System for recording images from a Manual-model microscope to a designated folder, using a Capture Card and a web app on NanoPi
Customer: Precision equipment manufacturer
This case connected a Manual-model microscope to an image recording system, so that the user presses the Capture button once and the image goes to the selected folder, instead of being copied via a flash drive. We connected a Capture Card to the customer's microscope, installed an image recording web app on a NanoPi board, and completed development of every item on the project checklist in 2025.
- Manual-model microscope
- Capture CardReceives the video signal from the microscope
- Web app on NanoPiImage recording screen: live image + Capture button
- Selected image storage folderSubfolder under the configured storage location
- Save success notificationPress to open the latest image
- Industry
- General manufacturing
- Year
- 2025
- Scope of work
- Image Capture System Integration service for the customer's microscope: connecting to and reading images from the microscope via a Capture Card, developing the image recording screen and installing the web app on a NanoPi board
- Duration
- Jul–Sep 2025
Summary
- This case connected a Manual-model microscope, which previously could store images only to a flash drive, to an image recording system through a Capture Card and a web app on a NanoPi board.
- Users work from a single image recording screen: view the live image, select the destination folder, press Capture and see a message when the save succeeds, with the option to open the latest image.
- Users can set and change the main image storage location with the Setting Path button, then select the destination folder from the list of subfolders under that location, so images stay in a predefined folder structure.
- We completed development of every item on the project checklist in 2025: the 7 items in the scope of work and the 6 development tasks, with no need to replace the customer's microscope.
The on-site brief
The customer's Manual-model microscope could store images only to a flash drive, so images could not be pulled directly into a storage system. The customer wanted to press one button and have the image go to a designated folder, to see the image before pressing save, and to know immediately when the save was complete.
What we did
We connected a Capture Card to the microscope and installed an image recording web app on NanoPi, a small computer board. The single image recording screen has a live image (Preview), a Capture button, a destination folder selection list and a message when the save succeeds.
Results
We completed development of every item on the project checklist in 2025: the 7 items in the scope of work and the 6 development tasks, including installing the web app on the NanoPi board. The user presses the Capture button and the image file goes to the selected folder, with no need to copy it via a flash drive.
How the brief came about
The challenge in this case was to bring images from a Manual-model microscope into a storage system without going through a flash drive. The customer's microscope could store images only to a flash drive, and images could not be pulled directly into the system. Using the images further therefore meant removing the flash drive and copying the files by hand.
In general, manually copied files may end up in different places, be named inconsistently, or be impossible to find when you need to look at them later. If images are saved to a designated folder at the moment of pressing save, each set of images will be in a location known in advance.
Requirements and constraints
The system had to work with the microscope the customer already had. In the system requirements document (Software Requirement), the customer specified that it wanted a Touch Screen set connected to the microscope. The main requirements and constraints are as follows:
- One button press saves the image to the designated folder
- The image storage location can be set and changed
- The user sees the image from the microscope before pressing save
- The user knows immediately that the save is complete
- This model cannot send images directly into the system, so the system has to receive images from the microscope by another method
- A web page cannot browse folders on the machine running the web app as freely as a computer program can, so the folder selection method had to be designed around this constraint
How does this system get images from a microscope that can only store images to a flash drive?
This system receives the video signal from the microscope through a Capture Card, then has the web app on the NanoPi board show the live image and save the file to the folder the user selects. This work therefore does not require replacing the microscope; it only adds equipment to the customer's existing microscope.
We chose to take images from the microscope's video signal because images from this model cannot be pulled directly into the system. As for folder selection, we designed it as a list of subfolders under the configured storage location, to suit the web page constraint stated above.
- 1
Receive images from the microscope via the Capture Card
The Capture Card connects to the Manual-model microscope and sends images to the NanoPi board on which the image recording web app is installed.
- 2
View the live image on the image recording screen
The image recording screen shows a live image (Preview) from the microscope, so the user sees the image they will get before pressing save.
- 3
Select the destination folder
The user selects a folder from the list of subfolders under the configured image storage location, and can change the main storage location with the Setting Path button.
- 4
Press Capture to save
When the Capture button is pressed, the system saves the image file to the selected folder, with no need to remove the flash drive and copy files by hand.
- 5
Confirm that the save succeeded
A result message appears below the Capture button when the save is complete, and pressing that message opens the latest image just saved.
What is a Capture Card?
A Capture Card is a device that receives a video signal from another machine and converts it into images that a computer can display or save as files. It is therefore used to pull images from instruments that have no direct way to send files into a system.
Deliverables
We delivered the service of integrating the image recording system with the customer's microscope, according to the items on the project checklist. We carried out this work during Jul–Sep 2025. The deliverables are as follows:
- Connection to the microscope and image reading via the Capture Card
- Image recording screen: live image (Preview), Capture button and destination folder selection list
- Setting Path button for setting and changing the main image storage location
- Result message below the Capture button, which can be pressed to open the latest image
- Image recording web app (Web Server, or a program that serves web pages) installed on the NanoPi board
Confirmed results from the project checklist
We developed the microscope image recording system to cover every item on the project checklist in 2025: the 7 items in the scope of work and the 6 development tasks, from connecting to and reading images from the microscope and the image recording screen through to installing the web app on the NanoPi board.
With this system, the user presses the Capture button on the image recording screen and the image file goes to the selected folder, instead of being copied via a flash drive. The confirmed result of this case is the checklist items that were developed in full.
What we learned
This work offers the following principles for pulling images from instruments into a storage system:
- If an instrument cannot send files into a system but has a video output port, receiving images through a Capture Card is the first option to consider before replacing the instrument.
- How the file storage location is selected must be designed around the platform's constraints. A web page cannot freely browse folders on the machine running the web app. Having users select from a list of subfolders under a configured location also keeps images in a predefined structure.
- Users must be able to confirm the result on screen both before and after pressing save. The live image lets them see the image before saving, and a result message that can open the latest image lets them check that the saved file is the image they wanted.
How can you apply this approach to your instrument?
If your instrument can store images only to a flash drive but has a video output port, you can use the same approach as this case: receive images through a Capture Card, show a live image on the image recording screen, and save to a designated folder. The parts to adapt are the type of Capture Card, the storage location and any additional capabilities you need.
Reusable parts and parts that need adapting
| System part | Reusable | Needs adapting when |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving images from the instrument | Receive the video signal through a Capture Card | If your machine has a different type of video signal port, the Capture Card must be chosen to match that port |
| Image recording screen | Live image, Capture button and result message | If you want files named by workpiece number, or want the system to read values from images, additional scope must be assessed |
| Selecting the file storage location | List of subfolders under the configured storage location | To store images on another machine or on the organisation's central storage, network connectivity and access rights must be planned |
| Device running the web app | NanoPi board connected directly to the instrument | If you want to use it through a touch screen, or with several instruments, this must be specified from the start |
- Check the instrument model and the available video output ports, to select a Capture Card that matches the machine
- Clearly define the destination storage location and subfolder structure, including who can access the files
- Tell us from the start about any additional capabilities you need, such as file naming or sending images to central storage, so that the scope of work and equipment can be planned
Information to prepare before talking to us
The first set of information we need is the instrument model, the available video signal ports and the storage location where you want the images to go. This information is used to select equipment and plan the scope of work.
Read more
- Custom inspection and control system development service
- AI and IoT system installation service for factories
- Case: prototype microscope for measuring workpiece dimensions from images
- Case: OCR camera reading component reel labels and printing barcode stickers
- Article: How AI Vision Inspection differs from the human eye
Technology used
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it be used with a microscope that can only store images to a flash drive?
In this case, yes. The customer's Manual-model microscope could store images only to a flash drive, and we connected a Capture Card to the microscope to bring images into the system instead. For other models, the machine's video signal port must be checked first before this can be confirmed.
Does the existing microscope have to be replaced?
Not in this case. We connected a Capture Card to the microscope the customer already had and installed the image recording web app on a NanoPi board. All the work consisted of adding equipment and software to the existing microscope.
Where are the recorded images stored?
Images are saved to the folder the user selects from the list of subfolders under the main image storage location. The main storage location can be set and changed with the Setting Path button on the image recording screen.
How do I know an image was saved successfully?
When the save is complete, the system shows a message below the Capture button, and pressing that message opens the latest image just saved.
What are the price and timeframe?
Cases of this kind have no standard price. We estimate the price based on the instrument model, video signal port, equipment required and destination storage location. You can request a quotation. For this case, the project period was Jul–Sep 2025.
