Usagi Electric has brought an unusual piece of laboratory hardware onto the bench: an infrared microscope acquired after its appearance in a brochure for the Bomem DA3 FTIR spectrometer sparked a months-long search. The new video is a hands-on exploration of the instrument, not a claim that it is already performing infrared measurements.
The 31-minute tour follows the optical paths, mirror-cleaning attempts, power supply and control electronics, and a first power-up. The visible-light side can be examined, but the infrared function remains untested: the creator says the microscope still needs a workable fit with the spectrometer. That gap is the interesting engineering story here. A specialized optical attachment is more than a lens and an eyepiece; alignment, reflective surfaces, electronics and its host instrument all have to cooperate.
For readers who enjoy old test equipment and careful restoration, the video is a useful look at what can—and cannot yet—be learned from a newly acquired instrument. Watch Usagi Electric’s “What the heck is an Infrared Microscope?!”, published 8 November 2026.
