Abstract: A programmable control system and related features and methods are provided for the operation an automated, actuator-based component inspection system. In one implementation, the invention can be characterized as an actuator control system comprising: a controller adapted to be coupled to and control an actuator including a probe moveable by the actuator about an axis in response to control signals from the controller; a user input device coupled to the controller and configured to receive inputs from a user to define an automated sequence of multiple locations of the probe and configured to cause an encoder measurement to be retrieved from the actuator; and the user input device further configured to receive a tolerance value from the user corresponding to the encoder measurement.