AMT_April-May2021 - 41

SA Borescopes' USA 2000J Series
Videoscope allows technicians to inspect
aircraft parts without tearing them apart.
The videoscope comes in two-, three-,
five- and seven-meter lengths, though the
two- and three-meter lengths are the most
popular for the aviation industry.
Bill French, sales representative for USA Borescopes, said
it's important to use the correct borescope length, depending on what an aircraft maintenance employee is inspecting.
" It's kind of a funny thing, " French said. " What a lot of people
would think is 'well hey, just get the longest one because you
can do everything with the longest one.' Well, the problem
with that is if you buy a 20-foot borescope and you really only
need a six-footer, every time you use that, you're tripping over
14 feet of probe that you don't need. "
" In aviation, most of your gearbox inspection folks prefer
the two-meter and then depending on the engine size, some of
the commercial jet airliners require the three-meter, " French
continued. He also noted aircraft maintenance professionals
working in the PowerGen industry will utilize longer probes.
Customers can choose to buy an interchangeable probe borescope, which allows them to rotate between the two-, three-,
five- and seven-meter lengths, French said. This means operators can do inspections on different types of equipment without
worrying about the borescope being too short or too long.
" Maybe they have inspections that require a two-meter, but
they also have inspections that require a seven-meter. They can
buy both probes and just use that one control station, " French
said. " The system will also support a 3.9-millimeter probe. "
The USA 2000J Series has an optimized optic system and an
HD CMOS sensor, which French said can now compete with
more expensive CCD image sensors. " In the past, there was
a huge difference between the CCD image sensors and the
lower-cost CMOS image sensors, " French noted. " But through
advanced technologies and design of the camera chips, the
CMOS image sensors have closed the gap between the two. "
CCD image sensors still have better image quality than the
CMOS options but French said CMOS image sensors are much
cheaper. " I don't want to mention any competitors that offer the
CCD in a negative way because they make a fantastic scope.
They're just expensive and some of those systems are in excess
of $50,000, " French said. " And yeah, it's a fantastic image, but
many of our customer base - our target audience - can't swing
a $50,000 system. "
" The feedback we get the most is positive comments on the
image quality compared with more expensive items, " French
continued. " The articulation is very responsive. For guys using
this on a daily basis, that's what's most important. "

The USA 2000J Series' joystick articulation allows the operator to steer or control the tip of the probe to look around the
inspection area. Other borescopes on the market have two
toggles to go up/down and left/right. French said the joystick
articulation allows for full 360 degrees of articulation. " Some
things are designed specifically for right-handed people.
Whether it's a left-handed or right-handed person, you control
or steer/manipulate with a thumb joystick that allows you to
move the probe 360 degrees, " French said.
The USA 2000J Series also comes standard with a side-view
tip so the operator can look specifically at the sides of an inspection area. " If they were going into a tube and they wanted to
look at a side wall, they would put the interchangeable sideview tip on and as they're going down the tube, they're now
looking at the side wall. They can inspect for welds or look into
adjacent pipes or bores that are coming in there. It comes in
really handy when there's not enough room to articulate the
probe, " French said.
The borescope is manufactured with tungsten sheathing,
which French said is more durable than other stainless steel
options. " Most all your borescopes are available as a tungsten
or stainless steel sheathing, " French explained. " The tungsten
offers a higher tensile strength and it's a stronger metal than
the stainless steel. So it is more durable and will last longer
than stainless steel. "
French said what sets the USA 2000J series apart from other
borescopes on the market are the features that come standard
with the system. " What makes this one different in our opinion
is we sell these as a complete kit. So it comes standard with the
side view tip, a heavy duty case, other accessories such as a neck
strap, rigidized sleeve set, kind of like a straight guide tube,
and it does offer a very nice large seven-inch touchscreen. Some
of the systems [on the market] are offering a smaller three- or
five-inch screen, but this has a seven-inch touchscreen. "
According to French, aircraft maintenance professionals
must be careful with the borescope to avoid costly repairs.
They must be careful not to overexpose the borescope to heat,
which is why the USA 2000J Series comes with a temperature
warning. " The most expensive part on any borescope is that
first couple inches at the tip. That's where the micro-camera
processor is installed and one of the things that can damage
that camera is overexposure to high temperature. This system,
at 100 degrees Celsius and 212 degrees Fahrenheit, will tell
the operator to remove the probe from the inspection area
because it's too hot. "
French said the borescope is not necessarily delicate, but
aircraft maintenance professionals must treat it with care to
avoid additional repair costs. " The biggest thing is this is a
system that needs to be treated with care. Of all the tools

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http://www.AviationPros.com

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