New candidate for cheapest, quickest DIY microscope?

[hikinghack]

I know we got lots of dirt cheap microscope enthusiasts here, but at a recent event (funded by GOSH and Sloan from the event funding giveaway) @alex9000 showed the cheapest and quickest way i have seen to have 30 5 year old kids build and use their own microscopes in minutes l!

Here’s the simple open source recipe to turn any phone into a quickie microscope for like 10cents, based on @wildlivesclass @GOSH workshop!

1. purchase cheap laser lenses in bulk for like 10 bucks
   laser lens 7mm for sale | eBay

2. use a bobby pin as a lens holder

3. tape the lens over the widest angle camera lens on the back of your phone

4. let the kids loose! Since you are using phones, i had some of the kids send their observation straight to inaturalist. They could auto-ID many things! This included some citronella ants, that made us curious if the ants smelled or tasted like lemongrass, and within about 5 minutes, an ant-licking craze started and the kids had a blast.

(I don’t think i posted this here before, but sorry for double posting if i did!)

[beniroquai]

Also - if you don’t have a smartphone but still want to go digital: https://matchboxscope.github.io/

[hikinghack]

Cool!

[hpy]

Ha, what a cool and super simple design! Gonna remember this for future science outreach-y things I do. Also love the step of tying in iNaturalist.

Dumb question: If the laser lens is already secured to the camera on the back of the phone with tape, what does the pin do???

[DrBrian]

on the longer legs.

[hikinghack]

You don’t tape over the lens so you don’t obscure it. The clip holds the lens, and you tape the clip

[hpy]

Ah I see. Thanks! Cool stuff.

[dusjagr]

Ha! Quite some classics here!
The laser lenses work perfectly fine for many “macro” applications… go even cheaper by just adding a drop of water and use the spherical meniscus to magnify

https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Mobile_Phone_Field_Microscope

Or make your own lenses from scrap glass you find on a beach:

https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Jugaad_PhoneScope

[hikinghack]

Super rad!