diy fiber optic "endoscope-like" tool !
 

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.

wrote:

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.

Think dentist rather than gastroenterologist, might be cheaper...

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSea...=AR71608&N=401

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

wrote:

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

The thing you are thinking of is a boroscope but they are not a wonder
solution cos you get a picture of a small area of dark and cant tell
which way is up and so on. Try using a digital camera and look at the
results on the computer

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
wrote:

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.

Think dentist rather than gastroenterologist, might be cheaper...


Not my dentist. Robbing git!


http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSea...=AR71608&N=401

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In message . com,
writes
Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.

£30 camera from maplins, a car bulb and a stick

That's what I used to investigate a wasps nest

--
geoff

Ian Stirling wrote:
wrote:

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.


To go really cheap, USB cameras are available for about a fiver.
Add a bulb, and you have something that may work.


Is there a really small USB webcam available anywhere?

--
Dave S
(The return email address is a dummy)

dave wrote:
On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 21:12:23 GMT, raden wrote:

In message . com,
writes
Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.

£30 camera from maplins, a car bulb and a stick

That's what I used to investigate a wasps nest

Yes camera's probably best. A Borescope, for example...

http://www.professionalequipment.com...qx/default.htm


costs $2695! And endoscopes cost quite a bit more.

naaah, a sigmoidoscope it what's required


RT

Dave wrote:
Ian Stirling wrote:
wrote:

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.


To go really cheap, USB cameras are available for about a fiver.
Add a bulb, and you have something that may work.

Is there a really small USB webcam available anywhere?

I bought a "notebook webcam" that's about 25mm*10mm*30mm, with the connector
on one short end.
http://www.ebuyer.com/ it was about 7 quid.
They no longer do the exact model.
Look at the pictures, with a USB plug in hand for context, to get scale.

"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:
Ian Stirling wrote:
wrote:

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.


To go really cheap, USB cameras are available for about a fiver.
Add a bulb, and you have something that may work.

Is there a really small USB webcam available anywhere?

I bought a "notebook webcam" that's about 25mm*10mm*30mm, with the
connector
on one short end.
http://www.ebuyer.com/ it was about 7 quid.
They no longer do the exact model.
Look at the pictures, with a USB plug in hand for context, to get scale.

you'll probably need one or more USB repeater cables too if you can't get
your USB port within 5 metres :-(

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
wrote:

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.

Think dentist rather than gastroenterologist, might be cheaper...

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSea...=AR71608&N=401

Agreed. I've used this style of mirror many times at home and at work.
Ideally, you should illuminate the area independently, rather than bounce
the torch beam off the mirror, as the slightest bit of dirt or other defect
on the mirror surface shows up.

Rick

brugnospamsia wrote:

"Ian Stirling" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:
Ian Stirling wrote:
wrote:

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.


To go really cheap, USB cameras are available for about a fiver.
Add a bulb, and you have something that may work.

Is there a really small USB webcam available anywhere?

I bought a "notebook webcam" that's about 25mm*10mm*30mm, with the
connector
on one short end.
http://www.ebuyer.com/ it was about 7 quid.
They no longer do the exact model.
Look at the pictures, with a USB plug in hand for context, to get scale.

you'll probably need one or more USB repeater cables too if you can't get
your USB port within 5 metres :-(

I was assuming computer at bottom of hole, probably laptop.

Ian Stirling wrote:
Dave wrote:

Ian Stirling wrote:

.... snipped
To go really cheap, USB cameras are available for about a fiver.
Add a bulb, and you have something that may work.


Is there a really small USB webcam available anywhere?


I bought a "notebook webcam" that's about 25mm*10mm*30mm, with the connector
on one short end.
http://www.ebuyer.com/ it was about 7 quid.
They no longer do the exact model.
Look at the pictures, with a USB plug in hand for context, to get scale.

There's a dynamode and a sweex that look pretty similar for about 10
quid and an eyeball "ebuyer" model for a fiver. Has anyone tried using
the guts out of an eyeball? is the lens attached to the CCD or the eyeball?
--
Dave S
(The return email address is a dummy)

[news] wrote:
dave wrote:

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 21:12:23 GMT, raden wrote:


In message . com,
writes

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.


£30 camera from maplins, a car bulb and a stick

That's what I used to investigate a wasps nest

Yes camera's probably best. A Borescope, for example...

http://www.professionalequipment.com...qx/default.htm


costs $2695! And endoscopes cost quite a bit more.


naaah, a sigmoidoscope it what's required

OK. I have to ask ;-)

What is the difference between
1 an endoscope
2 boroscope
and
3 a sigmoidoscope?

Dave

Who has used one of these extensively in the aerospace industry and
never knew which one I was using.

Dave wrote:
[news] wrote:
dave wrote:

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 21:12:23 GMT, raden wrote:


In message . com,
writes

Hi,

I need to see what is happening in the cavity above my kitchen ceiling.
I seem to have a damp patch and suspect a leak from the upstairs
plumbin. Not far away I have some recessed lighting and wondered if a
tool for viewing inaccesible places with a fibreoptic exists ? I could
take out the bulb and use such a device to see what is going on without
having to remove any ceiling stuff.

Kind of like the thing they make you swallow to examine your gut.


£30 camera from maplins, a car bulb and a stick

That's what I used to investigate a wasps nest

Yes camera's probably best. A Borescope, for example...

http://www.professionalequipment.com...qx/default.htm


costs $2695! And endoscopes cost quite a bit more.


naaah, a sigmoidoscope it what's required

OK. I have to ask ;-)

What is the difference between
1 an endoscope
2 boroscope
and
3 a sigmoidoscope?

Dave

Who has used one of these extensively in the aerospace industry and
never knew which one I was using.

clue: one of em goes up yer chuff :D



RT

On Wed, 02 Mar 2005 17:37:35 +0000, Dave wrote:

is the lens attached to the CCD or the eyeball?

Probably the CCD. Using a PC and USB (with cable length restrictions
etc) all seems a bit messy. Why not get a cheap "security" camera, one
of the bullet type, all the bits just plug it into a telly.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

In message , "[news]" writes
3 a sigmoidoscope?

clue: one of em goes up yer chuff :D

and displays all on a big screen in glorious technicolour!

--
dave @ stejonda

In message , "dave @ stejonda"
writes
In message , "[news]" writes
3 a sigmoidoscope?

clue: one of em goes up yer chuff :D

and displays all on a big screen in glorious technicolour!

Or ...Sepia

Too much information


--
geoff

raden wrote:
In message , "dave @ stejonda"
writes
In message , "[news]" writes
3 a sigmoidoscope?

clue: one of em goes up yer chuff :D

and displays all on a big screen in glorious technicolour!

Or ...Sepia

pantone

/gets coat


RT

am I missing something ? why cant you just lift a floor board upstairs and have a look ?