User Guide

ManualsBrandsDigital Blue ManualsOtherQX3 COMPUTER MICROSOPE

Welcome to

the microscopic

world. With

your QX3

™

microscope, you

are limited only

by your

imagination.

Here are a few

things you can

do to get started.

What you

can do

The QX3

™

microscope

lets you do many

things you can’t do with

an ordinary microscope:

See tiny things on

your computer.

Take the microscope off its base

stand for magnified viewing.

Combine and create new things

using computer tools.

Build a collection of your

discoveries and creations.

Produce your own movies

and slide shows.

Group

activities

Another great thing about the

QX3

™

microscope is that you and

your friends can play with it

together. You can even create slide

shows

together to amaze your

family and friends.

Fun Stuff To Do

Having fun

What you can do.......................... 1

Group activities ............................ 1

Starting out right, and

seeing the light

Button basics............................... 2

Lighting ........................................ 2

Digital Blue

™

QX3

™

controls ......... 3

Getting the goods and

taking a look

Collecting specimens................... 4

Live View ......................................4

Magnifying ................................... 5

Using handheld mode.................. 6

Making movies............................. 7

Making a time lapse movie.......... 8

Hungering for more?

Investigating Main and beyond....10

Using paint tools ..........................11

Adding special effects .................13

Making a slide show....................14

Printing stuff ................................16

Watch out,

Kids!

An adult should set

up and install

hardware and

software. Also,

only an adult

should replace

the light bulbs.

Having fun—letting your imagination soar

Digital Blue

™

QX3

™

Computer Microscope

YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK

A50133-001

1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 1

Summary of content (16 pages)

PAGE 1
318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 1 Having fun—letting your imagination soar Digital Blue QX3 Computer Microscope ™ Welcome to the microscopic world. With your QX3 microscope, you are limited only by your imagination. ™ Here are a few things you can do to get started. A50133-001 ™ Watch out, Kids! What you can do An adult should set up and install hardware and software. Also, only an adult should replace the light bulbs.
PAGE 2
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 2 Starting out right, and seeing the light Basic buttons Live view button Go to Live View from Main to view and add samples to your collection. Main button Go to Main, which lets you choose fun things to do with your pictures and movies. OK button Continue your action. This button usually appears with the Cancel button. Cancel button Cancel your action.
PAGE 3
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 3 Y Digital Blue QX3 Controls ™ Once an adult has set up the QX3™ microscope, you can use the controls to: Change magnification level. 3 U R A C T I V 2 I T Y B O O K HINT: Changing magnification ™ 1 Capture pictures or movies (in handheld mode). O Use low magnification and top lighting to look at things you can’t see through, like coins, hair or paper. Medium or high magnification may make the image too big.
PAGE 4
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 4 Getting the goods and taking a look collecting and viewing Sample jar 4 1 3 Containment dish Tweezers ™ Your Digital Blue QX3 Computer Microscope comes with accessories to get you started. Live View Eyedropper Replacing your accessories 5 2 Sample slide Slide clip Collecting specimens When you’re hunting bugs and other stuff you want to look at, you can use the sample jars to hold them and keep them from getting away.
PAGE 5
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 5 Y O U R A C T I V I T Y B O O K Magnifying Live View buttons ™ Snapshot button Click this button to capture a picture of your sample. Clicking the Capture button on the microscope in handheld mode has the same effect. Record button Click this button to record a movie of your sample. Holding the Capture button on the microscope in handheld mode has the same effect.
PAGE 6
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 6 Using handheld mode You can use the Digital Blue QX3 Computer Microscope as a handheld magnifying glass. Telling your left from your right ™ Remember this— When using the microscope in handheld mode, don’t pull on the cord that connects it to the computer. Putting too much strain on the cord can lead to trouble. Whenever you’re done using the microscope in handheld mode, put it back in its cradle.
PAGE 7
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 7 Y O U R A C T I V I T Y B O O K Making movies Want to look at stuff that moves? You’ve come to the right page. Choosing your specimens Your Digital Blue QX3™ Computer Microscope came with two containment dishes. What can you put in them? Well, if you’ve got an aquarium, how about fish food? Live fish food. You can view and take movies of tubifex worms and brine shrimp, which are live fish foods.
PAGE 8
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:19 PM Page 8 Making a time-lapse movie Handheld mode With the Digital Blue QX3 ™ Computer Microscope, you can even make a time lapse in handheld mode! However, the time lapse will continue only while you hold the Capture button on the microscope. When you release the button, your time lapse will end, just as if you clicked the Stop Record button on the screen. You set up a time lapse in Live View.
PAGE 9
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 9 Y Doing it yourself We’ve shown you what happened when we made Pond Scum— The Movie. Now it’s your turn! Follow these steps to make The Return of Pond Scum. While you’re outside playing, look for standing water with little creatures swimming and twitching in it. Put some in your sample jar or other small container. Before going to your computer, put some of the water in a containment dish.
PAGE 10
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 10 Hungering for more? investigating Main and beyond Import pictures. Export pictures and movies. Delete pictures and movies from your collection. Quit the software. Main buttons Paint button Goes to Paint where you can modify your pictures with cool tools. Quit button When you click the Quit button, you’ll get a chance to change your mind. You can’t quit from within Live View. You need to go to Main to quit.
PAGE 11
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 11 Y O U R A C T I V I T Y B O O K Using paint tools What can you do in Paint? Paint lets you change pictures in your collection using fun tools. On Main, click the Paint button. This brings you to the Paint screen. Scissors Select portions of your picture to work on. Paint Brush Control transparency, color, shape and size of Brush Tip. Paint Bucket Fill areas with colors and patterns.
PAGE 12
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 12 TIP: Use the QX3 Tool Preview This box appears when you choose any tool, except Scissors or Eraser. It shows the current Color, Pattern, or Stamp set and how solid each is. The clearer the checkerboard shows, the more seethrough your tool will be. Transparency Control Use this slider to adjust how solid or see-through your tool will be. You can also use this control with Text and one of the Eraser options.
PAGE 13
18 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 13 Y O U R A C T I V I T Y B O O K Adding special effects You can add cool special effects to pictures and movies. On Main, click Special Effects. This takes you to a screen where you can give special effects to pictures and movies. …but it looks even more interesting when you apply the Fly’s Eye special effect. And here’s the same effect applied once again to the same picture.
PAGE 14
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 14 Making a slide show One of the really fun things you can do with the Digital Blue QX3 Computer Microscope is to make slide shows for your friends and family. ™ On Main, click the Show button. This brings you to the Show screen. Create show Click here to bring up the Show Editing window. The four tabs on the right side, above the film strip, represent your four slide shows. On the right side is a film strip with three slides from the current show.
PAGE 15
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 15 Y O U R A C T I V I T Y B O O K TIP: When you remove a slide from a show, you do not delete it from your collection. But if you delete a picture or movie from your collection it will also disappear from any show it was in. Making your own slide show Getting ready to begin It’s good to have a plan before putting a slide show together. Plan what you want to show, and the order you want to show it in.
PAGE 16
1318 Activity Guide Final 03/12/2002 04:20 PM Page 16 Printing stuff You can print out the pictures you create in a bunch of wacky ways! Make a poster, slap stickers everywhere, or share your artwork with friends and family. On Main, click the Print button. This takes you to the Print screen. Printing options The Print screen displays a preview of three ways to print your picture. Click the button under the upper left display to print a single page.