Hi All - my lucky week.

My hunting pal has presented me with a fibre optic endoscope (American Cystoscope Makers Inc)and a fibre optic light cable. They were "surplus to requirements".

I have to cobble up adaptors for the cable to 'scope and make up a light source and an adaptor for the other end.

First thoughts are to use an old film projector that has been carted around from when we disembarked from the ark. (I always knew that it would be of use someday.)

Is anyone out there familiar with the lighting requirements?

thanks edi.

I don't know about the lighting requirements, but I think your projector will work great.

I'd keep an eye on your hunting buddy though.........

Hi Mark - nice one - how did you know that he's a urologist!

I played with the projector lens today. Focussed it onto a piece of paper to see where the diameter of the output matched the diameter of the fibre optic cable. It looks as though I can make an adaptor that fits into the front recess of the lens so that the fibre cable is positioned almost at the focal point. By moving it in and out from this point it might also double as a light intensity control.

I hope to be able to stand over the lathe by next week. Let you know how it works.

cheers edi

If you have a lathe and your idea doesn't work out as well as you'd hoped, you might try machining an adaptor out of a piece of plexiglass (I think you call it perspex?). You can polish surfaces pretty well with a cotton swab and acetone. I'd mask off the areas I didn't want painted, then paint with a silver then black or other color.

Hi Mark,

Lathe, mill, drills, welding, grinding, slide rule - pretty much all that's needed.

I was thinking of making the adaptor in the shape of a tapered hollow tube, machined from aluminium and have it anodised matt black. The taper would match the angle of the focused light beam so that the light doesn't even touch the adaptor. This way the internal finish in the adaptor isn't too critical.

Were you thinking of using the perspex adaptor as a light conductor?

I'll post the results in about a weeks time.

My mind is now dreaming up a barrel holder (two V-blocks) that can slide up the base of an endoscope holder. This will reduce the chance of an accident leading to a bent endoscope shaft as well as making for a steadier sight picture.

That of course makes me wonder how to photograph what I'll be seeing.

Projects! - how they grow ... cheers edi