Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Are there any DVD drives left? Craft project shows conversion to a laser scanning microscope

Date:

of Norman Wittkopf
DVD drives are old fashioned, so why not reuse outdated hardware in a laser scanning microscope, for example?

In the days of streaming, Blu-rays, and game downloads, the good old DVD has largely had its day and very few PC gamers still regularly use a corresponding drive in their system. User “Kuriuzu” recently showed how he can put outdated hardware to interesting use with a few tweaks and a few other components. on Hackaday.io presented.

Although it’s all described as an “easy way” to build the microscope, “Kuriuzu” also identifies as an electrical engineer, though the necessary soldering work alone might put off many interested parties. Also, the “Analog Discovery 2” USB oscilloscope costs one of the components on Amazon also around 400 eurosbut according to the description the above model should also work if you can get it somewhere or even have it.

In view of the usual exclusivity of laser scanning microscopes outside the private sector and acquisition costs in the high five and six digit range, it is of course still a cheap alternative.



Die shot with the in-house laser scanning microscope


Die shot with the in-house laser scanning microscope

Font: kototoibashi.github.io



Instructions on Github

Meanwhile, two DVD drives are also required, from which the laser lens drives are taken, which can of course also be purchased separately. Other than that, only a few resistors and some wires will be needed, depending on the instructions. Github.io reveals.

02:48
DVD Playback on PC – PCGH Classics

If you have successfully followed them and everything works, you can call a laser scanning microscope your own. These work by having lasers scan both horizontally and vertically through an object and use the reflected light to create an image. As a rule, they provide a very detailed, high-contrast scan of an image, often revealing details that other scanners cannot. pc gamers, where people first became aware of the project. As usual, these craft projects are done at your own risk.

Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was a celebrated American author whose novels earned worldwide recognition for their depth, artistry, and cultural significance. Her influential works continue to inspire readers and writers across generations.

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