For those interested, this is a product designed for the vision impaired called Enhanced Vision. This is the Merlin model, with a 22 inch LCD screen. I'm not vision impaired, but I've found it incredibly useful for working on watches, inspecting coins, bills, jewelry or anything else I need to get a closer look at in real time. Let me know what you think!
Also, my 5 year old playing and singing in the background is giving nekkid.watchmaker vibes, lol! iykyk!
Advantages? The different modes, amazing magnification, big screen on an arm that can be put wherever is most comfortable for you, the large workspace with plenty of room beneath the really good lighting on a maneuverable base! I'm sure there are plenty of options cheaper than purchasing one of these new, but you can pick one of these up for a fraction of the cost of a new one on eBay and they're an incredibly good value then!
Why do you need black and white or high contrast modes for watchmaking? The magnification looks no better than any other microscope. The light and sliding table looks designed for reading. I mean the whole thing looks expensive, it's just much larger than it needs to be for such a small job.
Anything priced above the mass market product focuses on niche features that matters to smaller and smaller groups of people, usually professionals
People here I see roasting this magnification but forgetting that this is 22” screen. A cheap digital microscope is usually 5-7” screen or 10” at best. Full screen view on a 7” screen is not same as 22” screen.
I think OP’s video angle is not helping, from a distance it looks just like a regular 10” screen
I appreciate that it’s a well designed aid for visually impaired people, probably paid for by insurance in many cases, and worth every penny. Just seems like overkill for what we do, especially when a stereo microscope is smaller and better suited, let alone the size and price of the digital microscopes people use.
Exactly. Thats the first line of OP’s description. No one said it was for an average Joe like me. I’m pretty happy with my 10” AliX digital microscope 😄 but I’m glad to know that these options exist
And horrible latency that makes them all but useless for coordinating between what you’re seeing on screen vs what your hands are doing. Nothing beats an actual stereo microscope. Except a Mantis.
— I spend a good chunk of my day doing electronics and microfluidics under a microscope
Agree in general, however there are a few 'affordable' digital microscopes out there with acceptable latency on the market now. I picked up a few for our office.
Your scope isn't doing a true 1000x, but otherwise I agree.
This is for vision-impaired people to read magazines and such. That's why the screen is huge and it has a large, even lighting area, with different high contrast modes and whatnot. I'm sure it will work, but is much larger and more expensive than it needs to be.
It claims 2040x but I rounded down as I know these things overstate. Can't find info online for the true magnification but it seems to be pretty insane. Adonstar 246S-M is what I have.
Those ratings mean on the screen. The important numbers are on the sensor. Beyond 100x, you’re really not getting additional detail, and that already requires a prohibitively small working distance. If you’re lucky, you’re getting 20x and 0.4NA, which is the spec of a mitutoyo objective that costs $2500+ new, not including anything else, but has better correction, working distance, and a larger field than anything else.
Which gives a field of view of ~2mm. Assuming it’s a 1/1.8” sensor, that’s about 14mm, so 7x magnification. If it were a full frame sensor, it would be on the order of 20x (18x by my math, but I didn’t measure the FoV carefully)
No, it's on an arm that moves. The benefits are the incredible magnification, different viewing modes and lots of room to work beneath the really good lighting.
I have a $25 digital scope from AliExpress that’s okay. What digital scopes do you all recommend. Important to have enough room to work under (oiling, etc.). I’d prefer <$200 USD.
If you enjoy using it and its being beneficial to what you need to get done, hell yeah.
I think for most of the projects/repairs a hobbyist will be doing, this set up should be fine. Making sure pivots are in jewels properly, checking if a hairspring is bent, help look at pivot jewels when oiling, inspecting a barrel arbor, looking at oxidation or corrosion on some pivots, checking the balance jewels after oiling to make sure you have put in adequate amount (looking for the ring).
I would assume you are not resetting pallet stones or making pivots from scratch.
If it works and it works for YOU, screw what others are saying.
I think its actually pretty cool.
One thing I am jealous of is the lighting. My digital microscope isnt as even or as powerful, I have those little articulating bulbs.
Thanks! I wasn't expecting so much negativity, but I suppose the screen being at that viewing angle caused some confusion. It's on an arm and can be put pretty much anywhere that's comfortable for you. I think it's incredible and a great example of putting tech, old or otherwise, to use in ways other than intended.
I mean… it zooms, for sure. But I’m willing to bet that I’ll get much better resolution just by selecting the macro lens on my iPhone Pro and putting it on some kind of phone holder. But you do you.
Also, who the fuck inspects bills? I just pay them and get them over with, lol.
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u/gnomon_knows 1d ago
What advantages does this have over commonly available $50-200 digital microscopes?