Centech inspection camera

Any of you folks have one of these>?

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The bride jammed a drawer in the china cabinet and no amount of futzing and wiggling will get it open enough to free the jam. I need to drill in from the back and think a scope will be helpful in troubleshooting. Hopefully I can free this with two small holes -- one for the scope and one for the c oat hanger.

Comments on this HF unit will be appreciated.

Larry

Reply to
Gramps' shop
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nd wiggling will get it open enough to free the jam. I need to drill in fr om the back and think a scope will be helpful in troubleshooting. Hopefull y I can free this with two small holes -- one for the scope and one for the coat hanger.

I don't have one, but the first thing that came to mind was the need for a

3rd hole: for light. A quick check of the reviews at the HF site seems to s upport my concern. 3 out of the 5 comments include cons related to poor ima ges bue to due lack of lighting. I guess you could say it's 3 out 4 since t he 5th comment says that the user couldn't even get his running.

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

The bride jammed a drawer in the china cabinet and no amount of

I got this one from Ridgid when it was on sale for 70 or 80 bucks...

I can honestly say it has paid for itself several times over. It helped me find an abandoned 220v electric line in the wall so I knew exactly where to punch a hole to remove it. It also helped me find the source of a clog in our main sewer line which was a nail that had wedged itself across the pipe. The camera costs less than a plumber would've charged just to show up to the house.

Someone else mentioned needing a light with the HF camera. That would kill the deal for me. The Ridgid has LEDs in the camera head and no external light source is needed.

The Ridgid also has a hook and magnet that attach to the camera head for retrieving items using the camera snake itself. So you don't need to fish another wire in through a second hole. I think the HF model has that too, but you better make sure it has integrated lights.

Reply to
-MIKE-

15b

I didn't actually say (or mean to imply) you *needed* an external light wit h the HF camera. I said that I was wondering about needing a 3rd hole for a light - before I even checked the HF site. Then I checked the HF reviews a t the link offered by Gramps and read that while the HF device does indeed have LED's in the camera head, they don't seem to be adequate in really dar k spaces.

In other words, I didn't mean to imply that the HF device has *no* LED's li ke some cameras do. Now, I did use the words "lack of lighting" in my respo nse, but I meant "lack of *adequate* lighting", not no lighting at all.

I recognize the reason for the misunderstanding.

It does have integrated LED's, they just may not be adequate for the applic ation - per the reviews.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Look at it another way. It is a great toy, and since your bride is the one who created the problem she should not object for the necessary "Tools" to correct the problem.

Reply to
knuttle

The bride jammed a drawer in the china cabinet and no amount of

I can honestly say it has paid for itself several times over. It helped

Another plus for the Ridgid model is that the lights have adjustable brightness. Sometimes you need to turn them down if there is something reflective in its path that will cause glare. Other times, obviously, you'd like more light.

The one thing that intrigued me about the HF model was that the snake was removable from the base unit. This made me think there might be longer snakes available to hook on for longer reaches. I don't know if that's the case, although I doubt it.

Reply to
-MIKE-

And therein lies both the beauty and the quandary of HF tools: $69 for the low-end HF tool, currently required for a one-off application vs. $99 for the probably better Rigid tool.

Will Gramps ever use it again, making the extra features worth the $30/43% higher price, or will he just get the darn drawer open and stick the camera on a shelf to collect dust?

Damn you, Harbor Freight, why must you tempt us so?

Reply to
DerbyDad03

The bride jammed a drawer in the china cabinet and no amount of

I can honestly say it has paid for itself several times over. It helped

I just looked at the manual for the HF model and it shows dimming buttons for the light. I have half a mind to go buy the thing and do a side-by-side road test of them both and put it on youtube.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Hmmmm, dimmable lights on a unit where the reviews say the lights on the unit aren't bright enough.

"Hey, it's dark in here, turn down the lights!" ;-)

If one was of the mind to take advantage the liberal return policies of just about all stores these days, one might consider buying the best of the best, using it once and then taking it back.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I have no experience with the item you're considering, but if you DO decide to buy it, you can save $14:

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Might as well pick up one of these wile you're there:

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Reply to
Spalted Walt

5b

and wiggling will get it open enough to free the jam. I need to drill in f rom the back and think a scope will be helpful in troubleshooting. Hopeful ly I can free this with two small holes -- one for the scope and one for th e coat hanger.

We have a quite a number of the free HF flashlights lying around the house.

We like to keep one near the thermostat so we can read/set it in the dark, there's usually one by the coffee maker because the LED clock is hard to re ad while setting, etc. Problem is, I keep grabbing them for other uses, for getting to put them back, and then SWMBO gets pissed at me.

Just before Christmas I picked up another free one, took it out of the pack age, used White-Out to "engrave" SWMBO's name on the flashlight and put it back in the package. I then wrapped it in a fancy box, added a bow and put it under the tree.

SWMBO now keeps it on her desk and I make sure I never touch it. She always has a flashlight, even when I forget to put back the other ones. She still reminds when I forget to put one back, but at least she always knows where she can find one if needed.

I'm such a giver.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

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The bride jammed a drawer in the china cabinet and no amount of futzing and wiggling will get it open enough to free the jam. I need to drill in from the back and think a scope will be helpful in troubleshooting. Hopefully I can free this with two small holes -- one for the scope and one for the coat hanger.

Comments on this HF unit will be appreciated.

Larry

OK. You're going to hate me for this because you may not need another toy, er, tool. But have you tried a slim jim to free that soup spoon holding the drawer shut?

Steve

Reply to
SnA Higgins

DerbyDad03 wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

I downloaded the flashlight app for my phone. For Windows Phone, it's one of the most useful apps because it doesn't just give you a flashlight, but a battery meter on the lock screen. Sure has come in handy.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

I've had flashlight apps in my phones for as long as they gave been available, and yes they are very convenient. However, having small flashlights strategically placed where required is even more convenient.

Even if I have my phone with me when setting the stat or making coffee (which is not always the case) a single button to turn on a real flashlight is easier than the minimum 4 steps it takes to turn on the phone's flashlight.

I don't even have to look at the flashlight to turn it on, not so with the app.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Be very careful with those flashlight apps!

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Reply to
Spalted Walt

Might want to get the HD system to see a thin jam item. Have a demo - see if that can be done. Doubt it but it is maybe important. Likely a slice of vernier that has split and providing the jam.

Mart> Any of you folks have one of these>?

Reply to
Martin Eastburn

DerbyDad03 wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

That reminds me of something else...

I had a flashlight next to the back door of the garage. Kinda nice to get in and get something, but rather inconvenient as well, especially if I was just passing through on a cold night.

I saw a post on alt.home.repair (I believe it was by DadiOH, if it was, thanks!) that suggested installing a motion detector light inside. Now I open the back door, step in and the motion light turns on. I can then either quickly get what I want, or easily walk to the main door and turn on the lights. With the Dusk-to-dawn sensor, it doesn't turn back on after the lights are on.

Saved me a lot of trouble pulling wire to both doors, adding a light somewhere or rewiring the garage lights to run off a 3-way switch.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

Spalted Walt wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I checked permissions before I installed it. The only permission requested was use of the camera (which is required to access the flash).

It is good to be wary and always check the requested permissions before you install. Avoid any app that asks for permissions that can't be explained (why would a flashlight app need the "phone dialer"* permission?).

*"Phone dialer" usually indicates the app has ads. One ad network Windows Phone apps use requires this permission.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

My basement shop has a door to the backyard. I have an X10 motion sensor ne xt to the door door that turns on a light in my main basement. Similar to y our situation, it saved me from having to rewired the switch run for the li ghts to be a 3-way. While adding a 3-way is typically not all that difficul t, the basement lights are part of an Edison circuit and the triple gang sw itch box in the kitchen is already a mess. A single fixture on a motion det ector is all I need for just enough light to be safe.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

My daughter works at a college and has a LEED certified apartment in the do rms.

I was reading the manual for her motion sensor light switches and found tha t they have a Walk Through" feature.

From the NeoSwitch manual...

"Walk-Through feature maximizes energy savings by not leaving the lights ON after a momentary occupancy. The sensor will switch the lights ON when it detects a person entering the area. If the sensor does not continue to dete ct motion 20 seconds following the initial activation, it will automaticall y go to a shorter 2 minute Time Delay."

In other words, Walk-Through overrides the pre-set 15 minute no-motion time delay. Neat feature.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

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