News: Aven Tools (Carton) $4,200 SPZV-50 Microscope Not Repairable No Parts Available!

I have been an Loyal Aven Microscope owner and user for 10+ Years, maybe closer to 20. I cannot recall when I got my 1st SPZ-50 but it was a very long time ago. I absolutely love it the microscope and it’s optical clarity,  smoothness and ergonomics of the controls, is great never an issue with it. A while back I tried an Amscope it was garbage it gave me headache after 30 to 40 minuets of use and the optical distortion was like spearing a fish in water. See Video Aven SPZ50 Vs Amscope SM745NTP Comparison.

Once Again In the quest to bring my YouTube viewers some pcb repair content. I went to invest in a Digital Trinocular Microscope. I have been seeking one of these Aven Trinocular for about 5  years and have had it on my search list for about 2 years.  I make very little from my YouTube! So I need to be very frugal when obtaining items to bring you content so second hand is generally the way that happens. What I got was a Aven Tools Part # 26800B-383 a $4,200 Microscope. I later found out This Microscope is Not Repairable No Parts Available from the manufacture! Not even a Simple C-Mount that can be replaced on every other microscope.. keep reading!!

The Ebay Listing..

I made an offer and negotiated a fair price with the seller, The ebay seller shipped this Microscope fast but in box with no padding no protection at all. Sadly it did not arrive in working condition :(. This is 100% Negligent Packing. Eye Pieces Were even poking out of the box.

What did not Survive..
Eye Pieces right one was worse then the left but both scrap tossed them in the trash.
C mount Camera Tube (Camera C-mounts are generally replaceable items on digital microscopes. “microscopes that have digital cameras” it was canted and bent  slightly and threads impinged they galled and pulled upon removal. These just like other photography mounts and lenses they are not designed for heavy side loads/impacts. I am sure if it spent another day in transit the tube would have busted off. The internal threads on the microscope body are damaged as well.
Defuser for the Light.

Unboxing Video I’ll be Posting it soon, I was so upset upon opening the box I shut the camera off and let the f word and others fly a zillion times.

I contacted the seller and… his initial reply.

After no luck with Aven Tools on obtaining an answer if parts or even a parts diagram and list were available, The seller and I Came to a mutual arrangement. I could still use some of the parts the fine focus mount, light, and camera.

I am still amazed that the way this was shipped that the only damage was the eyepieces, the c mount and threads on body, light diffuser lens! Using a set of good eye pieces form my SPV-50 The Binocular collimation seems good but without proper measurement tools? I am not 100% Sure. But still not usable for its intended purposes the camera for making videos.

I have been an Aven microscope owner for more then 10 years prob pushing towards 20 years and absolutely love the SPZ-50 Microscopes I have. So I reached out to them well they have been one of the most difficult companies to order parts form. Basically if a part including a replaceable c-mount it is a big “Fuck You buy another” They come at you with some shyster used car sales man tactics. Aven tools  and I had a video conference Mark Kanpurwala “Mansoor Kanpurwala” (Director),  Mark reassured me that they can get the parts and they will send me the proper parts list to get them the part numbers for the parts I need.

I was skeptical kept calling out his bullshit. The next day Aven Tools sent me the letter below. Denying Parts.

The Letter, Original PDF Mike, For holding the position VP Of Marketing this is not a good way to represent your company.

I explained right to repair as they were unaware and that once they attach cameras and light systems and sell it as “an assembly” it qualifies for right to repair they took it as a threat but they cam to the video conference hostile  and I believe had no intention of making parts available. But with an F-U buy another attitude. This is sold as a digital microscope as an assembly that is what I have Aven Tools Part # 26800B-383.

Common definition of an electronic device for right to repair.

In our video conference Mark Kanpurwala (AKA Mansoor Bakir Kanpurwala) also threatened to get my youtube canceled. So, If Aven Tools wishes to have a Repair War so be it. Yes, I will be drafting letters to the attorney generals in the states I have economic nexus in. There may be an alternate remedy In Oregon I may have to explore. I will update if I go that route.

I ask that you call the CEO/President and Tell him or leave him a message for him to make the parts I need available on fair and reasonable terms. His name is Mike or Mohamedi and His Number is 734-429-3524

Evaluation Can this Be Salvaged?

Aven Tools In the USA really don’t want people to contact the Manufacturing facility Carton “Carton Optical (Siam) Co., Ltd.” in Thailand, (+66  2 909 5931) During my previous contact “Carton” I requested a parts diagram and parts list. Carton in Thailand sent me an exploded parts diagram. I requested them for the SPZV-50 but they Sent me for the SPZT-50 LOL. I Wrote them back requesting the SPZV-50 and they have not replied. But the SPZT-50 Gives me an In Idea of what I am working with.

Part #23

According to the parts list for the SPZT  the part is called A  T. PRISM BOX SEAT

The Galled threads on the T. PRISM BOX SEAT form thread impingement. Mark said that even though the c-mounts are threaded they are not removable? In every other trinocular microscope from the $300 Amscope to the higher end models these C-mount adapter tubes are removable and changeable to adapt different camera’s and lenses for adjusting and matching the filed of view.  And optics and tubes get damaged. No  placer on their website does it say not removable.

I went to a friends with a Horizontal Laminar Flow Cabinet, I opened the Microscope up by removing the the knobs and side covers, Screws 98 and 100 in the exploded diagram let you remove T. PRISM BOX SEAT and binoculars come off as well. I covered the binocular prism ports and proceeded to the microscope and carefully used a thread files and hand dressed the threads till a thread pitch gauge did not drag.

Here is the c mount for the  SPZT-50 I think it is Different then the SPZV-50 But this C Mount diagram and parts List Confirmed the Threads, There is no info on what the power of the lenses are? I would assume they are not 1x but something other to match the Field of view.

The provided camera the Aven Mighty Cam USB 3.0 6MP uses a Sony 6 megapixel Color CMOS 1/1.8″ sensor-IMX178 Ideally the c-mount lens should be matched to the main lens so the full field of view seen thru the binoculars is available on the camera. this is why these are replaceable on other microscopes.

I did not have a m25 X 0.75 tap or bolt so I had the Idea to 3d print one. Using a customizable model found on thingverse Here an adapter M25 to M25 to give it a try.

The female threads on the adapter were intentionally made slightly smaller so that the damaged threads on the damaged C-mount would bite in and hold. This was simply a proof-of-concept to confirm the microscope camera port would still work. Using calipers, a thread pitch gauge, and thread files I was able to cleaning up the threads, and the adapter screwed in smoothly. The result is structurally weak, and the focus point is much too high to achieve parfocal alignment but it successfully demonstrates that the misroscope is repairable.

The Camera is an Aven Mighty Cam USB 3.0 6MP, part  Number 26100-244 Well that is made by Tucsen  it is a  MIchrome 6 also sold on aliexpress under a bunch of different names. I tested it holding the tube and it worked. But not with OBS Studio. I contacted Aven Crickets, I contacted  Tucsen and they sent me their OEM plugin and I got it to work under OBS. With Issues.

The issues it is Slow to connect as it uses directshow, I was told by the OBS community  that it’s a tucsen plugin issues! The Solution is to leave the  camera active when changing scenes so its a usb end point and resource hog. But you can see it works and image is clear! If I was able to get the proper c-mount so i can get the focal point right so it would para-focal it would be 100% usable.

So All I need is the C-Mount. It could really use a new T. PRISM BOX SEAT but the threads on this I believe are acceptable!! My other alternative if a c mount  is not available would be to get the T. PRISM BOX SEAT machined to a M28 X 0.75 thread to accept common c-mounts. Machining it would come with a lot of risks an expense. But at the price point of these microscopes we should not have to struggle to get parts accidents and negligent damage happens it should not condemn the thing to e-waste or become unusable as  intended  over an easily removable replaceable part  that most other manufactures of microscopes  at this price point make available.

Why if you are  considering lower cost unit buy it, why spend 4 to 5x’s more on an Aven Tools microscope that still cannot be repaired make no sense. I  will be calling other manufactures and finding out wha  microscope manufacture in this price range is repair friendly.

I attempted to work with Aven but they just did not want to even consider selling repair parts  or even provide a simple  parts diagram for the proper model. They have chosen to be anti-repair.

Public Records Info.

AVEN INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
Date of Incorporation in Michigan:   05/23/1984
Registration  Number 800338118

Officers,

Mike Shahpurwala CEO (Aka MOHAMEDI T SHAHPURWALA) President

Mark Kanpurwala (AKA MANSOOR BAKIR KANPURWALA) VP Sales Marketing on the website, But Also Listed as the Director and Secretary on corporate filings.