Rapiscope

The rack and pinion-adjustable, rapidly 3D-printable, Raspberry Pi-based digital microscope for soldering (and more!).

What is it?

This project uses:

• Raspberry Pi 3 or 4
• Raspberry Pi HQ camera with a C-mount microscope lens
• v-slot aluminium profiles
• a bunch of commodity fasteners and bearings I had laying around

to create a digital microscope with a regulated working distance (and therefore, zoom).

It utilizes a 3D printed version of a mechanism that's been commonplace in analog microscopes for ages - the rack and pinion, driven by a worm gear to ensure self-locking (knob removed for demonstration purposes):

Motivations

While this entire project can be bought as a unit (be it with a built-in screen, or only a camera, sometimes with a helping hand) from various manufacturers, DYI'ing allowed me to build this from reusable and commodity components.

I was also able to introduce a motion system that doesn't rely on me holding the lens as I move it.

Thanks to the use of aluminium profiles for the structure, I will be able to easily extend this with your usual soldering station suspects - for example, a fume extractor.

Additionally, with the Raspberry Pi on board, I can look both at the thing I'm soldering, and its schematics, on one screen.

Building

If you're interested in building the Rapiscope, check out:

• bill of materials
• build guide

Acknowledgements and prior work

• /u/SilentMobius' Raspberry Pi Microscope
• OpenFlexure - this is where to go if you were looking for something more classic microscope-y rather than work-station-microscope-y