What I did today III Part two

After much deliberation, the idea of using those tiny crocodile clips and a small magnifying glass is out. Even if it costs less than Rm50.00. I am aiming for the bigger one, which, at the last window shopping session, was priced at RM250.00 the least.

This reason I chose this was because apart from doing electronics, I would like to take up plastic model hobby again. And this is where the small unit it useless. I needed these because in just less than a year, my eyesight has deteriorated rapidly. Which means, I can still see but not the finer things. So, just after my project board bulk purchase, I decided to go to my third favourite store, hoping they would sell it and also at a lower price. And to my surprise, it was being sold for RM100.00 cheaper, spec for spec (apart from the base clamp design, which I am sure was bigger).

And so, I took it home for RM145.00

Apart from it just being a normal table top fluorescent
lamp assembly, the only difference was the lamp unit
and the big 5x magnifying glass. If I am not mistaken,
the Rm250.00 version is 5.5X but its not important

What I am more concerned is the size of the
table clamp, which I wished was bigger. But
one day, I'll just make my own replacement

And then there is the lens which has no cover, so I
will have to DIY one in case there is sunlight coming
in while no one is in the house.

But the reason why I chose this model is because of
the diffuser cover for the lamp. This would give me
a lot of soft light compared to those normal clear
covers which is glaring. In theory, this would not
make my eyes tire easily.

The first test for the lamp, which is to spot all the
ikan bilis in the Nasi Lemak.

And after that, Kristine used it to
stick some double-sided tapes
to a book....

Although the magnification is great, there is a lot
of distortion once you view it near the edge. And
because the design is not sturdy enough, the lens
tend to wobble when you touch it. This will make
me feel seasick or experience a nice headache.

One thing I notice about buying components in bulk
is that not only are they cheaper, but here in this
shop, you get them right off the manufacturer's
strip/case and not random pickings stuffed into a
plastic bag. And for the resistors, they take the
time to label the values for you too.

Mr. Tan was kind enough to let me have this roll
of ribbon cable with a discount too. If I went and
bought the normal grey ones, which is according
to my design spec, it would have cost me more.

And why I am worried about cost? Because I have
tabulated everything from component purchase to
to actual cost per board. Not adding International
shipping cost, there is a lot of money invested into
this simple project. Luckily, my last Boss was
kind enough to get my last pay out quickly.