Observations
  • Home
  • Observations
  • Trendcasting
  • Odds 'n Ends
  • Science/Technology/Experiments
  • Mental Health

Convert a Webcam to a Microscope...

6/24/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
The cover image is that of a fly eye made with a webcam that I had converted to a microscope. The eye facets cause diffraction and can be very colorful without a dye. But to be very honest, getting a sharp image at greater than 100 X magnification can be a little time consuming. This is the complete conversion of the webcam, one of the two methods covered in the video.
I will be posting some projects in the coming months that will be better understood and replicated with a microscope. But, I realized that many people do not have a microscope, or even have access to one. I know, because I have had mine for only two years and have had to improvise in the past. This conversion is the result of that improvisation. The older webcams failed to have a manual focus and literally had to be torn apart to be used as a microscope. But the current webcams, particularly the cheaper ones, are manually focused and work just fine. Please watch the video and I will follow the video with some links,  webcam information, and one more image from a screen shot. Enjoy!



Picture
This is a screen shot of a corn ear cell that was made with the de-focusing method which is fast and easy. You may have to fabricate a holder to steady the slide, but it is worth the effort.
The webcam that I used is a Gigaware 2500465, and it is available at Radio Shack and online. But any inexpensive webcam will work if it has a manual focus. One thing to consider is that the lenses on most webcams are plastic, not glass, so there may be some unwanted distortion. But, for the price, it is an acceptable trade-off.
The full conversion is available as an instructable by Zephyris, (Richard Wheeler.net) here. I appreciate his effort to provide good information for us all. It really is fun to look at the smaller side of life and to be surprised by the miniature world around us. Please comment or ask any questions and I will try to answer them for you... Ken.



0 Comments

The Curious Behavior of Tubular Pasta...

6/8/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
This post may seem frivolous and unimportant and I have no desire to be trivial, but, rather to understand some of the odd behavior of materials around us. Some of the experiments that I do are complex and time consuming, and sometimes they end in dismal failure. But that is fine with me. I enter into most of my investigations with an open mind and I always learn something useful that will expand my knowledge base.
This simple demonstration took just an hour or so to do  but has explained something that I have observed for a long time but failed to try to understand before. I have seen that in all tubular pasta that the tubes always line up vertically and behave in the same way every time that I have cooked this type of pasta. And, as I mentioned in the video, I have given the question some thought. I even tried to make it more complicated than it really is. But, when cooked in a glass beaker, the behavior is much less mysterious. The tubes that remain horizontal seem to be either stuck to the bottom, or, are trapped by the weight of the upper tubes.Check out the video and comment as you see fit to. Now, what happens when we add milk, with a lot of fat content, to hot coffee? Maybe I will try this on a really rainy day. This post is for fun. Enjoy the world around us...

0 Comments

    Author

    The author has an eclectic background in chemistry, electronics, writing, mental health, and community action...Ken

    Archives

    June 2021
    March 2020
    September 2019
    August 2018
    August 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Acid And Bases
    Amateur Scientist
    Anodizing Aluminum
    Anthocyanin Indicator
    Ant Orientation
    Artificial Intelligence
    Bar And Cr Code
    Cable Tie
    Carbon Dioxide Fun
    Catalase And H2o2
    Chemical Art
    Cold Cathode
    Color Hot Glue Sticks
    Common Chemicals
    Copper Plating
    Cyanotype/Blueprint
    Dot Com
    Electroluminescence
    Epoxy Art
    Experiments
    Hydrogels
    Infrared Photography Basics
    Magnetic Money
    Old Textbooks
    Photograms
    Science
    Static Electricity Detector
    Technology
    Yogurt