Plugable USB 2.0 Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm Observation Stand

Very easy to plug in and use with any basic computer or laptop. The micro has a manual focus and a bright/dimmer light dial on the bottom. The software is downloadable from their website. Comes with a small pad and a stand. Really did a great job magnifying and has some online controls using the software for resolution and tweaking the image.

This is one fun device for sharing with my grandkids. It is simple and inexpensive but has enough capability to entertain and educate young ones. It is also quite capable as a tool for hobbyist or business user but for me, it's an educational tool. Assembly is simple. Set the suction cup on the ruled tablet, attach the flex arm, attach the microscope to the arm and you are done. Next install their software application for maximum benefit. I use a laptop and can carry the setup out for field examination. Simply plug the device into an available USB port and its good to go. Now, that being said, using any magnifying device takes some practice and skill. The magnification is set by the distance of the lens to the object and the size of your monitor screen. Sitting on the tablet stand and working with a laptop, I get about 5x. The device has its own light, which is adjustable, and a very smooth focus ring. The challenge is to set the lighting and focus while also positioning the object of examination in a good viewing position. This unfortunately, may take adult help. The built-in light provides more than enough illumination but it also casts reflections of some objects. For greater magnification, remove the microscope from the stand and put the object directly within the light ring. You can achieve some amazingly interesting views but as with all microscopes, 3-D objects present a challenge since not all of the object will be in focus. You can adjust the focus wheel to optimize for different parts of the object but that's hard to do without disturbing the object under view. That's why a slide and cover glass is ideal. Even at its highest magnification (250x), don't expect to see bacterial. In fact, it won't even resolve the spiral groove of a compact disk. Still, there's a world of interesting viewing to be had with a user friendly and inexpensive device. See their web site (link below) for details and a description of their fine computer application. https://plugable.com/products/usb2-micro-250x/

When WalMart offered this Plugable brand USB Digital Microscope with 250X Magnification and Flexible Stand up for review through their Spark Review Program I was a bit skeptical about how well it would work. This, however, is a great little tool/device. It was super easy to put it together, install and set it up on my laptop via the 2.0 USB port. The download of the most current driver from the PLUGABLE site was straightforward a ridiculously simple, even a child could handle the setup. For anyone with hobbies like stamp collecting and coin collecting, it is a Godsend to have. It also has the ability to take either a single snapshot or a series of pics of whatever you are examining for your records or to email to other people. It has multiple magnification levels, the 4 illuminating LED lights in the head are dimmable and a focusing ring to get clear images of whatever you are looking at. The box states that this device is compatible with Windows XP, 7,8 and 10, (no mention of Vista) and also Mac OS-X and Android. What a great way to keep a photo file of insured jewelry, showing absolutely the finest details of the piece. It is absolutely fun to use for young and old alike.

Download the software from the Plugable website, plug in the microscope, and...BOOM...you can see microscopic stuff on your device screen. It is very easy to use and I will be using this for projects that require me to do brain surgery, electron mapping, DNA decoding...you name it...anything small is now BIG with this microscope.

This digital microscope works very well. It was easy to install and is great for viewing coins.

I love my PLUGABLE USB DIGITAL MICROSCOPE 250X MAGNIFICATION FLEXIBLE STAND! After trying to download drivers... I found it works off of your installed camera app with no software required Strongly recommended for stamp/coin collectors. The image is Hamilton's eye!

Works great and easy to set up. I tried to purchase a "similar" one over at Amazon and I ended up returning it. The software was from a shady website and there was a defect on the microscope. This one is super easy to use and set up. I would recommend to anyone!!

The Plugable USB Digital Microscope is an easy to use fun toy for kids. It has up to 250x resolution so it will do what it advertises. That being said, it's obviously not a "professional" microscope. It's fun for looking at leafs, insects, and other small objects. The picture I posted is of a hair, and it looks huge. I will say, the one disappointing thing is they didn't include the required software for the device, you have to go to their webpage and download it (and it's a little tricky to decipher where the download link is). Small USB sticks literally cost pennies now, so they could have put the software on one and included it. That being said, it does what it claims. It has a built in light to help you see what you're looking at (and you can dim it or brighten it as needed). It also has a zoom function. It can also take "screen shots" and can be used as a regular webcam. As I said a fun little toy.

Nice little accessory for children and amateur botanists. Works remarkably well. Definitely portable so can be used when outdoors. Hubby wants to get an adapter to use the microscope with his iphone and/or ipad.

Worked great but the picture was not clear. Therefore I could not use it.