A Review of the HVM130 Microscope Camera
Ever since I read David Walker's review of the Moticam 1000 in the March 2005 'Micscape', I wanted to buy one, but I was unwilling to spend $400. Over the years, I must have purchased at least 5 web cams for this purpose. The results were always disappointing.
Recently, I searched eBay for similar cameras as the Moticam. I came across this HVM130 for $179. It seems to have the same half inch chip with an identical pixel number as the Moticam, so I ordered it. The picture below was on the eBay website.
HVM130 Microscope Camera
Features:
High-Resolution USB 2.0 Color Camera
Powered directly from the USB 2.0 port
Picture Element: 1280 x 1024 maximum (1.3 Megapixel)
Output: High speed USB 2.0 Port; 6 foot USB cord
Low-noise, light, compact.
Includes software
Image Sensor: 1/2 inch color CMOS chip
Warranty: One year on materials and workmanship
Dimensions: 45 x 45 x 45mm; Diameter - 32mm
It seems, this camera is no longer available on eBay.
What the picture shows is all you get, as far as hardware is concerned. The camera has a c-mount thread. I did not want to buy a c-mount adapter, which was offered for $69. I decided to build my own. C-mount specs are readily available on the internet. The only real info needed is the thread: 1 inch diameter and 32 threads per inch. If you have a metric lathe, then a 0.8 mm thread is close enough.
Diagram of c-mount adaptor
C-mount Adaptor
I used 1 inch round aluminum. Cut it 2 inches long and bored it out as shown in the drawing. I intended to use the camera over the eye pieces. The 30 mm bore accommodates all the eye pieces I have. I also drilled threaded holes 120 degrees and 0.5 inches from the right end. I inserted plastic screws to clamp and center the camera to the microscope.
The dimensions on the drawing are given in millimeters. Anybody that has a lathe should have no problem converting between metric and inch. You could also make this c-mount out of plastic, like delrin, nylon etc. I just happened to have aluminum on hand. The camera shown below is attached to an Accuscope 3016.
HVM130 Attached to Accuscope 3016
