Borescopes are valuable instruments in our profession. They provide us access to parts of the engine and aircraft that are not normally visible. However, some procedures may be necessary to follow to guarantee more precise checks while utilizing these instruments. In this piece, we’ll talk about a few of those procedures and examine some of the most current advancements in the best automotive borescope technology. Rigid scopes, fiberscopes, and video scopes are the three main categories of scopes accessible. Let’s examine each kind in brief.
Rigid scopes
Rigid scopes are exactly what their name suggests—they are rigid inspection scopes. They make it possible to reach isolated locations that don’t need video scopes or fiber flexibility. The image’s sharpness works to their benefit. The resolution obtained by rigid scopes is higher than that of fiber optics because they employ optics—mirrors and lenses—to transfer the picture onto the eyepiece. Their inflexibility, which prevents them from moving into some spaces, is a drawback.
Fiberscopes
A fiberscope is an additional kind of borescope. The picture is projected from the probe’s tip to the eyepiece via fiber optic strands. Its adaptability is a benefit. It can flex into spaces that a rigid scope would not be able to reach. Once in position, the probe head may also be moved to get different fields of view, for example, inside a compressor turbine region. It is also possible to produce fiberscopes with tiny dimensions.
Videoscopes
The video scope is the newest member of the borescope family. It looks and functions somewhat like the fiber scope, but that’s where the similarities end.
A charged coupled device (CCD) at the distal end of the scope is used by a video scope to capture the image. Via the flexible scope, it electronically transmits the picture to the camera control unit (CCU).
Borescope examinations have been transformed by video scopes. Since the pictures are in digital format, they may be electronically saved for later use. They can also be sent to obtain an immediate response from a person at a different place, like the technical support department of the engine manufacturer, for example.
Recognize your equipment
Learning how to use your equipment is the first thing you should do. Consult the user’s guide. It is more than simply a bookshelf ballast, according to the maker. Discover how to use the inspection head on your fiberscope. Learn how to use it comfortably and become aware of its limitations.
There are other problems with video scopes that you need to deal with, such as capturing pictures, saving them, and transferring them to a computer.
Make the most of any manufacturer-provided training. To maximize your investment, you must familiarize yourself with the equipment and its functioning.
Recognize what you are seeing
Knowing what you are looking at with a borescope is a crucial consideration while doing an inspection. It involves more than just being able to find and approach a power turbine for observation. You must be aware of what constitutes a quality part for the best automotive inspection camera. If you don’t know what a good component looks like, how can you tell if the part you are checking is defective?
It’s also important to know what kind of flaws to search for and the serviceability limitations set by the manufacturer. Having a competent boss or coworker who can teach you these things is quite helpful when you are just starting.