MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

A below the specimen light source really made my digital microscope much more useful. These inexpensive scopes usually illuminate from above. I did add an additional upper light to increase illumination. But I also now added a below-specimen light. I used a flat led flashlight. I glued a translucent coffee can lid to the LED lights to act as a diffuser and a kind of stage. The result is well lit images for transparent or translucent subjects at about the same magnification as a stereo microscope. (sorry for the extra images--I still can't figure out the system)

Very innovative Don. I did similar stuff with mine as well. If your specimen is transparent or translucent polarization also works well.
Greg

I haven't tried polarization. Thanks. What does your set up look like?

The base light is a dimmable LED that is 4 inches in diameter. Other than that I have the exact Tomlov scope in your photos. The base lamp is an inch thick, so using pipe fittings screwed into the stem of the scope, I raised the scope one inch to compensate and make the working distance comparable to the original length. It works very well and I am using the scope to create a data base for my rock and mineral collection.
Greg

Inspiring!