Posted 03.23.2011 at 12:00 pm
6 Comments
Krasnow and His DIY SEM
Have a spare oscilloscope, an electron gun, and a handful of spare weekends? DIYer Ben Krasnow has spent the last few months building a homemade scanning electron microscope in his workshop, and yesterday he generated his first image. To celebrate, he’s shared his setup via this video explaining broadly how he did it.
As DIY projects go, we’re going to rate this one “difficult.” By Krasnow’s own estimation, it took him two or three months to get the beam under control. But generate an image he did, and the entire rig is pretty impressive, especially considering he put the whole thing together in his shop, partially from parts he had just laying around.
The video below offers a pretty thorough overview of the project as it stands right now.
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What a cool project. This guy really has mastered a lot of various tech specialties.
Best of all -- there is NO app for it:)
Really brings "Do it yourself" to a new level. just think of what interest a gadget like this would generate in a high school. I'll bet it would inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers. Would be good as a touring demonstration along with frozen bananas demonstration.
Looking forward to the followups.
Wow this is incredible!
Couple of possibilities:
Make some provision for heating/cooling the specimen combined with collecting backscattered primary electrons for elemental contrast (and topographic shading). It would be very interesting to watch a material change phases 'live'.
Use a LaB6 emitter instead of W - has a lower electron work function.
Wow. Grade 8 bolts. Must be sturdy.
This has got to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen!
I did not hear any discussion in the video of precautions to protect the user from bremsstrahlung radiation.
Did I miss it? Is the bell jar leaded glass? If not he could become seriously ill from x-ray exposure.