After years using my reliable PanaVise, it was time to step it up with some extra help for soldering and electronics work.  I had this idea over a year ago, and pick-up some 3rd hand arms. They then sat on my workbench…  Now that the weather is cooling down, there’s more time for hobbies.   That, and my eyes are not what they used to be, so this has become somewhat of a necessity.   Given MCUs are getting smaller these days, and the use of SMD parts are becoming more common, it was only fitting.  Oh, did I mention that my eyes are not getting any better? 😉

I also wanted the option of magnifying the view as needed.  After a failed attempt at these (they suck! You need to be mm from the object), I decided to grab a good old fashioned magnifying glass and integrate it.  If you want to build your own, head to the links below for the parts and fire up your 3D printer.  The only custom work you may have to do is print an adapter for the magnifying glass (if you choose to use one).   My approach was quite crude.  Buy magnifying glass, cut off arm, measure, custom design 3D part, print, and globs of Goop glue.  The other end of the adapter fits the orange end (with more Goop of course!).  I’ve also beefed up the 3rd hand mounts on the 3D model below.  After printing, I realized the walls and interface to the base plate are a bit flimsy and are likely to break over time.  Will re-print if that happens.  The beauty of 3D printing.  Just add plastic + time…  Oh, and I printed via PLA, so there’s inherent weakness there.

Parts: