Fine pitch trace repair

[bitrex]

Due to an unfortuante jab with the head of a screwdriver it looks like I
have at least one, possibly two broken traces on this GPU card, on the
traces running between the processor and VRAM. Result is corrupted
display output/won't switch into high-resolution modes. The ram is BGA
and the GPU likewise and under a small heat-sink so hard to test
continuity, plus the trace width is very small, looks like perhaps 4 mil:

<https://www.dropbox.com/s/ig9h3vjze5omlie/2018-12-3%2018-11-20.jpg?dl=0>

Palette inverted:

<https://www.dropbox.com/s/m05pikt3yexq2f6/2018-12-3%2018-11-30.jpg?dl=0>

Any suggestions for mending a break on a trace like this?

[Clifford Heath]

Fine wire. Pre-tin it, solder to one side of the break, pull straight
and solder the other side. Make sure the track has wettable surfaces
exposed first, or course.

Clifford Heath.

[bitrex]

Thanks, will try. Even with magnification, smallest tip I have and a Zen
meditation session beforehand I'm not sure I'm precise enough to pull
this off but I'll take a shot at it

[whit3rd]

On Monday, December 3, 2018 at 6:27:11 PM UTC-8, bitrex wrote:
> On 12/03/2018 09:05 PM, Clifford Heath wrote:
> > On 4/12/18 12:53 pm, bitrex wrote:
> >> Due to an unfortuante jab with the head of a screwdriver it looks like
> >> I have at least one, possibly two broken traces

> > Fine wire. Pre-tin it, solder to one side of the break, pull straight
> > and solder the other side. Make sure the track has wettable surfaces
> > exposed first, or course.

> Thanks, will try. Even with magnification, smallest tip I have and a Zen
> meditation session beforehand I'm not sure I'm precise enough to pull
> this off but I'll take a shot at it

The tip size isn't important, really: the pretinned wire will be so fine,
that it will wet the bared trace and stick, and adjacent (solder-mask-covered)
traces won't ever get hot enough to wet (with the solder) even if you
make a big blob. The hard part, will be if you move the wire just a bit,
it could lift half the trace before connecting to the other half. Use tape to
position and hold the patch wire, and trim it to just bridge the break after cooling.

And, you'll want an artist's small paintbrush to apply flux.

[Sjouke Burry]

+20

[N_Cook]

Assuming only light currents. Lightly abraid in that area , to enough
bare traces, cover with silver-loaded paint. When perfectly dry, score
parallel lines with a scalpel blade . Check for any bridging before
perhaps coating with lacquer

[Look165]

CircuitWorks provide conductive ink pens.

From my own experience, try first on something else.

bitrex a écrit :

[John-Del]

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at 5:44:01 AM UTC-5, Look165 wrote:
> CircuitWorks provide conductive ink pens.
>
> From my own experience, try first on something else.

No way to get that fine a trace without meticulous back taping, which will be a major problem with adjacent traces damaged (tape will lift CW paint).

> bitrex a écrit :
> > Due to an unfortuante jab with the head of a screwdriver it looks like I

> > have at least one, possibly two broken traces on this GPU card....


I keep a length of a scrapped RCA audio patch cord that is made of the thinnest gauge wire I've ever seen. When I repair boards like that, I pre-tin a strand, put a tiny bit of liquid flux over the damaged circuit area, and lay it right down over the break. I use fine pitch jeweler's screwdriver to "guillotine" the wire cleanly off the board. Once all the traces are done, I clean the flux and examine under a microscope.

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <6ilND.346771$nH2.3...@fx26.iad>, no....@please.net
says...

>
> > <https://www.dropbox.com/s/ig9h3vjze5omlie/2018-12-3%2018-11-20.jpg?dl=0>
> >
> > Palette inverted:
> >
> > <https://www.dropbox.com/s/m05pikt3yexq2f6/2018-12-3%2018-11-30.jpg?dl=0>
> >
> > Any suggestions for mending a break on a trace like this?
>
> Fine wire. Pre-tin it, solder to one side of the break, pull straight
> and solder the other side. Make sure the track has wettable surfaces
> exposed first, or course.
>
>
>

Yes, very fine wire. You may be able to pull a strand out of some
stranded wire that will be fine enough.

If the circuit board is solder masked (traces covered with insulating
material) scrape it off first. Apply some liquid flux to the just
cleaned trace. Good magnifying glass helps. I use a stereo microscope
when I work on boards, but doubt you want to spend around $ 200 for a
Amscope 10 and 20 X xcope.

[stra...@yahoo.com]

1 strand of the wire in a computer cable (RS-232, parallel printer) is small enough for a repair like that. Clean and tin the traces and tack the splint on top. A flux pen can be helpful. I've donee these reapirs on 8 mil traces afer acid samage from leaking 'lytics.

G²

[Look165]

Just putting side by side a Scotch for masking.

Remove the adhesive immediately before the conductive ink dries.

And then repeat with the next track. (Wait at least 1 day).


John-Del a écrit :

[John-Del]

On Friday, December 7, 2018 at 6:53:17 PM UTC-5, Look165 wrote:
> Just putting side by side a Scotch for masking.
>
> Remove the adhesive immediately before the conductive ink dries.
>
> And then repeat with the next track. (Wait at least 1 day).
>

Why make things so difficult??? Even dried, there's an even chance the tape will lift the conductive solution, and that stuff doesn't flow out very evenly so even if it's made to be electrically connected, it will look like crap at that fine a pitch.

That board can be repaired in 5 minutes or less using fine stranded wire, flux, and flux cleaner - and it will last a lifetime.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 3 Dec 2018 20:53:52 -0500, bitrex <us...@example.net> wrote:

>Due to an unfortuante jab with the head of a screwdriver it looks like I
>have at least one, possibly two broken traces on this GPU card, on the
>traces running between the processor and VRAM. Result is corrupted
>display output/won't switch into high-resolution modes. The ram is BGA
>and the GPU likewise and

Common problem with motherboards and steel computer cases with sharp
edges.

>under a small heat-sink so hard to test
>continuity, plus the trace width is very small, looks like perhaps 4 mil:

Ummm... 4mil (0.004in) is roughly #38 AWG solid wire.
<https://www.calmont.com/wp-content/uploads/calmont-eng-wire-gauge.pdf>
Looking further down the chart, you should be able to find stranded
wire using something in 2 or 3 mil range.

><https://www.dropbox.com/s/ig9h3vjze5omlie/2018-12-3%2018-11-20.jpg?dl=0>

Nicely gouged.

>Any suggestions for mending a break on a trace like this?

Yep. Dave Platt has the right idea. I'll add a few details.

Find some thin plated wire and tin it. Sometimes, I get fancy and
flatten the round wire but that's not really necessary. Carefully
scrape of the solder mask from over the PCB traces and tin those.
Liquid flux helps. Solder one end of the wire, lay the remaining wire
across the gap, solder the other end, and CAREFULLY cut off the excess
wire. Don't use a knife as you're likely to also cut the PCB trace.

Clean off the flux with alcohol, let dry, and test with an ohmmeter.
Then, test the PCB. If everything looks good, cover with a little
Krylon or other acrylic paint. If you're not sure about the fix, then
use some wax, which is easily removable.

As Ralph Mowery mentioned, a microscope is very helpful. I use this
in the office:
<http://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/pics/microscopes/Olympus%20SZ30/slides/SZ30-01.html>
and this at home:
<http://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/pics/microscopes/Bausch%20and%20Lomb/index.html>
I have 6 microscopes, not including parts scopes. Only 3 are suitable
for soldering and PCB inspection. I also have a CMOS camera that fits
in place of one eyepiece and which can be used for photos and display
on an LCD monitor.

Notice the use of a microscope, flux, and tinning. However, I
disagree with the use of an Xacto knife to cut the wire.
QUICK CIRCUIT TRACE REPAIR
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5A61fIu0kk>
--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[stra...@yahoo.com]

I forgot about the microscope aspect. I'm crosseyed and never learned to see in 3D so stereo scopes have no special value to me. They got me one of these at work.

https://www.amazon.com/Opti-Tekscope-Digital-Microscope-Definition-1600x1200/dp/B00PEZ3GMK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=shopperz_origin1-20&ascsubtag=656806266-2-1004874824.1544244057&SubscriptionId=AKIAJO7E5OLQ67NVPFZA

I liked it enough that I bought one for home. Looking into the UV window of a 256K EPROM I found the Fujitsu name on the silicon and found that good enough for me. Got mine on eBay several years ago for $45 out the door. Hard to beat that value.

G²

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 7 Dec 2018 20:55:10 -0800 (PST), stra...@yahoo.com wrote:

>On Friday, December 7, 2018 at 6:56:20 PM UTC-8, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> As Ralph Mowery mentioned, a microscope is very helpful. I use this
>> in the office:
>> <http://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/pics/microscopes/Olympus%20SZ30/slides/SZ30-01.html>
>> and this at home:
>> <http://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/pics/microscopes/Bausch%20and%20Lomb/index.html>
>> I have 6 microscopes, not including parts scopes. Only 3 are suitable
>> for soldering and PCB inspection. I also have a CMOS camera that fits
>> in place of one eyepiece and which can be used for photos and display
>> on an LCD monitor.
>>
>> Notice the use of a microscope, flux, and tinning. However, I
>> disagree with the use of an Xacto knife to cut the wire.
>> QUICK CIRCUIT TRACE REPAIR
>> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5A61fIu0kk>

>I forgot about the microscope aspect. I'm crosseyed and never learned to
>see in 3D so stereo scopes have no special value to me. They got me
>one of these at work.
>
>https://www.amazon.com/Opti-Tekscope-Digital-Microscope-Definition-1600x1200/dp/B00PEZ3GMK/

>I liked it enough that I bought one for home. Looking into the UV window
>of a 256K EPROM I found the Fujitsu name on the silicon and found that
>good enough for me. Got mine on eBay several years ago for $45 out the door.
>Hard to beat that value.

Nice for high power close up work, but not suitable for soldering and
touch up work. The problem is the objective working distance, which
is quite small for your microscope. It's difficult to squeeze a probe
or tool between the PCB and the objective lens. Using a smoke
belching soldering pencil with such an arrangement will coat the lens
with flux. Here's my version of your microscope:
<http://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/pics/white-plastic-rot/slides/microscope-setup.html>
No room for the PCB or soldering pencil, with a working distance of
perhaps 1-4 mm.

Meanwhile, my Olympus SZ-3060 biological microscope:
<http://www.learnbydestroying.com/jeffl/pics/microscopes/Olympus%20SZ30/slides/SZ30-01.html>
has a working distance of 110mm and can be stretched to 400 mm with a
0.25x auxiliary objective lens. See Pg 6 below:
http://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olympus-sz30-sz40-sz60-sz11-brochure.pdf
Plenty of room for the PCB, tools, soldering pencil.

Sorry about the cross eyed problem. Binocular vision (3D) makes
working under a microscope much easier. However, I don't know how
long that will last for me. I seem to have progressive astigmatism,
which is currently causing double vision in both eyes.

I forgot to mumble something about lighting. Under a microscope,
shadows are a problem. So, a ring light is required. Cheap enough on
eBay:
<https://www.ebay.com/itm/60-LED-Adjustable-Ring-Light-illuminator-Lamp-For-STEREO-ZOOM-Microscope-US-Ship/271435251906>

As for cost, none of my microscopes cost me more than $100. However,
all were in need to cleaning, lubrication, alignment, and were missing
parts. I've probably spent as much on missing eyepieces, objective
lenses, and camera adapters as I have on the microscopes. The real
killer was buying the proper Nye NyoGel microscope lube.
<https://www.ebay.com/itm/Microscope-Lubricant-Kit-Nye-Rheolube-362HB-NyoGel-767A-NyoGel-795A/292627939054>
Oddly, the basic repair tools were quite cheap on eBay.

[bitrex]

Thanks, I managed to pull it off by scraping away the mask, then lot of
flux, tinning, and tiny strand of wire method. Patched up the third
trace in from the bottom and video card boots into Windows now and
checks out OK, runs shader tests etc. as it should.

At age 40 I still test about 20/20 in my right eye, the left was that
way too at one time but worse now, but was able to nail the positioning
with tweezers and a fine tipped iron freehand, pirate-style this time.

I should probably invest in a good microscope, never needed corrective
glasses so far in life but check back at 45.

[stra...@yahoo.com]

The USB scope is used mainly for verifying the solder connections after 'completion'. I use one of these while working.

https://www.net32.com/ec/optivisor-magnifier-25x-glass-lenses-fully-adjustable-d-120811?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIktH9o_GP3wIVjwOGCh0DwAAKEAAYAiAAEgKnNPD_BwE

The scope has a ring of 8 LEDs around the lens, variable intensity and the focus/zoom can go to infinity. At around 1 cm, 12pt text will fill the screen and is more than sufficient for my use.

I use Nye 363 in place of Sony SGL. Great for plastic on plastic or metal. Nye 368AX1 is a heavy grease I use along with NyeOil II.

As far as the 3D thing goes, it was a birth problem so I don't know what I'm missing. I was told it's not something to fret over. There were guys flying 747s with my problem. The sad one was when I was working on on an HD telecine design. The customer modified the machine to accept 70mm film and had a 3D transfer that used left and right circular polarization for viewing. I kept telling him I cannot see 3D With binocular vision. Both images were outstanding individually. I CAN see 3D holograms.

G²

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <zoJOD.721878$SN2.2...@fx38.iad>, us...@example.net says...

>
> Thanks, I managed to pull it off by scraping away the mask, then lot of
> flux, tinning, and tiny strand of wire method. Patched up the third
> trace in from the bottom and video card boots into Windows now and
> checks out OK, runs shader tests etc. as it should.
>
> At age 40 I still test about 20/20 in my right eye, the left was that
> way too at one time but worse now, but was able to nail the positioning
> with tweezers and a fine tipped iron freehand, pirate-style this time.
>
> I should probably invest in a good microscope, never needed corrective
> glasses so far in life but check back at 45.
>
>

Glad you got it going.

I could see close up very well and not so great at a distance.
Somewhere around 40 my close up started going, so bifocals for me. Now
I see better at a distance,but not so good up close at 68.

I messed around with several inexpensive devices and never could get
much out of them for the PC and SMD work. The ones that used a computer
monitor did not work because I could not get the hand/eye to co-ordinate
looking out and working down. Seems like most magnifying glasses had to
be too close to the work to do any soldering.

Bought an Amscope 4000z or could be a 400z for around $ 200 shipped and
it works very well for me. There is about 6 ot 8 inches of distance
from the bottom lense to the work piece. I am sure there are lots
better ones out there ,but for a hobby and not business, it is fine for
me.

[bitrex]

I found that a cell phone with a "magnifying glass" app that uses the
rear? front? whatever camera it is that isn't on the display side, to
project a magnified image to display, and a set of these:

<https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MTWLF2Q?pf_rd_p=c2945051-950f-485c-b4df-15aac5223b10&pf_rd_r=G6E38TPW6N236D8RSCKH>

Makes a pretty decent expedient "microscope." Clamp the work piece in
the lower grips horizontally, and then most phones are lightweight and
thin enough nowadays that the upper grips will clamp it above, then peer
into the display. The camera LED makes a nice flashlight when left on
continually (though really drinks the battery.)

[bitrex]

sort of like this (though the grippers are reversed here from what's
ideal, this was an early experiment ;)

<https://www.dropbox.com/s/i4b2on7yy1n9u14/Photo%20Dec%2008%2C%202%2019%2007%20PM.jpg?dl=0>

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2018 13:13:26 -0500, Ralph Mowery
<rmower...@earthlink.net> wrote:

>The ones that used a computer
>monitor did not work because I could not get the hand/eye to co-ordinate
>looking out and working down. Seems like most magnifying glasses had to
>be too close to the work to do any soldering.

Question: When typing on a computer keyboard, do you watch your hands
or watch the characters on the screen?

The reason I ask is that I've noticed that those who watch their hands
tend to have problems looking through a microscope or magnifier while
working. I do fairly well, but had some initial problems trying to
become accustomed to a HUD (heads up display). It still takes me
about 10 minutes to adjust to the HUD, and about 30 mins to recover
(i.e. not stumble or smash into things) after returning to normal
vision. I have similar problems working under a microscope, but the
adjustment and recovery times are much less.

Incidentally, if you have an Amscope microscope camera, their free
Windoze v3.7 software works quite nicely:
<https://www.amscope.com/software-download>
However, it won't recognize anything else besides Amscope hardware.

>Bought an Amscope 4000z or could be a 400z for around $ 200 shipped and
>it works very well for me. There is about 6 ot 8 inches of distance
>from the bottom lense to the work piece. I am sure there are lots
>better ones out there ,but for a hobby and not business, it is fine for
>me.

This one? The SE400-Z seems to be quite popular in the repair biz:
<https://www.amscope.com/10x-20x-led-binocular-stereo-microscope-boom-arm-with-gooseneck-light.html>
9 inch (229 mm) working distance. Nice.

Various videos featuring the Amscope SE400-Z
<https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Amscope+SE400-z>

Also, I have a few of these borescope or endoscope cameras in 8mm:
<https://www.ebay.com/itm/8mm-WIFI-Endoscope-Borescope-Inspection-camera-Scope-Tube-Waterproof-for-Iphone/192130852197>
I use them mostly for looking down holes, tubing, and hard to see
places. The 8mm flavor has 640x480 native resolution, which is much
better than the lower resolution found in the smaller diameters. There
are also version with a "stiff" cable, which I've found quite useful.
However, the apps all suck, the construction marginal, the Hi-Fi and
BT versions are buggy, but for the price, all this can be tolerated.
I thought it might be useful for soldering, with the camera strapped
to my hand, but the focal length and depth of field (focusing range)
were both unsuitable.

[The Real Bev]

They wanted $10 for one of those at a yard sale, but I didn't want it
that much :-(

>> Makes a pretty decent expedient "microscope." Clamp the work piece in
>> the lower grips horizontally, and then most phones are lightweight and
>> thin enough nowadays that the upper grips will clamp it above, then peer
>> into the display. The camera LED makes a nice flashlight when left on
>> continually (though really drinks the battery.)

If you can hold a jeweler's loupe over the camera with two fingers while
you operate the phone/camera with whatever other fingers are available,
you can get a pretty good shot.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v5PwuC9ti6yMrqGf8

Left is a 14x ophthalmologist's magnifying lens. Right is a 8x
jeweler's loupe. Motorola Mogo G5plus.

The ophthoglasses are really expensive. This one was $125 used
somewhere on line. A used 20D is $250. I got it for a buck at a yard sale.

It really gripes me that the camera is too far from the edge to permit
use of those cute little clip-on lenses you can get on ebay. I had some
for a previous camera, and you really need to use a tripod with the
macro lens and the field of view is really tiny.

> sort of like this (though the grippers are reversed here from what's
> ideal, this was an early experiment ;)
>
> <https://www.dropbox.com/s/i4b2on7yy1n9u14/Photo%20Dec%2008%2C%202%2019%2007%20PM.jpg?dl=0>

--
Cheers, Bev
"Tell someone you love them today, because life is short.
But scream it at them in Klingon, because life is also
terrifying and confusing." -- D. Moore

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <b25p0etqdeqtcs9o6...@4ax.com>,
je...@cruzio.com says...

For the most part I look at the screen and not my hands or the keyboard.
I am not that much of a touch typist. I can do the letters and a few
common punctuations,but have to look for some of the other symbles. I
never look at the mouse once I find it and get it in my hand.

Yes, it is the Amscope SE400Z. I think the last letter tells what
lenses come with it. Mine came with a 10x and 20x lense. I almost
always use the 10x lense. I bought a 5x but found the one i got did
not seem to have a large a field of view as the 10x.

I don't have any problem at all looking through the scope and working.
AT 68 I do not seem to have any major problems with the shakes.

I think that scope is about the best in the price range for me as I am
just doing SMD and such as a hobby. Just as I bout a $ 60 or so hot air
rework station from China that has the hot air wand and soldering
pencil. If I was using the equipment to make money,I would get something
better.

There is a fellow on youtube (Louis Rossman) that works on Apple
computers and at one time he was pushing that scope for the price. I
think he uses the same brand now,but with a different modle. For one
thing he usse the camera a lot for his speeches on youtube, I don't
have any use for the camera. His newer scopes have a way of mounting
the camera where he can still see through both lenses and a 3 rd lense
for the camera.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 9 Dec 2018 10:14:11 -0500, Ralph Mowery
<rmower...@earthlink.net> wrote:

>For the most part I look at the screen and not my hands or the keyboard.
>I am not that much of a touch typist. I can do the letters and a few
>common punctuations,but have to look for some of the other symbles. I
>never look at the mouse once I find it and get it in my hand.

Thanks for the info. It's about the same for me. The common
characters I can type without looking. The shifted characters require
my looking at the keyboard.

>Yes, it is the Amscope SE400Z. I think the last letter tells what
>lenses come with it. Mine came with a 10x and 20x lense. I almost
>always use the 10x lense. I bought a 5x but found the one i got did
>not seem to have a large a field of view as the 10x.

I rather prefer adjustable power in the head (0.7x to 3x) as in the
Bausch and Lomb scopes. I have a variety of eyepieces but WF10X is
what works best for PCB work.

>I don't have any problem at all looking through the scope and working.
>AT 68 I do not seem to have any major problems with the shakes.

I'm at 70. No shakes. However, I do have some problems adjusting to
working under the microscope or HUD. I probably need more practice.

>I think that scope is about the best in the price range for me as I am
>just doing SMD and such as a hobby. Just as I bout a $ 60 or so hot air
>rework station from China that has the hot air wand and soldering
>pencil. If I was using the equipment to make money,I would get something
>better.

I have the bad habit of buying used test equipment and tools. None of
my microscopes were purchased new. A few of my objective lenses and
eyepieces were purchased new, but most came with the used scopes. If
I were still doing this professionally, I would not have time to do
the necessary repairs on the used equipment and probably would have
bought something that was ready to use.

>
>There is a fellow on youtube (Louis Rossman) that works on Apple
>computers and at one time he was pushing that scope for the price.

"Amscope SE400-z microscope, a must have tool for repair technicians."
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4LaZsS5V7s> (7:45)

>I
>think he uses the same brand now,but with a different modle. For one
>thing he usse the camera a lot for his speeches on youtube, I don't
>have any use for the camera. His newer scopes have a way of mounting
>the camera where he can still see through both lenses and a 3 rd lense
>for the camera.

In the above video, he uses his Android phone through one eyepiece. He
has some other scopes, one of which is a trinocular microscope, which
has a third tube for the camera (but less working range).

For photos, I have one of these:
<https://www.amscope.com/cameras/0-3-mega-pixel-usb-live-video-microscope-imager-digital-camera.html>
I should have bought one with a 0.5x lens, but decided to go cheap.
Big mistake because the image width is about half the width as viewed
through the eyepiece.

[three_jeeps]

On Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 11:43:27 PM UTC-5, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sat, 8 Dec 2018 13:13:26 -0500, Ralph Mowery

> Also, I have a few of these borescope or endoscope cameras in 8mm:
> <https://www.ebay.com/itm/8mm-WIFI-Endoscope-Borescope-Inspection-camera-Scope-Tube-Waterproof-for-Iphone/192130852197>
> I use them mostly for looking down holes, tubing, and hard to see
> places. The 8mm flavor has 640x480 native resolution, which is much
> better than the lower resolution found in the smaller diameters. There
> are also version with a "stiff" cable, which I've found quite useful.
> However, the apps all suck, the construction marginal, the Hi-Fi and
> BT versions are buggy, but for the price, all this can be tolerated.

I've used a few similar borescopes...the resolution of 640x480 is OK for seeing what is there but beyond that, fairly useless. The image distortion bothered me quite a bit as well.
Having said that, do you know of any produce with a higher resolution and better app?

[Jeff Liebermann]

Unfortunately, I'm going to have a high resolution endoscope used on a
very sensitive part of my anatomy tomorrow at the local surgery
center. I might ask the doctor for his favorite model, but suspect
he'll ignore me claiming that I'm drugged or delirious.

This looks fishy, but might be for real. 9mm dia (instead of the
usual 8mm) and 2megapixels in 1600x1200 with a 1/6th inch imager.
<https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0XR-00BA-00024>

Compare with the real thing (for $4,000 and up):
<https://www.stryker.com/us/en/endoscopy.html>
<https://www.stryker.com/us/en/portfolios/medical-surgical-equipment/surgical-visualization.html>

I've found the Android and iPhone imaging software to be dismal or
worse. All that I've tried will crash with the slightest provocation.
Accidentally disconnecting the camera for even milliseconds often
requires a forced reboot. I have this bookmarked for later testing.
Might be worth trying:
<http://www.oasisscientific.com/downloads.html>

Incidentally, the best high resolution photos I've done were with a
commodity digital camera, junkbox optics, and a commercial endoscope.
I make the adapter out of plastic plumbing parts turned down to size
on my drill press. Ugly, but amazingly useful. Something bolted onto
a smartphone might produce decent results:
<https://www.endoscope-i.com>