Look inside your guitar for free

[fazool]

A while back I shared an eBay find I made for a fantastic little $15 USB borecam LED-lighted inspection microscope.

Bore Cam review with photos can be read HERE

A less featured, but free, solution is an Android app called SmartCam: This is a PC app that lets you view your Android smartphone's camera over your Wifi network.

SmartCam App in the Google Play Store

The image quality depends on your phone's camera, and is reduced by the limitations of WiFi streaming but it is totally usable.

To use this, you need to install the app on your smartphone. You need to install the PC client. Then, you configure them to connect over WiFi (which is very easy).

To use this, you run both and then the PC app's window will be displaying the camera from your Smartphone. You can record and make screen captures on the PC.

You should turn on your camera's light (using another free app called Flashlight) or place a bright flahlight inside.
It is awkward to hold your phone just right inside your guitar but it can be done, and looking at the soundboard's underside and braces is easy.

I won't include pictures here but make a recommendation:

If you want a free way to inspect your braces or take a look inside your acoustic guitar, SmartCam is a quick and dirty tool.

[joeguam]

Awesome post fazool, here's a link for a similar iOS app, no computer install needed, just type the IP address in your computer's browser:
Mini WebCam

Some notes:
- This app is free.
- Doesn't work with Google Chrome, have to use Firefox or Safari
- Cannot use the front-facing camera (but you'd more than likely want to enable the flash so using the backside camera is probably your better option)
- Can enable your flash from within the app
- The display size in the browser is fairly small
- This app is free.

I'm sure you can pay for a better app, but this works just fine for my repairs.

[charles Tauber]

For the past 30 years I've used a mirror.

More recently, I've used a camera on a flexible shaft. To be honest, the mirror works better, though it is more difficult to record and show customers.

[bnjp]

I bought the camera you linked to. It was an inexpensive experiment but I've found myself wishing for a wider angle or a "zoom out" feature. I can easily see up close to a brace, but can't maneuver it well enough to help me in placing clamps, for instance.

I wonder if there's a way to modify it? I've been using the photo booth app on the mac...so there may be something better.

[joeguam]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

For the past 30 years I've used a mirror.

More recently, I've used a camera on a flexible shaft. To be honest, the mirror works better, though it is more difficult to record and show customers.

Have to agree with you Charles, the mirror is much faster and easier for quick viewing. I picked up a cheap LED telescoping inspection mirror on eBay that works great for this need.

I guess the cameras are just real nice to have when you need a third hand or when you need to see inside the guitar while your hand is in the sound hole.

Fazool, thanks for the bore cam link, I just picked one up! I do a lot of work on my ukuleles and my iPhone doesn't fit in the sound hole. This will work perfect.

[fazool]

I prefer the borescope, but here is a pic of a smartcam capture just for more options.




My android has a nice 8MP camera so it take snice pics but I dont like trying to position and hold it.

[fazool]

Software and operating systems have progressed and changed.

I no longer recommend SmartCam.

It's wonky and fails to connect repeatedly. Its also limited to 640x480 resolution.


I was setting up my new phone and ran into problems with Smartcam. I did a search and found a new and much better solution.

Same basic concept: install a free app on your Android device, install a free utility on your PC and now your phone's camera will be on your screen.

This newest utility has remote image control, including zoom and focus.

Read THIS article for links to the two pieces of software and basic instructions (this is what I followed to get mine going in under two minutes).

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-us...d-as-a-webcam/

The image quality is fantastic with my 8MP phone camera. Super high resolution.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

For the past 30 years I've used a mirror.

More recently, I've used a camera on a flexible shaft. To be honest, the mirror works better, though it is more difficult to record and show customers.

Also better resolution. I did pick up the borecam but that was more for other uses.