January/February 2023 - 23

so the mechanic needs to have the whereabouts to know, 'Hey,
this engine needs to be at ambient room temperature before I
stick this thing in here,' " French explained.
Heat can have such an impact as a borescope is a delicate piece
of equipment. French says he stresses this point often.
" The biggest thing, for us, that we try to tell folks is that the
borescope is a delicate instrument. The probe is flexible. There's
a lot going on in that little probe. There's the communication
ribbon to the camera chip at the tip of the probe. There's LED
lighting. There's cables that guide the articulation. There's a little
umbilical cord. It's kind of like the rib cage of the borescope itself.
So the number one thing is it is a relatively delicate tool. It is not a
deburr tool. So you see something that's in your sight of view, and
we don't use that borescope to plunge it out, " French continued.
Another rule of thumb is to treat it like your thumb.
" If you're okay sticking your thumb in it, we're okay putting a
probe in it. So, 'You wouldn't expose your hand to hydrochloride
acids, so don't put the probe tip in it. Would you be opposed
to putting some oil on your hands? No, that's okay. Well, same
with the probe.' So we treat it as the extension of the operator
itself, " he said.
A common mistake made is overestimating the durability.
" In appearance the borescope looks like a strong metallic cable
connected to a monitor but internally it is a complicated instrument.
It is utilizing a monitor processor computer with software
connected to a cable that internally has ultra-thin wire connections
to the chip, to the lighting, for the articulation, all connected
and working in sync together, " Ewert said.
Case installation and removal can also be an issue. Ewert said
to make sure to install the scope properly, so it is not partially
outside of the case when the case is closed. And an easy way to
keep a borescope safe is by minimizing who uses the scope so
that only those properly trained on it use it.
But if a unit is damaged, borescopes can be repaired at a cost.
" The borescope is a complicated instrument. It can require
significant parts and labor in cost to repair. What appears to
be minor damage may require almost a complete rebuild of the
instrument. Often multiple repair costs will exceed purchase
cost for the customer, " Ewert said.
French said the most common issue they see with borescopes
in need of repair is with articulation.
" The cables that actually perform the maneuvering or steering
at the tip of the probe, those cables run through the tip all the
way up into the body of the handle. So in most cases, unless it's
just a simple solder weld, when those cables are replaced, the
articulation cables, a light-guide cable, a communication ribbon
to the tip of the probe, it requires an entire breakdown of the
system, " French said.
And depending on what model you have and how long the
probe is, the price in the labor and time it takes to repair, varies.
" Of course, in some of the more advanced systems that have
electronically assisted articulation, the articulation may be
with the cable. It may
be with some of the
electrical components
or diodes or contacts with
the actual electrical part of
the articulation. So it really
varies as far as cost, time, and
labor, " French continued.
To avoid repairs, French
Keep a borescope safe
by treating it as an
extension of the body.
JME TECHNOLOGIES, INC
said the number one best
practice to follow is to go
slow with the borescope.
" It is an intricate piece of equipment that's performing a
high-level inspection. We're not rushing it. We don't treat it like
something that is disposable. So move slow with it. We want
slow movements, nothing jerky. When we remove the borescope
probe, we don't pull it out like we're trying to start a lawn mower.
We don't want to whip it out, and we don't want to force it into
channels that, when you feel there's restrictions, we don't want
to try to force it around. We want to try to understand what's
restricting it, adjust or remove the restriction, then move forward, "
he said.
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January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2023
