Hi Gordon: You have two related issues in your problem. 1. Sufficient resolution for decision making 2. Intuitive control of positioning The former can be easily addressed by using the right optics with the existing TV camera. Incidentally, the NTSC-based TV camera alone has a good enough resolution for most inspection tasks. It is the frame grabber, used to acquire and analyze the images automatically, that decides the maximum detail for decision making. I agree that there is no unique solution to looking at the heel fillet other than the mirror arrangement that you investigated and another microscope lens that I saw at NEPCON. This lens rotates about the joint in focus giving you a sort of 3D feel for the joint. I'll post the name of the company that makes /distributes that lens as soon as I can get hold of it. For the positioning, we have developed a point-and-click interface for our Integrated SMT Inspection and Rework Cell which uses a scanned-in bitmap of the board as a guide. The user simply clicks on the image at the pin he/she wants to inspect, and the X-Y table moves there. We have implemented on a PC with a number of table drivers and it is fully extendible. Depending on the calibration (which has been greatly simplified), and the accuracy of the table, the software can position boards with high accuracy. We are currently using it to create defect maps based on X-ray Laminography for communicating with our automated Rework cell. That's one way to take care of the problem you described. -- Vijay Sankaran (518) 276-2721 [log in to unmask] Research Associate Center for Integrated Electronics and Electronics Manufacturing Renssleaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180 *************************************************************************** * TechNet mail list is provided as a service by IPC using SmartList v3.05 * *************************************************************************** * To unsubscribe from this list at any time, send a message to: * * [log in to unmask] with <subject: unsubscribe> and no text. * *************************************************************************** * If you are having a problem with the IPC TechNet forum please contact * * Dmitriy Sklyar at 847-509-9700 ext. 311 or email at [log in to unmask] * ***************************************************************************