Digital cameras
Digital cameras have become very inexpensive, easy to use, and of high quality and resolution. The strategic use of a digital camera in the lab or the plant is a great way to document screw configurations, barrel configurations, state of wear, etc.
They are even more valuable in preparing high quality standard operating procedures and other process documentation. Using a digital camera to photograph control boards, display systems, valve configurations, etc., allows easy importing into documents. The pictures are very easy to upload to a PC or laptop, can be stored, printed, put into reports by importing into most popular word processing packages, etc.
Digital cameras and troubleshooting:
Use a digital camera for easy capture of parts or process defects. You can assemble a very good troubleshooting guide through the use of digital images brought into a text processor. Having a picture there is better than a thousand words when describing problems with parts, film, strands, vents, etc.
Why use a digital camera rather than regular film? Because of ease of use, electronic storage, and low operational cost. We also like the idea of being able to inexpensively take many photos and then select the best. You don’t have to get it processed, printed, then scanned, in order to bring it into a text processor. While nothing beats good photographic film for resolution, once you scan a standard photograph, the quality of the image is no better than an average digital camera, and the cost and time to print is a whole lot longer.
Like most other digital equipment, the cost of these cameras is dropping rapidly.
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