To build the microscope you are going to need the following parts:

1 x Raspberry Pi Zero W[10€]

1 x Raspberry Pi Camera Module[8€] - You will need to hack it in order to change its focal length and make it possible to focus on objects very close to it. I don’t know if the same procedure is also possible with the new 8MP camera module, so I’d recommend getting the original 5MP one instead.

1 x Raspberry Pi Zero Camera Cable[2€] - As you may already know, the Raspberry Pi Zero has a smaller camera connector than the other Raspberry Pi boards, so you will also need a special adapter cable to connect the camera module to it.

1 x Plastic Caliper Micrometer - The cheaper you can find the better, I just used an old plastic analog one that I had lying around.

1 x Piece of Ruler - The ruler width has to be smaller than the length of the moving jaw of the caliper. As for the length, around 10cm to 15cm should be fine.

1x Aluminum Project Box[4€] - This is going to be used as the base of the assembly and it needs to be made out of metal, so it will also be heat resistant. The reason a box is needed is so you can put a weight inside it, in order to be more stable during soldering.

1 x HDMI Cable and a Female HDMI to Male Mini HDMI Adapter - You can also purchase HDMI to Mini HDMI cables if you want, but I already had a regular HDMI cable lying around.

1 x Micro USB Power Supply - According to my measurements, the current drawn by the Pi never exceeds 400mA even while streaming 1080p video over WiFi and HDMI the same time. So, even a 500mA power supply should be sufficient. Just to be safe though I recommend though getting an 1A one, especially if you plan to build the portable version which is also going to have losses on the boost converter.

1 x MicroSD Card[5€] - Even a 4GB one is going to be enough, just make sure that it is a high quality Class 10.

4 x M2 Screws and Nuts[less than 1€] - Screws of larger diameter could also be used. Though, the bigger the screw the wider needs to be the hole, and the grater the risk of the plastic breaking.

1 x Hot Glue Stick[1€]



Cable Zip Ties[less than 1€] - Those are going to be used to attach the Pi on the moving part of the caliper.

And the following tools:

A Hot Glue Gun

A Dremel - With a disk that can cut through plastic, plus drill bits for plastic and aluminum at the size of the screws.

A Long Flat Nose Pliers

A Bolt Cutting Pliers - You will need a way of cutting the screws on the appropriate length. A pair of bolt cutting pliers is what I used, though I’m sure there are other tools that can do the job as well.

Philips Screwdriver

Optionally, if you want to make it portable, you will need the following additional parts:

1 x LiPo Battery[8€] - The capacity of which is going to depend on the battery life you want, the efficiency of the boost converter and the average power consumption.

1 x LiPo Battery Charger / 5V Boost Converter[20€] - For this project I choose the PowerBoost 1000C from Adafruit. Much cheaper alternatives are also available on eBay, though I decided to go with that particular one because of a nice feature it had, which I’m going to talk more about later on.

1 x 40-Pin Dual Row Male Pin Header[less than 1€]

1 x 40-Pin Dual Row Female Pin Header[less than 1€]

1 x 8-Pin Male Pin Header[less than 1€]

1 x 8-Pin Female Pin Header[less than 1€]

1 x Piece of Prototyping Board[1€] - Because you'll have to solder pin headers on both sides of the board, I recommend getting a double sided one. Alternatively, you can get a prototyping board specifically designed for the Pi Zero, such as this from MakerSpot.

1 x 1K Resistors[less than 1€]

1 x 10K Resistor[less than 1€]

1 x BC547[less than 1€] - Any general purpose NPN transistor will do, this is just what I used.

1 x DPST Momentary Switch[1€] - Ideally, you want a DPST switch, so you can turn on and off the Pi using the same push button. Unfortunately, I didn’t have one around, so I had to use two separate SPST momentary switches instead.

Cable Zip Ties[less than 1€] - One more is needed for the portable version, for attaching the battery on the back side of the prototyping board.

Solder Wire



And the following additional tools:



A Soldering Iron

A Pair of Wire Cutters

The total cost for the non-portable version, excluding the power supply, the HDMI cable and the adapter to mini HDMI, was around 30€. And the additional cost for making it portable was also around 30€. The majority of the parts were purchased on eBay.

