On 16/08/2015 20:35, newshound wrote:
On 16/08/2015 20:13, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I did buy a usb camera from ebay so that I could look under
floorboards etc. but I don't know what I have done with it and
besides, my laptop is broken at the moment (battery dead and the power
socket does not make reliable contact withy the plug; I assume the
contacts have worn with age).

I was wondering perhaps a camera with a built-in screen would be
better. Has anyone bought one of these? I'm looking for something
cheap as it will only be for occasional DIY use. Is there anywhere to
buy them from other than ebay? The ones on there only seem to be 1m
long. Is that all that is needed Do they focus further away? I was
thinking if you went under the floor from one side of the room to
another that perhaps a longer one would be more useful?

Thanks,
Stephen.


I have something which looks a bit like this; it was a bit cheaper
(screen may be smaller) and the "snake" is shorter. They certainly work,
they can be a bit tricky to use and are often not as useful as you might
expect. Under floorboards, you run out of light sooner than you might
expect so although they will form a reasonable image of something a
metre away, the built in lights are not sufficient to illuminate it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5-Screen...item417a36c33f


The ones with a screen and recording ability are useful because you can
end up a bit cluttered with a separate laptop. One day there may be
affordable USB microscopes which work with android phones and tablets.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2810493659...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


In my experience the USB "microscopes" are remarkably good even at 2
MPix, which camera buffs tend to sniff at. I've not found the USB
introscopes so effective. But I have also used the Olympus fibre
introscopes (which you see surgeons using) on engineering plant, these
cost about £5k in the 90's. These have a steerable tip and sometimes
zoom and focus, but it is still often difficult to interpret exactly
what you are seeing.

5 - 10 metres but cant vouch for quality....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7mm-6-LED-...item2edb564246