A portable pipe inspection system having a removable storable pull-handle and a detachable wheel assembly that may be front-mounted is disclosed. This allows a programming voltage for the device to be imparted to the floating gate through capacitive coupling, thus changing the state of the device. The apparatus and method of the present invention increases the speed with which locks are acquired by splitting the process of obtaining a lock into two separate operations: a test for contention, and then if contention exists, a full lock operation.