hi im looking into purchasing a digital camera for around £100 that can take good photos of a circuit board close up

the idea is we want to use this for refs when we get a damaged power unit in for repairs

would need it to be able to take really good photos of the circuit board
so you could read the writing on it

cheers

IMHO the best PCB camera is a CCD scanner.

Tip: How to take a good PCB photo:
http://malthus.zapto.org/viewtopic.php? ... 120&p=1083

Some good tips by HaQue, also.

Here are some examples of scanned PCBs:
http://malthus.zapto.org/viewforum.php?f=112

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

hello i know about using a scanner

but we would like to take photos of power units which are a little bit bigger.

thanks for the links

Here are a few suggestions for point and shoot cameras with good macro capability. A used Canon SX100 or SX130 IS would be worth considering, too. Personally, I love my Lumix DMC FZ35 and its macro capability.

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Sabo Computer Repairs & Data Recovery

Lighting is key to any photo.... if you are using a DSLR, consider a ring Lamp / Flash....... makes all the difference when taking macro pics....

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East Anglian Data Recovery Services
http://www.eadr.co.uk

"If it's your only copy - then it's not a backup!"

hello thank you for the help and the guides on what camera to buy

i seen some with 21mp

looked into DSLR, and was checking out the ring Lamp / Flash.
but we looking for a basic camera.


just have to decided on which one to buy now

so went out and got a nikon coolpix 20.1 mega pixels around $120

quick photo i taken of a hard drive pcb board

i would recommend this camera its very well made and it takes amazing good photos

That is a pretty detailed picture, seems like a good choice for that low price.

If you add some good, all-round lighting I don't think you would get too much better for the $$

I added a LED ring to my stereo microscope and it has a dimmer switch. Was about $30 and I am absolutely happy with the view I get now.

One of the last pics taken with a DSLR, Ring Flash and Macro Lens fitted....

_________________
East Anglian Data Recovery Services
http://www.eadr.co.uk

"If it's your only copy - then it's not a backup!"

that a good image for sure it makes the diffrent using a ring flash and using a dslr

i got some led light that i can use when i take the photos.

just have to test it on a main power unit and see what type of result we get.

idea is when we get a power unit that has blown its tracks we can repair it
with the photo we have as a refs.


thanks all

My scanner beats your camera hands down.

http://malthus.zapto.org/viewtopic.php?f=112&t=117

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

not sure on that one
can you scanner do a perfect scan of a power unit
which i need it for not hard drive pcb

The other good thing about a scanner is that it can produce front and rear images which have a direct 1:1 correspondence. That's indispensible for reverse engineering purposes.

For example, if you wanted to follow a trace from one side of the PCB to the other, you would take a mirror image of the underside and then line up both the top and bottom sides with the same registration point. Place your cursor over a particular plated through-hole on one side, switch to the other side, and the same hole should be directly under your cursor.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

hello the issue we have is that the power unit are not flat

so you can work out some of the information but not all the components
on the board.

Obviously there are going to be times where one might be more suited to a picture.

It is good to know all the different ways so we can choose.

When I am trying to investigate a PCB The detail from the scanner would be great. If I was needing depth, a camera may be better.

I have 2 scanners in my office and I tried to find out if they were CIS or CCD to no avail. They are both old, HP Scanjet 2400 and a Scanjet C2670 (IIRC) with a ADF document feeder. The latter looks more robust and may be the best candidate... though drivers for win 7 are proving difficult to track down.

I like the idea of such good pictures for my Flash Mem site

HP Scanjet 2400, 3670, 3690, 3970 Digital Flatbed Scanners User's Manual:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/bps05795.pdf
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/media/i3d/ ... 021004.pdf

"Scanning element - Charged-coupled device"

I couldn't find any reference to "C2670".

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Thanks, I will have to test it out when I can get some time in a few days. The other one could be C6270 but I will need to check it. The manuals are probably around my offices somewhere to check the second one.