AMSCOPE Microscope for First Grader

[dbadude]

Hi all, I would like to get my 6 1/2 year daughter a microscope. She loves science and nature and I want to nurture the same love of science in her that I had at that age. Given all the info available on the Internet I am of course over analyzing the whole concept of getting a microscope for a little kid however many of the brands sold as kid's scopes are junk that fall apart based on customer reviews.. When I was six (early 60's) I had a plastic Skil Craft that kept me going for years A few years later I got a much nicer TASCO. I have been looking 3 AMSCOPES:

 

Model M200 40 -400 x fine tuning builit in lighting

Model M200A up to 640 x

Model M130C-LED up to 100x LED portable

 

I realize that total magnification is probably teh least important factpr. The 200 and 200 A have plug in illumination systems hile teh 130C LED uses rechargable batteries therefore is portale. This is my big question. Are LED systems like this bright enough?

 

Any and all thoughts are very appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Glenn

[npts2020]

LED's are used in some bicycle headlights. That would lead me to believe they are powerful enough for most optical microscopes.

[StringJunky]

I use led head torches and I think the intensity especially over the short distance the light has to illuminate the specimen would be more than adequate. The light balance should be whiter for better contrast of the specimen than the old filament bulbs and much more efficient on battery power.

 

They are also a cool light source which should enable your child to look at,say, living microscopic pond life without it warming up the slide so much and evaporating the liquid they are suspended in.

 

There aren't any negatives as far I can see.

[Genecks]

Didn't we have a thread on here about these AMSCOPE things?

I could have sworn there was one a while ago.

From what I remember, people have been satisfied, and I've been thinking about buying one.

 

Here we go:

http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27423&highlight=AMSCOPE

 

Are you guys sure LEDs are a cool light source?

 

I remember playing with the things as a kid when I learned learning about electronics, and I burned myself once. Then again, maybe it was the amount of current being transformed into heat from the setup I had.

[StringJunky]

Hi genecks: Yes I did a little bit of reading around on this light source for microscopes and it was all positive-

 

One study for the European Space Agency researching its efficacy for space bound microscopes even recommended it...they actually preferred the green ones for their purposes due to its more even light spread relative to the other colours..

 

I suppose all light sources produce heat but relative to filament types they are cool. The advantage of using it with live subjects was also mentioned somewhere so they must be cool enough. Taken from a Leica advert:

 

Ready for anything

The Leica DM IL LED is suitable for a wide variety of cell and tissue culture examinations in biology and medicine, for studies in development biology or micromanipulation all the way up to live cell experiments in transgenics or electrophysiology. The Leica DM IL FLUO variant offers versatile application potential for fluorescence applications such as GFP labeling and can also be supplied with LED fluorescence illumination on request. Featuring an energysaving automatic shutoff, the compact illumination unit integrates a pre-centered LED with a lifetime of 50,000 hours – no more need for lamp change! The 10 watt power of the LED is fully converted into light

 

A bit expensive Leica but it shows that LED's are up to the job..check out the wattage of any LED before you buy. Google a few reputable microcope makers sites and see the wattage on their LED models and then cross reference that with the Amscopes to see if it's powerful enough.

 

I'm sure they are not perfect but the Amscopes seem very good for the money. With the Nikons Leicas etc you are buying into a whole flexible system of accessories, that's half the reason why they are so expensive.

 

It seems to me Amscope have cut the corners in the right places for the money.

Edited December 12, 2009 by StringJunky