Cheap USB Boroscope?
 

Saw this posted on a deals site.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-7-10-15M...rue&rmvSB=true
Ebay USB Boroscope shipped from Asia.
From my past Ebay auctions from Asia, expect many weeks of waiting.
But at the $10 price...
Ponders if this will work with my Windows 10 tablet.
Anyone tried anything like this.

May not be the same brand, but I got one of the 2m ones (I think the number is the length of the lead) about a year or so ago. Haven't used it much, but seems to work. Very scimpy documentation (mostly in Chinese).

The photo is of the inside of a AAA flashlight barrel.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3da723fc3d.jpg

Here is a previous thread on the subject: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...camera-or.html.

I have purchased several different chinese endoscopes and am impressed with the quality of the picture. As stated in the above post, don't bother downloading the software from the sellers site, use a program from the Play Store such as CameraFi or UsbWebCamera.

Glenn posted a link to some good comments and links, including (hopefully) my comment about software if you are a Win 10 user. By now though the problem may have been solved. And IMHO these things can't be beat for the price. The only step up I would even remotely consider is one with an articulating head (camera) for about $150 US.

In my Collection of Things I have a fancy (read: expensive, in the multi-$k range) Sony inspection camera that is rented out for the last six years. I've gotten much more than the original price back as rental, no worries. I saw it once several years ago whent it and I happened to be at the same jobsite doing Arthur O. Scopic compressor inspection on a big gas turbine.

Meanwhile... For car use it's just impossible to beat these little USB cameras. Cheap enough to avoid tears if you bang one up or lose it, good enough generally to see what you need to see.

I'm just amazed that there's a whole development, supply, manufacturing, transportation and marketing effort that still allows everyone in the chain to make money.

The referenced thread concluded with a link to this on Amazon:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...24f44afe5f.jpg

I got one myself. A lot more than $10, but I thought having a built-in "head" would make it far easier to use. I have used it only once so far: with the help of its magnet attachment, I was able to retrieve a clip I dropped down below the heater fan housing.

I'll be using it to look for sand in my powder-coated intake. Perhaps I'll take it over to my powder-coating guy, since he has promised to clean it. I may use it to be absolutely sure nothing fell into a cylinder as I yanked the intake off.

On the plus side: it works, has it's own rechargeable battery, and includes the magnet and mirror attachments.

Negatives: Despite all the packaging and comments on Amazon, the actual camera is not HD. It's working distance is fixed at about two inches. To take photos or movies, it requires an unusual memory card. The actual wand is quite stiff - perhaps that's best most of the time, but you can forget about it conforming itself to a complex space - insert, remove, bend, repeat.

I found it takes practice to get the hang of moving the probe where I want it: moving left on the screen may translate to up with your hand. It's a peculiar point of view of an unfamiliar place, so that adds to the challenge.

If I can just remember to get a memory card for it, I'll post a movie of my sand-free (?) intake eventually.

Hi Ernest! Hope all is well!!

Hey Ernie, how ya doing brother?!?! Long time no see/hear. Hope you're doing well.

I have a similar cheap USB camera. The camera itself works fine for looking inside cylinders and other things. DO NOT attempt to use the cheap attachments that come with it like the 90 degree mirror unless you enjoy fishing those parts out of your engine when the fall off because they are cheaply made and don't attach securely.