What you've probably seen is one of those student's microscopes. It is a low power optical microscope that has been marketed specifically for non-scientists - that is, to be used by students in primary and secondary school.



As mentioned, the student microscope is an optical microscope - the type that uses a system of lenses and visible light in seeing through images. This is the oldest and the simplest kind of microscope in that this still uses eye-pieces for an observer to have a glimpse of the magnified images.

On the other hand, there's the digital microscope. It the more modern type, and more often, it does not use eye-pieces. In lieu of the eye-piece, it uses a camera and its output is a digital image projected in a computer monitor.

Using a Digital Microscope

So, how do you use a digital microscope then given that you cannot look through an eye-piece to observe a sample? Simple, think robots.

If you want to clearly see the micro-printing in a dollar bill, for example, just place the bill right below the camera of your digital microscope. The images will then be projected in your computer monitor.

But before you discover the secrets of the dollar bill, you must first install the software of your digital microscope into your computer. Your microscope package should include an installation CD, otherwise, you might be getting a fraudulent microscope.

After you've successfully done this, connect your digital microscope and your computer using USB cables. Find the appropriate port. You don't have to be a computer engineer to know this. The secret to this technical task is in finding the port that fits with your cable. If it does not fit, it is not supposed to be plugged there.

When you've connected the correct cables and you see that such a connection is working (i.e. when you move your camera, the image on the monitor also changes), you can now get your dollar bill for scrutiny.

Adjust some knobs in your precious digital microscope until the image in your monitor becomes clear. After which, you can now start doing your digital scrutiny of the dollar bill. You can even save a captured image and do some work on it - label it, make some notes about it, or put a comment on it.

Indeed, by using a digital microscope, you are finding better answers to your questions about the world around you. You are discovering more things.

Gone are the days when you have to prick your finger, get a sample of your own blood, put it in a microscope slide and use a student microscope to observe the discs and color of your blood. Today, you have other kinds such as the digital microscope, the research microscope, and an improved version of the compound microscope.

Science indeed has transformed itself to provide us with better answers. It has even made its gadgets better to provide you with the needed tools to satisfy a more curious you.

CanScope - complete solution for all your microscopy needs.

Contact: 1-877-56SCOPE(72673) or info@CanScope.ca