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Super Magnifier for Blind Engineer

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My status is "legally blind" - which means I have poor vision.  It is very difficult for me to work on electronics projects, which I love to do.  What I need is a high-technology magnification system that allows a hands-free work space for installing components in a prototyping board, or soldering a printed circuit board.  Today, this is extremely difficult, and I have stopped doing electronics development, even though I am teaching others, and working on several projects with local groups.

I spent many hours searching the web for a solution.  I looked at digital cameras, lenses, microscopes, C-mount cameras, camera heads, stands, monitors, power supplies, lights, and probably about 30 different configurations to try to meet my goal.

My original goal was a camera mounted at 30 cm (about a foot) above my work area, and an iPad-sized monitor on a floor stand that did not get in my way (not a stand on the workbench).  My first shot after a week of studying was very expensive - my original goal was $3200!

MASSIVE UPDATE!

I got an email from a Chinese reseller that included an ad for a microscope which claimed many things - many of which were bogus.  I found them on Amazon, with similar bogus claims.  How did I know the claims were bogus?  By asking them questions...  Funny how specs changed after I asked...  Most of them were claiming optical zoom, when in fact is was "positional" zoom, i.e., zooming by moving closer.  Most worked from 4 cm to 15 cm.  Close, but no banana.  In addition, they came with small stands so there was not a lot of work area.

One claimed it worked from 5 cm to 500 cm - that would have been perfect.  Funny how it looked EXACTLY THE SAME as the 4 cm to 15 cm units...  And it was.  The same, that is.

I also looked at C-Mount cameras from Panasonic.  They were very interesting, but finding the right lens was a big issue.  Not to mention finding a reasonably priced HDMI monitor.  I finally did find a 12" unit that was fairly low priced.

FInally, I discovered the "almost perfect unit"  - large stand, works to 20 cm (about 8 inches), and has an 8x - 100x magnification.  The stand is actually high enough to operate easily at 20 cm!

So, this means a DRASTIC REDUCTION of the amount of cash needed!  Add in the small HDMI display and the stand, and it can all be had for about $573!  That is an 82% drop in cost!

Wow!  I can't tell you how pleased I am to have FINALLY found a reasonable solution!  I had many questions for various retailers, which exposed the false information in their ads, and forced me to keep looking.  And junk mail - even from Chinese resellers - can sometimes be very useful!

Thank all of you that have already provided $300.  I now only need an additional $273 to complete the magnifier!

You can see more photos of how I have to work now, and a simulation of how this magnifier would change how I work by reading my blog and looking at the photos in it::

http://2live4.com/blog/2017/12/23/now-you-can-see-why-i-have-a-gofundme-campaign/

Organizer

Eric Anderson
Organizer
Sandpoint, ID

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