z HIGH-PERFORMANCE WIRELESS RECORDING VIDEO BORESCOPE SYSTEM with VGA RESOLUTION ARTICULATING PROBE USER’S MANUAL DCS18HPART Please read this manual carefully and thoroughly before using this product.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 – 4 Key Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What’s in the Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing General Tools & Instruments’ (General’s) DCS18HPART HighPerformance Wireless Recording Video Borescope System with VGA Resolution Articulating Probe. Please read this user’s manual carefully and thoroughly before using the instrument. The DCS18HPART has two components: the DCS1800 Handheld Wireless Recording Video Borescope Console and the P18HPART VGA Resolution Wireless Articulating Probe. The P18HPART is 1m (39 in.) long and has a diameter of 6mm (0.23 in.).
computer directly or through a card reader. Because videos are saved as .avi files and photos as .jpg files, applications found on most PCs (Microsoft Windows Media Player and Microsoft Office Picture Manager) can open the files. The 4GB SD memory card included in the DCS18HPART case can store at least 4 hours of video, recorded at 15 Mbytes/minute, in addition to hundreds of photos. • In Menu mode, you use familiar scrolling motions and responses to dialog boxes to navigate a main menu with six submenus.
WHAT’S IN THE CASE The DCS18HPART system comes in a custom hard plastic protective carrying case. Inside the case are: • The DCS1800 console. The console integrates an LCD monitor, circuitry for wirelessly connecting to a high-performance camera-tipped probe from General, and front-panel controls for enlarging and/or mirroring live video as well as recording and playing back video clips and photos captured by an attached probe.
Table 1. The DCS1800 console’s multi-function buttons Button Label In Preview Mode In Playback Mode In Menu Mode Moves up one line. When setting date/time, moves ahead one field. ▲ Switches to Playback mode Selects next-oldest video or photo. Also increases playback speed to 1.5X, 2X or 4X. ▼ Switches to Playback mode Selects next-newest video or photo. Moves down one line. Also decreases playback speed from When setting date/time, 4X, 2X or 1.5X. moves back one field.
SETUP INSTRUCTIONS CHARGE CONSOLE AND PROBE BATTERIES To prepare to power the system on for the first time, securely attach the P18HPART probe controller to the back of the DCS1800 console using the two motions shown at right. Plug one end of the supplied AC adapter/battery charger into a 110VAC receptacle. Then swing the black rubber protective flap away from the right side of the DCS1800 console to expose the AC adapter jack (Fig. 1, Callout 10).
change the battery yourself. Doing so creates a potentially fatal electrical hazard (and voids the warranty as well) with the AC adapter plugged in. With proper care (charging the batteries often, and never allowing them to completely discharge), you can expect each battery to last four or five years. Fully charged batteries should power at least four hours of operation.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS VIEWING LIVE VIDEO ON THE CONSOLE Continue charging the console and probe batteries until both are fully charged. To determine whether the console's battery is fully charged, either power the console off and then on again, or press the ▲ or ▼ button, followed by the Esc button. A battery charge status icon will briefly appear at the lower left of the LCD, as explained and shown below on this page.
MANIPULATING THE ARTICULATING PROBE Next, get used to manipulating the articulating probe. Typically, borescope users insert their probe into an orifice (a hole in a wall or an engine’s cylinder, for example) or into an inaccessible or hazardous area (the back or an equipment rack or an engine compartment, for example) to view components or environments that would otherwise be invisible. Compared to an obedient probe, your soft metal articulating probe is more flexible, but it does not retain its shape.
USING THE THREE CONTROL BUTTONS To boost the intensity of the three LEDs normally providing camera lighting, press the button. Doing so lights a red LED behind the button and improves the brightness of video and images, as shown below. BEFORE BOOST AFTER BOOST This feature can help you cope with very low-light conditions. When recording with the boost feature activated, you must hold the probe very steady or your videos and images will be blurred. To rotate the probe’s field of view, use the button.
ATTACHING THE MIRRORED VIEWING TIP (OPTIONAL) The only accessory included with the P18HPART is a 70° mirrored viewing tip. To attach it to the probe: 1. Pull off the red rubber lens cap (Fig. 1, Callout 6). 2. Unscrew and remove the black metal thread protector ring (Callout 5), as shown at right. 3. Turn the stainless steel accessory alignment ring (Callout 4) clockwise to move it away from the probe tip. Keep turning until the ring can travel no further. 4.
To activate the connection in software and begin exporting console’s video to a TV, refer to the instructions for the AV OUTPUT and TV SYSTEM lines in the “Navigating the Main Menu” section of this manual, beginning on p. 14. TAKING PICTURES AND RECORDING VIDEOS To take a picture, make sure the console is in Preview mode (with live video appearing on the LCD) and press the button (Fig. 1, Callout 2). Doing so creates a .jpg file of the frame being displayed at that moment and stores it on the SD card.
a video clip, press the OK/Menu button. To pause playback, press the OK/Menu button again. To resume playback, press the button again. To increase the video playback speed to 1.5X, 2X or 4X normal, press the ▲ button once, twice or three times. To decrease playback speed toward normal (1X), press the ▼ button once, twice or three times. While each photo and video is on-screen, pressing the button gives you the option to delete its file.
the menu is your own response speed. If no selection is made within 2-1/2 minutes following entry into Menu mode, the console will automatically revert to Preview mode. The same time constraint applies to selections within submenus. If you do not respond to a prompt (indicated by a flashing word or line of text) within 2-1/2 minutes, the console will switch back to Preview mode—its default operating state. To access the main menu, press the OK/Menu button to enter Menu mode.
The AUTO POWER OFF line of the main menu is not visible on the screen that first appears after you press the OK/Menu button to put the console into Menu mode. To show the line, scroll down past the TV SYSTEM line. When the AUTO POWER OFF line appears, press the OK/Menu button to open the APO sub-menu.. By default, the AUTO POWER OFF function of the console is disabled.
Power Source Rechargeable 3.7V Li-ion battery Power Consumption 1.8A @ 5.5VDC Operating Temperature 32° to 140°F (0° to 60°C) Storage Temperature -4° to 140°F (-20° to 60°C) Recharge Temperature 32° to 104°F (0° to 40°C) Console Dimensions 5.8 x 4.1 x 2.8 in. (147 x 105 x 71mm) Console Weight 11.9 oz. (335g) P18HPART PROBE Length 1m (3.28 ft.) Diameter 6mm (0.23 in.) Depth of Field 0.25 to 12 in. (6.
OPERATING, MAINTENANCE & TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS • Never remove the SD card while taking a picture or recording a video. Doing so may damage the card and erase or corrupt the photo or video. • If the LCD remains or goes dark, make sure that the console and probe batteries are adequately charged, and that both components are operating on the same channel. • If live video begins to look spotty, streaky or intermittent, the likely reason is an undercharged battery.
COMPATIBLE PROBES The tables below describe and compare all probes compatible with the DCS1800 console. COMPATIBLE PROBES Model No. (SKU) P18HPART P18ART-1SM P18ART-2SM Probe Description VGA Resolution Wireless Articulating Probe (included with DCS18HPART system Wireless Transmitting QVGA Resolution Wireless Wireless Transmitting Articulating Probe P18ART-3SM Camera Head Diameter Probe Length Depth of Field 6mm (0.23 in.) 1m (3.28 ft.) 0.25 to 12 in. 1m (3.28 ft.) (6.4 0.25to to300mm) 12 in. (6.
WARRANTY INFORMATION General Tools & Instruments’ (General’s) DCS18HPART High-Performance Wireless Recording Video Borescope System with VGA Resolution Articulating Probe is warranted to the original purchaser to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year. Subject to certain restrictions, General will repair or replace this instrument if, after examination, the company determines it to be defective in material or workmanship.
