I needed to get decent images off a microscope in fairly short order. Though I was in a “rush”, it still took a full day to get to a working solution. It is still incredible to me how much time it takes to make something that doesn’t obviously suck.
Phone mount clamped to eyepiece. Unfortunately I couldn’t show a phone in place because I need my phone to take the shot. The phone mounts between to two cork pads.
This was made with aluminum bits from my scrap pile, some saved brass thumbscrews, and a Manfrotto Nano clamp. It still takes some jiggering to get the perfect position, but once it’s set, it is very solid. I will try to get some drawings up in the not-too-distance future.
Manfrotto Nano clamp has 1/4-20 and 3/8″ tapped holes. I added the aluminum spacer block to keep the platform from twisting
These clamps cost about $35. I had one left over from another project. If I was a *real* machinist, I would have made the clamp as well, however not doing that probably saved days at my speed.
All the bits: clockwise from upper left: Platform with fixed “shoe” and cork pad at top, 1/4-20 thumb screws and one socket-head cap screw (didn’t have three thumb screws), angle plate, clamp, clamp spacer block, and sliding shoe with cork pad.All bolted together, bottom view. At the upper middle of the photo you can see how the spacer block (between the clamp and the angle bracket) rides in a track and also wraps slightly around the clamp to keep both sides from pivoting.
Above you can see how the clamp spacer overhangs the clamp and slides in a slot to prevent the platform from rotating even when the thumbscrew is loosened.
Top view. The notch at the near end of the sliding shoe is to clear a button on my phone. It probably wasn’t needed with the cork in place.
lensprojects 