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Simple Super-Macro/Microscope Webcam Conversion

by Zephyris on January 20, 2010 Table of Contents License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Simple Super-Macro/Microscope Webcam Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: The raw materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Dissasembling the webcam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Reassembling the webcam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Using the super-macro/microscope webcam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Measuring performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: Some fun pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 6

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/

License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) Intro: Simple Super-Macro/Microscope Webcam Conversion
So webcams are quite fun, they take pictures, you can record videos, but what if you could take pictures of microscopic objects? This is a simple and reversible modification for a webcam which lets you take pictures of things far less than 1mm wide!

Image Notes 1. A reversed lens, the key to a cheap DIY microscope! Image Notes 1. Notice how the pixels are arranged in a diamond rather than the square pattern seen on most computer screens.

step 1: The raw materials

You only need two things for this microscope: 1. A webcam with an unscrewable lens (I got a really cheap one for about 5 on ebay) 2. Blu-tac It is absolutely vital the webcam has an unscrewable lens, almost all do (and for most webcams this is actually the way you focus!).

step 2: Dissasembling the webcam

This bit is dead easy, just unscrew the lens from the webcam! Once you have taken the lens out be careful not to get any dust on the CCD (the sensor in the body of the webcam) or on the back of the lens. Dust on either of these is very hard to clean off and can mess up the pictures.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/

step 3: Reassembling the webcam

Now just use blu-tack to stick the lens back in the webcam, but backwards . Make sure you get a nice tidy fit, you want to avoid any light leaking around the edge of the lens. For me this was simple because the lens slotted neatly back into the body of the webcam. For some webcams you will have to use a thin sausage of blu-tac to seal around the edge of the reattached lens.

Image Notes 1. A reversed lens, the key to a cheap DIY microscope!

step 4: Using the super-macro/microscope webcam

It is really simple to use, just point it at a (well lit) small object! To focus the image just move the webcam towards or away from the object, the lens will probably need to be a few millimetres away from the object. It is a bit fiddly to keep the webcam in position once it is in focus, I used blu-tack on the stand to help hold it still. If you want to "zoom in" (increase the magnification) you have to move the lens further away from the sensor. The simplist way to do this is with a tube of paper or card stuck into the webcam body which you can put the lens in. Again, be careful with light leaks - black card or paper covered in tin-foil will be very good at blocking stray light.

Image Notes

Image Notes

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/

1. There is about a 3mm separation of the lens from the coin.

1. This yellow paper leaked light massively, make sure you use black paper or foilcovered paper if you try this!

step 5: Measuring performance

To calculate the magnification of your new microscope you need to take a picture of something you know the exact size of. The easiest and most common small object to do this with is a pixel on a computer screen. Take a picture of the pixels of your screen, then open the captured image in some photo-editing software. Measure how wide the image of one pixel is (in pixels), this is the magnification factor. You can also calculate how big the field of view of the webcam image is from the ppi of your screen: (25.4 / dpi ) * n = fov ppi is the "pixels per inch" of your screen, commonly 72. n is the number of pixels that fit across the captured image. fov is the field of view, measured in millimetres. I have attached an example image from my modified webcam. Here the image of a single pixel is 130px across so the magnification factor is 130x. It is a picture of a 72ppi screen and 5 pixels fit across the image so the field of view is about 1.75mm!

Image Notes 1. A group of a red, a green and a blue light make up every pixel on a computer screen. Your eyes can't make out this fine detail and blur the three sub-pixels together to give the final colour. 2. A black pixel... 3. A red pixel... 4. A white pixel... 5. A yellow pixel... 6. A magenta pixel... 7. A green pixel... 8. A turquoise pixel... 9. A blue pixel...

step 6: Some fun pictures

The pictures you can take are a totally different scale to any normal cameras ability, things look totally different when you can see them at such a huge magnification. If you can get a nice sample you should be able to see individual cells quite easily! The images are of the edge of a 5p coin, the pixels on my camera's display and some paper!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/

Image Notes 1. It is amazing how the smooth surfaces of a coin are actually so rough and damaged!

Image Notes 1. Notice how the pixels are arranged in a diamond rather than the square pattern seen on most computer screens.

Image Notes 1. You can see the individual fibres making up the paper.

Related Instructables

Macro Atachment for pocket digital camera by Tool Using Animal

Take digital photos through a microscope without any special lens or adapter by nickp

Macro Photography: An Essential Skill for Good Instructables by 1up

$5 Macro Lens for use above and below the waves by Warthaug

Easy 10-Minute Macro Lens for Eyetoy/Webcam by mysterious ninja of fire

Quick and easy macro "attachment" by Sunbanks

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/

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Comments
21 comments Add Comment

mikkelbg says:
What webcam did you use?

Aug 31, 2010. 2:56 PM REPLY

Zephyris says:
See my reply to shadowdude77 above...

Nov 14, 2010. 2:45 PM REPLY

shadowdude77 says:

Nov 12, 2010. 2:56 PM REPLY I'd also like to know what model webcam you used if you know what it is. It turned out very nice the way you did it and if I have to spend an extra few dollars to ensure that the mod will be easy and effective, so be it.

Zephyris says:
It is an Advent ADE-13MP+, it's a very old model so you may need some luck finding it!

Nov 14, 2010. 2:45 PM REPLY

legomaster2000 says:

Aug 21, 2010. 1:34 PM REPLY Awesome instructable!!! I am making one called "how to make a PowerPoint sprite battle" Don`t get mad at me about it just because it has no photos

diolola says:
Hi, Zephyris and NostalgicStone, Thank you for the advice. The model of my old PC Webcam just says -MODEL-X-EYE, and it is screwable type with reddish lens outside. My OS is windows 7. Looking forward for the next reply, or else I will do something else, I'll keep this old stuff. diolola

May 14, 2010. 2:19 AM REPLY

diolola says:

May 13, 2010. 10:29 PM REPLY Hi Zephyris, I have a 4 year old webcam and wanted to use it to experiment by your 'tibles. How can we connect this to the laptop I have through USB, does this requires a driver or not. I have no idea of these things, so please bear with my innocence. Thanks a lot. diolola

Zephyris says:
As NostalgicStone says you almost certainly will need a driver which will depend on the webcam model... As for software I would recommend "YawCam ", it is free with a lot of useful features.

May 14, 2010. 12:39 AM REPLY

NostalgicStone says:
Chances are buddy, you will need some sort of driver installed to get the webcam to work on your computer. You will also need some webcam software to view the image too. What is the model number on the camera, and what is your operating system? With that information we will most definitely be able to help you out!

May 13, 2010. 11:43 PM REPLY

jimofoz says:

May 13, 2010. 8:03 PM REPLY I'm definitely going to try this out. However, one nit to pick, is that actually it's a removable or maybe "screwable" lens. If it was truly unscrewable, you wouldn't be able to unscrew it. At first I was wondering why you didn't want a removable lens when you needed to take it out.... But don't mind me, I'm only bright enough to criticize, not create.

eight says:
Well done instructable. Ta for your efforts... Say... wasnt "Zephyris " the guy from Babylon 5 ?

May 13, 2010. 6:34 PM REPLY

Mig Welder says:

nice 'ible! I'm definitely going to try this.

May 13, 2010. 12:28 PM REPLY

Did you take those pictures in the previous steps?! Those have to be some of the best DIY pics I've seen. Most I've seen are crooked, out of focus, and with really weird lighting!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/

Zephyris says:
Of course I took those pics! I am quite anal when it comes to presenting things well :) I should make an instructable on it!

May 13, 2010. 1:59 PM REPLY

arrow_strider says:
Very nice instructable! Ill definitelly do it with some old webcan i have here.

May 13, 2010. 8:38 AM REPLY

MoritzB says:
Heres a video of my diy microscope webcam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2rtb8GJdy8

May 11, 2010. 6:35 AM REPLY

Zephyris says:
Looks good, about the same magnification as I got (except my mod was reversible! :) )

May 11, 2010. 8:07 AM REPLY

kelseymh says:
Congratulations on getting featured in the MAKE blog! I missed this project the first time around -- now rated and featured.

May 9, 2010. 11:01 PM REPLY

Zephyris says:
Ooh, mentioned on MAKE blog! Excellent! :)

May 10, 2010. 12:43 AM REPLY

McGrep says:

Mar 4, 2010. 6:37 PM REPLY Very cool 'ible. I love the simplicity and ease of doing this to a webcam. Also, depending on the lens, this is extremely reversible in case something goes awry or one still wants to use it regularly. Great! Feb 27, 2010. 7:47 AM REPLY

michaelgohjs says:
OH YA!! i just tested it out... had to cut the lens mount a little here and there but it really is cool think i gona do some upgrades and post an instructable

eyerobot says:
Very cool idea. This would come in handy while working on miniature objects.

Jan 27, 2010. 8:29 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Super-MacroMicroscope-Webcam-Conversion/