Diy Tutorial: $20 Digital Microscope For Microfossils

[TNCollector]

Hey everyone, a recent post here inspired me to create a cheap digital microscope for photographing/analyzing small fossils based on this tutorial by Yoshinok on instructables.com - http://www.instructables.com/id/10-Smartphone-to-digital-microscope-conversion/. I made a few modifications to his design, mostly size adjustments and such, but either way it is important to note that I do not take any credit for the design and instructions that I am posting here, I am only doing it to show how I did it and how it can be used for paleontology purposes. All credit goes to Yoshinok on the above link.

The device can magnify at 175x or higher depending on the number of lenses used. It allows you to use a smartphone to take pictures or videos of very tiny objects. Using two lenses, you can actually see individual cells (and their internal structure) of plants.

First off, as an idea of what this device looks like, here is a photo of the final product, without the smartphone. The entire device is about 6 inches wide and 4 inches across, and weighs very little.

Here is an image of fossilized shark cartilage (or is it? lets find out!) found in the Cretaceous of North Mississippi. The structure is very difficult to see with the naked eye. Shark cartilage is usually identified by the pattern of the cartilage, which can only really be seen at high magnification. Good thing we have a digital microscope!

Here is the cartilage magnified at 175x. The prismatic shape of each piece (for lack of a better word) of the cartilage indicates that this is indeed shark cartilage.

Now to the fun part, the equipment and parts you need to construct this beautiful machine. The original author of this design said you could make it for $10. Sure you can, if you buy stuff at the right stores and use cheap materials, but I found that using all stainless metals (which are a good idea to have) and buying from Lowe's, it was closer to $20 total (minus the smartphone and equipment used to make it).

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any type of harm inflicted on someone making this device. The maker of this device claims full responsibility for any harm they do to themselves, others, or any inanimate and/or animate object within this universe.

Equipment needed:

- Some kind of saw, I used a scroll saw, but a jigsaw would work fine, or even a hand saw if you're careful.

- Some kind of drill, I highly recommend a drill press as it is much easier to get straight holes with one, but a hand drill will work too if you do it right.

- 5/16 inch and 11/64 inch drill bits

- sandpaper, I used a Dremel tool with a sander attachment. hand sanders will work fine but will take more time.

- Safety glasses and gloves - these are a must. Safety is your number one priority! These should be worn at all times.

Parts needed:

- 1x Piece of wood, at least 2 inches wider and 2 inches longer than your smartphone's length and width. Thickness should be at least a half inch for strength.

- 3x 5/16 inch carriage bolts at least 3 inches long.

- 9x 5/16 inch nuts

- 5x 5/16 inch flat washers (not the tightening ones).

- 2x 5/16 inch wing nuts

- 1x piece of plexiglass/acrylic, Width must be at least as wide as our piece of wood, and at least as long as your piece of wood, plus 3 inches. Thickness should be about 1/8 inch. For example: if your wood is 6 inches long and 4 inches wide, your plexiglass should be 8 inches long and 5 inches wide.

- 1x laser pointer (the super cheap kind, mine was like $2). The laser pointer has the lens you need in it. If you want 375x magnification, get two laser pointers.

- 1x LED light. This is OPTIONAL. It is only needed for looking at translucent materials, like leaves. Most fossils are opaque so it is useless in that scenario.

NOTE: If you don't have the equipment needed to build this, or just simply don't feel like it, I would be happy to buy the materials and make one for you if you trade a fossil for it. I like teeth, especially Cretaceous teeth of dinosaurs . Just PM me about it and we will go from there, but I highly advise making your own, simply because it is fun and educational!

Here are my parts that I used:

STEP 1: Get the lens out of the laser pointer.

- Remove the cap from the tip of the laser pointer like shown. The lens is in the black plastic cap. This can vary between different laser pointers

Here is the lens

- Now take the acrylic you bought and use a pen to outline the dimensions of your wood base on the acrylic, and then cut it on the lines. Note: Acrylic breaks very easy, and often splinters, so go slow and be careful.

- Next, mark three holes with a pen - two on the front corners and one on the back middle side of the wood base. Use the 5/16 inch drill bit to drill holes on the points you marked all the way through the wood.

- Using the holes you just drilled a guides, mark the same holes on the piece of acrylic you already cut and drill it out all the way through.

- Outline your specimen slide with the pen with the width of your already cut acrylic, and length about 1.5 inches. Then cut this piece out.

- Drill two holes on each side of the specimen slide, at the same locations of the holes you drilled on front side of the already cut acrylic.

- Drill a hole in the front of the main acrylic piece (the side with the two holes) using an 11/64 inch drill bit. Push the lens into this hole. It will be a tight fit, and needs to be, but if it doesn't go in at all, try widening the hole in tiny increments using the drill bit until the lens just barely fits in the hole. DO NOT use glue to hold it in, you risk getting it on the lens and ruining it if you do.

- Push the carriage bolts though the holes at the bottom of the wood base you drilled out, as shown.

- Place a washer on all three carriage bolts, and then a nut on each bolt. Tighten the nuts down. See image below.

- Place a wing nut upside down on each of the front two carriage bolts, and then a washer on top of each of these. Slide the specimen slide down the carriage bolt on top of the washers.

- Now add a nut on each carriage bolt, slide the main acrylic piece onto the bolts, and tighten it down with another nut on each carriage bolt. The final product should look like this from the front.

NOTE: For higher magnification, put another lens on top of the first one (may require thicker acrylic).

You are ready to take microscopic pictures now! To use the device, put an object on the specimen slide directly underneath the lens, and align your smartphone's camera with the lens. To focus the microscope, adjust the height of the specimen slide using the wing nuts until you see the image clearly. This distance is called the focal point, and isa characteristic of the lens. My focal point was at a distance of about 1 cm, so the slide should be pretty close to the lens.

If anyone has any questions or suggestions, please let me know!

Also, here is a shark tooth under the microscope

Edited April 19, 2015 by TNCollector

[aplomado]

Cool! I need to make one myself!

[TNCollector]

You definitely should! It is such a useful tool to have around. Also, what is the critter in your avatar? Is it a baby hawk?

[aplomado]

It is a young Aplomado falcon. I took the picture when I was working in TX re-introducing them on a ranch.

[aplomado]

Ok, I got a lens and used a bobby pin and sticky tack to attach the lens to my wife's cell phone (I saw this on the net, it is not my idea)... it works! Not as convenient as the stand made by TNcollector though, as you have to hold it very steady and it can be challenging to focus.. I'm going to do that one next.

Here's a pic (not mine) of the quick and dirty way to mount it:

[aplomado]

Ok, we started working on one.

Lowes actually cut the plexi for us for free- the piece only cost a dollar!

We've got more work to do; I am going to put compression springs on the bolts above the stage to hold it steady. Hopefully that will help.

[TNCollector]

I didnt see that you were making one until now! Good luck and let me know how it goes

[aplomado]

I hope to finish it up this weekend. I may post a picture. I'm going to try creating focus knobs, and will see if it works out.

I am hopefully going to use these in our biology lab.

[aplomado]

Ok, my father and I put together 11 of them.

I used wooden spools for most of the focus knobs (attached with brad hole tee nuts) and they are more convenient than the wing nuts for adjusting the stage. The compression springs turned out to be unneeded.

I need to order more lights and lenses.

I am planning on having our students assemble these kits this fall.

[aplomado]

The DVD writer lens works well, I wasn't impressed with the laser pointer lens, though it did work.

I ordered these and will see how they work:

http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/l14429.html

I don't know where to get dvd writer lenses in bulk.

[TNCollector]

I have to say I am very impressed with your work! Keep us updated, I am looking forward to seeing how these turn out for you.

There are indeed many different lenses you can use for this system. There are places to buy them online (don't know off the top of my head) for pretty cheap, but I haven't seen a place that sells them in bulk yet.

As far as the laser pointer lens goes: not all of them are exactly the same. Mine works really well, but the only big problem with it is the field of focus. I guess in terms of photography - the aperture is too small. It will only focus on a small area in the center of the viewing area and blur everything around it.

Hope your students enjoy these,

TNC

[aplomado]

Let me know if you know a good place to buy lenses. I have funds.

I think the laser pointer lens is just too small with a very sort focal length.

The DVD writer lens works great, but I don't know where to buy a bunch of them.

I am hoping one of the lenses I just ordered will work well.

Our students are going to have a lab where they make a Leeuwenhoek style microscope with a ball lens, and where they assemble these from kits. I am calling it "DIY Microscopes: Past and Present" Hopefully it will work out.

[TNCollector]

Sounds like a good project for them. I haven't bought anything from this place, but they have a couple different options for lenses, mostly for lasers, but there might be different kinds worth trying. Here is the link: http://www.aixiz.com/store/index.php/cPath/46/osCsid/37cabc139b4f03b0e0a522178defae7e

I am going to have to try a DVD writer lens on mine. Didn't think about that when making mine.

[aplomado]

I just ordered one of these, the man said they sell them for DVD players:

http://www.aixiz.com/store/product_info.php/cPath/46/products_id/153

I'll let you know how these work. I'll have a couple to play with.

[aplomado]

This lens has impressive magnification:

http://www.aixiz.com/store/product_info.php/cPath/46/products_id/153

I plan on making one of these for a tablet computer also.

It is the lens I recommend. It can view microscope slides also.

Edited June 17, 2015 by aplomado

[TNCollector]

I might have to try that one, do you have any pictures of the results?

[aplomado]

I don't have any pics myself (I don't even have a smartphone) but it was much better than the others I tried.

I would recommend you do try it, it's not that expensive, at $10.

AixiZ Blue Laser Glass Lens for 405-455nm

You don't need to remove it from the housing to use it. I've ordered 11 more, and will equip all of the scopes with them.

I'm making a large version for the ipad.

Another change that is helpful is to replace the wingnuts on the stage adjustment with something larger and circular (easier to adjust). I used wooden spools with brad hole t-nuts installed, but thumb nuts or finger nuts would work well too and be easier to make.

I also used 1/4 inch carriage bolts, which are slightly cheaper.

Edited June 24, 2015 by aplomado

[aplomado]

The were taken with the aixiZ laser lens. Most are prepared slides. All pics were taken with an iphone.

butterfly foot

stem CS

fish gills

butterfly tongue

bug

trilobite specimen (head) (low magnfication)

moth wing

moth wing 2

cross section of some critter

Edited June 25, 2015 by aplomado

[TNCollector]

Wow, that is quite impressive! It looks like it shows some really good detail. I need to build a new microscope for myself. I am going to make one with variable magnification and an easier mounting and focusing system.

I found a tiny little tooth ( I think) stuck in a little pebble of matrix from the Eagle Ford Formation. It is less than 1mm long and it will certainly require a microscope to look at.

Let me know how the iPad version works out for you. I hope your students are enjoying this project.

[aplomado]

Ok, here is my version of the ipad microscope- I have yet to insert the lens, as I am still waiting for them to come in the mail.

I used broom handle sections with brad hole tee nuts screwed on for the stage adjustments.

I just remembered that you are supposed to be able to stack two lenses on each other for extra magnfication! I will try that when my lenses come in!

The little I have fooled around with the ipads and this camera seem to indicate that it looks a LOT better on a tablet computer screen than than a little cell phone screen.

If you get one of the aixiZ laser lenses I recommend, notice that there is a small inset on one side of the housing- that is the side that faces away from the camera. You do not need to remove them from the housing.

Edited June 26, 2015 by aplomado

[aplomado]

I just calculated magnfication with the aixiZ lens- on a particular camera with max zoom, is was about 44X.

This will vary according the the camera and zoom level of course.

[aplomado]

The way to calculate a rough magnification is this:

1) Get two rulers with millimeter markings.

2) Zoom in on the millimeter scale on one ruler using the scope.

3) Use the other ruler to measure the apparent length of one millimeter on the screen (in mm). This number is your approximate magnification.

[TNCollector]

Sounds like the project is going well for you. Show us some pictures when you finish the iPad version!

I just received some micro matrix with fossils less than 1mm, my microscope has proved very useful for taking pictures of them. Ill post some of the pictures after I am doing searching the matrix.

Edited July 4, 2015 by TNCollector

[aplomado]

What kind of magnfication are you getting with your lens, TNCollector?

I would like to see pictures also...

[TNCollector]

Rough estimate is about the same as yours, somewhere between 40 and 50x. Attached is a tiny vert (<1mm) I took a picture of through the scope. Not very clear, but the lens is a little beat up...

I think it is a reptile/amphibian/fish vert, idk. It is from the Hell creek formation.