Selecting Backlit Magnifier for SMD Soldering: Comparing 5 Diopters vs 8 Diopters Options

Hello.
I want to buy a backlit magnifier and I don't know how many diopters to choose?
I need a regular SMD for soldering.
I don't know if 5 diopters are enough or 8 diopters is better, but is it sometimes not too much? Until now, I was able to do without a magnifying glass, but you know the eyes are not the same.
What are you in your workshops?

I have a 10x magnifying glass - it's useful, sometimes I also use a 20x microscope, such a combination is enough for me - the microscope also has a 40x - I rarely use it, but also useful - it would be better than not. Overall, it seems to me that magnification depends on individual needs.

saly wrote:

I don't know if 5 diopters are enough or 8 diopters are better

5 diopters are only 2.25x - as an auxiliary for low-precision work.
8 diopters are 2.95x - sometimes enough for inaccurate inspections.
However, in order to precisely preview, solder or perform other works, unfortunately a microscope is necessary.
A typical workshop, such as the XTLIV with a basic 10 to 35x magnification, perfectly meets these requirements.
Moreover, it has a very large working space - so that the work is pure pleasure.

Ok thanks guys I have, I can see that I will have to look for something stronger.
Thanks for the hints.

It is a pity that this XTL-IV is so expensive.

tomybb wrote:

It is a pity that this XTL-IV is so expensive.

You're kidding, of course
It is the cheapest microscope in its class.
Price with additional glasses 20x + USB webcam = PLN 1250.
You won't buy anything cheaper.
Of course, new, but you can also "track" used, much cheaper.

My colleague was probably not about comparing the price of the microscope to the price of another, but to the price of a nice one, because if someone uses such things as a hobby, it's rather hard to jump out of the PLN 1250 just to use it occasionally, although working with such equipment is much more pleasant .

I think that a magnifying glass is enough for me, I do not work with smd on phones or laptops with a very small raster, I have a car electronics workshop. Smd with which I work are mainly car controllers, meters, sensors modules, 0.8; 0.65. So far I can do it with the naked eye, but the years are flying and I wanted to make it easier for myself. I bought an 8dptr lupe and it's ok.
When I need to look closely at something, I use the Turist 4 (10x30) telescope rotated to the distance, after applying it up close, it magnifies a lot and allows me to assess the situation, but a magnifier is better for work.

saly wrote:

I need a regular SMD for soldering.
I don't know if 5 diopters are enough or 8 diopters is better, but is it sometimes not too much?

5dp is enough. More power = thicker lens and it will be worse for you to work because it distorts the image more. Generally, a 2-fold magnification, i.e. 5dp, will be enough for soldering. Better to choose a rectangular glass area as large as possible.

2.5x is enough for soldering, but to check if there is any tiny break, short circuit or excessive etching somewhere, a 10x magnification is useful.


As an interesting fact, thanks to the 10x magnifying glass I found out that a cat's hair can have several colors, of course, 1-color predominate.

How is it actually with this magnification?
They write on the magnifying glass, for example, 10x magnifies up to 3 times.
How do I recognize when I am dealing with diopters and when I am dealing with the magnification factor?
What is the conversion factor of diopter to magnification factor?

I am going to buy optics, but after today's inspection in stores where I have not found anything right, I am looking for an allegro, but I do not know how to understand the description, e.g. 30x21mm
From what I watched in stores today, it will definitely not be a 30-fold magnification. So what?

Diopter is the lens parameter, D = 1 / meter. It cannot be easily converted into a magnification factor. I remember that we counted on physics and drew such drawings of the lens and determined the magnification using the graphical method.

I found an interesting calculator for lenses.
Converting diopter to focal length and vice versa, and calculating the magnification of the lens.

Link

It is enough to enter 1 in the "Maximum magnification of the objective" field and then the magnification of a single lens can be calculated.

Hello. The power of the lens is called the reciprocal of the focal length ? = 1 / f. Power is expressed in diopters. A lens with a power equal to 1 dpt has a focal length of 1 m. On the other hand, the magnification of the lens is G = 250 / f +1, where f is the focal length of the lens expressed in millimeters. If the lens has a power of, for example, 10 dpt, its focal length is equal to 100 mm, so the magnification of this lens will be 3.5x. Greetings.

I am also figuring out what to buy - and for the beginning I will go to the reading glasses store. They should be narrow so that you can easily see below or above. So there should be no problem reaching for a soldering iron or a meter. The highest magnification seems to be +4.5 dpi. For starters, it should be enough. If you put two lenses together, you should get pretty good magnification. Maybe someone has already experimented like that? And what is important, such glasses are on Allegro for PLN 5 together with the case.

You will burn your nose, unfortunately you will have to look very closely. From a distance, there are only such specialized loupes for surgeons, prices also for them.

AndrzejSanok wrote:

I am also figuring out what to buy - and for the beginning I will go to the reading glasses store. They should be narrow so that you can easily see below or above. So there should be no problem reaching for a soldering iron or a meter. The highest magnification seems to be +4.5 dpi. For starters, it should be enough. If you put two lenses together, you should get pretty good magnification. Maybe someone has already experimented like that? And what is important, such glasses are on Allegro for PLN 5 together with the case.

I just bought +4 glasses because (glass height is about 20mm) for me +4 are pretty good, they don't tire the eye like a watchmaker's magnifying glass and you can easily look both above and below the glasses. I definitely recommend, sufficient magnification. I tried to put together 2x + 4, but the problem of a burned nose remains.
I have a few damaged lenses so I will try to make some eyepiece with a higher magnification with a good field of view and illumination and no problem with a burned nose. Maybe someone has already tried?

In my opinion, for imprecise works and elements up to 0402, I think that a magnifier up to 10x magnification should be enough. I personally use an ordinary table magnifier with backlight - it has 5x magnification, and for more precise things a Panasonic microscope up to x70

Marek Poznan wrote:

In my opinion, for imprecise works and elements up to 0402, I think that a magnifier up to 10x magnification should be enough. I personally use an ordinary table magnifier with backlight - it has 5x magnification, and for more precise things a Panasonic microscope up to x70

I use and recommend the table magnifier, but unfortunately I will not take it outdoors. And the eyes are not those anymore. The microscope is out of my reach. I have no idea if there is any alternative. It's just a hobby.

What do you mean terrain? There are also optical microscopes, you will find used ones at attractive prices If you want something in stock, I will send photos in my free time. If you want to do something outside your home, maybe a forehead magnifier, or some small loupes, you can often find such precise ones on a well-known auction site

Does anyone use the Leuchtturm microscope - PM3 microscope - pow. 20 - 40X for finding breaks in electronic circuits - is the price attractive?

Consider the structure of this microscope. If you have different element heights, it may turn out that you will not get the zoom and the appropriate sharpness to all places. In my opinion, you should test such a microscope before you buy it, and it will not turn out that it will not meet your challenges and the money to be thrown away.

I am buying microscopes for my clients here
Link
All in all, it is not even profitable to import them from wholesalers.

When working with electronics, it is also important, apart from magnification, that there is min. about 10 cm of space to be able to solder something under magnification, generally the more space the better.
XTLIV - has min. working distance

At a distance of 10 cm, a magnification of approximately 3.5X, i.e. 10 diopters, is obtained. The vast majority of loupes adapted for soldering have lower magnification and thus the gap between the lens and the soldered object is even greater.

With an enlargement of about 20 cm I have a nice few cm, with an eye of 7-8, and it can be soldered at the same time
Structurally almost the same.
I will add that the stereoscopic view is a great advantage
I miss the trino version (additional webcam).

If it is a magnifier then it is definitely not 20X magnification. At most, a Chinese could write that on the packaging

Mechanik21 wrote:

If it is a magnifier then it is definitely not 20X magnification. At most, a Chinese could write that on the packaging

I wrote about the microscope, I have not seen stereoscopic magnifiers

Could somebody help me with magnifying booty? My grandfather is blind and uses two loot stacked on top of each other for reading, each with x5. I would like to buy him a newer one and I don't know what magnification would be good for him since he uses 2 X5s, does it add up somehow?

Often given data - tan x5 magnification is exaggerated, and most often it is 5 doptria, only someone misspelled it, and this magnification is only 2.25x.

3D (diopter) 1.75x
5D (diopter) 2.25x
8D (diopter) 2.75x

It's best to take magnifiers and compare,
I sent back many of them - because none of them was as described.

It is worth remembering that: the greater the magnification of the magnifier, the smaller its diameter.

I will paste from one description:

"A simple magnifier, made of one lens, allows for a relatively low magnification of up to 7x (and only for small lenses, e.g. for watchmakers). Commonly used lenses have relatively large lenses and their magnification reaches up to 3x"

NOTE: The actual magnification of a magnifier is often confused with its focusing power (optical power, given in diopters) - especially in goods manufactured in the so-called "Factory of the World"


Of course, higher image magnifications are possible, but not in single-lens systems! Large magnification requires thick lenses, and then large image distortions appear - the greater the further we are from the optical axis. Only multi-lens systems allow for elimination or significant reduction of spherical and chromatic aberration, distortion and coma.