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Not Happy With VA-400...Anything Better???

Vans101

Well Known Member
It has been a while since I saw a thread on this topic here.

I have the VA-400 purchased two years ago. Not too impressed as the 640x280 "high" resolution and the focal length is really poor.

I do like the articulating head and that there is no mirror that can fall off in the cylinder.

Is there a better unit out there?

THANKS
 

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Borescope

I have both the va-400 and the Aliexpress (Teslong) one, but I bought mine on Amazon. The picture quality on the Teslong borescope for $200 is excellent. I keep both however because the Teslong has only the somewhat floppy wire instead of the rigid extension like the VA-400. For working inside the cylinder the semi rigid on the Teslong is fine and easier to work with, but for examining inside structure like looking for the cracks in the aileron hinge supports in the Vans service bulletin, the semi rigid wire on the Teslong cannot be manipulated back into the structure without a lot of patience.
 
VA-400

Is the newer VA-400 with the improved resolution worth upgrading to?

I had the original VA-400 and it broke and it was replaced with the new VA-400 with better resolution, and yes, it is improved over the original, but still not as good an image as the Teslong from Amazon.
 
Good info and THANKS for sharing.

The advertisement for the following:

VA-400
Focal Distance: 4cm – 40cm, fixed focus. Optical lens view angle: 60°. Illumination: 6 white LED lights built-in.
Resolution: 12800x720 pixels
The resolution has been upgraded to 1280x720 in 2021.

Ali
Focal Distance: 3cm – 40cm (every cm counts)
Resolution: 1280*720 pixels
Kindly Noted : This can not used on water , this lens just Slightly waterproof

I I do like the articulating function because that is great for valves. I dont want one with a screen because I prefer to use my computer screen

This guy Dave does some excellent videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk5o4__0y-4&t=1427s

My VA-400 (circa 2018) does not do anywhere near as good of pictures as his does.
 
I bought this endoscope on Bamazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09P19FK7N/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

This device is HORRIBLE and the instructions are horrible. Very blurry images...total junk

I downloaded the Windows 10 app and it is good however you have to press the space bar to snap a photo so that makes it a hard way to focus in on something and then as you are reaching for the space bar the camera moves.

Also...I tried the Android app that was loaded up when I snapped a picture of the QR code and it seems to work OK so I press the shutter button and it clicks and says "photo successful" on the screen however I cannot find where on the photos are stored. I press the folder icon and it opens up as if that is the storage folder and no photos or videos are stored.

What should I try next?!?!?

THANKS
 
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I agree..

Bought the VA-400 with the USB connection a few months ago. It is supposed to be high resolution but I can only get it to work in the original low resolution. Apparently it does not play well with some Samsung devices - like my S10 and my Samsung tablet.

The apps that Ablescope (OTG View & CAmera Fi) provides don't work at all on either of my devices.

After trying a number of other apps, I found one that kind of worked. Low resolution and frequently won't connect to the VA-400 requiring multiple starts and stops and unplugging and re-plugging in.

Also Ablescope advertises an adjustable dimming light but in fact has only two positions - very dim or full bright. Made it useless for looking in the gas tank where the dim was too dark and the bright setting created too much glare to see much of anything.

About 5 years ago I bought a cheap Centech Inspection Camera from Harbor Freight with a 2"x2" screen. There is no question that the HF camera gives a clearer picture than the $300 VA-400 from my experience. Of course, it's no good for cylinder inspections (no articulating head) but for other things its better. And works every time, just turn it on.

Will be selling the VA-400 shortly. It was ok for the cylinder inspections, but for everything else my HF unit is superior. I'm going to try the Teslong for future cylinder inspections (and less aggravation!)
 
I’m using a borrowed ATS-VS22 Voyager with some success, not perfect. Aircraft-tool.com
 
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I bought the Teslong with the dual lens option, one on the end of the device and one on the side of the device. Switching between them requires the push of a button on the base of the flexible probe.

While some folks enjoy having the pictures on their phone I will be a dissenting opinion in saying that I really like having the scope as one complete stand-alone device. I like this because it means I have only one device to hold and manipulate.

I have no idea how long the battery of the Teslong device lasts. I use it sparingly and have never had it drop below full bars, even on a long engine inspection where I took dozens of pictures of the engine internals.

I opted to get the 3' flexible probe. So far no regrets. If I want it to be a stiff probe I will tape the flexi probe to a piece of rigid aluminum tube. That hasn't yet been necessary even when performing corrosion inspections at the full length of the probe. That side-looking second lens really is of huge benefit when working at full probe length.
 
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