Lego Microscope • Hacker News Board

Re: Lego Microscope

#21

Post by em-bee » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:05 PM UTC

foreigner wrote: post #14

Pity you still need non-lego lenses though. Can anybody come up with a way to avoid that? Perhaps something based on the principles of a Camera Obscura?

try this:

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-4627/Nico71/lego-microscope...

it uses a water drop as a lens.

Re: Lego Microscope

#22

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:07 PM UTC

foreigner wrote: post #14

Pity you still need non-lego lenses though. Can anybody come up with a way to avoid that? Perhaps something based on the principles of a Camera Obscura?

[deleted]

Re: Lego Microscope

#23

Post by napolux » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:09 PM UTC

what's the magnification of this? I see 100u from the video, but is there any measurement?

Re: Lego Microscope

#24

Post by Invictus0 » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:09 PM UTC

boringg wrote: post #19

Great project, next one can you make an electron microscope?

I met a guy at PennApps several years ago that built an STM microscope. Pretty neat project, I went and found the link [0].

[0] https://devpost.com/software/angstroms-matter-imaging-atoms

Re: Lego Microscope

#25

Post by snypher » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:11 PM UTC

kuu wrote: post #10

jimmySixDOF wrote: post #7

Back in 2017 I supported a Kickstarter for Foldscope - The Origami-inspired Paper Microscope. I got a classroom package and they are still in use for all I know. Foldscope is analog and priced to fit low income countries STEM needs but this Lego hack is nice too. [1] https://www.foldscope.com/

Interesting. It's a pity that shipment costs to my country multiply the price by 5 :\

Yes, even $10 for the paper microscope is too much. It was designed to be cheap to increase access to instruments and make them more likely to be used. Selling them in this way really makes me wonder where the profit goes. For comparison I have a Carson Microbrite 60x-120x and it was $12.

Edit: as an aside, how do they have discontinued items in their store that are for 'international' orders only?

Re: Lego Microscope

#26

Post by em-bee » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:11 PM UTC

jerf wrote: post #20

Dachande663 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please note, the plural form of LEGO is LEGO, not Legos. As per LEGO themselves[0]. [0] https://twitter.com/lego_group/status/842115345280294912?lan...

The Lego corporation is welcome to care about that for trademark reasons, but the rest of us don't really have a need to do so. "Legos" is clearly in common usage, failure to YELL ABOUT LEGO IN ALL CAPS and all.

you are of course right, and people have been trying to get the word lego to be used as a common term for all lego compatible bricks, but that's dangerous as for now lego can stop anyone from publishing anything about alternative brands using the term lego. so they have to avoid doing that or will get in trouble. better to avoid the term lego altogether and just call them bricks.

Re: Lego Microscope

#27

Post by evanb » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

Here’s a functional all-Lego microscope: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/fcce15cd-27e0-405b-990b-681b...

No non-Lego pieces; even the lenses are Lego minifig-scale magnifying glasses.

Unfortunately, it didn’t get enough backers in time to advance to production.

Re: Lego Microscope

#28

Post by lostgame » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:16 PM UTC

offtop5 wrote: post #5

exar0815 wrote: post #2

Risky. They will most probably be hit with a cease and desist by Lego because it is Lego, and by Apple for unauthorized use of Apple parts. On a more serious notez absolutely great project!

Why though. You need to physically buy Legos for this project. It's not like their showing how to print Legos

Not to be that person, but it's 'LEGO', whether singular or plural. I used to work for LEGO and they would take this really seriously.

Similar to 'deer', one LEGO brick is one LEGO brick. A pile of LEGO bricks is still a pile of LEGO bricks. :)

https://twitter.com/lego_group/status/842115345280294912

Re: Lego Microscope

#29

Post by InitialLastName » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:22 PM UTC

lostgame wrote: post #28

offtop5 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why though. You need to physically buy Legos for this project. It's not like their showing how to print Legos

Not to be that person, but it's 'LEGO', whether singular or plural. I used to work for LEGO and they would take this really seriously. Similar to 'deer', one LEGO brick is one LEGO brick. A pile of LEGO bricks is still a pile of LEGO bricks. :) https://twitter.com/lego_group/status/842115345280294912

LEGO (the company)has to take it seriously because they have to defend their trademark. Likewise, the manufacturer of hook-and-loop fabric closures has to be very clear [0] when a hook-and-loop fabric closure is their product or not, but lay-people are happy to call them all Velcro.

[0] https://www.velcro.com/about-us/trademark-guidelines/

Edit: pronouns not my game

Re: Lego Microscope

#30

Post by pantalaimon » Fri, Apr 23, 2021, 2:23 PM UTC

OldTimeCoffee wrote: post #9

jayfk wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they get sued by lego: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6623789/Lego-sues-Y...

You've linked a Daily Mail story with a baseless assertion and LEGO themselves said it was because of the logo of the store. The story has the owner of the store holding up a t-shirt of the logo such that it's somewhat obscured and the remaining focus is on the store itself.

Well he stopped selling LEGO after that and is now promoting LEGO alternatives which do have a better price / quality ratio.

That LEGO tries to push any competition out of the market with shady legal tactics (e.g. claiming minifigures appear too similar even though they clearly feature different proportions and characteristics) while at the same time hiking prices leaves a bad taste.