Borescopes?

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cribbj

cribbj

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These things have dropped in price over the last 5-10 years where they're now affordable for the DIY'er. Anyone bought one yet?

I'm looking at the Ridgid model as well as an Extech, but it would be useful to hear from someone who owns one of these, or has a recommendation for another?

I need the head to be small enough to fit through the spark plug hole in our engines, so 1/2" is the max head size.
 
I have one (at work) I use for gas engine inspections, it has 4 different length straight ends and one that turns to look back up at the valves. It has it's own halogen light source and a camera attachment. Can't think of the make but it would be about 15 years old and cost a fortune back then. I have used it on my engine and fits down the spark plug hole no problem.

I have used a cheap one and the optics were very poor, a bit like looking through a kaleidescope.

I have also seen one recently that hooked up to a laptop that looked like a bit of 1/8" wire you bent into shape before putting it down the hole. The picture was very sharp and probably cheaper than my two big boxes I haul around.
 
Andy any idea who makes the PC version? I've seen a couple on eBay here in the US, but they're all China based.
 
Sorry John absolutely no idea, I Will try to find out for you. I know he took video's and still shots of the inspection and finished his report before I had my gear plugged in........
 
No John, it was a lot smaller diameter than that and was able to look back up to wards the valves. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention but I do remember that it was a very small diameter. The boreoscope plugged into the laptop it had a small box and then the scope came out of the box. it was all powered by the laptop.

Maybe check out aviation tools, I know they use them as well but $ will go up for sure. I guess it just depends on what you want to use it for. Gas engines the most important thing is to look at are the valves.
 
Just contacted the guy that had the PC borscope and it is around $9k, 4mm diameter with 4 direction control and 120 degree turn capable.

Apparently it's very expensive if you leave it in a intake valve and turn the engine over......

Horses for courses I guess.

Also forgot to mention you can get prisms to attach to the end of cheaper scopes to look back up.
 
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nice, I noticed some of these have 10-20GB flash drives so im sure they coould be recorded, and then played over a tv/pc but for $100-$200 your forfeitting the real time display. My college program is debating the purchase of a windows based scope but I dont think it's worth it.
 
what about the idea of attaching a $.99 webcam end to a flexible metal piece, and using a white LED light or 3 to light up the cylinder? $5.00 borescope.
 
Cobber said:
Just contacted the guy that had the PC borscope and it is around $9k, 4mm diameter with 4 direction control and 120 degree turn capable.
Click to expand...

<Gulp> guess not many of us will be buying those for the home workshop!
 
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