Cavity Inspection Cameras / Scopes

[Beatle]

I'm interested in buying a borescope for inspecting internals of sills, cylinders, sumps etc, mainly for body maintenance and checking how well I've applied rustproofing.   My eyes are not what they used to be either so I figure being able to blow images up on a screen would be cool too.  And, I could conduct my own colonoscopy's..............for a fee

I'm interested to hear what people are using at the moment, results, and what are the important things to look out for.  I see some items on Ebay from Milwaukee brand, but they could be cheap knock-offs. 

I should state up front that I use a high-end scope in my work occasionally, worth many thousands of dollars.  These scopes have a multitude of functions and 'steerable' tips, so I'm a bit spoilt. 

I don't wish to waste my cash, but willing to pay that little extra for a reliable product.   My initial thoughts on what's required:
-Semi rigid probe to help guide the tip into awkward spots
-Ability to at least store images (colour) for download to a computer.   Alternatively, direct real-time laptop connection.
-Rugged enough so I don't lose a tip in a cylinder/sump/intestine
-At east a 1metre long probe, possibly with extendability
-Small diameter tip/probe for better functionality
-Possibly a probe with side-view optics (most only have a view out front)

Anyone care to recommend a decent product?
What are the professional mechanics using?

[Cool Jesus]

I've got cheap knock off <$100, can remember exactly. But certainly does the job and came with a bundle of attachments. I guess important features for me; a light at the camera end, removable wireless screen. Handy features on mine are the various attachments like magnet, different lenses for zooming and a recording feature for stills and video, oh and a colour monitor. I guess what's important also is its recharge use time and the resolution of the camera. Since I bought mine they haven't changed much in price, but have improved on features. I've actually seen one in Aldi with similar if not better specs than mine. For the backyard mechanic these will more than so I think. No need to spend huge $$$ on brand names.

[scott.venables]

Dad's friend bought a scope from Jaycar to look for rust in the cylinders of a  big Lister diesel we were checking out.  It plugged into a laptop for realtime video, but I can't remember if it recorded as well.  The picture quality was reasonable from what I can recall.  I think this was it:

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QC3371

There's this one too, but only does 15fps compared with 30 in the above model

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QC3383

Scott

[Spada]

I bought a USB endoscope on eBay for peanuts. Although it took a while to learn to install the  Chinese language program that is used to run it the pictures were, ok. Bit of fun but I wouldn't reccomend for any serious work. Have used it to look inside heater system and cylinders but hard to navigate as you can't tell whihc way is up.

[Beatle]

Thanks Spada.  Is the probe itself rigid enough to be 'set' to a shape/position, or is it floppy like a piece of rope?

I found this 'pistol' type scope on ebay.   $126 with the standard 1m probe, or $170 with an additional 1M extension.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251224329879?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1561.l2649

Pistol type scopes mean you don't have the additional baggage and setup of a laptop.  But they are more expensive and have less reach than the laptop versions.

If I read it right this Ebay scope has a wireless connection to the removable screen.  Also has an onboard SD card for recording video.  Not sure it can take a still picture, and concerned that the image quality might be a bit ordinary due to the wireless transfer.

The extra length of the probe is good, but it's actually two probes joined together so the <10mm standard probe would be more like 20mm at the joint, which kind of defeats the purpose of the additional length.  You'd need a 20mm hole to make use of the full 2M.

I really think I need more than a metre probe to get full length of vehicle sills and A-pillars.   But I guess in  most cases you can probe 1M from either end which should cover most situations.  Not sure how long my small intestine is..............

[Cool Jesus]

That looks like my probe. The stalk is a stiff metal banded length of piping that can be shaped. Length is good, but as you said probe from each end of the job. Actually thats not a bad price with postage included...

[Evan Bottcher]

Not sure how long my small intestine is..............

Wikipedia says average for males is 6.9 metres.

[Beatle]

Bingo!!  So that's why most of the USB type probes measure 7M in length!  I thought it a strange number 

OK, I got impatient and purchased a 7M waterproof USB style probe from Supercheap ($50.00).  About twice the price of Ebay, but the instructions are in English, the software loaded in a millisecond, and I get to look into the whites of the eyes of the person responsible if it doesn't work as advertised......    The unit is max 10mm diameter along the entire length, relatively rigid/shapeable, seems to have OK resolution with adjustable light in the tip (adjustable via dial on the USN connector), and the image exposure seems to self-correct if you give it time with the camera tip left stationary.  It will record and store video and snapshots to your laptop.

The only real downer is that the rigid tip is 50mm long, so you can't bend a tight radius at the very end to get a sideways look at things.  But that seems to be the same with everything under $1000.  They come with a small mirror you can attach to the tip for a 90deg view, but it looks like it would easily fall off or rotate out of position in a tight space.

The pistol style is likely better for that quick grab-it-and-go task, but as I mostly do my automotive work in the shed in the same place, the hassle of the laptop should be minimal.  The larger screen of the laptop is great for my aging eyes.  I'll buy a cheap 2nd-hand laptop just for the shed.

Actually that's one advantage I hadn't considered with a scope.  I'm still coming to grips with glasses (I've always had great vision) and these days find I can't get my face back far enough to focus on some things, particularly working in the engine bay and underneath the car.   With the scope I can get up close to view things in tight spaces and simply view them on a nice upright screen.