Matt wrote:

 Subject:       AeroElectric-List: The HF Inspection camera again
 From:       "Harley" <harley@agelesswings.com
 Date:       Fri, October 2, 2009 6:30 am
 To:       aeroelectric-list@matronics.com

 Once more, that little HF inspection camera has proved it's worth...

 When I tried to turn the heat on in my car a few days ago, the heater
 temperature couldn't be controlled. In fact, all I got was cold outside
 air.

 Googling online I found a couple of checks to determine the
 reason...turns out it was a loose soldered connection on the temperature
 control card...found it by using a programmed troubleshooting check I
 found the instructions for online.  Not mentioned in any Mazda
 literature...including the shop manual! Hold in the radio "On" button,
 and push the radio "Scan Up" button at the same time!  It then displays
 the temperature control setting in the radio display!  Rotating the
 control showed no change from 0.  But I digress...

 Had to remove the radio to get to that card, and in the process, lost
 the radio's side mounting bolt down behind the dashboard, and behind the
 center console and inside the edge of it's carpet. Where I could not get
 my head to see it, let alone my hand to retrieve it...

 After this weeks discussion, I immediately thought of the HF inspection
 camera.  It located the bolt within seconds, and then mounting the
 magnet probe on the camera retrieved it as well!

 Re-soldered the loose connections on the card (all three of them on the
 temperature control potentiometer) and now the RX8 is toasty warm again!
 Oh, and the programmed check displays 0 to 16 as I rotate the control!

 Harley

 Tell us more about the HF camera Harley.

 Paul Lamar

I thought we had discussed this before in this forum...HF is Harbor
Freight...There has been a discussion on it on the Aeroelectric list
this week. I abbreviated it to "HF" because it was a pretty well read
topic and everyone probably new what I was referring to.

It's this one:
www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66550

Looks like it's on sale again for $99....it was $139 yesterday!

The camera that comes with it is too big for a spark plug hole, but I've
found it great for looking in to the Long EZ's strakes, hell hole,
forward of the battery bulkhead in the nose where I dropped a washer a
couple of days ago, etc. And of course, behind the radio mounting tray
in the RX8 yesterday.

There is a camera that is only 9mm in diameter offered by Rigid, I
believe, that LOOKS like it might fit, but once you get it into the
hole, there still won't be much room to maneuver it...as you said, a
mirror might help. I don't know if anyone has tried it with the HF
camera yet, though...

Harley

Looks Nifty. I just went over there and bought one.

Paul Lamar