The family lived scattered throughout the territory of present-day Slovakia, some members have moved also other areas of the contemporary Kingdom of Hungary.

His father, a poor lower nobleman Samuel Micovini, originated from the most numerous branch from Breznóbánya (today Brezno, Slovakia).

The couple had five children, but only three survived - sons Károly Szaniszló (in Slovak: Karol Stanislav), a geodest; Tamás Lajos (Tomáš Ľudovít), an engineer; and a daughter Erzsébet Krisztina (Alžbeta Kristína).

His work was significantly influenced by another renowned scholar of the 18th century living in the multi-ethnic Kingdom of Hungary, Matthias Bel.

Earlier Mikoviny engraved a map of Demänová Ice Cave and several illustrations for Bel's book Hungariae antiquae et novae prodromus (Messenger of Old and New Hungary), published in 1723 in Nuremberg.

In 1731, Charles III delegated him to construct maps for Bel's great work, Notitia Hungariae Novae Historico-Geographica.

Mikoviny used his own prime meridian for the Kingdom of Hungary, the meridianus Posoniensis, which passed through the northeast tower of Bratislava Castle (Hungarian: Pozsonyi Vár, German: Pressburger Schloss).

His chief contribution is a construction of a sophisticated system of reservoirs (tajchy), which drained water from the flooded mines in Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya) and provided energy for its local industry.

During the works, he became ill and died on 23 March 1750 at a now unknown place on the road from Trenčín (Trencsén) to Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya).

[16] Mikoviny effectively resolved the energy supply for mining machines in the region of Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya) for the 18th, but also for most of the 19th and the early 20th century.

The artificial lake system significantly improved and extended by him is today part of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A Samuel Mikovíni Prize has been presented in Slovakia since 2013, to recognize original developments resulting in significant improvements in science and technology.