Fibrescope/endoscope for DIY use

Are there any really cheap ones? I need to look inside an enclosed space.

What's the principle of operation and could one make a simple device?

MM

Reply to
MM
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I'd like one as well.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

A small cheap pen camera is probably a better bet.

A number carefully aligned optic fibres, lots of them, the resolution dependant on the number of fibres in the bundle. I doubt very much that a cheap one exists or that it's practicle to make one.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

See my other post. B-) A "mirror on a stick" is quite handy:

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Reply to
Dave Liquorice

This came up not long ago, and I saved the following link, which might be useful/interesting:

There's a Scandinavian on Ebay who flogs them from time to time:

Try this thread too (started by yours truly) which has some helpful suggestions too (and no, I still haven't got one myself!)

David

Reply to
Lobster

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Reply to
George

Couldn't your daughter get you one?

Reply to
Andy Hall

Only used 20,000 times.

For some reason repairing endoscopes is an unpopular job with medical service engineers.

One a colleague dealt with, a steerable one, had siezed solid in the shape of a walking cane whilst ensconced in someone's esra.

Derek.

Reply to
Derek Geldard

removed from my computer by some software I am running.

Looking at the above link, I think we need to know what type you really need. Basically, there is the one above at the bottom of the pile going up to the very expensive ones that I will describe.

The shufty scope (that was our name for an endoscope) that I used to use was a probe that was a flexible convoluted shaft that could bend to some degree (It could bend back on itself along it's length, which was about

3 foot approx.). Inside this probe was a core of optical fibres, some carried light down to the subject under review and most of the others brought back the view to an eye piece for the viewer to look through. The light source came from a very bright white light that was passed to the probe at 90 degrees, just below the eye piece.

Under this were 2 controls that enabled the tip of the probe to bend up to about 30 degrees left /right and up /down, so that you could direct the tip round small bends.

The diameter of the probe depended on what you were going to put it down. Both Rolls Royce and ourselves used them to either check the internals on a jet engine or try and find just where that ping fucket went in a cavity. Much smaller diameter ones are available for pushing up any orifice of the human body. Yes, including that one that could make a man's eyes water ;-)

I hope this post has been some help

Dave

Reply to
Dave

Yes, the posts have all been some help. I feel the way to go at the moment is the pen camera route, the most favoured being that Chinese gizmo.

I'm a bit surprised that no company has yet produced a really cheap and cheerful endoscope/fibrescope, because when one starts to think of applications in the DIY and automotive industries there are dozens. In the past I could have used one on numerous occasions when I was working on cars regularly. Also, I read elsewhere, in the music industry, with violin makers, for example, wishing to look inside an instrument.

I reckon it's just not mass-market enough to warrant mass production, sadly. However, I am still hoping to be able to look forward to the day when B+Q, Homebase or Halfords sell one for about £70, which is what I would pay (no more than that, though).

MM

Reply to
MM

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