[SteveFord]

Sometime back there was a big thread on VTA and microscopes and jewler's loupes and all sorts of gadgets for seeing the stylus.
If you're low tech like I am, a small flashlight and the magnifying glass on a Swiss Army Knife works great.
Plus it has some screwdrivers, a corkscrew, tweezers - what more could you ask for?

[jtwrace]

Can you point me to that thread?  I have a really good USB microspoe and would like to try that method when the time comes.

[SteveFord]

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=81472.0

But does your USB microscope come with a pair of scissors? 

[Letitroll98]

A couple of jeweler's loupes works best for me, 10X for basic work, lining up the cart on my arm specific alignment templates, checking SRA, looking for crud on the stylus.  More powerful for checking stylus wear, 30x or 40x works well.  Good quality USB microscopes are great fun, fiddly, and only good for looking at the stylus removed from the arm.  100-400x magnification will show the cut of the stylus in great detail, but at the end of the day after playing with it a while, one becomes bored and you don't really get that much new info. 

If you have a good quality microscope by all means use it, powerful top lighting is the most important criteria, it'll be instructive and fun.  But if you don't already have one, the best bet is $20 for a selection of jeweler's loupes in various magnifications.  Much more useful and way, way cheaper.

[neobop]

The thread linked to above, is an old one that mostly discusses SRA.  Setting SRA and beauty shots of styli, is about the only use of a high powered USB scope for record players.  Of course it's good for general stylus inspection and checking for chips or cracks.  Inspecting for wear requires side lighting and power up to at least 200X, and 400 or 500X for micro styli and a much better view.

This more recent thread on USB scopes should be more to the point and easier to digest.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105851.0

Checking for wear requires high intensity side lighting and no high power overhead light to obscure the reflections off the sides of the stylus.

[Letitroll98]

Thanks for the correction on the lighting neo.  I knew it wasn't bottom lighting like slides and mineral slices.  I have some movable light thingy that's not from the bottom, so I consider if not from the bottom it's from the top.     You of course have the more correctly descriptive terminology.

[neobop]

If you're interested in scope inspection for wear, this will give you an idea of what's involved.
http://www.shure.com/idc/groups/tech_pubs/@global_managed/documents/webcontent/us_pro_sek-2_ug.pdf

This scope from the '70s, is primitive compared to the Audio Technica scope sold to dealers.  The AT scope was well over $1K and consequently, they're rare. I don't think AT ever published their guide. It doesn't seem to be on the net.  It had reference pictures of all their stylus shapes (w/wear), including the Micro Line. Magnification was 100, 300, and 500X.  It wouldn't be all that hard to duplicate. There are a lot of 3 objective biological scopes around with mag to 400X.  If the stage can accommodate cart height, defeat the bottom light, modify the hole in the platform and hook up side lamps. Walla!!  Then, just learn how to evaluate what you're looking at.  Oh, try not to crush the cantilever when you focus.