Anton Van Leeweunhoek-style microscope 01/26/14
Several months ago, I encountered an article on the internet about a do-it-yourself microscope with which you can also use a camera phone to take pictures or videos. The article describes how you can make the viewing lens and the specimen mounting platform on which one can place his cellphone back-mounted camera and adjust the focus to start taking pictures or videos of specimens.
The article awakened a long dormant interest in me about observing things in the small or tiny world. Since the project is relatively uncomplicated, I decided to make one for myself. However, I did not follow the exact configurations as the original article. I do not want a platform on which to place the specimen and the camera phone. My purpose is to build a Anton Van Leeweunhoek style microscope.
As a backgrounder, Anton Van Leeweunhoek(AvL) lived during the 17th century and is commonly known as the Father of Microbiology. In his time he made so much contribution in the observation of the tiny world using microscopes he himself made, and with lenses he himself constructed using a process he discovered by his own. The fact that he is not a highly educated person or even a craftsman but a businessperson is quite astonishing. His extreme interest and curiosity in the natural world drove him to develop and make the cutting edge microscopes of his time, thereby enabling him to make detailed observations of the microworld.
The AvL microscopes are, by today's standards, simple handheld affairs, with tiny spherical lenses. One peers with his naked eye through the microscope lens towards the source of sunlight. On the other side of the lens is the specimen mounted on a pin. Three screws adjust the specimen position on three axis. One of the screws also serve as the pin wherein the specimen is mounted. See the picture below of a surviving original AvL microscope. The size of the microscope is just about 1" x 2" x 1"(W x L x depth).
The article awakened a long dormant interest in me about observing things in the small or tiny world. Since the project is relatively uncomplicated, I decided to make one for myself. However, I did not follow the exact configurations as the original article. I do not want a platform on which to place the specimen and the camera phone. My purpose is to build a Anton Van Leeweunhoek style microscope.
As a backgrounder, Anton Van Leeweunhoek(AvL) lived during the 17th century and is commonly known as the Father of Microbiology. In his time he made so much contribution in the observation of the tiny world using microscopes he himself made, and with lenses he himself constructed using a process he discovered by his own. The fact that he is not a highly educated person or even a craftsman but a businessperson is quite astonishing. His extreme interest and curiosity in the natural world drove him to develop and make the cutting edge microscopes of his time, thereby enabling him to make detailed observations of the microworld.
The AvL microscopes are, by today's standards, simple handheld affairs, with tiny spherical lenses. One peers with his naked eye through the microscope lens towards the source of sunlight. On the other side of the lens is the specimen mounted on a pin. Three screws adjust the specimen position on three axis. One of the screws also serve as the pin wherein the specimen is mounted. See the picture below of a surviving original AvL microscope. The size of the microscope is just about 1" x 2" x 1"(W x L x depth).
My finished microscope project is just about the same dimensions. It is basically made of two parts: The lens and its housing, and the specimen mounting jig. See the picture below.
When assembled, it looks like the image in the picture below.
By comparison in size, the device is pictured in the palm of my hand below.
Next I mounted the assembly into the camera at the back of an old cellphone using just a rubber band.
The lens must be flush against the camera of the phone. To adjust the image, three screws allows one to do that. The long screw adjusts the up/down position of the specimen assumed to be mounted at the tip of the screw. The shorter screw to the right adjusts the focus. For lateral movements of the specimen, the whole jig can turn via the small screw located below the long screw.
Now comes the exciting part, being able to take pictures and/or video of small things using the phone. To mount a specimen, I first need to apply a sticky substance to the tip of the screw. I used a bit of grease for the purpose. I first tried a small bit of leaf and took a couple of pics front side and edgewise.
Now comes the exciting part, being able to take pictures and/or video of small things using the phone. To mount a specimen, I first need to apply a sticky substance to the tip of the screw. I used a bit of grease for the purpose. I first tried a small bit of leaf and took a couple of pics front side and edgewise.
Next I chose a live subject, in this case an ant.
I also took a short video of the ant using the camphone.
As a point of interest, one can also view the specimen by directly peering through the lens with a source of light(usually sunlight) on the other side(same side as the specimen). But I want a more comfortable way of viewing things, hence the use of a camera phone or a USB camera.
The next experiment I did was to use a USB camera attached to a laptop. Again I used a rubber band to attach the AvL microscope to the USB cam.
The next experiment I did was to use a USB camera attached to a laptop. Again I used a rubber band to attach the AvL microscope to the USB cam.
The first short video I did was just moving the screw up or down. The video appears sideways because of the orientation of the camera. It is just the way it is because I will have a hard time positioning the AvL microscope sideways against the USB cam.
Next I placed a bit of salt grains on the tip of the screw and rotated slowly the sample while recording the video.
The last video I did was with an ant again because I like moving subjects.
As an observation, I find that the additional magnification and the resolution of the camera device plays a part in the size and sharpness of the images recorded. What I used are not cutting edge camera devices but if one uses a very good one, recorded images will be much improved. :)