[Petwksp] Microscope video signal to LCD monitor

[John Goodge]

Hi Alan et al.,

I don't think this is what Alan's looking for exactly, but I thought  
I'd pass on some information about a new microscopy lab I've just  
finished installing at UMD. We have 15 new student microscopes and one  
research-grade instructor scope for our min-pet lab. Each of the 16  
scopes has a dedicated CCD analog-video camera attached to a photo tube  
on top; they're small, static and have good video resolution. All of  
the analog video outputs feed into a 16-channel switchbox up front (no  
computer interface), so that a live image of any one scope can be  
selected instantly. The auto exposure and white balance are very fast  
and make switching between plane- and cross-polarized light ideal. I  
have two overhead LCD projectors: one takes a feed from the analog  
switchbox to show a live video image, and the other can take signal  
from either a computer in the lab, a laptop you bring in, an analog  
video image from the instructor scope, or a high-res digital camera on  
the instructor scope. So, there's a lot of flexibility to show a  
student's view on one screen and anything from an instructor scope  
image to a prepared presentation.

The CCD video cameras aren't exactly cheap -- about $800 each including  
coupler to the photo tube, but they should be nearly impossible to  
break, are unobtrusive, and offer good images when projected. I decided  
to go with the analog video on each student scope so that we wouldn't  
have to deal with off-the-shelf digital cameras breaking down, having  
too many menu options, models being discontinued, etc.  With a separate  
stand-alone digital camera, students can have access when they need it  
for acquiring photomicrographs for class, a report or a research  
project.

As far as Alan's plan as I understand it, you might consider this type  
of CCD camera, take a small number of these and feed images to a  
switchbox to split the signal to as many monitors as you like. It would  
be kind of the opposite of what we've done, going from one to many  
outputs, but should still work equally well. There is no computer  
interface necessary, but each camera and the switchbox all require  
their own power.

The goal of our setup is to allow students to interact more with each  
other (the scopes are arranged in clusters around hexagonal tables),  
share ideas immediately when things are projected, and allow group  
discussion when things come up. So far, it seems to be working very  
well, and of course the students love the new scopes!

If anyone's interested in what we've done or some ideas on what seems  
to be working, don't hesitate to contact me.

Cheers,

John


On Oct 13, 2006, at 8:43 AM, Alan Boyle wrote:

> Hi all
>
> Does anyone have any experience of setting up teaching microscopes so  
> that live video of what is being viewed can be fed into an LCD monitor  
> without going through a PC? I don't want to be able to capture the  
> images at all, just be able to view them in real time with a small  
> teaching group. I just want a camera that can go straight into an LCD  
> monitor.
>
> I am aware of CRT-based systems such as  
> http://www.hometrainingtools.com/catalog/microscopes-accessories/ 
> digital-microscopes-and-cameras/p_mi-vidcam.html
>
> but haven't found an LCD-based one. I want to go the LCD route for  
> space reasons. I also want to do this cheaply as I may need 16  
> systems.
>
> Regards
>
> Alan
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Dr. A.P. Boyle
> Earth & Ocean Sciences, 4 Brownlow Street,
> University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, U.K.
> Tel/FAX: (0151) 794 5154/5196 Dept home page http://www.liv.ac.uk/earth
>
> "The great tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis  
> by an ugly fact." Thomas Huxley (1825-1895)
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
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---------------------------------------------------------------
John W. Goodge
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Minnesota
Duluth, MN  55812
Tel 218-726-8486
Fax 218-726-8275
Email jgoodge at d.umn.edu
Web www.d.umn.edu/~jgoodge