Inspection cameras

texasclouds

texasclouds

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Mark
What are y’all using?

I bought a Milwaukee Inspection Camera to look down an spark plug hole and was disappointed. Cannot manually adjust anything but the led lights. Would be nice to manually focus and change zoom. The mirror attachment was useless. Resolution was poor as well. Probably will see if Home Depot will take it back.

5C5A9509-FA88-40AE-A167-A9B9FDEA5A4D.jpeg
 
I used my buddy's Ablescope once to look at my valves and decided I needed one of my own. Local IA uses the same thing.
 
Vividia va400 with articulating head. Recently used mine and was surprised I could even get a good look at the valve stem guide in my O-235. Took lots of pics and videos for comparison on next condition inspection. I got the usb version and connected it to my tablet.
 
Yup. Vividia Ablescope. I got the slightly fancier one that is wifi, too. I find it's easier to just plug it into a laptop. Was very happy to see six burned pizzas.
 
Vividea from Amazon. Mine has a screen on the control unit. It articulates on one plane only. It takes a minute to get used to trunong the control head but it takes great pics.
 
Another thumbs up for the Vividia Ablescope.
 
Might be worth looking at Teslong. They've got both rigid and flexible style units at reasonable prices.
 
It would be great if those that have scopes pipe in with what they like/dislike about their chosen model. For me it’s tough to try to figure that out by reading specs. It’s also frustrating to realize you could have had a particular feature for a few bucks more or with a different manufacturer.

Specific applications such a checking valves or magnifying and recording AD compliance would be ideal.
 
I started with a Teslong fixed scope. It works great but with no ability to articulate isn’t good for cylinders. That led me to the Vividea that I have. Both use controller-power packs with nice screens. I use both regularly. When buying pay attention to the wand length. I inspect inside the wings and under the floor and the longer wand is important.


image.jpg
 
Magman said:
It would be great if those that have scopes pipe in with what they like/dislike about their chosen model. For me it’s tough to try to figure that out by reading specs. It’s also frustrating to realize you could have had a particular feature for a few bucks more or with a different manufacturer.

Specific applications such a checking valves or magnifying and recording AD compliance would be ideal.
Click to expand...
Agreed with the above.
I chose the one I linked above on the basis of features:
articulating head
good price
Uses my phone as a screen which makes saving pics a single button push on scope.
fantastic mp resolution, see pics from a review on the scope:
Uc03d6619d12e4ac4b8517af6d1018780W.jpg

U920c640c99ff4820a2c85938f19faaabA.jpg
 
Which version did you get (1m or 2m length, diameter, …)?

Thanks



FORANE said:
Agreed with the above.
I chose the one I linked above on the basis of features:
articulating head
good price
Uses my phone as a screen which makes saving pics a single button push on scope.
fantastic mp resolution, see pics from a review on the scope:
Uc03d6619d12e4ac4b8517af6d1018780W.jpg

U920c640c99ff4820a2c85938f19faaabA.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Magman said:
It would be great if those that have scopes pipe in with what they like/dislike about their chosen model. For me it’s tough to try to figure that out by reading specs. It’s also frustrating to realize you could have had a particular feature for a few bucks more or with a different manufacturer.

Specific applications such a checking valves or magnifying and recording AD compliance would be ideal.
Click to expand...

I use a VA-400 like apparently the rest of the world :D

Likes:

It just works.
The image quality is good
The articulation makes it great to find "that perfect angle"
USB-C to android to google photos without my thinking once about the pipeline. I snap furiously and sort it out later.

Dislikes:

It's an awkward thing to pack and worse to carry-on
The handgrip is made out of some real cheap foam and has terrible terrible hand-feel
The camera "socks" get grungy so very fast.
TSA morons always think it's some sort of weapon and waste my time learning what a borescope is.
I wish the spring-loaded thumb plunger for the articulation didnt need to be "held" -- a "lock" would be nice. or a vernier :D
 
Magman said:
It would be great if those that have scopes pipe in with what they like/dislike about their chosen model. For me it’s tough to try to figure that out by reading specs. It’s also frustrating to realize you could have had a particular feature for a few bucks more or with a different manufacturer.
Click to expand...

I don't own one, other than the inexpensive Milwaukee I use for hunting around the truck engine compartment for lost hardware. At work, we've got GE XL Go's and Olympus scopes, but they are way out of the average guy price class. Hard to justify the 10K for the GE or the 75K for the Olympus for even a decent sized shop, much less an average wrench turner.
 
Craig said:
Hard to justify the 10K for the GE or the 75K for the Olympus for even a decent sized shop, much less an average wrench turner.
Click to expand...
Agree on justification. That's why I usually rent a higher end borescope if I'm going to make a mx decision based on it. Plus by renting I can select a scope based on the job or the guide tool I'll be using.
 
The Ablescope I have is a rigid tube design with a flexible tip. There is a thumb plunger on the handle, which when depressed causes the tip to flex beyond a right angle. So, if you remove a spark plug it's easy to put the end in the hole. Pressing the plunger allows you to look backwards at the valves. Pushing the plunger less than all the way allows you to look at the cylinder walls.

If you have Apple products, you will likely need a little wifi box. The image from the scope is transmitted to your iPad or phone over wifi. It's another battery or charged device. My scope has that little box, but you don't have to use it. If you have a Windows based laptop, you can plug the output of the scope into a USB port. There, the laptop should recognize it and display your image. There is a little thumbswitch on the scope's powercord which you can use to snap pictures.

The software is not intuitive, at least not for me. It took me a long time to figure out how to get the image.
 
Patrick said:
Which version did you get (1m or 2m length, diameter, …)?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I got the 1M length version below currently listed for $146.24; it comes with a nice carrying case pictured in the link from my earlier post:
8.5MM 5.0MP 180 Degree Steering Industrial Borescope Endoscope Cars Inspection Camera With 6 LED for iPhone Android PC

 
Lots of good info here. I had a Snap-on unit that I liked and thought it would work on cylinders. The end was “ semi-flexible” and non- controllable and fairly long.It worked very well to snake under seats and tail and wing inspections, Not so good on cylinders.

Maybe I need 2 units ? A rigid tube controllable for cylinders and possibly a cheapie for other tasks ? I see some for under $100.

I like Bell’s comment on renting. No idea of where to look though.
 
Lots of rental places out there. Look for test equipment rather than tools. Check on length of time as well as shipping costs. If you don’t use borescopes very much, also check on user insurance. Damage a steerable unit and you could be out a few grand on the repair.
 
Magman said:
No idea of where to look though.
Click to expand...
Some regions have local aviation type borescope rental and some don't. Look for industrial borescopes vs plumbing scopes. Some NDT companies and OEMs also rent equipment as well. I know people who have rented from USA Borescopes with good success. Fortunately for me there is a large NDT presence in my region that gives me access to a wide range of equipment rental.
 
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