The Andonstar AD210: A Practical Digital Microscope for Precision Work

The Andonstar AD210 is an entry-level model digital microscope with a large 10.1″ display. It is mainly targeted at electronics labs where they are useful. Let's take a closer look.

The Andonstar digital microscopes are appreciated for their affordability and good performance. They are mainly targeted at electronics labs where they are useful for inspecting e.g. solder joints and PCB traces or for doing high-precision soldering or repair work. Coin inspection appears to be another important use for them. They are not intended for medical use.

Entry-Level Digital Microscope

The Andonstar AD210 is an entry-level model digital microscope with a large 10.1″ display without HDMI output. It has a 2-megapixel camera and a maximum photo resolution of 4032 × 3024 pixels (12 MPs), but it defaults to 1920 × 1080 pixels (2 MP). Curiously, the magnification factor, an important parameter for a microscope, isn’t specified anywhere, not in the manual, not on the lens, and not on the website.
 

The box contains everything needed to assemble the Andonstar AD210 microscope (as usual for Andonstar microscopes, the AD210 too comes as a kit) and to try it out immediately. My box contained a 32 GB microSD card and a USB card reader, so I could take pictures right away. However, be careful when inserting the SD card, as this is a bit fiddly, and it is easy to shoot the card away or worse, in your eye. With the included card reader, you can easily transfer the captured photos and videos to a computer.

Looking at Nature

Once assembled you can try out the microscope with the five biological samples of biomaterials (honeybee body parts, onion & pine). For this, the microscope comes with a special support with a white LED in it so it can shine light up through the sample. You don’t need this part when inspecting printed circuit boards or coins.
 

Now that we are on the subject of lighting, the AD210 has two spotlights on flexible arms that you can bend to point at the object of interest. The intensity of these two lights is adjusted with the tethered remote control. Besides these two clearly visible spots, the lens has an LED ring built in. The brightness of these LEDs is controlled by a small rotary control on the display below the infrared receiver. The lighting control on the infrared remote control adjusts image brightness, not physical lights.

The Andonstar AD210 Offers Comfortable Clearance

The AD210 is, of course, adjustable in height, allowing it to have a clearance of about 23 cm (a bit more than 10″) between the lens and the baseplate. This is enough clearance for comfortable working under the lens, but be careful not to shoot hot solder into the lens. The baseplate measures 20 cm (depth) by 18 cm (width), which is a good compromise between comfort and bulkiness. The microscope can also tilt forwards and backwards, but a wrench is needed to loosen the screw for that. As a matter of fact, the display too can also tilt forwards and backwards.

As already briefly mentioned, the AD210 comes with an infrared remote control (two AAA batteries not included), which is practical because it makes accessing some functions much quicker. Also, it lets you adjust some things, and take photos and make videos without touching the microscope. This avoids shaking and moving the object after setting up the microscope.

Magnification Factor of the Andonstar AD210

To get an idea of the maximum magnification factor, I lowered the lens as much as possible and slid a PCB with SMT parts under it. After some fiddling, I managed to get a good view of an 0805 resistor. It filled the whole screen. An 0805 resistor has a length of 2 mm, and the display has a width of 214 mm; therefore we can calculate a magnification factor of approximately 100.

 

Conclusion

The Andonstar AD210 is a practical and affordable digital microscope for precision work on for instance, electronic circuit boards and for inspecting coins. It is easy to use and its large 10.1″ display provides a nice, crisp image. The adjustable, tilting stand provides a good workspace where hands and tools can move freely, while the baseplate is big enough for larger PCBs. Despite its somewhat limited features, the AD210 makes for a nice addition to any (electronics) lab.