Sreemoyee Roy Choudhury

Day 1.(11/01/2013)

Creating a microscope using an external webcam.

Aim:To locate movement in muddy/dirty water.

Requirements: 1.External Webcam 2.Laptop/Computer compatible with the webcam 3.Set of screwdrivers. 4.Quick-drying Adhesive. First connect the web cam to the computer. Then install the software and make sure that the web cam is functioning properly.Take out the web cam case using a screwdriver and invert the lens and place it on the photosensitive chip. To make sure that it is functioning properly hold the lens onto the chip, place it on the laptop screen and keep adjusting the distance and placement of the lens on the chip till RGB pixels can be seen on the laptop through the lens. Stick lens onto the photosensitive chip on the web cam. Now the web cam microscope is ready for use.

My Group consisted of Gita Upmale and myself. Unfortunately, while following the above steps, glue seeped on to our lens due to which the images we were able to capture were slightly blurred. Nonetheless we were able to look at magnified images of droplets of muddy water, a very small, thinly sliced piece of apple and a flower petal. Despite the blurred images, we were able to see the particles in the water and the translucent nature of the apple.

To make the web cam microscope work, we created a stable body for it, using a cardboard box and masking tape. We attached the glass slide onto the card board and placed the web cam over it using an adjustable clip which came with it. We fitted a torch(our source of light) on the cardboard box with masking tape so that the light fell on the slide without causing a glare.

In the second half of the class, we had a Skype chat with Sachiko Hirosue who explained to us what she has been working on and what her project is about.