Microscope Upgrade, deadlines shifted
Posting a quick update here. The intial deadline for BOM publication was end of May, but I failed to take into account when I would actually get the funds. In any case, funds are in hand and supplies have been ordered. I anticipate all the deadlines to be shifted by a month.
Notably, I found a much better microscope than the usb ones I was previously using. Namely this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LFIEV88?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details It's notable because it has epi-illumination (meaning light source is going through the objective lens), which means that there won't be any shadows from the light source (which could make alignment more difficult). The microscope also seems to be compact enough. The Amazon one is pricey, but it seems like it is a Chinese import, so I ordered some of the Chinese ones to test, which go for a few hundred dollars.
The magnification is also much better. See the pics for what a cross with 10um line width looks like. Honestly it's quite impressive for the price. Buying a similar system from Edmund optics seems like it would have cost in the thousands of dollars range. A slightly brighter LED along with a filter (there is a filter slot on this microscope!) or different color LED might be a good upgrade for this scope.
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