Home | Computers-and-technology

An Introduction to Borescope Uses

This article provides general information on borescope, their different uses, types and parameters.

A borescope is an optical device with either a rigid or a flexible tube, with an eyepiece on one end and objective lens on the other, connected together by a body with fiber optic illumination in it. Borescopes have the ability to inspect areas that hard to reach, or even totally inaccessible by other means. Based ont the type of tube, borescopes can be either rigid or flexible.

Both types of borescopes have their unique advantages (as well as disadvantages), making them suitable only for certain situations. Rigid borescopes the perfect tool for specific tasks, like inspecting automotive cylinders, fuel injectors, hydraulic manifold bodies and gunsmithing. Flexible borescopes can be used to access cavities which are around a bend, as oppose to rigid ones, that have the limitation that access to what is to be viewed is a straight line.

Rigid borescopes produce images of higher quality, compared to flexible models, they are also easier to use and can identify flaws as small as 0.001. Bottom line is that unless the limtited movement is not a problem, it's always better to buy a rigid one. As you can see, there is no universal borescope, that is ideal for all tasks. It's not about choosing rigid or flexible, but about buying the best rigid and best flexible borescope and use according to the situation.

When buying a borescope, you must be aware of the environment in which you will be using it. The rule is to select one that will fit through the smallest hole required. It's a good idea to have a diameter smaller than the minimum allowed, because a slightly smaller scope may allow "wiggle room" so that you can see more by tilting the scope.

Borescopes have a large depth of view, which makes them easy to use without constant refocusing. closer an object is to the lens of a borescope, the greater the magnification. A borescope can be connected to a digital camera, so you will be able to record the images captures or watch them on a monitor.

Compatibility (borescope-camera) can certainly be an issue here. No one can guarantee if a particular digital camera will work satisfactorily with your borescope, unless it is explicitly stated in the official manual of the device. If you want the borescope image to fill a reasonable portion of the screen, then you need an objective lens with long focal length.

You should also make sure that the optical zoom range on your camera goes out to a 350mm or longer telephoto, which is equal to 35mm focal length. For a 3MP camera, a digital zoom with the power of 3x will be fine. Also make sure both the borescope and camera are well supported, so that there is no over-strain on the lens, otherwise they can break.

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

It is a one piece assembly that is inexpensive, very portable and easy to repair or replace as opposed to having a traditional borescope or endoscope repaired. Author - Stephen Landreaux. Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License, which means you may freely reprint it, in its entiretly, provided you include the author's resource box along with LIVE VISIBLE links (without "nofollow" tags).