Lapsun 14MP Digital Microscope - USB Fix follow up

[@meehan302]

Great that they sorted out the issues and you have it up and running to your satisfaction.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Thanks Patrick Meehan - Yes - on the whole I'm pleased with the performance of Lapsun - It's a shame the camera had a problem when it arrived, but that is not unusual for new products - even the big companies (apple/microsoft) are forever patching products after release. I'll try to think of some interesting uses for the microscope now... I bet I could get seedlings to sprout under that ring LED light, and do a nice timelapse as they push their way into the light... Hmm... that might be an idea for this weekend. Cheers!!

[@omarassaggaf1680]

Hello Jim, thanks for the great review and follow up. I was thinking to get the same camera set, but I was reluctant due the USB & 30-sec recording issues that you pointed in your videos. So I had my Chinese friend and eventually myself to communicate with Lapsun for the past week to resolve those issues. After many trials and just 30 mins ago they told me that the camera could now record continuously till SD card is full, however in multiple files where each file Max. size is about 4GB, that's around 3 hrs. Thanks

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Thanks +Omar Assaggaf - That is really good news. I'll contact lapsun myself and see if I can get hold of the new firmware. The 4GB file size is very normal because it's a limitation in the FAT32 filesytem on the SD card. Hope you're doing well. Thanks agian for letting me know about the fixed firmware. Awesome!!!. Cheers!!

[@omarassaggaf1680]

+Jim Conner Thanks...I'm looking forward to watching your next follow up on these issues or any new finding once you get hold of the new firmware. Have a nice day!

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Omar Assaggaf _ I got an email from Lapsun this morning telling me that the new firmware is available from www.lapsun.com/uploadpic/FWMDC.bin - I'll be giving it a try this evening. Cheers!!

[@omarassaggaf1680]

+Jim Conner That's Great. I can't wait for your feedback.. cheers!!

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Omar Assaggaf - I've given the new firmware a try tonight, and it does indeed fix the recording problems - I'm editing the video together now, but whilst I'm waiting for the .mov files from the camera to transcode into something my editing software can understand, I thought I'd take the time to thank you again for letting me know about the new firmware. Thanks!! Cheers!!

[@manp1039]

at 11:30 you spoke of a 2x Barlow lense attachment to increase magnification. Can you post a link to this lense for sale on amazon? Have you done a video with more description and demoing of this lense? If so, please post lint in your comment to this video.

[@grindererrofficial3755]

Just google barlow lenses, you will get all info about this kind of lenses. If you trying find some, you hqve to be sure about correct diameter. Coz are few most common diameters of microscopes tubes/optics

[@FesterWerks]

Nice they continue to follow up with you and try to resolve the issues.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

FesterWerks Thanks Mark. Yes - Lapsun have been good at responding to queries via ebay.. I took me a few messages to convince them that the problem wasn't with my PCs or software, but we got there in the end. Shipping the unit from the UK to China and back was a frustrating experience though - It took nearly three weeks to get from here to there... but I can't really blame Lapsun, China for the performance of UK delivery companies :) Hope all is going well with you... Looking forward to your next update. Cheers!!

[@FesterWerks]

I find buying directly from China is frustrating. The 3-5 weeks for delivery kills me. I did a short update Sunday, I don't think it hit all the sub boxes though.

[@akwang3350]

FesterWerks For this items, we usually ship by express shipping, the shipping time is just 7-14 days...no need 3-5 weeks, thanks!

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Ak Wong FesterWerks - When I first ordered the microscope, it took just 39 hours to make it's way all the way from China to the UK....(nearly 6000 miles). It then spent over two weeks at UK customs, 39 miles from my house, waiting for a UK courier to do all the paperwork. It must be very frustrating for companies overseas shipping to the UK as so much of the delivery process is outside their control, and it causes a lot of frustration for the customer, and work for the supplier answering 'where's my stuff' queries. I wish the UK has a postal service as efficient as ChinaPost. Cheers!!

[@astyanaxfromdownunder1225]

Hi Jim, I welcome your comments from the followup review of the lapsun 14MP camera. Currently I am looking at getting the 14MP camera lens system but with a different, smaller stand, that enables top illumination as well as transmitted illumination. However, I have not been able to get a sensible response from Lapsun about the usb function of the camera. Can you please let me know how the camera talks to the pc. Presumably it does so with firmware on the camera that facilitates basic functions. (Is additional software required?) Specifically I am interested to find out if there is a capture (grab a frame) function that can be executed via the software like most digital cameras. I noted you mentioned that the camera has a button , but that is likely to induce jitter.... Unfortunately I could not get a sensible response form lapsun on any of this. I look forward to your suggestions

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi Astyanax - The USB functionality on the camera is very limited and the camera just presents itself as a UVC (Universal Video Camera) webcam device (the driver is built into Windows 7 or later) which will work with Skype or any other webcam supporting software. You cannot access the zoom functions, recording or snapshots on the camera when it is used with USB, and when you use USB, the HDMI output is disabled. Also if you have a SD card plugged into the camera then it will not work as a USB webcam, but instead presents itself as a USB mass-storage device (so you can copy the files off). For the full functionality, using the HDMI output is essential. I use my camera solely on the HDMI output and have a splitter attached so that I can view it on a screen whilst simultaneously capturing it with an HDMI capture card plugged into my desktop PC. The snapshot button does add shake to the image and it's very hard to grab a good still without blurring it as you hit the button. Another camera which might be worth a look at is the new one from Andonstar (who contacted me asking if I'd like to review it, but never got back to me after I said 'yes please' to them). Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@astyanaxfromdownunder1225]

Thanks Jim, I thought as much. I finally received a note from Lapsun, albeit still without a direct answer to the question. They suggested that AMCAP/S-EYE is ok to use for the purpose and provided the following link (New Microscope Camera Video Software for WIN7 , WIN8 , WIN10; - Download URL: www.lapsun.com/uploadpic/S-EYE_Setup.zip ) If it provides any camera control it may be of interestl to you and other users. On the basis of your followup review I ordered a camera (www.ebay.com.au/itm/14MP-HDMI-Industrial-Microscope-Camera-2-Light-Stand-180X-C-MOUNT-Zoom-Lens-/121699425601?hash=item1c55d9dd41) and some optics and a stand for surface photography of little wood blocks at low power. I should receive the system within 3 weeks (customs permitting). In the mean time, I am not sure if you have the time or inclination to test the S-EYE with your camera and see if there is indeed some control capability. I would be grateful for any assistance you can provide and thanks again for the reviews.

[@bulwinkle]

A fantastic piece of kit for the money now.

[@TheRambutan2000]

Hi Jim great review! Have you ever tried hooking up a "regular" non-microscope lens to the camera module? I looking at my options for a 3D scanning rig. Currently have a Raspberry Pi camera with a CS mount and some adapters to Nikon lens and works well, wondering if the same rig would with with this module. TNKS!

[@Shroommduke]

I'm crackin up watching you open that package!

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Shroom Duke Well, I certainly can't fault them on their packaging :-) Thanks for taking the time to comment. Cheers!!

[@manp1039]

have you used the Hayear measuring software with you usb microscope camera? If so, what are your thoughts? If you have done a video review on it, please comment with link to the video.

[@darjeelingmobileservicecen1895]

hello sir help me how to connect my microscop camera to laptop

[@keyplayr61greenhousehydrop14]

Glad you got it working, Jim! I can see where that could be useful for your "mad scientist" experiments ; )

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Keyplayr61 Greenhouse Hydroponics And Gardens Thanks Keith. I think that mad scientist would be the perfect job for me :) Cheers!!

[@octapc]

Hi Jim Could you put in your video description details the items you used including software and maybe links?

[@MRFIXTV]

hello friend goodnight, I have the same model of camera but the minute to use the picture freezes and I have to turn on and off the camera and makes the same mistake think is an error in the camera? or may have solution otherwise, I appreciate your help excellent video

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Erick Juarez Avila - That sounds as if you have the same firmware with the USB problems that I originally got with my camera - There was something wrong with the video encoding on the USB stream which then crashes the codec on your PC when you try to view it - There's definitely a firmware fix for that, and I see from the recent comment on here from Omar Assaggaf, it looks like there's a fix for the 30-second recording limit now too. It's well worth contacting lapsun and asking for the new firmware - I'm just about to do that myself. Cheers!!

[@SuperKillerkarnickel]

hi jim, very informative video. Can you actually grab full 14Mpixel images via USB? USB-cameras usually offer a video -PIN and a snapshot-PIN from the driver if they have foto and video function. Thats what is used in the film-app to previe in low resolution and then record the foto. BTW, what pixel resolution do you get with that lens (µm/pixel)?

[@astyanaxfromdownunder1225]

Hi SuperKillernickel Did you get a reply from Jim to your question about saving full resolution image? I could not see a thread. I am waiting on my microscope/camera. I have a feeling that it may not be possible using the supplied software. Lapsun gave me a link to "S-EYE' but I can't see any option for saving a full res. image. I am still waiting on their reply. I would be interested in any useful information you can glean.

[@mattress314]

You have to put some bugs from the greenhouse under the new toy. Remember if you put them in the fridge they won't move around as much for the real closeups. What else? Maybe a watching a saturated salt solution and seeing some crystals grow. Keep up the vids

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Matthew Reece-Ford Thanks Matt - I'll certainly get some creepy crawlies under there soon... The fridge tip is a great one. Timelapse video from the microscope is a great idea... I'll have to think of some experiments to do with my kids. It's hard keeping up the pace with the videos when out of the house for 14 hours a day... All it takes is one busy weekend where I don't get the chance to make a video, and then by the next weekend, it's already been half a month between videos... I need to become a gentleman of leisure :) Cheers!!

[@smartrepair247Irl]

Hi Jim Great video, i have the same one great bit of kit for the price, but i need a hdmi capture card now, the 30 second limit on the video is annoying i got the response of the sd card i was using was not capable also, but its all down to the firmware, its more or less got some dash cam parts inside. The Novatek logo seems to be scratched from the chip on these common in dash cams.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +JustDIYit - Yeah - it's totally down to the firmware on there. I've tried with a whole bunch of different class 10 or better SD cards and it does the same with all of them. I've pestered Lapsun a couple of times about the issue, and they've said that they've told the factory about the problem, but there's no new firmware available. I dismantled the binary file for the firmware update and can confirm without doubt that it's a Novatek96650 chip in there, and the datasheet for it says that it should be more than capable of recording 1080p video. It's a very annoying bug. The HDMI capture card I'm using is a Startech SA7160 - It wasn't the cheapest one around (£95) , but I'm very happy with that card as it can capture straight to .mp4 video files with hardly any CPU load (~4% for me) - it has a built in x264 encoder. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@CharlyDickensgmail]

Hi Jim ok i did today, don t know if it worked for me try to get it going under windows 10 can you have a try when you have spare time.. lapsun support you ( and us) my camera detect difficult and if it does it freezes... any suggestions

[@dafyddruffell6494]

Did you find out why it was zoomed in too much via hdmi? If you did could you let me know as I’m struggling with mine

[@matthewdavis529]

Hello I have just ordered the same and would like to know where you got the 2X Barlow Lens, which type lens is the one that will fit on this lapsun lens. thanks in advance and great video. 73

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Matthew Davis - The barlow lenses came from Lapsun too. They have them up on ebay... www.ebay.com/itm/Barlow-Objective-Auxiliary-Lens-0-5X-2-0X-For-Microscope-Camera-C-MOUNT-40-5mm-/141361432785?hash=item20e9cc48d1:g:o1QAAOSwbqpT1wID .. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@kairus1]

if i buy this microscope will i get the same magnification like in 6:18 in your video? or do i have to buy a add on lens?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

At 6:18 I'm using the 0.5x barlow lens. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@abrahamjw7]

I m looking in amazon web site and there is other with a lens of 300x, include monitor, ring lamp 114 leds and other accesories hope that help www.amazon.com/Aihome-Digital-Industry-Microscope-Universal/dp/B01E1CP2PA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476818613&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=14MP+HDMI+HD+USB+Digital+Industry+Video+Microscope+Camera+Set+Big+Stereo+Table+Stand+Zoom+C-MOUNT+Lens+144+LED+Light+300X+Zoon+Lens

[@michaelomiccioli4646]

Will this work on an apple computer? I want to purchase but want to be sure it useable on OSX

[@philpearce3248]

Hi Jim, Thanks for the review. I am looking at buying one of these microscopes and wondered if you could warn me of how much extra you had to pay for VAT, duties and any other expenses that customs or the UK government charged on top of the cost for the microscope.Thanks in advance.Phil.

[@hectorayala8626]

hello, glad to know you are working unit, i just got mine and i think im facing the same problem as yours, can you help me to update the firmware, because return its not an option to me, too expensive from my country

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi hector ayala - I do have a copy of the firmware file and I'd be happy to send that to you if you send me a private message with your email address in... however, I'd suggest as a first step contacting Lapsun and asking them to send you the firmware and instructions for upgrading (which I believe just involes copying the file onto a microSD card and plugging it into the camrea) - That way if anything goes wrong with the firmware update, it will be their fault instead of mine and they'll be responsible for resolving the problem, rather than me having to apologise to you a lot for breaking your camera. Hope that helps - PM me if you want me to email it to you anyway. Cheers!!

[@elchochito]

I honestly came here for the microscope review... but, couldn't help to notice your aoyue rework station.. can you please give me some feedback on it? i've been looking to purchase one of those units in the next few days or so. I do a lot of cell phone repair and tablet repair... thank you.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Edgar Salas - Sorry for the delay replying, but I'm rather overwhelmed by messages these days... Prompted by your message, I've finally got around to doing a teardown and review of my soldering station, and I have _just_ (90 seconds ago) uploaded it to youtube. Hopefully that'll answer any questions you have about the solder station. Cheers!!

[@kairus1]

hi im an artist who needs a microscope that would help me paint the eyes on a face the size of a fingernail. i think this microscope would the be the one. but how much does it cost ? and what model is it? i don't seem to find the complete set on eBay..

[@davidflorez6363]

and I bought one of these but have not sent me the cd software for pc can you help me with this ?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

David Florez This DE8Cap thing was the best bit of software that Lapsun sent me... It still seems to be up on their website for download, so here's the URL... www.lapsun.com/uploadpic/D8Ecap.zip ... Hope that helps... Cheers!!

[@cristianalvarez-fw2ih]

Q más David yo necesito una donde lo puedo comprar

[@philpearce3248]

Hi, Does anyone know if you have to pay any further charges above the initial cost for the microscope from Lapsun i.e. Import duty, VAT etc. when purchasing a unit in the UK. Many thanks. Phil

[@michelheuts1274]

Hello Jim - a nice review ! Can you tell us download link where you have retrieved that UVC stream catcher software ? Thanks ... :-) Michel

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi Michael - Sorry for the delay in replying - I've had problems with KZbin refusing to allow me to reply from within Firefox lately and have only just got around to trying from Chrome (which seems to be working better). The StreamCatcher software isn't from Lapsun - it came with the HDMI capture card I got - I'm afraid I don't have a download link for that. Hope you're well. Cheers!!

[@bugs181]

I tried finding your setup on google / eBay however none of them appear to have the same mount. Ideally, I'd love to be able to have the amount of adjustments that you have in this video. In addition, do you think this microscope would be powerful enough to look at small critters like dust mites, clover mites and those sort of things? Microscopic insects and critters fascinate me.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi bugs181 - The microscope is certainly great for looking at spider mites and spider mite predators - If you check through my videos from last year, you should find a couple of them where I put critters under there. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@bugs181]

Jim Conner Thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time to answer. Liked + Subbed

[@kairus1]

i need to paint something really small like the size of a penny coin. what lens did u buy ? sorry to bother you with so many questions but i really need to get something like this. thank you.

[@godsloveministry4195]

I would assume DSLR with adapter would be whole lot better?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +GodsLoveMinistry - Yes - that'd be a great option as long as you have a DSLR camera (which I don't). The only realy advantage that the Lapsun camera would have over a DSLR is size/weight when sitting on top of the arm/stand. Cheers!!

[@CharlyDickensgmail]

hello how do you flash the *.bin file into the cam. copy the file to the SD card and then?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

and then... put it in the camera and swtich it on. The bootloader on the camera finds the .bin file and flashes it. I found that when I did my own unit the bootloader didn't support the SD card when it was formatted to 64GB... I used a smaller card (I think I had a spare 4GB card) and it worked fine from that. Cheers!!

[@magnuspihl6974]

Lapsun links to this video. I bought it, and the barlow lens too, but they do not match. The barlow lens is 40.5mm and the microscope optics are C-mount (1 inch). The last section of the microscope is not threaded anyway. And your camera seem to have a zoom close to the end also (printed numbers). Can you please explain? Thanks.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi Magnus - The bottom section of the lens on my one is threaded, and is 40.5mm to fit the barlow lens, and indeed, there is a zoom function built into the lens which goes from 0.7x to 4.5x magnification. The top of the lens is 1-inch C-mount where the camera screws in. It sounds as if you might have a different lens to the one I got. I'm afraid I've no idea why that would be the case... perhaps Lapsun have started shipping with different lenses - I'm afraid I've no idea - I'm not in any way affiliated with them (I didn't know they'd linked to this video until you told me in your comment just now). Sorry - I've no idea what to suggest apart from getting in touch with Lapsun (they were very responsive for me through the ebay contact-the-seller links). Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@gigio8030]

Hi Jim! I have a microscope just like your and I want to ask you a favor: in my pack was missing the CD-ROM. You could make an iso image making and uploading on a site like uploaded.net or similar? Without the CD I can't use it with Windows. Sorry for the request but does not really know how to do. Thank you and excuse my english .... :-)

[@TheYeReMyH2o]

Hello Jinm, good video, you tell me please what lens you are using in the video 6 minutes, I like the working distance you have, could you give me some link to buy that lens (single lens) or a track like for her? Thank you

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi YeReMy - It will be the 0.5x barlow lens - it gives you a huge working distance... Here's the link...www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-5X-2-0X-Barlow-Objective-Auxiliary-Lens-For-Microscope-Camera-C-MOUNT-40-5mm-/141361432785?hash=item20e9cc48d1:g:o1QAAOSwbqpT1wID Cheers!!

[@MrMakro86]

Hi Jim, great video(s) on this microscope - it's basically convinced me to buy one after they've fixed the issues. One question though, have you done anything with lower light conditions with it? ie. If I wanted to remove the LED ring and use say a desk lamp instead to help illuminate the area, would this still work? The desk lamp is fairly bright, so my only concern is weather the camera needs a direct light source straight above via the ring or not. I'm mainly going to be using it for SMD soldering, so I figure it might be handy to be able to remove the LED ring to allow a bit more working space around the board/stand. Any comments appreciated. Cheers.

[@benivers2936]

Glad they fixed your issues Jim....So have you tried soldering in real time with it yet? I am interested in how the 14mp will perform this task.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi Ben Ivers - Yes, I sure have and it works great for that. Check out my Galaxy Note USB Port repair video to see some soldering under the microscope in action - I was soldering to fix broken pins on the USB connector, which involved having to bridge the gaps with some very fine wire - the microscope was very much necessary for that operation. The 14MP is only actually used for still shots though, so I was actually soldering at 720p resolution... but is just fine for the screen I was using with it anyway. I'm not sure that the 14MP unit offers any real-world advantages over the cheaper 5MP unit. Cheers!!

[@benivers2936]

Jim Conner That's great to hear Jim I have just purchased the 5mp version with the cheaper stand, I don't expect it work too well for soldering(Probably too much lag) But I have purchased it more for smd joint inspection, I suspect the 14mp will be far superior and i will let you know how it compares when it arrives.Cheers ben. www.ebay.com.au/itm/5-0MP-HD-Industrial-USB-500-Digital-Microscope-Camera-C-mount-Lens-Stand-AU-/111577547689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item19fa8a43a9

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Ben Ivers There's pretty much no lag on the 14MP unit... either on HDMI or USB... (I was expecting far more lag on USB, but there's pretty much none) - I think that apart from the image sensor, the 5MP unit is using the same internals, so hopefully lag won't be an issue for you either. Cheers!!

[@benivers2936]

Jim Conner Not sure if they have the same internals as the 14mp has a different case to the one i purchased the 5mp has what looks to be a cheap plastic case, I can hope the internals are similar though..

[@barba928]

Ben Ivers just for fun you can take a pic, see what it's size is and multiply to get the actual MP count. Your ebay link doesn't add up. Jim's ebay ad and Lapsun's own site had conflicting sensor descriptions. I bought one that looks like Jim's on Amazon and it said '5 mp'. I found that it takes 10mp stills but there may be more. The size of the 10mp still is 4320 x 2432. A common 14mp size is the same width but taller, 4320 x 3240 If you take a 14 mp image and force it to fit a 16.9 ratio, as is the HDMI standard, you get the 10mp size.

[@mnelson10000]

Very nice! They should give you one for being such a patient beta tester, lol

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Thanks mnelson10000 - It's frustrating getting equipment which isn't really totally ready yet... but it's quite satisfying getting to steer the development process a bit. It didn't make it into the video, but over the last couple of weeks I actually pulled apart the firmware update file and found out that the camera uses an NT96650 chip inside - it's used in lots of dashcams for recording multiple camera streams - it's a hugely capable chip, and makes me confident that the software on the camera still has a lot of room for further improvement... It should be able to record direct to .mp4 which would make the editing process easier for me. Cheers!!

[@eugenemoiseev5385]

Hello Jim, Is it possible to change the exposure time on this camera?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Eugene Moiseev - No - There are settings in the menu for exposure from +2.0 to -2.0 in thirteen steps. I haven't tried out the controls to see what effect they have though. Cheers!!

[@ptoti04]

Hi Jim,I've the same set as U. In the clip U are about some USB issues but I cannot find out what it was originally. I observe that the USB stream freezes time to time and then starts moving again. Is that something like U experienced before? How to check the firmware version in this gadget? the seller does not seem to be a great expert in this issue...reg: z. peres

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +ptoti04 - The USB stream freezing up sounds like the behavoiur I was seeing before I got the new fixed firmware... I don't know if you're familiar with how video compression generally works, but usually you have 'key-frames' where the whole video frame is encoded as a jpeg (or similar), and intermediate frames where only the difference from the frame before is encoded... Usually you'll have a key-frame every 100 or so frames so that any corruption in the video stream doesn't affect things for more than a few seconds.... The problem I was seeing was as if there were no key-frames in the video feed... so any glitches got more and more garbled as time went on... and eventually the video output would lock up altogether.... Lapsun do have alternative firmware available, and I've got a copy of it sitting in my inbox at the moment. If you send me a private message on KZbin with an email address for me to send to, then I'm more than happy to send you a copy of the fixed firmware to test out. Cheers!!

[@ptoti04]

+Jim Conner Hi Jim, the things U are about are the same I've experienced. By the way the seller claimed that in fact he has the new (repaired) version of firmware on the camera that I finally bought. I don't know the version numbers, so I cannot check it. In the same time he sent me a copy of a brand new firmware with installation instructions. That one is possibly the same as U have. Nevertheless it would be great to receive your copy.. at least I could check if they are the same. But how to send a private mail via Utube?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

+ptoti04 Well... erm... that's now got me stumped... It used to be that you could click in the 'About' tab on a channel and then click on the 'Send Message' link from there... but I just checked and the link seems to have vanished now... How very strange... Anyway... as you're not the first person to ask me for this firmware, I thought I might as well make life easy for myself and host it somewhere easy to download from... So I've just now put it up on github at github.com/jimconner/lapsun_firmware ... Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@tauttechminusmanagedmusic3778]

I wonder if they mixed up 30 seconds and 30 minute limit set by the EU. Install OBS on your computer and use that to record for long periods.

[@shodanxx]

Use VLC instead of amcap, it's way better. Did you try other lenses ? Do they have any motorized lenses ? either focus or zoom control ?

[@percaine]

I'm thinking about buying a similar microscope camera..Do you still use yours and is it still in good working order after 5 or so years?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi percane - Yes, I still use it when I'm doing surface-mount soldering work (or pulling thorns out of my fingers), but it's quite infrequent. Haven't had any problems with it at all. Still all working fine. I have been thinking about upgrading to a binocular microscope though as that's supposed to be better for soldering work. Cheers!!

[@grindererrofficial3755]

@@ThingsWhichArentWork i had same question sir. So thank you for information and videos :) Have a nice day

[@CharlyDickensgmail]

hello Jim, just 2 questions do you know the difference with this 14MP ->720P cam or his better brother YW3609 HDMI camera with is 5MP -> 1080P what Lapsun says?? and second question : with what tool do you update the firmware. ( what software exactly do you use to view the image on what OS version windows 8 or win 10 maybe? is it from the website) is there the Fw update option inside that software..to update to the latest camera FW version

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Charly Marina - I don't actually know the differnce between the two cameras, but I'd take a guess that the 1080p version has the NT96660 processor inside it instead of the NT96650 inside the 720p camera. The 14MP sensor is rather wasted when the output resolution is only 720p. There's no great advantage in the 14MP version unless you're using it to take stills. I use my microcope mostly with a HDMI splitter cable attached to it. One output connects to a 15" screen in at the back of my workbench and the other goes to an HDMI capture card in my PC. The USB connectivity was pretty good after the bugfix, but as I have a dedicated capture card I just use that instead. The camera shows up as a standard windows UVC (Universal Video Camera) device and doesn't need any driver installed. It will work with any software that can use a standard webcam (Skype, Google Hangouts, whatever.. you name it)... The software lapsun supplied on the CD was something called AMCap - it's a pretty straighforward webcam viewer which uses the Windows DirectShow framework... They also sent me a download link on their website to something called D8Ecap which was a bit nicer, but still pretty limited in features. (Neither bit of software of had a 'measure' feature).The firmware upgrade process is pretty simple... You just copy the .bin firmware file onto an SD card, insert it into the camera and switch it on. The camera checks for the firmware image at boot time, and flashes it as needed. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@maiagomesmedeiros782]

Hey Jim, Could you tell me which software do you use with this camera? Thansk in advance.

[@olaoni2070]

Hi Jim, Having owned this digital microscope for over a year now are you still very pleased with it and secondly are these any good for soldering and hardware trouble shooting of boards?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi Ola - I've had this microscope for over two years now, and I'm still pretty happy with it... It serves all my needs nicely for soldering SMD boards and tracing circuits, examining the pests which plague my plants in the greenhouse, and removing the occasional splinger. I still don't have any regrets on buying it. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@olaoni2070]

Hi Jim - Thanks for your reply. Highly appreciated. You have help me make up my mind on buying it. Your Video's on the Lapsun 14MP Digital Microscope are brilliant and in my opinion better than the ones that Lapsun themselves made. Once again thanks for your reply

[@seydamac]

hi friend a question this microscope can serve me to make approaches at a distance of 20 to 30cm. thanks

[@astrobrick2652]

Hi Jim- does this camera come with a manual? Wondering if it has true manual exposure control? Thanks

[@astyanaxfromdownunder1225]

Hi Brian, I am still waiting for my camera and lens, but alas there is only a manual in Chinese. See my last reply/question to Jim. If it is any help there is a link to software that might be useful for controlling the camera.

[@mollerimports]

I bought the camera on ebay after watching your review, I bought the camera in September and 1 time use only, after leaving it on for lunch when I return was off. and check the transformer and all is well. As you will know if some or solution ?? Great Review Thanks !!!!!!!!!!! Greetings from Panama, Republic of Panama ..

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +mollerimports - It's very nice to be greeted from Panama. Hello back from the UK. I'm afraid I don't know of a fix for your problem. I had issues when I was first setting up with getting the power supplies the wrong way around and plugging the 12V supply for the ring light into the 5V input on the camera, but fortunately that didn't damage the camera - it just switched itself off. You said that the camera failed when you left it for lunch, but is it somehow possible that the wrong power supply got plugged in there by someone.... My other thought is that perhaps the output capacitor in the power supply is failing, and although it can still output a voltage when there's no load attached, the voltage could be dropping when the camera tries to pull some current. If you've got another 5V power supply to test with, it's well worth giving it a try.... If none of that works, I'd suggest getting in touch with Lapsun via the ebay 'ask the seller' thing... They were very good at responding to my support queries when I had the USB problem... They seem to have three or four people who deal with the messages.... Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@mollerimports]

hi Jim thank you, i already contact Lapsun and i'm waiting now, thank you for taking the time to answer me

[@TheNorthwestForager]

Now that its working will you make cool videos of the tiny world?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

TheNorthwestForager I've got a couple of ideas for vids which might be nice to do... I watched a good video from Bright Agrotech about how plants absorb CO2 through pores on the underneath of their leaves, so it could be nice to try and see that in action.... and I like the idea of doing a microscopic timelapse of a seed sprouting and growing if I can work out the right software to do a timelapse from a webcam.... Could be interesting to see the effect of detergent on aphids too... Hrm... too many ideas, never enough time. Hope you're well. Cheers!!

[@TheNorthwestForager]

Ah yes! Please all of them sound like exciting ideas. Especially plants absorbing CO2 I had no idea that was something a person could observe. All is well here, ditto back!

[@a.stargazer4787]

Hi Jim, I want to buy a microscope that advise - to buy or not. Thank you.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Alexey Zolotov - The optics and the stand are great, but there's a bug in the camera itself which means that it stops recording videos after 30-40 seconds. The manufacturer has been aware of the bug for many months now, but there's no sign of a firmware fix getting delivered. This isn't a show-stopper for me as I'm using an HDMI capture card for recording anyway, but it might be a show-stopper for you. I'm not unhappy with my purchase, and there doesn't seem to be much else at the same price which offers the same features, but if I was aware of the recording bug before buying, I might have spent a bit extra on a different camera unit. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@a.stargazer4787]

Jim Conner Thank you very much, you helped me a lot.

[@krille356]

It would be great if you could do a soldering video with the microscope :)

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi krille356 - Your wish is my command - here's one I prepared earlier :) ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKu3h2OnlLR9mM0 ... Cheers!!

[@krille356]

Jim Conner Tanks will watch it immediately :)

[@watcharapongchantraboon3142]

Very safe units to use.

[@BenjasUberHobby]

Thanks for the update on this :)

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Benja's Uber 1337 Hobby Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Now all I need is some time to play around with the microscope some more. As always too much work, not enough play. I guess that makes Jack (aka me) a 'dull boy'. Cheers!!

[@BenjasUberHobby]

Jim Conner The microscope looks cool what a difference the updates made. I started looking close at my sd cards to see if i have scratches on my connectors. It is interesting to see something new on something i have handled so many times. I have seen scratches on older cards but it is interesting to see them on newer ones too.

[@erikgonzalezcovarrubias3203]

En español: Hola Jim, Planeo comprar una cámara como esa para hacer un Telecine, pretendo digitalizar películas antiguas de 8mm que tiene un Sr. de mi pueblo. ¿me recomienda esa cámara? supongo tendré que hachear un mouse para que dé clicks en la PC accionados por un mecanismo en el Telecine; o probablemente hackear el boton de la cámara para que sea accionado mecanicamente por el telecine para capturar cada cuadro y se guarden en la memoria TF. Muchas gracias por su atención. English: Hi Jim, I plan to buy a camera like that to make a Telecine, I intend to digitize old 8mm films that have a Mr. of my town. Does that camera recommend me? I guess I'll have to make a mouse to click on the PC powered by a mechanism in the Telecine; Or probably hack the camera button to be mechanically powered by the telecine to capture each frame and save in TF card. Thank you very much for your attention Erik

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi Erik - Quite a few IP Security Cameras have digital inputs and outputs which can be used to trigger image capture. I would imagine that it is easier to use one of these cameras where you can hook the digital I/O up to the telecine mechanism to trigger frame capture than it is to try and control this microscope camera through some PC-powered route. I have a Foscam FI9990P camera which has exactly this feature built into the software on the camera www.foscam.com/Cooperate/FAQinfo/id/84.html ... Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@erikgonzalezcovarrubias3203]

Thank you very much Jim Best regards

[@astyanaxfromdownunder1225]

Hi Jim, By way of an update for the 14Mp microscope camera, I wound up getting a 16Mp usb camera from Lapsun after significant negotiation and additional expense ( www.ebay.com.au/itm/High-Resolution-16MP-5-fps-USB-HD-C-mount-Lens-Industry-Lab-Microscope-Camera-A-/121913697159?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT ). It does not need a separate hdmi monitor, although in keeping with the previous poor software support, it only works with amcap/s-eye software. s-eye is buggy, barely usable. The camera itself is great. It is too bad Lapsun does not provide decent software along the lines that OMAX or AMSCOPE provide.

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Thanks Astyanax - I hadn't seen that camera before. Looks like a nice compact unit, and wow... what an image size it gives... 3204x1688@20fps... very nice indeed. Yes... great shame that the software isn't better. Cheers!!

[@astyanaxfromdownunder1225]

Thanks Jim, I have been lucky with this supplier. They were happy to answer my questions and negotiate! The original hdmi camera is not a useful usb microscope camera. Thanks for your kind assistance.

[@electronic7979]

Excellent

[@RuggedBrotha]

So if you discount the time and effort dealing with these people, whats this thing worth in dollars in your opinion? And what did you pay ?

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi 315 S Camden Ste 400 Beverly Hills - Well, I am totally happy with the lenses and the stand - those are all good quality parts, but the camera itself is far from perfect. I paid £250 GBP for the lot. As to what the camera is worth on it's own... it's a tricky one to call... In terms of video quality and capabilities there are loads of cheap action cams out there which will capture 1080p video for around £50 (this microscope camera only does 720p), but when you're looking for something with an HDMI output and a microscope C-mount fitting for the lenses, then the market has a lot fewer options. They sell the camera on it's own for £150 (or thereabouts) and at that price, it is reasonably competitive against other microscope cameras, but then it also has the bug/feature whereby it stops recording to CF after 30 seconds for no apparent reason. If I'd known that before I purchased, then I'd certainly have been looking at other options (such as an adaptor ring allowing me to fit a DSLR camera or a camcorder direct to the microscope... a friend of mine just got one of those). Having said all of that though, HDMI output is still something of a killer feature for my use case as it allows me to split the output between a monitor and a capture card which is great for making videos. I'm not dissatisfied with my purchase... but I'm sure there must be something better out there for the same money. Hope that helps. Cheers!!

[@TheOldmankk]

Pal, no Tagarno HD no talk.....haha

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

TheOldmankk Heh... Yeah... but no Tagarno-sized hole in my bank balance either :)

[@ladbla1752]

Thank you for your review. As I can see you have experience with HDMI cameras. I need a good resolution camera for a similar project like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/imO9ZJSJZcdghbc It means I need a camera that will show a pitch alignment of FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit )against LCD. The pitch can be as small as 0.2mm. Will be the Lapsun 14MP USB microscope kit suitable? Or even 2MP USB camera will be OK? Thank you for your reply

[@ThingsWhichArentWork]

Hi +Lad Bla - Yes - I reckon the microscope/camera would be pretty much ideal for that... I don't think that the 14MP really offers any advantage over the 2MP version - You'll be viewing at 1280x720 resolution anyway, so the extra pixels would just be wasted. Hope that helps. Cheers!!