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Home » Technical » Special Tools

Special Tools

which may be available for club use

Endoscopes
Allen Rundle has an electric borescope which works just fine.Russell has three different endoscopes (none of which are satisfactory) – a conventional medical unit which requires a light source, a pen-cam type which runs via USB from laptop, and a Snake Scope which also runs from USB. This one gives the following error when installed on some machines:
Webcam Error 8007045a: cannot create video capture filter.
Runs ok on a Windows 7 laptop (2011/08).

The Pentax fibre-optic endoscope is exceedingly difficult to use in most situations. It presently uses a powerful torch for illumination but should really have a halogen light source. These sometimes come up for sale on Ebay and other sites.

The SnakeScope has low resolution and when searching for cracks etc in a dark hole is not a success.

The pen-cam produces images very similar in quality to the snakescope, so none of these are really suitable for checking for hairline cracks or other such fine work.

Allen Rundle and Russell also tried a car reversing camera with a mirror to reverse the image. Not a success.

Amazon have a Flexbar Borescope for $2800. The Flexview Vt Borescope is $500, looks like a good bet.

Digital inspection camera. Tim Howes has one

Magneto Timing Light
Russell has one. Battery fitting is dodgy (1109). Uses 9v battery.

Mechanical Tachometer
This is useful for ascertaining whether the tacho on the instrument panel is reporting the correct engine speed. Russell has both electrical and mechanical versions.

Micrometers, large & small. Russell has a collection of measuring equipment.

Dremel. Russell has one.

Porting tool, air powered. Russell has one.

Gas Analyser.
We don’t have a gas analyser, but Erich for one is very keen to obtain one. It would have saved an enormous amount of bother had we used one on the Sauer in ZDD.

Erich says: “It is imperative to check the mixtures via gas analysis. Everything else is just guess work. Just relying on muffler pipe and spark plug colour worked with the older, low compression engines. New engines are running different compression ratios and the fuel that we are using is “political correct” (nowhere near the amount of lead it used to have). Colour alone used to work — not anymore.”Sept 2010. Ray Hunt says: To all those interested I have a 4 gas exhaust analyser that is need of servicing. When I have that done it will be available for club use, these machines cost in excess of $5000 for a good one and require ongoing regular maintenance, so don’t rush out and buy one just yet.

Label Maker.
Ashley’s Dymo Label Maker 220P turned up again Sept 2011. Russell has an identical one.

Differential Compression Leakdown Tester
There is usually one in the cupboard on the Northern wall of the first hangar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leak-down_tester

Fluke 337 true rms clamp meter/multimeter, with min max hold, start up current readings and actualy has an acurate ohm meter. Tim Howes has one

An anolog IR tester/continuity tester. Tim Howes has one

6-125mm2 hexagonal crimp tool for lugs. Tim Howes has one

Cable snake. Tim Howes has one

Tim Howes writes:
For work around the hanger, I’ve got any building tools you could need, including rather large ladders which could come in handy, also my gear comes with work truck so its very mobile and easy to get to the club.

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