Cantilever microscope pictures - Can you guys verify if these are usable?

i just got my new digital microscope today. it was recommended on a youtube video. it wsa really cheap and it works pretty good. if anyone wants me to post where to get it lemme know. i just want to confirm if they look bent or usable. they look good to me but i want to make sure so that i don't ruin my records. there are 3 different styli used here. they look straight for the most part but im not so sure if they aren't slightly bent to the side.

EDIT: I goofed i meant to say cantilever. the styli on these look fine. but i couldn't figure out a good way to take a good pic of the styli on the microscope. i just got iit today so im still learning.

 

Hard to tell anything from those pics. Sometimes a stylus will lean in the rubber suspension very slightly one way or another due to too much or too little anti-skate. If it's only a small amount, probably nothing to be overly concerned about. Nothing looks bent or ruined if we are talking the cantilever. As for the diamond itself impossible to tell anything without 200X magnification under good lighting and you will typically need a lab type microscope for that.

 

ok. is there anyway you can suggest how i can take a good snapshot of the stylus? thanks.

 

Not really. What is goal here? Are these styli used or new?

 

You need about 50 times that magnification of the Stylus which is seen in that picture. And once you have the magnified image, you need to look carefully for any symetrical flat spots on the diamond.

 

hey guys

i think i messed up the one of the cantilevers when i was handling it just now. i think it was when i was removing the protective guard. anyway im down to two now. i took two new pix cause i wasn't sure if they were still straight. i just wanted to be sure. i also took two pix of the styli. im still learning how to use this and surprisingly there wasn't much help for this particular model on youtube. anyway please give me feedback. the styli pix aren't the greatest but its the best i could come up with right now. thanks in advance.

 

forgot to answer the question above. these are old. one i was using today but bumped the turntable when it was moving toward the center after the last track. i hope to use these still cause i can't afford to get another stylus until next month,

 

Looks fine. If it sounds fine, its fine.

 

Nice work. Can you share the hardware/software you used?

 

Do you have any idea how many hours are on these styli? I'd want to stop using them somewhere between 500-1000 hours.

 

Not your fault. To date I have not single image from those USB microscopes that is high enough magnification or clear enough to judge stylus wear. Like I said you would need a 200X lab-type microscope. If you are trying to judge stylus wear you have the wrong tool for the job.

See this article:

The Finish Line for Your Phonograph Stylus… - The Vinyl Press

 

this is awesome!

 

sure. its called the jiusion digital microscope. at amazon for around $20. usb can be used windows linux mac and android cell.

 

no idea how many hours. i doubt that much tho. im willing to takke a chance tho. i just need to use the zerodust on them.

it listts on box magnification up to 1000x. i guess im not using it to full potential..

 

Usually what the box says is false. 1000x for 20$ seems impossible.

 

It doesn't matter what the box says. You'll never be able to get a pic clear enough at 200-300X with one of those USB microscopes. Like I said I have never seen one of a stylus that was clear enough to judge wear. All the good stylus wear pics I've seen were taken with a lab microscope plus other equipment. The best images I've seen were from Ray Parkhurst. I believe he uses a DSLR with image stacking software in combination with a lab microscope. Not cheap.

 

ok thanks for the info!