‰  NOW 35 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM APRIL 2017 QST  PAGE 58‰

BECAUSE THE PLASTIC GUARD DOES NOT LET YOU SET THE OPTICAL SENSOR CLOSE
ENOUGH.  WHAT THE OUTPUT LOOKS LIKE  RATHER THAN QUOTE THE MAGNIFICATION
NUMBERS, LETS LOOK AT SOME RESULTS.  AS YOU TRY TO USE THE SCOPE, YOU WILL
QUICKLY FIND TWO LIMITATIONS.  IT IS A MICROSCOPE, AND AS SUCH, IT IS
DESIGNED TO LOOK AT FLAT OBJECTS, SUCH AS A SLIDE SITTING ON THE BASE.  IF
YOU PUT THE REVERSE SIDE OF A PC BOARD UNDER THE LENS, ANY COMPONENTS ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOARD THE COMPONENT SIDE WILL RAISE THE BOARD ABOVE
THE BASE SURFACE.  MOST OFTEN THE SIDE YOU ARE LOOKING AT WILL NOT BE
PARALLEL TO THE BASE, WHICH MAY RESULT IN SOME FUNNY EFFECTS DUE TO THE
OFFSET ANGLE.  IN ADDITION, YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE
FULL RANGE OF OPTICAL MAGNIFICATION WITH FOCUSING, DUE TO THE HEIGHT OF THE
PRINTED BOARD OVER THE BASE.  THESE EFFECTS SHOULD NOT DISCOURAGE YOU.  THE
PICTURES HERE SHOW EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU WILL MOST PROBABLY SEE.  FIGURE 9
IS A SHOT OF A MONOLITHIC CERAMIC CAPACITOR, MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 3
MILLIMETERS 1/8 INCH ACROSS.  THE VALUE CODE 104 STANDING FOR 0R1 UF
BECOMES CLEAR.  FIGURE 10 SHOWS A PC BOARD UNDER CONSTRUCTION WITH SOME,
BUT NOT ALL, OF THE COMPONENTS MOUNTED AND SOLDERED IN PLACE.  THE TWO
CIRCLES AT THE TOP ARE PLATED THROUGH HOLES THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN
SOLDERED.  THE LEFT MIDDLE CIRCLE IS A GOOD SOLDER JOINT WITH A STUB OF THE
‰  END OF 35 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ