hosted by Adam Savage and Jimmy Diresta. Not dramatic reality TV, just real, dirty, creating to achieve fun goals.

[@mrwhiskers8951]

yes ^

[@marksturgis3536]

I think the show would be better without the seeded junkyard that they were using.

[@andrewdonatelli6953]

That would be awesome! I think I remember Grant Imahara being on an episode.

[@levoniust]

I was thinking the same thing while watching this.

[@1pcfred]

Adam and Jimmy are both one man bands. So I don't see how collaborating would be beneficial to either of them. They're both fine by themselves. Today Jimmy is floating around on his old porch.

[@magreger]

"It's time to admit the bands not getting back together". Adam this made my frickin' day. One of the many many reasons I love watching you work.

[@briansavage932]

This was my favorite build in a long time. Watching you engineer the design in real time, do some real practical machining work, listening to you talk to yourself, and then seeing how awesome the upgrade turned out. It's like it was factory made. This is truly one of the most game-changing tools in the shop. Now I want one...like really bad. Haha

[@kylemustachia5522]

Great mod. One small thing, I think the lights were originally attached to the base so they would move relative to the specimen and not relative to the lense’s housing. Meaning, with it attached to the lense/screen. Every time you adjust the lense zoom or placement the lighting on your specimen will change too.

[@1pcfred]

Yeah he lost me when he glued the lights. The lights need to be independent of the magnifier.

[@solarbirdyz]

@@1pcfred In general, I agree. But I have a smaller version of the same rig, and on mine those lights are too close with inadequate spread to be useful so I don't use them at all. They're glare generators. So I use my other flexible bench lights instead. These, being on larger stems, do look _somewhat_ better, but I don't know whether they're going to be better _enough_ and I kind of doubt it because they have the same problem mine do: being attached at the plate so they curve up and back down, eating most of the flexible shaft just to get them aimed in vaguely the right direction. So in this particular case, attaching them to the screen should make them more useful, even with the negative issue you and Kyle correctly point out.

[@1pcfred]

@@solarbirdyz the angle of light is a large factor in how microscopic items appear to me. Often adjusting the angle of the light is more effective than higher magnification when it comes to being able to interpret what I am looking at. More light isn't always better either. Shadow offers a lot of contrast to reveal detail. Too much light washes the image out. If this stuff was easy to see I wouldn't need to be using instruments in the first place.

[@chrisharris1522]

@@solarbirdyz maybe a ring light with more diffused lighting would be a good addition it would help eliminate glare and shadows

[@PatrickRyan]

I had the same thought, BUT: right now the whole thing is rotatable and extendable (especially with that long, what, 18"-24" transverse arm?) from the heavy base, so you can bring it to your workpiece instead of bringing your workpiece to a specific and potentially limiting location. I think it was the right call overall.

[@BrianHansen1973]

Loved this One day build with minimal time lapses. I understand they are necessary on longer builds, but I enjoy the real time more. You hear your thought process and ideas play out better I think.

[@HybridDivide]

I never fail to find myself jealous of your glorious lab, Adam. I'd kill for a workspace half as well set up! Great project!

[@vyfastify]

Them fingers and finger nails are of a true engineer. Hats off to you Adam, I always enjoy your videos. Thanks.

[@toyfreaks]

So smooth, stable and controlled. Perfect modification for this application! When you first focused on the watch, I could see tiny chips in the crystal, but the dial was a total blur. When you focused on the dial, it was like the glass wasn't even there. The depth of field is so minute and so flat! What a cool setup. I would spend the next 2 months just looking every random thing.

[@The.Pickle]

It would be lovely to see this microscope used more in your videos. There are, quite often, times where I wish we could see close up in that level of detail.

[@mdg482]

I was thinking that as soon as the watch face was under it.

[@musstakrakish]

lol he's never going to actually use this thing. He already had one that sat for 10 years not sure what this one will do that the other one couldn't.

[@briansavage932]

This is why i love watching Wristwatch Revival. Marshall's close up work is beautiful to watch and makes detail work so easy to understand as a viewer.

[@andrewdonatelli6953]

I love these tool videos. After the last episode, I ordered one of these and had it in my hands the next day. A good portion of the tools in my shop are from recommendations by Adam and Tested.

[@The.Pickle]

Yeah, the show is a really good resource for quality tools.

[@JackCliffordWilliams]

I love the CA glue / baking soda trick! For random home repairs it's so helpful! 👍

[@santanamauricio]

I have never been jealous of anything that has been shown on this wonderful channel before. until the spirited away music box, I want it NOW!🤣🤣

[@corrinastanley125]

One day builds are always interesting. Thanks Tested team.

[@LiqdPT]

22:55 I noticed when you were focussing down close like this, you could actually focus on the different layers. You settled on focussing on the watch face, but for a moment the crystal was in focus and you could see the pitting

[@jmfrank7034]

Hell yeah!! I can’t wait!! Everyone buckle up!

[@NRay7882]

Great little improvements! I'd throw a plastic bag over that screen though to keep it looking nice and clean :D

[@LMG-OBSESSED]

You da man Adam an inspiration for generations to come!

[@NeilzaKachowski]

Love the “no and then” reference to Dude where’s my car 😂

[@jezm-l3941]

I am so glad it is not just me. That moment when you go “hang on. Just pull it apart more and we can find a better solution”. If only I had the tools to follow through on the idea in my head!!

[@fb341]

Interesting coincidence... I also bought an Andonstar digital microscope the same week as you, Adam. However, this video has given me stand envy!! Thanks a lot! ;) Seriously, great mod!

[@stevenmclaughlin2138]

Very cool tool, Adam. Excellent build.

[@videostarish]

LOVED the episode..! I thought you were funny as you muttered to yourself as in 18:20 similar to Professor Frink from the Simpson's... 😊👍

[@gpowell511]

You grabbing 2 different screws gave me an idea for a dirtiest of dirty santas. A Russian nesting doll type of box-in a box- in a box which gets screwed together with every screw head type I can find. Finished off with a stripped out head that they have to find a way to back out 😂

[@Games_and_Music]

"rivet"ing :P

[@aurysage3043]

Excellent as always.

[@lorawaring883]

super job. thanks for the fun!

[@juliefreeman2459]

I grew up watching mythbusters then blowing up turn Creek mixtures from dropping stunt devils to finding out if you can shoot a bullet out of a curved barrel from running dump trucks with ram plows nice to see it that Adam still going on KZbin

[@dalehorton7748]

Looks nice and solid, tho I worry that the ability of it to rotate when/if you extend the horizontal shaft, and tilting the scope side to side, will lead to frustrations around getting a flat focal plane and maintaining focus as you move it around. Attaching some levels would help a ton, but it's not quite the most ideal stand for most bench work. Also I have the same microscope and the barrel connector for the base/lights has gone bad after a few months, it still works but now it's super touchy. Be careful with it!

[@charlieharris2857]

Adam, all I can say is, You are a joy!

[@Cyemese]

I've been looking to pickup one of these digital microscopes as the optical one I currently use is a pain. One of my concerns was the size of the base and adjustability. Definitely a fan of your solution. Hoping I can come up with something similar. Perhaps a boom arm modification.

[@ThisOldGrouse]

I have ended up mounting mine microscope on a monitor arm, just made a VESA adapter in Fusion360 and printed it out. Just need to make a box so I can store the arm and the microscope together safely now.

[@andybogart2503]

You’re a trusting soul, sharing your fingerprints like that. That microscope is going to be so much fun to play with!!

[@musstakrakish]

what would showing your prints do?

[@Zeis]

@@musstakrakish it can be easily recreated from a picture, let a lone a high-res microscope image. The Chaos Computer Club showed how they were able to recreate all fingerprints of a prominent German politician just from a picture of a glass he touched. They then sold silicone castings of those fingerprints, mostly as a gag, but primarily to show the dangers of sharing your fingerprints. This might be a bit of a reach, but if someone were to target Adam, and he happens to use his fingerprints to unlock his phone, then they could steal his phone and unlock it with a casting of his fingerprints.

[@elijahroberts5270]

I was gonna say this, glad I checked for existing comments first.

[@LolSho0orTs]

@@Zeis i am sure he is not unlocking his phone with his middle finger lol

[@DevonsWorkshop]

Gorgeous!

[@rdg2794]

When you focused at 12mm and you could see the surface of the glass it literally took my breath away

[@chrisharris1522]

20 years ago something like this would cost thousands, amazing how far technology has come and where it will be 20 years from now

[@ssofft]

I remember that microscope/stand! you did a one day build for a fiber optic ring light adapter to go onto it.

[@Gman1024]

Great mod & creation.

[@JesseROBINSON-mv3fz]

Very nice I love microscope to look at stuff keep doing more of this and the other videos love them all. God bless you all

[@MultiDooder]

There was a collective sigh of relief when you taped the sensor, lol

[@rondavis3232]

Love the channel, love the content, love the crew. The very best on KZbin. Only 2 points of feedback, which is not meant to be negative: 1. the sound of the flexible camera support when it is adjusted is like nails on a chalkboard 2. I so miss "this is only a test" and "still untitled". Again I'm a fan and always will be, just offering for consideration.

[@1pcfred]

The sound of the flexible camera support when it is adjusted is not so bad. Toughen up!

[@rondavis3232]

@@1pcfred sure. I'll toughen up. Thanks for the advice. I'll start by chewing on tin foil and using a bag of rocks for a pillow. I'll offer you some advice as well. It's ok to try to be comfortable. No one who's worth listening to is going to challenge your manhood. Don't be so insecure!

[@1pcfred]

@@rondavis3232 I'm glad to hear that you've taken my comment to heart. When it's tough you just have to chew harder. Grin and bear it!

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

Definitely Enginerding hands... Mine have a few more bits missing and scarred- but I am a bit older as well! 😱🤣

[@chriskaprys]

18:31 is that a Dude Where's My Car / Every Frame A Painting reference? 😆

[@kousakasan7882]

Nothing like a mod that gets the tool "out of the way". When you can think about the project without having to interrupt your thinking to use a tool.

[@maryduarte3248]

My son wants to make stuff also but he has to find the right things to make it but he doesn't have enough or enough of what he is trying to make tho we do enjoy watching you making the stuff thanks for sharing your video with us happy Saturday

[@steve-175]

It be nice if Adam and Jamie got together and did just 1 or 2 myth busters a year going over stuff from the past year or so

[@richardbrobeck2384]

Nice Adam I have been looking into buying one of those microscopes and the factory base did seems really light !

[@TheBalunStormhands]

You need some of Bernadette Banner's Victorian Skin Cleanse (aka Skin Stripper made with real rocket fuel) to clean those hands real good.

[@MissMoffet19]

That's the sensor Cover the sensor with his hand How not to love this man❤😂

[@crumpred805]

That’s awesome … I’m jealous!

[@johnderoy916]

Do a show and tell on the Papyrus - I have that same tube holder from my trip to Egypt in 2001.

[@tomlov]

Awesome video👍

[@quintinsmits]

I'm used to doing watch repair with a stereo microscope. Something like this would allow a more comfortable posture while working. I'm unsure if I would miss the depth perception of the stereo microscope...

[@davidskala7652]

That has got to be the world's largest one dollar bill up on the wall there, it's the first time I noticed it lol it's awesome and I don't know why hahah

[@KeepersPS]

Hey maybe next video you can modify the tripod to have an inaudible pan head am I right!? Love you Adam!!

[@aserta]

4:40 i generally don't cut stuff like that up, because you never know when the two other mating surfaces are good for something. In this situation, i would discard the holder in its entirety from the project and dissemble the old microscope to separate and sort its parts, the two aforementioned mating surfaces kept inside my "maybe this shizzle will be good for something later" boxes and just make a new holder from scratch. Learnt the hard way that it's simpler to just do this, then regret later. Obviously, this plays only for people who can actually properly make such a part, i'd understand and support Joe Casual entirely in their decision to not go that route. Not everyone has a lather or a mill. Just my 2 cents worth of philosophy over stuff like that, i've regretted many times cutting stuff that were made for one another over the years. Stuff like that requires entirely too much effort to put together when you're not a factory, and if it's usable (some stuff isn't, let's be honest) why not keep it (if space affords that).

[@marksturgis3536]

The hands of anyone who has spent a lifetime making tell a story. Some of the scars on my hands tell of being a boy making things half a century ago.

[@nikobobich9726]

thats so awesome bro

[@loukovanda5539]

I feel so much better about the state of my fingernails, they are much like yours. I have some very similar scars as well. I now need to add a microscope to my shop.

[@kirinfire9960]

good morning early crew

[@matthiasbode9737]

nice work adam....greetings from germany

[@fryeday]

I'm curious, at 27:16 you start sliding the monitor across the leather surface of your workbench, would that not scratch screen?

[@Rick.123]

that freaked me out

[@amechanicalengineer4088]

I found this approach really interesting! Being the 3d printing nerd that I am (also because I don't have my own shop yet), I would have printed a cradle to sit inside that loop that would hold the microscope. Adam's solution is definitely more elegant though

[@MorningDusk7734]

I was also thinking a 3D printed sleeve would be ideal for this, especially to add in the lights as a separate hole, but Adam is a machinist at heart, and his solutions align with what he tends to do if possible.

[@leighton905]

Would love to see Adam use 3D printing, he's got to get one set up.

[@jacktingle215]

I bought a cheapo video microscope a couple of years ago. Same deal: decent optics, rubbish stand. I pulled out my copy stand & made an adapter. Much more stable.

[@AbstractObserver]

Adam using a deep voice... damn I would love to hear an audiobook where he narrates that way, a noir detective book

[@IanScottJohnston]

Same as me in my workshop.......everything is up for modification!

[@nathkrupa3463]

Adam you are awesome dude great work

[@AlitaGunm99]

Attach it to your mill, and find a way to put a crosshair reticle on the screen, and you can use it to make precision optical measurements.

[@Greneby1]

If you turn the holder upside down, you’ll be able to get closer to the objects on the table. Just a thought.

[@samtame5509]

Hay Adam I'm like kit bashing and scrap building. I have a large portion of medicine bottles. How would you recommend attaching stuff to them. I plan on making spaceships out of them and I'm stumped on good way to attach them together and stuff to them. Glues don't work for everything.

[@steve-175]

The scratches on that screen after sliding it face down on his work bench 😮😮😮😮

[@goodvideos.113]

You share your work very well.

[@jeffgagne6439]

sweet - we now have 3 of the 10 fingerprints - only need the remaining 7 to finally release our robot overlords! ;) Seriously though- that microscope and capability is pretty friggin amazing and the mod to separate it from the base allows for so much more flexibility.

[@chrisreichart8865]

This is excellent content.

[@phay_ratwoman]

have a feeling adam would be good at building PCs after this

[@rogierius]

Dear lord, that crackling noise when he touches that camera.

[@MrCoolAttitude]

Well then time to modify mine now.

[@nicolevanderpool1252]

Mid video Adam: And then..? No and then. Video continues 😊

[@NeilzaKachowski]

What a reference… if you know the movie you know

[@scuba7695]

Did you take the tape off the back of the unit you put on for dust protection?

[@sebastienfiguiere5092]

I was wandering the same thing, otherwise all this one day build would have been done for nothing but a burnt screen 😝

[@Rockhopper1]

you ever thought of putting a multi stage on the main shaft, you just rotate it in under the microscope, if you did a multi stage you can then have several items separated so you can work on multiple objects. On the stages you write the microscope settings, so you can instantly go to the right setting.

[@MatchaMakesThings]

Seems like adam is getting closer and closer to building a watch/clock for himself.

[@mattmoore1882]

handles on the base so you could walk it from tabletop to tabletop?

[@scottstewart3884]

Nice adaptation. Is there a way to modify the monitor/lens so that the monitor can stay in a position independent of the lens? Personally It would drive me nuts with the monitor changing position all the time. And yes, i know in a lot of cases, it would be in that same position for a while, but then the next project its in a different spot...

[@andrewdonatelli6953]

I have the same microscope. The lens and monitor are very integrated and you can only tilt the screen, but height is not independently adjustable from the lens. It does have HDMI out though. So, you could hook up an external monitor and mount it in a fixed position.

[@Aleph-Noll]

in the case of this product they are connected via a hard plastic shell body, but i suppose it would be possible to disconnect them and use wires but might be more effort than its worth, but there should be models where thats already the case!

[@jettbrains]

34:11 "Look at these fingernails, such horror show!" 😂 Then proceeds to show finger prints...

[@AltBlu]

Personally I like how you attached it, if I had the skills I would have done the same, but I would have tried to keep the ring for a place to mount lights.

[@Umtree]

I wish I had those tools, a work shop, a house 😢

[@ceceboy628]

So great, tnx! :D

[@CarlGeers]

... just a cute little baby drawer... yah... that's all it needs... right? Love your vids yah kook

[@tiltedstudio]

Would you be happier mounting the monitor independently of the Mike Rows Cope? So you can adjust the location and/or focus without changing where you're looking?

[@tiltedstudio]

Ahhhh. Never mind. It's the same unit.

[@aserta]

Awesome scars!

[@JasonTCampbell]

You need to make a station for it now or you'll never use it, you're too on the fly with the builds, heheheh. Looks awesome, cheers.

[@WayneWerner]

The microscope stand is dead, long live the microscope stand!

[@billday295]

Adam, have a challenge for you…. I too live in the Bay Area, having retired recently and jumped in both feet to watchmaking and repair. My challenge, Nobel worthy - watchmaker are constantly hand and knees looking for minuscule parts which fly into the unknown at the slightest touch; can you devise kinetic energy coefficients for the arc and distance of parts, thereby creating search criteria? By doing spring energy and drop test you could catalog search zones. Good place to start would be your cluttered shop. What do you think?

[@artor9175]

I had thought Adam was going to mount the LED lights onto that aluminum traverse block, so they would be much closer to his work piece.

[@wolfinpdx]

I really dig the microscope. But I think between my years in IT, and having worked at a hospital in an imaging department, I would want the display to be stationary. That was the preference of the medical technicians who I worked with the tools as well.

[@iddeegee]

yep, it's probably the main issue of this version, but I guess that makes it cheaper and easier to produce, but you can use HDMI out (built-in) as a workaround, but that's not an ideal solution, especially when they cannot both work simultaneously

[@davidrenton]

@@iddeegee i was thinking just make the tray moveable, of course have it so both screen and tray are, but have it so the tray can move up and down

[@davidmurn772]

While watching this, I was wondering why Adam didn't just trace out the original shape of the microscope holder onto a bit of ply, drill a 1.75" hole in it, and use the existing clips on the holder to hold the ply in place.

[@zenmaster76]

Personally I would have mounted the lights to the mounting bracket on the stand so that the light didn't move off of the subject everytime you adjust the angle of the monitor

[@MrMartinSchou]

When I first saw this microscope, my first thought was "that's so neat - I don't need an extra monifor for it!" Then I realised that it seems to be a terrible formfactor for use. When you're adjusting the zoom or field of view, you have to change your own posture as well, which can't really be great for working with.

[@krzeczkop]

Just one piece of advise. Create dust cover bag for screen, lense and sensor.

[@rod1931]

Is the disc sander in background spinning? Cool build! Looks very sturdy and even easier to work with. Love it!

[@alexpetrou1937]

I have noticed the disk sander in previous videos spinning endlessly, i have now made it a point to try and catch it lol. Glad i am not the only one who noticed this. Last time i noticed it was on the new drill bit shelf he made, you can notice it spinning when hes looking at the LED lights, i would like an explanation 😅

[@davewood406]

@@alexpetrou1937 Not quite endlessly but it was the last 7 or so minutes of the video, I didn't look at how many edits were in that but it couldn't have been much. It's just well balanced, healthy bearings and a good bit of rotating mass. I bet 10 minutes to stop spinning is in the ballpark.

[@iamtherealzim]

You should mount it on your new XY-rotary tool.

[@SarahKchannel]

I did exactly the same 2 years ago, only I used an monitor arm not a microscope stand, same Microscope thought.... A wonder for aging eyes ;)

[@SarahKchannel]

I added 2 flexible arms with alligator clips to the side, helping hands. Use it every day since then.