The Intel Play QX3 Computer Microscope has been developed as the result of a creative partnership between computer chip giant Intel and the innovative toy designer Mattel. Having a $100 price point, this electronic video toy is positioned to capture a generous share of the market in science education using optics, digital imaging, and the latest computer technology.
Overall design features of the microscope are stylish and simple, yet they take advantage of state-of-the-art video imaging and computer technology allowing amateur scientists to explore their environment with optical microscopy at magnifications up to 200x. The real secret behind this amazing toy microscope is the active pixel sensor CMOS "camera on a chip" video technology that Intel and Mattel have effectively used to shrink the on-board digital camera into a single 2 1/2-inch diameter circuit board that fits snugly within the microscope body. Electrical power for the camera system and specimen illumination lamps is obtained from the computer through the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. Information and control commands are also passed between the computer and the microscope using this pathway. The accompanying software package provides an interface that is very nicely done with excellent graphics and audio clips that are presented through a kid-friendly layout. Students are able to capture single images, make movies, and perform time-lapse investigations on a variety of specimens with a single click of the mouse.
Anatomy of the QX3 Microscope
The Intel QX3 Computer Microscope contains no eyepieces, and images must be viewed through the accompanying software on the host computer that controls the microscope. Construction materials used in the assembly of the microscope are typical of those found in many modern toys.
The major difference between the QX3 microscope and its predecessors is the ability to capture digital images and movies with the Intel Play microscope. Before the introduction of this remarkable microscope, students were forced to peer into eyepieces with very narrow viewfields to visualize poorly illuminated specimens through optical systems capable of producing only blurred images. Photomicrography was out of the question for all but the most expensive microscopes. Specific details of the design, construction, and operation of the QX3 computer microscope can be found in the links below.
Objective Design and Architecture - Objective design and construction is a key feature of any optical microscope. This discussion explains how the Intel QX3 objectives operate and details their features and limitations.
Objective Properties - Ray trace patterns, spot diagrams, and modulation transfer functions for the three QX3 microscope objectives are measured and discussed. Specification for plastic optics and the use of various materials in lens manufacture are also presented.
Microscope Body - Housed in the microscope body are the control and digital imaging electronics, the objectives, and an oblique illumination light source. This section discusses how the body is assembled and how the various components interact to magnify specimens and produce digital images.
Light Pathways - Illumination is perhaps the most important consideration in optical microscopy. In this section we discuss how light travels through the QX3 microscope in both transmitted and reflected light illumination modes.
Digital Imaging System - The QX3 uses an innovative new CMOS digital sensor technology to produce images that can be captured as stand-alone, time-lapse, or digital movies.
Stage and Stand - The stand assembly is an integral part of the Intel QX3 microscope when used in transmitted light mode. Although the microscope lacks a substage condenser, it does have a light mixing chamber and diffusion screen to assist in specimen illumination.
QX3 Software Interface - The software package that accompanies the QX3 microscope is both impressive and very functional. Designed with a kid-friendly interface, this interactive system controls the microscope and excels in image capture and manipulation.
Specialized Techniques - We have devised a number of modifications and specialized techniques designed to improve the performance of the Intel QX3 microscope. These techniques are very easy to follow and should result in much better digital images from the microscope.
Performance Enhancing Modifications - Although the QX3 microscope is solidly built and practically indestructible, we have found that several minor modifications greatly improve the overall performance of the microscope.
Warning: Disassembly of the QX3 microscope body or stand will invalidate the manufacturer's warranty.
QX3 Stand Disassembly - Several of our suggested modifications require disassembly of the QX3 microscope stand. This section discusses our experience with stand modifications and our recommendations about performance improvements.
QX3 Body Disassembly - There is no reason for users to disassemble the microscope body, except to more closely examine the individual components, to modify and upgrade objective lenses, or to place a contrast enhancing device at the rear focal plane of the objectives.
It is important to remember that the most critical aspect of optical microscopy is proper illumination of the specimen. Intel and Mattel engineers invested a great deal of thought into the design and execution of this microscope and it performs better than any of its predecessors in the toy arena. The remarkable aspect of this novel design is just how close the microscope approaches to being genuinely useful in a research environment doing cutting-edge science. With proper auxiliary illumination, the QX3 computer microscope will produce acceptable digital images that will have a wide variety of applications.
QX3 Stage And Stand
The stand of the Intel QX3 computer microscope is designed to hold the microscope body with a set of clamps in addition to supporting the stage with its focusing mechanism and the substage illuminator assembly. A cutaway drawing of the entire stand is illustrated in Figure 1. Electrical power for the substage illuminator is derived from a set of contacts located on the stand limb behind the body clamps.
A simple horseshoe stand design follows the basic theme used for a majority of the microscopes produced around the world during the past several hundred years on both toy and laboratory microscopes. The stand is made of an injection-molded high-impact polymer that is very lightweight and somewhat flexible. When the body is removed, the complete stand assembly weighs only about 330 grams (11.8 ounces), rendering it very susceptible vibrations and strong wind currents. Also, without any significant weight in the microscope base, the unit has a high center of gravity and is not difficult to tip over.
Another problem that we have discovered with this microscope is the lack of friction provided by the smooth plastic surface on the underside of the base. When placed on another smooth surface, such as a varnished table, the entire unit has a tendency to slide while the specimen is being loaded and unloaded or when the operator is too quick with the focus knobs. These problems can be remedied by adding weight to the base as we describe in the section on base modifications.
Focus is achieved with a rack and pinion mechanism that is composed around a set of nylon gears as illustrated above in Figure 2. The focusing knobs are stylishly fashioned from a combination of opaque and translucent blue plastic. They are attached to the pinion gear with a narrow stainless steel bar that traverses the center of the pinion gear and press-fits into a tubular hole in the focusing knobs.
Tension is maintained on the gearset by a spring and lever mounted on the inside microscope body limb with an open bearing that rides on the outer rod housing of the right-hand focus knob. This assembly adds stiffness to the up and down movement of the stage and prevents it from falling under the weight of heavy specimens. The spring tension should never be in need of adjustment, but it can be easily removed when the stand is disassembled. Bending the spring to a slightly larger angle will increase the tension, while reducing the spring angle will decrease tension--although this is not recommended.
Molded into the underside of the stage is the housing for a mixing chamber for the light emitted from the diascopic tungsten lamp. The mixing chamber (illustrated in Figure 3) is secured into this housing using two Phillips-head screws. A high-gloss white paint is used to coat the inside of the mixing chamber to ensure proper mixing of light emitted by the lamp.
Light mixed in the chamber exits through the plastic diffusion screen, which is positioned to cover a 30 millimeter (one and one-eight inch) opening in the stage. This light provides illumination for viewing specimens in transmitted light mode.
Direct current necessary to power the tungsten lamp is derived through a set of electrical contacts (illustrated in Figure 4) that are mounted in the limb of the microscope stand. This power originates at the USB connector on the printed circuit board in the microscope body and is transferred to the stand through another set of contacts that that are housed on the body. When the body is inserted into the stand, the two sets of electrical contacts are positioned to come together to provide continuity to close the circuit. The electricity travels to the lamp through a set of wires hidden internally (Figure 4) in the stand.
The tungsten lamp in the mixing chamber has a finite lifespan and must be replaced from time to time. Mattel provides a customer service telephone number in the literature accompanying the Intel QX3 microscope, which lists the spare parts center from which new lamps can be ordered. To replace a defective lamp, unscrew the mixing chamber from the underside of the stage to expose the lamp housing. The lamp is fitted to the housing with two thin wire contacts that allow the lamp to be slipped into the housing. Replace the lamp and reattach the mixing chamber to the stage.
The Intel QX3 microscope has a variety of accessories to assist students in their microscopy investigations (as illustrated in Figure 5). These include a pipette (eyedropper), a pair of tweezers, two specimen containers, two covered Petri dishes, and a pair of pre-prepared microscope slides with four specimens each. The microscope slides are ready for observation as soon as the microscope is unpacked and the software installed. Specimens on the slides are a wool sample, Drosophila (fruit fly), shrimp eggs, sponge, spirogyra, fern spores, handmade paper, and dog hair. These specimens represent a great start in the search for objects to image with the microscope.
The specimen containers (Intel calls them sample jars) are great for collecting live insects, pond water samples, hairs, dirt, and other specimens that are candidates for microscopy. Pond water and crawling insects can be placed in the Petri dishes for observation in the microscope. The kit also includes a pair of tweezers for collecting specimens that children would not want to touch with their fingers, such as bugs, worms, and other small organisms. The pipette (eyedropper) is useful for transferring aliquots of pond water from the specimen containers to the Petri dishes.
The accessories will also help children understand that specimen collection and preparation are of paramount importance in microscopy. A handy storage compartment (Figure 5) is included in the microscope stand for storage of these accessories so they won't get lost.
In conclusion, the stand for the Intel Play QX3 computer microscope is a multi-functional unit that provides transmitted light illumination and a movable stage with which to focus the specimen. Modifications to the stand can greatly improve microscope performance and are addressed in a separate section entitled base modifications elsewhere in the Science, Optics & You website.
