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Borescope recommendations ?
- Thread starter JGT
- Start date
Couple of questions - How much money do you want to spend? Are you sure you want a borescope (borescopes are typically rigid, straight-view scopes)? How about a fiberscope or video scope that can be bent or routed around a few corners?
Olympus medical makes some very nice articulated scopes, which I've used in a past life. But I'm guessing these and their very large $$ price tag aren't what you're after.
I personally have a Harbor Freight inspection camera/scope and have found it to be a very good value. http://www.harborfreight.com/high-resolution-digital-inspection-camera-with-recorder-67980.html
Olympus medical makes some very nice articulated scopes, which I've used in a past life. But I'm guessing these and their very large $$ price tag aren't what you're after.
I personally have a Harbor Freight inspection camera/scope and have found it to be a very good value. http://www.harborfreight.com/high-resolution-digital-inspection-camera-with-recorder-67980.html
az_gila
Well Known Member
Don
Well Known Member
Any chance you could post some pictures that you took with the HF model? I'd appreciate seeing what it can do.
I recently used a borescope with similar specification to the HF model and found the results were simply abysmal (the $179 ATS borescope that's not available now). Also curious if the attachments for the HF unit screw on or 'snap on'.
Thanks!
billnaz
Well Known Member
Video is disappointing
I've got the Chinese dental camera and it it the bomb as far as quality of video and cost. Every one of the cheap video borescopes I looked at had horrible video quality. I found you get what you pay for in most cases. The dental camera isn't ideal ether. I'm working on modifying the body to make it fit in the plug hole Easyer.
I've got the Chinese dental camera and it it the bomb as far as quality of video and cost. Every one of the cheap video borescopes I looked at had horrible video quality. I found you get what you pay for in most cases. The dental camera isn't ideal ether. I'm working on modifying the body to make it fit in the plug hole Easyer.
JohnInReno
Well Known Member
USB camera on a long cable
I purchased USB inspection camera with adjustable LED lights for less than $40. Works well with an old netbook, has a 10 yard cable, and easily fits in a spark plug hole. I do need to come up with a mirror attachment that I have seen with other bore scopes.
I purchased USB inspection camera with adjustable LED lights for less than $40. Works well with an old netbook, has a 10 yard cable, and easily fits in a spark plug hole. I do need to come up with a mirror attachment that I have seen with other bore scopes.
Don
Well Known Member
Can you also see the cylinder walls with the dental camera? The photos of the valves I've seen make it easily worth the $30-70 they sell for but I was wondering how much it could do.
billnaz
Well Known Member
Cylinder view
The dental camera is fine for the valves, which is my main concern. The view of the cyl walls is limited. I'm in the process of modifying the body to allow some flexibility (still in the conceptual phase). I seem to remember a post where the body was replaced with shrink tubing to allow flex. That's what I'm leaning towards.
The dental camera is fine for the valves, which is my main concern. The view of the cyl walls is limited. I'm in the process of modifying the body to allow some flexibility (still in the conceptual phase). I seem to remember a post where the body was replaced with shrink tubing to allow flex. That's what I'm leaning towards.
borescope
I bought this one and it is excellent.
http://www.aircraft-tool.com/shop/detail.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=ATS-VS400-1
My previous was a Harbor Freight. Note previous.
Ken
I bought this one and it is excellent.
http://www.aircraft-tool.com/shop/detail.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=ATS-VS400-1
My previous was a Harbor Freight. Note previous.
Ken
Been a little too busy to be able to get to the hanger lately. But check out these guys with their HF 640 x 480 res camera. (This is about the minimum resolution I've found to be useful.) The guys in the linked video are a little goofy but they show you some of the capabilities of the tool. I have the same one they're demonstrating.
And the end attachments snap on to the end of the video scope.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsy5oBvwBZE&sns=em
Don
Well Known Member
After reviewing the favorable post here and elsewhere, I bought a Harbor Freight "borescope", which they call a "high resolution digital inspection camera." The item number is 60695 and shouldn't be confused with their low end unit (67979) that gets poor reviews. The list price is $249.99 and (this may be a shock), it's on sale for $199. If you Google "Harbor Freight 25% off coupon", you can ALWAYS find one good for a single item. So the unit is $150 +tax.
It appears that the HF 60695 is identical to the ATS-VS-400-1 except for the sticker on the side. The buttons are the same, the color is the same, and specs (to the extent I could tell) are the same. The list price of the units differ by $10 and both units had good reviews here. The ATS unit is currently not available. HF offers a 90 day warranty and I have no problem returning a product that doesn't work.
So knowing I could return the unit if it wasn't satisfactory, I swapped a stack of $20 bills for the unit, charged it up, and took it out to the airport to give it a practical test. I was a bit short on time and I plan to go out and give the unit a better shake down but my first reactions are:
1. Easy to use. Turn the unit on and you're ready to go. Push the big OK button to take pictures or videos. There's another button to select which you want. There's a zoom and light adjustment around the big OK button...lets just say simple enough that even spam can drivers could figure it out. ;-) There's even a manual written in better than expected English to help.
2. I was worried about the 'snap on' mirror. Its a really snug fit and at least for now won't be coming off easily.
3. Video quality is more than adequate for inspecting valves and cylinders.
4. The camera lens alone takes very good pictures (640x480). However, when you add the mirror every bit of dust on the mirror shows up as a light blob that obscures what you're trying to see. A clean mirror is a MUST to get decent photos. At the hanger I used a micro mesh eye glass cleaner with mediocre results. I tried a blue shop paper towel with better (but not satisfactory) results. All of my photos using the mirror have dust spots. When I got home I used a Q-tip and got the dust off and no more blobs. Now I want to try it again in the engine.
5. I'm curious to see if I can position the piston down far enough to get a photo of an entire valve (or maybe even both valves), and as others have noted, the area between the valves.
6. My only gripes so far are the photos have to be deleted one at a time and Quicktime on my Mac will not play the AVI (video) file. That's a minor inconvenience as VLC plays it just fine.
I ordered a 16 gig mini SD card for the unit before I realized the internal memory will hold 801 photos. Odds are I'll never need the extra memory but I will likely be able to shoot a 20 minute video of valves opening and closing if I ever get the urge.
If/when I get some more or less dust free pictures of the valves, I'll post them here. All-in-all, I'm optimistic that I'll be keeping the digital inspection camera.
It appears that the HF 60695 is identical to the ATS-VS-400-1 except for the sticker on the side. The buttons are the same, the color is the same, and specs (to the extent I could tell) are the same. The list price of the units differ by $10 and both units had good reviews here. The ATS unit is currently not available. HF offers a 90 day warranty and I have no problem returning a product that doesn't work.
So knowing I could return the unit if it wasn't satisfactory, I swapped a stack of $20 bills for the unit, charged it up, and took it out to the airport to give it a practical test. I was a bit short on time and I plan to go out and give the unit a better shake down but my first reactions are:
1. Easy to use. Turn the unit on and you're ready to go. Push the big OK button to take pictures or videos. There's another button to select which you want. There's a zoom and light adjustment around the big OK button...lets just say simple enough that even spam can drivers could figure it out. ;-) There's even a manual written in better than expected English to help.
2. I was worried about the 'snap on' mirror. Its a really snug fit and at least for now won't be coming off easily.
3. Video quality is more than adequate for inspecting valves and cylinders.
4. The camera lens alone takes very good pictures (640x480). However, when you add the mirror every bit of dust on the mirror shows up as a light blob that obscures what you're trying to see. A clean mirror is a MUST to get decent photos. At the hanger I used a micro mesh eye glass cleaner with mediocre results. I tried a blue shop paper towel with better (but not satisfactory) results. All of my photos using the mirror have dust spots. When I got home I used a Q-tip and got the dust off and no more blobs. Now I want to try it again in the engine.
5. I'm curious to see if I can position the piston down far enough to get a photo of an entire valve (or maybe even both valves), and as others have noted, the area between the valves.
6. My only gripes so far are the photos have to be deleted one at a time and Quicktime on my Mac will not play the AVI (video) file. That's a minor inconvenience as VLC plays it just fine.
I ordered a 16 gig mini SD card for the unit before I realized the internal memory will hold 801 photos. Odds are I'll never need the extra memory but I will likely be able to shoot a 20 minute video of valves opening and closing if I ever get the urge.
If/when I get some more or less dust free pictures of the valves, I'll post them here. All-in-all, I'm optimistic that I'll be keeping the digital inspection camera.
Bill Dicus
Well Known Member
Horoscope HF
Thanks for your eval and will consider this scope. Meanwhile Milwaukee (good tool maker) has a unit at Home Depot (640-480) for $199. Anybody have experience with this unit?
Thanks for your eval and will consider this scope. Meanwhile Milwaukee (good tool maker) has a unit at Home Depot (640-480) for $199. Anybody have experience with this unit?
Don
Well Known Member
Harbor Fright Images
Here are images taken with the Harbor Freight digital inspection camera (aka borescope).
I believe somewhere I read Walt said a borescope needed to be able to clearly see the space between the valves (presumably to check for cracks). This scope does this task easily as two of the photos show.
Between the intake and exhaust valves on cylinder 1.
Between the intake and exhaust valves on cylinder 3.
I was hoping to be able to get a picture that showed one entire valve at a time. I have not been able to do that yet. It may not be possible but I've come close enough that I plan to keep trying...just not right now. The weather is too nice. Here's as close as I came this afternoon.
Now if you look at the first and third photos, the lighting is uneven. This camera only has one LED for illumination. Also, in the first and third photo you'll see a bright semicircle at the bottom and in the second photo its in the lower right. That is a reflection off the edge of the mirror. It has nothing to do with the engine.
The spectral highlights (blurry bright dots) are dust on the mirror. I used a Q-Tip frequently to clean the mirror and I still had dust to deal with.
The cameral also takes movies and I tested that feature out. I have not uploaded any yet but the quality is comparable to the still shots and you can pan around and see pretty much anything you want but don't look for Hollywood smooth video but I think for documenting the condition of your engine at its annual condition inspection (or whenever) this camera will work well.
Over-all, I'd give it a B+. The photo quality is good but I wish it was capable of a wider angle view. The mirror snaps on (I really like the screw on feature) and it's putzy keeping it free of dust. I'm also not wild about the uneven lighting but it is certainly adequate. For $150, it isn't perfect but it will probably do anything you're likely to ask of it.
Here are images taken with the Harbor Freight digital inspection camera (aka borescope).
I believe somewhere I read Walt said a borescope needed to be able to clearly see the space between the valves (presumably to check for cracks). This scope does this task easily as two of the photos show.
Between the intake and exhaust valves on cylinder 1.
Between the intake and exhaust valves on cylinder 3.
I was hoping to be able to get a picture that showed one entire valve at a time. I have not been able to do that yet. It may not be possible but I've come close enough that I plan to keep trying...just not right now. The weather is too nice. Here's as close as I came this afternoon.
Now if you look at the first and third photos, the lighting is uneven. This camera only has one LED for illumination. Also, in the first and third photo you'll see a bright semicircle at the bottom and in the second photo its in the lower right. That is a reflection off the edge of the mirror. It has nothing to do with the engine.
The spectral highlights (blurry bright dots) are dust on the mirror. I used a Q-Tip frequently to clean the mirror and I still had dust to deal with.
The cameral also takes movies and I tested that feature out. I have not uploaded any yet but the quality is comparable to the still shots and you can pan around and see pretty much anything you want but don't look for Hollywood smooth video but I think for documenting the condition of your engine at its annual condition inspection (or whenever) this camera will work well.
Over-all, I'd give it a B+. The photo quality is good but I wish it was capable of a wider angle view. The mirror snaps on (I really like the screw on feature) and it's putzy keeping it free of dust. I'm also not wild about the uneven lighting but it is certainly adequate. For $150, it isn't perfect but it will probably do anything you're likely to ask of it.
Articulating Borescope
http://www.amazon.com/Vividia-Perfo...067031&sr=8-1&keywords=articulating+borescope
After watching others using borescopes with straight end cameras and not being able to clearly see the top of a cylinder, I decided to take my chances on one of these. I have tried the dental cameras with limited results but those are mostly useless when you try to see what you want to see, very limited focal lenth and very limited range inside a Lycoming cylinder.
When looking a picture quality you must keep in mind that the actual valve is barely 2 inches in diameter and the small picture I chose for this post is about actual size. The quality is not too bad at 640x480 coming from a 5.5 mm camera illuminated by 4 LEDs.
What really sets the device apart from all the rest, is the control you have over what you want to see. Being able to turn the camera 110 degrees once inside a cylinder and pushing on the flexible cable easily turns the camera 180degrees. A focal length of 2 cm to infinity is much more usefull than a dental camera for example with huge magnification and less than 5 mm focal depth.
For more specs check the above link. Price is about double of the widely used top of the line HF cameras. I have no use for the video feature but it works well.
Funny that the camera is advertised as a Vividia, a brand that sound somewhat familiar. The actual camera has no brand markings whatsover and simply says "made in China", I didn't expect much more for $599.-
The pictures were taken on a 260 hr Lycoming IO-540 for no other reason except to take the borscope for a spin. Compression on all cylinders is around 78/80.
Now I have to learn how to interpret what I see
With more people using borscopes the art of reading and interpreting the information gained will be more easily learned and shared I hope.
http://www.amazon.com/Vividia-Perfo...067031&sr=8-1&keywords=articulating+borescope
After watching others using borescopes with straight end cameras and not being able to clearly see the top of a cylinder, I decided to take my chances on one of these. I have tried the dental cameras with limited results but those are mostly useless when you try to see what you want to see, very limited focal lenth and very limited range inside a Lycoming cylinder.
When looking a picture quality you must keep in mind that the actual valve is barely 2 inches in diameter and the small picture I chose for this post is about actual size. The quality is not too bad at 640x480 coming from a 5.5 mm camera illuminated by 4 LEDs.
What really sets the device apart from all the rest, is the control you have over what you want to see. Being able to turn the camera 110 degrees once inside a cylinder and pushing on the flexible cable easily turns the camera 180degrees. A focal length of 2 cm to infinity is much more usefull than a dental camera for example with huge magnification and less than 5 mm focal depth.
For more specs check the above link. Price is about double of the widely used top of the line HF cameras. I have no use for the video feature but it works well.
Funny that the camera is advertised as a Vividia, a brand that sound somewhat familiar. The actual camera has no brand markings whatsover and simply says "made in China", I didn't expect much more for $599.-
The pictures were taken on a 260 hr Lycoming IO-540 for no other reason except to take the borscope for a spin. Compression on all cylinders is around 78/80.
Now I have to learn how to interpret what I see
With more people using borscopes the art of reading and interpreting the information gained will be more easily learned and shared I hope.
