Use of Dental Surgical Binocular Loupes for SMD Work

[ilardi]

Has anyone tried these, or similar, cheap Dental Surgical Binocular Loupes, 3.5 X Dental Surgical Binocular Loupes Dentist 420mm - eBay (item 190486934809 end time Apr-04-11 17:57:45 PDT) for assembly of SMD boards. Clearly it would be preferable to use high quality dental surgical loupes, but at close to $1000 for a pair, they are out of reach. These at $65 are within budget and may be good enough for occasional use. My Optivisor works, but having to hunch over at 4 or 5 inches from the board I am working on is hardly comfortable.

Thanks for any thoughts or comments.

Terry

 

[c2cthomas]

Looks to be worth a try - I used something like these Gold Tone DOUBLE EYE LOUPE for Eye Glasses 3X and 3X - eBay (item 200586189999 end time Apr-11-11 21:52:41 PDT)

 

[marce]

I get cheap magnyfying spectacles from a pound shop here in the UK for delicate work. I have a variety of magnification factors as they are so cheap.

 

[Conrad Hoffman]

Those dental loupes look like a real deal. I use much more primitive stuff from Optics Planet. Their Carson brand magnifiers are inexpensive and work well- we use a lot of them in the shop at work, but there's a big difference between the telescopic gadgets and simple magnifiers, in terms of working distance and what you can see without strain.

Conrad

 

[VictoriaGuy]

I get cheap magnyfying spectacles from a pound shop here in the UK for delicate work. I have a variety of magnification factors as they are so cheap.

Are these what we call 'reading glasses' over here?
That's what I generally use for magnifiers, but the working distance is quite small.
Those magnifiers that dentists and surgeons use would be just the thing.... if I had a dentist/surgeon's income!
I'm interested to read a review of those eBay loupes.

 

[Eric1110]

I use 2.5x loops and I always give myself the gift of tons of light (don't skimp on the light).

It's great for SMD parts and for rechecking/inspecting any circuit work.

 

[wakibaki]

I have a few of the 'screw in eye' type of jewellers loupes, up to 10x, and some reading glasses. I have a few torches (flashlights) with Cree and other high power LEDs.

I have a close-work headset with interchangeable lenses too, but it doesn't get much use.

I'm naturally short-sighted so I can get away with most things by peering over the top of my glasses and checking afterwards with the loupe.

I make SMT circuits on homemade PCBs without really noticing, but I have been doing it for over 10 years. Everything I do is SMT, unless I'm forced to use through hole, which is kind of like it is in industry. I've done some pretty fine-pitch stuff, 24 pin TSSOP which fits 12 pins in 7.5mm. Course there's a technique for these, you just flood them with solder and then suck it off. Yes, I said suck it off.

I've taken to doing a few things in a toaster oven more recently, that's a pretty good method too, especially if you can get a laser-cut plastic stencil for the solder.

w

 

[marce]

VictoriaGuy,
yep, they are relatively cheap (£2 £3) so I have a few mag powers depending what I'm doing. 25 years in front of computers and old age have caught up with my eyes, and shrinking electronic devices dont help.

 

[dennyissmith]

I have some dental surgical binocular loupes. For more information please visit: Care Optical | Professional Dental Loupes and LED Headlights

 

[stoN_Cold]

I use this : 3 Magnifier 7X Watch Eye Loupe Magnifying Glass Tools | eBay

enough for SMD work.

Regards zeoN_Rider

 

[sofaspud]

A stereo microscope is the best thing I've used. I happened to find this via Google: C & A Scientific SMD-04 - I-Explore Scope. It ain't a Leica, but it looks like there's plenty of room to work, and the price beats the $65 loupe.

 

[ChrisA]

Has anyone tried these, or similar, cheap Dental Surgical Binocular Loupes,

Did you buy them? What I'm concerned about is the tiny field of view. I'd guess you could only see one small SMD part at a time. the optovisor has a much larger field.

 

[wrenchone]

At work, I generally use one of the arm-mounted circular fluorescent lamps with a central magnifier for both through-hole and SMD work. I'm pusing 60, but this setup usually gets the job done. When I want to look for solder whiskers or really check a SMD solder joint, I'll resort to using a binocular microscope - you want one that is wide field, relatively low power.

 

[pski]

At work, I generally use one of the arm-mounted circular fluorescent lamps with a central magnifier for both through-hole and SMD work. I'm pusing 60, but this setup usually gets the job done. When I want to look for solder whiskers or really check a SMD solder joint, I'll resort to using a binocular microscope - you want one that is wide field, relatively low power.

+1

I bought a "daylight company" illuminated magnifier a few years ago.

This is the sort of thing used in professional repair. The image is large at 7 inches and the most important thing is the focus field is clear edge to edge. This means that if you wear "reader" lenses the only impediment to a good view is whether the lens is clean on both sides.

P

 

[ilardi]

I did buy them. I have not yet used them to assemble an SMD PCB, but my impression is that the focal length is just a little bit too long to work comfortably when seated at a bench. I probably should have realized that because they are designed for dentist, who usually works from a standing position. It may be that I just have to get used to them. I'm kind of used to working hunched over using an Optivisor.

 

[dennyissmith]

Dental loupes is a magnification device which is used to see the objects more close, they are used during surgeries or during dental checkups. Its fine design yields higher power and high definition. It is lightweight and comfortable to wear and easy to adjust. It crystal clear glasses ensures clear vision.