I'll throw Designs Park into the mix, it's a free program from RS components and I *think* it generates gerber files.
I've used it for a couple of boards and got a grasp of it on a quiet afternoon. On 13 Aug 2016 16:05, "William H. Fite" <omni...@gmail.com> wrote: > For me, the ideal solution is an eyeglass-mounted surgical loupe such as > this: http://www.surgitel.com/loupes/prismpro-line. There are several > manufacturers. Long working distance, superbly corrected optics, no bino > microscope or Mantis monstrosity cluttering up the bench. Not cheap but a > lifetime investment. > > On Saturday, August 13, 2016, Adrian Godwin <artgod...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > I use a beautiful Wild M3Z that I got at a good price from a British > > Aerospace auction. It does have the disadvantage that there's a very > exact > > spot to place your eyes, but the image is superb. I typically start at > the > > bottom end (6.5 x 10 x 0.5) but often use the other zoom levels (up to > 40 x > > 10 x 0.5). It has a Volpi fibre optic ring light but LEDs may be a better > > solution nowadays. > > > > I also have an illuminated magnifying lamp - I like the ones made by Lux. > > > > I've considered a video microscope for the times when a large screen > would > > be desirable but computer and tablet ones are said to have a bit of lag > > that make precise movements difficult. Direct video without a computer is > > probably better. > > > > On Fri, Aug 12, 2016 at 2:14 PM, Bob Camp <kb...@n1k.org <javascript:;>> > > wrote: > > > > > Hi > > > > > > You can get a pretty good microscope new for about $1,000. Getting them > > > used is a hit or > > > miss process. A lot of this stuff actually works very well when in good > > > condition with all the > > > parts (The Mantis is one example). Without all the parts they don’t > work > > > or work poorly. > > > > > > For most of what you do, there is no need for anything fancy. There is > a > > > Mantis in full working > > > condition at work. It never gets used. Magnifier lights get used a lot. > > > Low magnification > > > microscopes with really good halogen / fiber optic ring lights seem to > be > > > the most > > > popular option. > > > > > > Bob > > > > > > > > > > On Aug 11, 2016, at 8:06 PM, Steve <stev...@suddenlink.net > > <javascript:;>> wrote: > > > > > > > > Can anyone compare the stereo microscope to a camera/monitor for use > > > with SMT? I have a cheap stereo microscope that I would like to replace > > > with either a much better stereo microscope or a camera/monitor. Is > > there a > > > marked advantage(s) of one versus the other? I have no "floaters" to > > > contend with. > > > > > > > > Steve, K8JQ > > > > > > > > On 8/11/2016 4:06 PM, Chuck Harris wrote: > > > >> Lots of good suggestions have already been made, but for > > > >> me, a boom style stereo microscope, with a distance between > > > >> the objective, and the focal point of at least 3 inches works > > > >> fairly well... > > > >> > > > >> One other thing that may force your decision, if you are > > > >> older, your eyes will likely have lots of "floaters", which > > > >> are debris that floats around in your eyeballs. This debris > > > >> floats in and out of the center of your field of view, and > > > >> looks like a bunch of translucent worms, or shadows. > > > >> > > > >> Your brain, the magnificent organ that it is, tries to compensate > > > >> for your eye's degradation, and as long as your eyes can move > > > >> about in your field of view, it effectively removes the floaters > > > >> from the scenes you are viewing. > > > >> > > > >> However, if you use a stereo microscope, your eye position > > > >> is fixed by the very limited amounts of off axis motion > > > >> that will allow a through optical channel. This lack of off > > > >> axis motion will emphasize your floaters in a great way, and you > > > >> will see *every* *single* *one*, clearly, as if it were something > > > >> you really wanted to view. Some times, the floaters will cover > > > >> the exact thing you need to see clearly, and you will have to > > > >> move it off axis by moving it on the microscope stage. > > > >> > > > >> The only answer to this problem, is to either have perfect eyes, > > > >> or to use a microscope where you are looking at a screen, rather > > > >> than through a pair of oculars. This way, your eyes can dart > > > >> around, and inspect what they need to see clearly, and the > > > >> floaters will be ignored by your brain. > > > >> > > > >> As far as I know, there is only one optical microscope built this > > > >> way, and it is the very expensive Mantis. > > > >> > > > >> Because of the great expense of flat screen optical microscopes, > > > >> most modern SMD viewing equipment is going to the trivially cheap > > > >> method of using a CCD/CMOS color video camera and an LCD screen. > > > >> > > > >> You can do a lot with a cheap USB camera mounted to a boom, a fiber > > > >> optic light source, or a ring light, and a laptop computer to > > > >> display the image. > > > >> > > > >> -Chuck Harris > > > >> > > > >> Bob Albert via time-nuts wrote: > > > >>> What are the important parameters regarding purchase of a stereo > > > microscope? I > > > >>> see some on ebay for around $50; are those good? Bob > > > >> _______________________________________________ > > > >> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com <javascript:;> > > > >> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > > > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > > > >> and follow the instructions there. > > > >> > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com <javascript:;> > > > > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > > > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > > > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com <javascript:;> > > > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > > > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com <javascript:;> > > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > > -- > If you gaze long enough into the abyss, your coffee will get cold. > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/ > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
