Have you ever wondered what else you could do with your smartphone? Here is something interesting you can do with that expensive gadget, you can use it as a microscope, too. Some really curious guys have decided to turn a simple smartphone into a microscope, and I think it is a good thing to do especially for people like me.
One thing I have always wanted and still do, is to be able to teach my son curiosity and thereafter be able to really show him practically some of the things he will turn to be curious about. I know at one point he would want to know where babies came from, what germs are, and what makes up everything. At that point I have thought out of a solution and my intention up until now has been to introduce him to microscopy by borrowing time in a nearby medical lab. Well, the microscopy problem has now been solved since I can just turn my smartphone into a microscope.
To convert a smartphone into a microscope I will only need to make a simple stand that has a wooden base and glass top. The wooden base supports a Light Emitting Diode and that’s it. Watch this video to see how. The procedure converts any smartphone into a microscope with a x175 magnification although I don’t know if the camera specs would contribute to the magnification or quality of images you would get.
If you are as curious and as practical as I am (forgive the lie) let’s get into business and do the conversion. Let me know how your smart microscope performs. Were you able to diagnose malaria?
From the creators website we have the materials and tools required as follows:
Materials required.
3x 4 ½” x 5/16” carriage bolts
9x 5/16” nuts
3x 5/16” wing nuts
5x 5/16” washers
¾” x 7” x 7” plywood — for the base
?” x 7” x 7” plexiglass — for the camera stage
?” x 3” x 7” plexiglass — for the specimen stage
laser pointer focus lens
LED click light (necessary only for viewing backlit specimens)
Tools:
Drill
Assorted bits
Ruler