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Author Topic: Smart Phone Borescope  (Read 1400 times)

Offline Fred Underwood

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Smart Phone Borescope
« on: June 05, 2018, 04:40:50 PM »
Interesting idea mentioned by Dave Hull here

https://stunthanger.com/smf/open-forum/help-identify-71-yellow-stunt-ship-with-black-deck-new-leadouts/msg521774/#new

I thought a new topic of the actual scope might be of interest and keep Dave's thought from getting lost. 

A starting place here for android phones, most are similar for iPhone.

https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-inspection-cameras-for-android



Fred
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Offline Phil Krankowski

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Re: Smart Phone Borescope
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2018, 09:30:54 AM »
I have gone through a couple now.  The "under $20" types.  These inexpensive borescopes are very handy when needing to inspect for weirdness around the home.  My house was built in 1973, by the builder for the builder and is full of extra weirdness.  The device is subject to minor overheating, and physical damage at the wire to camera housing location. 

Having a ring light of tiny led lamps that are surprisingly powerful make this a versitile instrument.

I have wiring issues.  The simple ones are from leftovers from othef jobs.  Different colors on the "romex" jackets... until an ungrounded section is put in...  I also have issues from using a 220 circuit to feed a stupid number of 110 branches.  At one point 1 circuit fed about 1/3 of this house.  I used 6 circuits to divide it out so it makes more sense.  I have 2 more insane branches to sort out still.  One is visible in the basement and feeds 2 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, the other will take more heroic means to access.  I need a second breaker panel first.  There is also structural weirdness with joist spacing all over the place from 11 to 23 inches...

These  scopes are large.  They will _NOT_ enter a 1/4 inch hole.  The head is also about 2 1/2 inches long.  I push it through wall cavities in a piece of 5/16 plastic feed line pipe.  It is rigid and flexible enough to bend around about 6 inch circles.    The depth of field  is interesting too.  The camera is really designed for a 6 inch or less working distance.  It will show usable images of further objects.  I ram the camera taped into the pipe through insulation with little care for durability when I need to.

The waterproof nature of these cameras have encouraged me to drop them down drains several times.  The gained information has been limited due to the soft nature of the wire not allowing more than a foot or three of push down a pipe.  The long nature of the camera head also means it will not pass a 90 elbow in 1 1/2 pipe, although a common sink trap is fine.

I have paid my plumber his time to run his thousand dollar camera with location signal to paint plumbing locations through my yard.  Most of this I have dug up, or paid to have dug up, and replaced since.  Happily the plumbing was much more normal.

I have used my camera to inspect shotgun barrels.  It works fine.  I was able to determine I needed to clean betterand had no pitting.

While not a microscope the enlargement is effectively over 100x which allows for easy inspection of visible items on models, eyeglass hinges, automotive, and computer parts.  It is nice to look for a dropped tool imstead of feeling where it is impossible to see.

The color reproduction is less than excellent, but this is likely due to the color of the ring light leds.  A regular flashlight providing fill light seems to help with color.

I strongly recommend a shorter cord with absolutely no need for longer than 3m/10ft in my uses.  My first unit may have been damged because it had a 10m cord.  My current unit has a 2m cord and I have never found it too short.

While I do not use my borescope camera daily I do feel that the utility of it has more than paid for itself.  The biggest shortcomings are the large camera head and the soft cable.  For less than $20 it is an excellent tool.

Phil

Offline Joe Yau

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Re: Smart Phone Borescope
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2018, 11:50:23 AM »
I have one.. but couldn't get it to work with my Samsung phone.  Works with the computer tho. :)


Offline Fred Underwood

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Re: Smart Phone Borescope
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2018, 12:38:39 PM »
Have you used the scope on/in a plane?  Any problems looking in a fuse or wing?  Common hole size for tip seems to be 8 - 8.5mm.

What actual brand and price to buy or to avoid?
Fred
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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Smart Phone Borescope
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2018, 01:01:02 PM »
I just have my doctor do it.

Yea, Fred.  Surely you could just wait for a quiet night in the ER and sneak over to Radiology with a plane.
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The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline Fred Underwood

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Re: Smart Phone Borescope
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2018, 03:47:14 PM »
Maybe in the long ago good days.  Now every door opened, package opened (scope used) or xray taken is logged and charged.  Maybe I could start a side line of doing 'scopes.  Need one?   ;D
Fred
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