FLIR E4 Teardown Q/A and newbie questions

[Gallymimus]

This topic is for questions and answers that are not related to technical development or NEW understanding of the FLIR Ex and Exx thermal camera systems.

This isn't a promise that I will answer your questions but hopefully myself and many others will be will to answer here instead of in the main thread.

I've gotten a lot of private messages asking for help so it's probably better that we get them in the public so everyone can benefit from input and advice.

Please start by reading this post: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg309194/#msg309194

It is a great culmination of instructions and procedures.  If you ask a question that is answered easily by reading the above post or a few of the links provided in that post you will probably get a cold response here. 

That said this should be a thread for helping people who might not have enough technical knowledge to execute the instructions on the main thread.

[Gallymimus]

Blank Page for future use if needed.

[Fraser]

@Gallymimus,

Thanks for starting this thread 

I hope it gets used.

[Gallymimus]

@Gallymimus,

Thanks for starting this thread 

I hope it gets used.

We'll see!  We should be diligent in pushing questions over here, and then being kind in answering them.  To bad we don't have mods who can help push stuff into different topics.

[mago]

hi guys,

a newbie question abour IRCameraTools:
i'm trying to install the free IRCameraPlayer 2.3.3 (last version on flir website).
When launched, it tries to install some runtime envroiment, which are already on my pc, until it tries to install "Bonjour for windows" which ends to a "there already a more recent version of Bonjour installed" THEN it comes to the main install window where there's the list of runtimes to install: bonjour is still there, and checked (i cannot uncheck). Clicking "next" button make it try to install it again, error and back again to the starting window.
So i cannot install this tool due to this stupid bug...? Any help?

Thanks!

[Gallymimus]

Did you try uninstalling bonjour first.  You should also try FLIR tech support

[pts]

hi guys,

a newbie question abour IRCameraTools:
...? Any help?

This may not be the right place ask about flir software.

You have a better chance to get a better  answer if you give some more information about the camera and what  OS and version etc... your are using.

[mago]

So i cannot install this tool due to this stupid bug...? Any help?

Just to tell i done it by unistalling bonjour and letting its own to be installed.

PS to make it work, i set USB mode to "RNDIS and UVC", because on the MSD mode it won't be recognized

[Gallymimus]

So i cannot install this tool due to this stupid bug...? Any help?

Just to tell i done it by unistalling bonjour and letting its own to be installed.

PS to make it work, i set USB mode to "RNDIS and UVC", because on the MSD mode it won't be recognized

Glad it worked!  UVC being turned on makes sense.

[humdinger13]

I finally got the connection issue taken care of by switching to another computer.  Apparently the 80070005 error relates to permissions problems in case anyone is wondering, but I don't have time to sort through all that.

I have a 1.22 unit, and I've tried the hack as shown in the video (short of the menu hack) countless times.  My first attempt resulted in better resolution, but loss of msx and ability to import images into flir tools.  Every other attempt resulted in no change in res or menu.  Then I decided to try the guitool.  I'm not sure I'm doing it right, but here is a sample from the most recent attempt:

#
# Generated at 2013-10-25 09:37:31
#
.caps entry
.caps.config entry
.caps.config.name text "app E8"
.caps.config.revision text "1.1"
.caps.config.image entry
.caps.config.image.framegrab entry
.caps.config.image.framegrab.fusion entry
.caps.config.image.framegrab.fusion.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.framegrab.fusion.pip entry
.caps.config.image.framegrab.fusion.pip.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.framegrab.fusion.hcf entry
.caps.config.image.framegrab.fusion.hcf.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.services entry
.caps.config.image.services.store entry
.caps.config.image.services.store.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.services.store.radiometric entry
.caps.config.image.services.store.radiometric.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.services.store.incompatible entry
.caps.config.image.services.store.incompatible.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.services.store.incompatible.level int32 0
.caps.config.image.settings entry
.caps.config.image.settings.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.settings.IRwidth int32 320
.caps.config.image.settings.IRheight int32 240
.caps.config.image.sysimg entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.measfunc entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.measfunc.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.measfunc.maxCount int32 3
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.humidity entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.humidity.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.humidity.maxCount int32 1
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.insulation entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.insulation.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.alarms.insulation.maxCount int32 1
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.spot entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.spot.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.spot.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.arrow entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.arrow.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.arrow.maxCount int32 4
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.box entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.box.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.irMarkers.box.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.diff entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.diff.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.diff.maxCount int32 1
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.diff.calcMask int32 65526
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.calcMask int32 20
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.dual bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.fixScale bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.interval bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.invInterval bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.isotherm.maxCount int32 1
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mbox entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mbox.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mbox.calcMask int32 1924
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mbox.maxCount int32 5
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mcircle entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mcircle.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mcircle.calcMask int32 1924
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mcircle.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mline entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mline.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mline.calcMask int32 1924
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.mline.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.reftemp entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.reftemp.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.reftemp.calcMask int32 1924
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.reftemp.maxCount int32 1
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.script entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.script.enabled false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.script.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.spot entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.spot.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.spot.calcMask int32 514
.caps.config.image.sysimg.measureFuncs.spot.maxCount int32 5
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.spot entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.spot.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.spot.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.arrow entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.arrow.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.arrow.maxCount int32 4
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.box entry
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.box.enabled bool false
.caps.config.image.sysimg.visualMarkers.box.maxCount int32 0
.caps.config.image.contadj entry
.caps.config.image.contadj.minSpanFactor entry
.caps.config.image.contadj.minSpanFactor.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.contadj.minSpanFactor.factorAuto double 2.0
.caps.config.image.contadj.minSpanFactor.factorManual double 2.0
.caps.config.image.targetNoise entry
.caps.config.image.targetNoise.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.targetNoise.targetNoiseMk int32 5
.caps.config.image.zoom entry
.caps.config.image.zoom.enabled bool true
.caps.config.image.zoom.maxFactor double 8
.caps.config.system entry
.caps.config.system.focus entry
.caps.config.system.focus.laser entry
.caps.config.system.focus.laser.updateFocus entry
.caps.config.system.focus.laser.updateFocus.enabled bool true
.caps.config.ui entry
.caps.config.ui.fusion entry
.caps.config.ui.fusion.PIP entry
.caps.config.ui.fusion.PIP.enabled bool true
.caps.hw entry
.caps.hw.sdcard entry
.caps.hw.sdcard.enabled bool false
# ID 6391xxxx
# CRC03 c8ba7ed0

yes, there is a line feed

uploaded resulting conf.crc to  flashfs/system/appcore.d/config.d


I don't know what I'm missing here, and hope someone can spot a problem.

I should note that at one point I noticed one of my antimalware programs was notifying me of some process that was trying to configure the "thermacam".  It was right around that time I happened to note the ip address had changed to 169..244 or something, and was no longer able to access the cam via ftp.  When I killed the process that was doing the configuring, I was able to access the cam again.

Could it be the camera phoning home and being secretly updated?

I have spent countless hours on this, and beg for mercy.  Thanks

[Gallymimus]

This is a bummer, but happens to most people who are doing the upgrade.  You have to have everything EXACTLY right and there isn't any feedback that it is wrong until you see the MSX missing.

did you unpack your original CFC file and get the proper UID strings and then use them again when packing your cfg to cfc?

When you created the CRC03 did the CFG file have a line feed AND carriage return at the end.

your final file should also have LF AND CR

I assume it is a type but you called it conf.crc instead of conf.cfc in your post.

[stefbeer]

uploaded resulting conf.crc to  flashfs/system/appcore.d/config.d

The file must be named "conf.cfc" but this just might be a typo, as Gallymimus said.

I don't know what I'm missing here, and hope someone can spot a problem.

As long as your serial number is correct, the file looks fine at first glance.

Could it be the camera phoning home and being secretly updated?

I also was a bit paranoid a while back  but somebody (I think Mike) stated, that if they would secretly update the firmware of the camera and you would interrupt the process by removing the battery or something like that, then they would be in trouble. So I really doubt that.

As Gallymimus said, it's most certainly an issue with the CRC03 checksum, the linefeed or the SUID (there's not much left ). If you can't get it to work by yourself and / or with the guitool, you could try this:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg411505/#msg411505
Just make sure you use your own, original conf.cfc as input file. Any othe file might contain a wrong SUID.

[humdinger13]

This is a bummer, but happens to most people who are doing the upgrade.  You have to have everything EXACTLY right and there isn't any feedback that it is wrong until you see the MSX missing.

did you unpack your original CFC file and get the proper UID strings and then use them again when packing your cfg to cfc?

When you created the CRC03 did the CFG file have a line feed AND carriage return at the end.

your final file should also have LF AND CR

I assume it is a type but you called it conf.crc instead of conf.cfc in your post.

Yeah, that was a typo.  It is cfc not crc.  As for the line feed AND carriage return - I guess I'm not aware of the distinction between the two, but after entering the CRC number I would press enter and usually made sure there were no more characters.

What I found interesting is the different SUID's I got between the gui tool and the ftool method - but maybe it's just a data format issue, but they didn't resemble each other at all.  Thanks!

[humdinger13]

uploaded resulting conf.crc to  flashfs/system/appcore.d/config.d

The file must be named "conf.cfc" but this just might be a typo, as Gallymimus said.

I don't know what I'm missing here, and hope someone can spot a problem.

As long as your serial number is correct, the file looks fine at first glance.

Could it be the camera phoning home and being secretly updated?

I also was a bit paranoid a while back  but somebody (I think Mike) stated, that if they would secretly update the firmware of the camera and you would interrupt the process by removing the battery or something like that, then they would be in trouble. So I really doubt that.

As Gallymimus said, it's most certainly an issue with the CRC03 checksum, the linefeed or the SUID (there's not much left ). If you can't get it to work by yourself and / or with the guitool, you could try this:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg411505/#msg411505
Just make sure you use your own, original conf.cfc as input file. Any othe file might contain a wrong SUID.

Thanks Stefbeer, not sure how I missed this and will give it a try! 

[humdinger13]

This is a bummer, but happens to most people who are doing the upgrade.  You have to have everything EXACTLY right and there isn't any feedback that it is wrong until you see the MSX missing.

did you unpack your original CFC file and get the proper UID strings and then use them again when packing your cfg to cfc?

When you created the CRC03 did the CFG file have a line feed AND carriage return at the end.

your final file should also have LF AND CR

I assume it is a type but you called it conf.crc instead of conf.cfc in your post.

Yeah, that was a typo.  It is cfc not crc.  As for the line feed AND carriage return - I guess I'm not aware of the distinction between the two, but after entering the CRC number I would press enter and usually made sure there were no more characters.

What I found interesting is the different SUID's I got between the gui tool and the ftool method - but maybe it's just a data format issue, but they didn't resemble each other at all.  Thanks!

Well, all I can say is your tool really simplifies things.  Still waiting to see if the file works.  Now I'm having trouble connecting again for some reason.  Thanks.  Will let you know how it goes when I get it uploaded..

[Gallymimus]

Yeah, that was a typo.  It is cfc not crc.  As for the line feed AND carriage return - I guess I'm not aware of the distinction between the two, but after entering the CRC number I would press enter and usually made sure there were no more characters.

CR and LF are very different things.  Different operating systems will treat them differently as well.  It comes from the old typewriter days.  CR returns the carriage to the beginning of the line, in a terminal program this would send you to the beginning of your current line and you could overwrite what you had typed on that line.

LF advances the next line but does not return you to the beginning of the line.  so your text would look like this if you only used LF

Code: [Select]

this is what I type
                   and after a LF
                                 I just keep moving down but after a CRLF
I end up back here
most modern text editors add a CRLF after each line.  a text editor like notepad++ can enable visibility of these special characters to see if it is all good.

[humdinger13]

Yeah, that was a typo.  It is cfc not crc.  As for the line feed AND carriage return - I guess I'm not aware of the distinction between the two, but after entering the CRC number I would press enter and usually made sure there were no more characters.

CR and LF are very different things.  Different operating systems will treat them differently as well.  It comes from the old typewriter days.  CR returns the carriage to the beginning of the line, in a terminal program this would send you to the beginning of your current line and you could overwrite what you had typed on that line.

LF advances the next line but does not return you to the beginning of the line.  so your text would look like this if you only used LF

Code: [Select]

this is what I type
                   and after a LF
                                 I just keep moving down but after a CRLF
I end up back here
most modern text editors add a CRLF after each line.  a text editor like notepad++ can enable visibility of these special characters to see if it is all good.

That makes sense.  I guess that hitting the enter key is actually both then, right. 

Still having trouble with uploading.  When I ping it returns "transmit failed.  General failure"  but then somehow it was assigned a new ip - 169.254.149.84 which a whois shows it's an iana  number..  My networking skills are a little rusty, this may take a while.

I appreciate your help!

[Gallymimus]

169.254 are reserved autoconfigure addresses, many computers/devices will fall back to that subnet if they can't get a DHCP address or don't have a static IP.

you can assign static address to your virtual network adapter on your computer in the same subnet as the camera (i.e. 192.168.1.10 or 192.168.0.10) I can't remember which subnet the camera is on by default.

[humdinger13]

Well, sad to say that this didn't work either I'm afraid.  That is a great tool for sure though!!  Anyone have any ideas? 

I will also mention that when I downloaded the camera files for a backup, ws-ftp failed on some empty directories, and in the process I may have missed some files, but I am fairly certain I am working off an original copy.  I did do a backup again with filezilla, but by then the files on the camera had changed.

Anyhow, I copied my original results from the cmd line processing, from the beginning, and the SUID's match so I think that is not the problem.

Thanks again.

[ixfd64]

I currently don't own a thermal imager, but I have a few questions:

1. The official bag for the FLIR E4 is quite expensive. Are there any third-party bags or pouches (not necessarily one designed for thermal imagers) that fits the E4 well?

2. What happens if the user tries to measure a temperature that is outside the E4's range? Is there an error message? Does the E4 try to give an approximation? Or does it indicate that the temperature is above 482°F or below -4°F?

[DaveWB]

I currently don't own a thermal imager, but I have a few questions:

1. The official bag for the FLIR E4 is quite expensive. Are there any third-party bags or pouches (not necessarily one designed for thermal imagers) that fits the E4 well?

2. What happens if the user tries to measure a temperature that is outside the E4's range? Is there an error message? Does the E4 try to give an approximation? Or does it indicate that the temperature is above 482°F or below -4°F?

The hard case the camera comes with is pretty nice, it can hold an extra battery and external charger. I believe if you get too hot you start to ruin something within the camera, I believe that's what I read over on the teardown thread but I could be totally off.

[stefbeer]

@ humdinger13:
You could try to unprotect another *.cfc file from your backup with ftool, just to see if the SUID matches. Maybe you have overwritten the file before you made the backup? Or you have overwritten the file from your backup?

[humdinger13]

@ humdinger13:
You could try to unprotect another *.cfc file from your backup with ftool, just to see if the SUID matches. Maybe you have overwritten the file before you made the backup? Or you have overwritten the file from your backup?

Good idea - I thought about that too.  I did just confirm that my cfc with the timestamp of when I first backed up did make it, and does match  suid's.  I will see if I can verify using your recommendation.  Hopefully this can tell us something..

[Fraser]

@ixfd64

When outside its measurement capability, the E4 places a ' * ' in front of the indicated temperature.

The microbolometer in the E4 is 'sun safe' and you would have to try pretty hard to burn out the VOX elements. it is possible to do if you are so inclined, but not in everyday use ! Don't worry about that as a likely risk of ownership. The microbolometer also carries a 10 year (tbc) guarantee.

The soft case for the E4 cost me GBP18 (~$30). Considering the highe quality of build and the protection it affords the camera, that isn't bad value for money. A standard large camcorder case would lilely hold the camera in the horizontal plane, but anything with decent padding will likely cost the same as the OEM ergonomic Ex case. It should also be remembered that even though the poch is classified as a soft case, it is in fact thick semi-rigid nylon coated laterial and this acts like an armour layer around a camera that is already pretty rugged.

I also own the soft case for the Exx series (E60 etc) and I must admit that it is my preferred case for the E4. The camera is much easier to insert and remove. The Ex case is a little too snug for my liking. If money is tight you could likely sell the decent quality hard case that comes with the E4 for the price of the Ex soft case so the soft case would not cost extra.

[ixfd64]

@ixfd64

When outside its measurement capabiluity the E4 places a '*' in front of the indicated temperature.

So I guess it can approximate temperatures higher than 482°F or lower than -4°F. In that case, do you know what's the highest or lowest temperature the Ex series will display?

[Fraser]

Measurements top out at +280 Degrees C on my E4. At that temperature it shows >280C and reads no higher. It indicates >280C until such time as the measured temperature drops below 280C.

The minimum reading I could take in my Freezer was -31 Degrees C and the E4 was still able to go lower. It was indicating the ' * ' prefix. I must warn that the sub Zero C accuracy of a stock calibration E4 camera is proven to be pretty poor.

Aurora

[Gallymimus]

@ humdinger13:
You could try to unprotect another *.cfc file from your backup with ftool, just to see if the SUID matches. Maybe you have overwritten the file before you made the backup? Or you have overwritten the file from your backup?

Good idea - I thought about that too.  I did just confirm that my cfc with the timestamp of when I first backed up did make it, and does match  suid's.  I will see if I can verify using your recommendation.  Hopefully this can tell us something..

Just to be sure you didn't miss something... the end of your cfg file before running crc03 looks like this right?

Code: [Select]

....
.caps.hw entry
.caps.hw.sdcard entry
.caps.hw.sdcard.enabled bool false
# ID xxxxxxxx


and there is another CRLF after the ID.

THEN you add the # CRC03 xxxxxxxxxx and a final CRLF
then use the protect tool inputting the 2 part SUID that you got when unprotecting

Right?

[humdinger13]

@ humdinger13:
You could try to unprotect another *.cfc file from your backup with ftool, just to see if the SUID matches. Maybe you have overwritten the file before you made the backup? Or you have overwritten the file from your backup?

Good idea - I thought about that too.  I did just confirm that my cfc with the timestamp of when I first backed up did make it, and does match  suid's.  I will see if I can verify using your recommendation.  Hopefully this can tell us something..

Just to be sure you didn't miss something... the end of your cfg file before running crc03 looks like this right?

Code: [Select]

....
.caps.hw entry
.caps.hw.sdcard entry
.caps.hw.sdcard.enabled bool false
# ID xxxxxxxx


and there is another CRLF after the ID.

THEN you add the # CRC03 xxxxxxxxxx and a final CRLF
then use the protect tool inputting the 2 part SUID that you got when unprotecting

Right?

yeah, here's a copy and paste.  The program works as expected. 
.caps.hw entry
.caps.hw.sdcard entry
.caps.hw.sdcard.enabled bool false
# ID 6391xxxx
# CRC03 c8ba7ed0[crlf]

I took stefbeer's advice and checked the suid from FlashFS\system\services.d\config.d\conf.cfc, and there's a complete match.  So now I'm really bummed.  I was hoping I made a mistake somewhere. 

If that is the only file that needs to be hacked, I'm pretty certain that after 20 attempts something should have worked.  My only other thought then is something else went wrong somewhere or Flir surreptitiously installed some blocking mechanism. 

In case anyone is wondering, I did do cold boots after removing the battery each time.

Thanks..

[humdinger13]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who helped me, and of course to all those, especially Mike, for making my new E8 + possible.  Yes that's right, I got it working.  I read some of the documentation, and due to CRC'S, it appears that any unneeded files will cause it to fail and revert to the original configuration.  I had left a copy on the system as a backup.  As soon as I removed it, voila, the resolution got massively better, and the menu now has PIP, auto hot/cold, red above, and blue below. 

I am now a very happy camper.  I only wish that I hadn't spent a full two days tearing my hair out for a 10 minute job.  But I guess it was still worth it.  It might be useful to others to know what I found out before starting.  And Stefbeer, your tool is the best.  It takes ALL the guesswork out of the process.  It should be listed on the first page.

Now to do the menu hacks...

[humdinger13]

...I had left a copy on the system as a backup.  As soon as I removed it, voila, the resolution got massively better, and the menu now has PIP, auto hot/cold, red above, and blue below...

The changed/hacked cfc file can stand besides the original cfc file, but it must come after 'conf' in alphabetical order (e.g. 'e8.cfc').  This makes the E4-hack save for the return to original state. You have just to delete your hacked cfc file (e8.cfc).
For menu hack, things look different. Here files must be overwritten and added together. Don't forget to make a backup!

So the best way to approach this is to copy the entire directory i take it?  That's what it sounds like.

Also, anyone having an issue on bootup where the screen is mostly white with speckles?  I've had that a few times now and usually have to reboot, or go into the image settings.

Thanks again for the help!  I really appreciate it!

[Gallymimus]

It's of course good to do a full backup but to go back to factory default you should really know what you are changing in the first place.  Deleting the altered config file and restoring the original is simple enough for the basic hack, but fixing the menu system will require overwriting the changed files and deleting the added ones.  This is a little more complex.

I've never had the frozen speckle screen as you are describing on my 1.21 unit.

[jumbo]

Hello!

I bought today (23.04.2014) flir E4
Hardware 1.1L
Serial #63901-xxxx
FW:1.21.0
loc. Pol

I have windows 7 x64 is it problem?

Is this movie still actual? this links under video?


shuld I do exacly the same, step by step?
How I can make backup before haking?

[Gallymimus]

Hello!

I bought today (23.04.2014) flir E4
Hardware 1.1L
Serial #63901-xxxx
FW:1.21.0
loc. Pol

I have windows 7 x64 is it problem?

Is this movie still actual? this links under video?


shuld I do exacly the same, step by step?
How I can make backup before haking?

Windows 7 will work fine.  I don't know about the video but it is probably accurate.  Going step by step should be okay.  I would not recommend doing this upgrade if you do not understand computers, networking, and a little about FTP.  It isn't really meant for people without any knowledge and many people get stuck.

To do a backup use filezilla and copy all of the files from the camera to your PC.  really though I would only worry about backing up the conf.cfg or conf.cfc file.  that is the one that can mess up your camera in this process.

[jumbo]

I will try hack at Saturday.
What if this generator give me diferent code for conf.cfg or conf.cfc file then this metod from YT?

here is generator:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg411505/#msg411505

whitch one will be rightful?

[Gallymimus]

I will try hack at Saturday.
What if this generator give me diferent code for conf.cfg or conf.cfc file then this metod from YT?

here is generator:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg411505/#msg411505

whitch one will be rightful?

I imagine they would both work and should give you the same code. 

make sure you are using the method for your firmware (it's different for 1.19 vs 1.21/1.22)   1.19 uses conf.cfg, and crc01 and is easy.  1.21/1.22 use conf.cfc and require crc03 code and also encrypting the conf.cfg to conf.cfc.  If you read through the forum you should see different instructions for both.

If you get it wrong you will know because the MSX (camera overlay on the thermal image) won't work.  If that occurs you know you have the cfg/cfc file wrong and need to try again.

[emptech]

Those having problems with editing config files:

I've seen and heard of so many problems getting the end of the config files correct with regards
to the CRC number and the correct number of line feeds, returns, no white spaces, etc,
correctly.  It's beyond the scope of many readers as to what a hex 0D, hex 0A is or a
hex 20 is.  I'm referring to  the codes for some of the ASCII characters inside the config
files.

Although I have a full understanding of the ASCII codes and data files, when I started working
on my E40, I had problems with the file.  What put me in the right direction was to email
my config file with the correct serial number to another member on this site, who shall
remain nameless, who properly created a new CRC number, inserted it into the file, and
emailed the file back to me, ready for download.  That worked and told me where my problem
was.

So, for those who are frustrated, downloading files to their camera, and the camera not
working properly, consider having a trusted member edit their config file/s for you, at
least to get you started and for you to gain some confidence in your work.

I've only done one e40 camera, have never even seen an e4, and don't plan on getting one.
So, please don't ask me to edit your e8 (e4) files for you, I probably wouldn't even know
what I was doing.  I have to admit, I haven't fully exploited the possibilities of my e40, now
an e60, but I'm extremely happy with it.

There are good people on this forum who are friendly and are willing to help, as you can see.

Jim

[DaveWB]

Was trying to help a guy over TeamViewer mod his camera but failed to get it to connect over RNDIS. I even tried in safe mode with networking with firewall disabled. It kept giving a 169. ip address. Any ideas?

[PedroDaGr8]

Was trying to help a guy over TeamViewer mod his camera but failed to get it to connect over RNDIS. I even tried in safe mode with networking with firewall disabled. It kept giving a 169. ip address. Any ideas?

Whenever Windows fails to find a DHCP server, it gives a 169 address. So in this case you can prevent that by manually setting the IP address to one in the required range. Everything should work then.

[DaveWB]

I believe I tried doing that, he is running windows 8 and it still did not work. What is the best way to manually set the ip?

Edit:ahh yea I was doing it wrong I will post as soon as I get back on TV with him tomorrow.

[jumbo]

I will try hack at Saturday.
What if this generator give me diferent code for conf.cfg or conf.cfc file then this metod from YT?

here is generator:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg411505/#msg411505

whitch one will be rightful?

I made menu and resolution hack, so I have new options in my E4 and view it looks a little bit different.
Is it something more to do?

I attached old and new pictures for the same view, it is look correct?

[DaveWB]

Still can't connect, any suggestions?

[DaveWB]

I will try hack at Saturday.
What if this generator give me diferent code for conf.cfg or conf.cfc file then this metod from YT?

here is generator:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg411505/#msg411505

whitch one will be rightful?

I made menu and resolution hack, so I have new options in my E4 and view it looks a little bit different.
Is it something more to do?

I attached old and new pictures for the same view, it is look correct?

Looks like you got both, nothing else to do.

[tjb1]

Still can't connect, any suggestions?

Disable wifi and ethernet, restart computer and try to connect again.

I ended up at a point where I couldn't connect after doing the E8 mod and hadn't yet done the menu hack and couldn't connect again without going into device manager and disabling everything except the camera connection and then restarting.  I believe the IP I ended up using was also in the 169 range.

[DaveWB]

Still can't connect, any suggestions?

Disable wifi and ethernet, restart computer and try to connect again.

I ended up at a point where I couldn't connect after doing the E8 mod and hadn't yet done the menu hack and couldn't connect again without going into device manager and disabling everything except the camera connection and then restarting.  I believe the IP I ended up using was also in the 169 range.

Did both of those and was even in safe mode with networking.

[Gallymimus]

I've had lots of weird network problems with the cameras and I would consider myself VERY competent at small system networking.  One thing I discovered which was weird was that depending on the mood of the camera I've had it come up as 192.168.0.2 OR 192.168.1.2.  Also, setting a fixed IP address on your network adapter seems to make it worse.  setting it to DHCP and letting it auto configure seemed to produce the best results.  Also it may take a minute or two to give up on DHCP and instead auto-configure.

[scientist]

Has anyone an E6 or E8

Nope.

[Fraser]

Dave L.J. has an E8 

[scientist]

I never heard that he actually received it, only that it was stuck in Australian customs for a while. 

[Fraser]

I recall Dave confirming that he now had it as a gift from FLIR. He was intending to review it when time permits.

[godfrey]

I purchased an E60 from TEquipment back in October, but wanted to get a couple of E4's just for the challenge as I absolutely will not do anything to my E60.

The E60 is currently at the FLIR service center in Nashua, New Hampshire having it's WiFi/Bluetooth issues worked out.  I've been chatting with one of the techs there (who's been just great to work with) and the feeling I get from FLIR is that they're somewhat slow to circumvent the firmware hack although they are working to close it all together…and that's where my concern comes in.

I do not know what hardware/software version I will receive -- so it's really a crap shoot.  I've tried to follow the main teardown thread, but it's grown substantially over the past few months.  Are there any known issues at this time with people receiving units that cannot be modified?


Thank you in advance,


Phil

[Fraser]

All E4 models up to FW 1.22.0 HW1.1L have been modifiable but there has been mention of a firmware 1.22.2 that has yet to be seen in the wild. We have no way of knowing what implications, if any, exist with the release of FW 1.22.2.

[godfrey]

All E4 models up to FW 1.22.0 HW1.1L have been modifiable but there has been mention of a firmware 1.22.2 that has yet to be seen in the wild. We have no way of knowing what implications, if any, exist with the release of FW 1.22.2.

Thanks, Aurora.  I appreciate the prompt reply.  I spoke to Rick at TEquipment, they are expecting more E4's next week.  I'll order a couple and post the findings when they arrive.

[tangmu]

I got a FW 1.22.0 HW1.1L unit from EBay today and used TIconfig to change the resolution and menus.  It all worked flawlessly.  I was done in 5 minutes.  Thanks to the folks who did all the work.

The image sizes both before and after the update at 320 x 240 pixels.  Somehow I was thinking the 80x60 images would be 80x60.

Does this mean the 80x60 images before the update get extrapolated out to 320 x 240?

[Fraser]

Yes 

[godfrey]

Yes 

That makes me feel pretty good.  I ordered two from TEquipment yesterday.  They'll ship when they're in stock.  Hopefully they haven't snuck something new in……but if they have, I'm sure it will be circumvented quickly.  I'm anxious to compare it with my E60.

[DaveWB]

Yes 

That makes me feel pretty good.  I ordered two from TEquipment yesterday.  They'll ship when they're in stock.  Hopefully they haven't snuck something new in……but if they have, I'm sure it will be circumvented quickly.  I'm anxious to compare it with my E60.

so hows the stock level at TE? i hope they stock more ...

Calright Instruments has good customer service and ships same day, unlike what I've found from TEquipment. Calright also offers a much better price as they are the authorized Master Distributor for their region. I'd suggest contacting David Swanson at 866.363.6634 and he can probably give you a very fair price. Tell him I sent you too

[Fraser]

A more accurate response to the question should have been ....yes & no 

The E4 reads all pixels of the micro-bolometer, whether in 80x60 or 320x340 mode. The 80x60 low resolution is believed to be achieved by averaging 4x4 clusters of pixels to create a 80x60 extrapolation. The 80x60 result is then up-scaled to 320x240 to match the display resolution. 

[tangmu]

A more accurate response to the question should have been ....yes & no 

The E4 reads all pixels of the micro-bolometer, whether in 80x60 or 320x340 mode. The 80x60 low resolution is believed to be achieved by averaging 4x4 clusters of pixels to create a 80x60 extrapolation. The 80x60 result is then up-scaled to 320x240 to match the display resolution. 

Nice explanation, thanks!

[godfrey]

As of this moment, TEquipment doesn't have any E4's in stock.  Rick said they are expecting more on Monday. 

[tangmu]

As of this moment, TEquipment doesn't have any E4's in stock.  Rick said they are expecting more on Monday.

There are some on EBay that specify the firmware rev. 

[godfrey]

As of this moment, TEquipment doesn't have any E4's in stock.  Rick said they are expecting more on Monday.

There are some on EBay that specify the firmware rev.

There are a few on eBay for $995, but they $995 almost everywhere unless you request a quote from some suppliers which saves about $100.  I remember asking Rick a while back about the firmware versions on the E4 when I bought mine.  He said he'd have to open the box and turn them on -- which is not something they'd be inclined to do.  I was disappointed with that answer……but whatever.

[jumbo]

Hy again,

with my E4 is something wrong.
When I lock the temperature the colors start changing even if I hold camera in the same place (more and offen then they should - every second).
The screen is going darknes and whiter like when is kalibration but there is no kalibration at the moment.

What happend and how I can fix the problem?

What if I will make factory reset by settings? It will be like before upgrade?

[jumbo]

Hy again,

with my E4 is something wrong.
When I lock the temperature the colors start changing even if I hold camera in the same place (more and offen then they should - every second).
The screen is going darknes and whiter like when is kalibration but there is no kalibration at the moment.

What happend and how I can fix the problem?

What if I will make factory reset by settings? It will be like before upgrade?

Make the menu hack again (without factory reset!). Verify the files you had copied to the camera. I think any one file was copied incorrectly.
Factory reset does not change the hack. The configuration is reset to default values (language, USB mode, color mode, everything can be changed in the configuration).

I made like you say but nothing happens.

[Smalldog]

As of this moment, TEquipment doesn't have any E4's in stock.  Rick said they are expecting more on Monday.

There are some on EBay that specify the firmware rev.

There are a few on eBay for $995, but they $995 almost everywhere unless you request a quote from some suppliers which saves about $100.  I remember asking Rick a while back about the firmware versions on the E4 when I bought mine.  He said he'd have to open the box and turn them on -- which is not something they'd be inclined to do.  I was disappointed with that answer……but whatever.

Which supplier(s) offer $100 off when getting a quote?

[godfrey]

As of this moment, TEquipment doesn't have any E4's in stock.  Rick said they are expecting more on Monday.

There are some on EBay that specify the firmware rev.

There are a few on eBay for $995, but they $995 almost everywhere unless you request a quote from some suppliers which saves about $100.  I remember asking Rick a while back about the firmware versions on the E4 when I bought mine.  He said he'd have to open the box and turn them on -- which is not something they'd be inclined to do.  I was disappointed with that answer……but whatever.

Which supplier(s) offer $100 off when getting a quote?

TEquipment.  I heard from one member here that another vendor might offer it for $845, but it's been 72 business hours and I never heard from the company.  I ordered two of the E4's Friday afternoon and they shipped via UPS Ground today.

[jumbo]

Hy again,

with my E4 is something wrong.
When I lock the temperature the colors start changing even if I hold camera in the same place (more and offen then they should - every second).
The screen is going darknes and whiter like when is kalibration but there is no kalibration at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU86l0FLdI&feature=youtu.be

What happend and how I can fix the problem?

What if I will make factory reset by settings? It will be like before upgrade?

Make the menu hack again (without factory reset!). Verify the files you had copied to the camera. I think any one file was copied incorrectly.
Factory reset does not change the hack. The configuration is reset to default values (language, USB mode, color mode, everything can be changed in the configuration).

I made like you say but nothing happens.

Such a fault has not been reported yet. And all other functions are running as well? I have no idea! 
Battery removed? Which firmware? Resolution hack OK? Do you have a backup of the original files? Which way you got the hack done?
While the error persists, can you change other settings in the menu? (manual temp scale, color mode) What are the actual settings (msx, color, measurement...), can you made and show a photo (photo and lcd screen same or different)?
I want to reproduce the situation.

Frimware 1.21.0
MSX and Resolution Hack - ok
I have only original config file, I don't have menu file before upgrade.
I made hack by Fillezilla and cfc-generator and after there wasn't fail message. While I was making hack the camera was in standby.
While error presist I can work normaly.
I work on MSX, Rainbow, lock temperatures but in other option it is harder to find problem but there is also something wrong.

This is the movie when camera work incorrectly. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU86l0FLdI&feature=youtu.be
 

[Fraser]

Was the camera thoroughly tested before the hack ?

The symptoms you describe could be caused by loss of the micro-bolometer drift compensation table or non operation of the associated algorithm that is applied to images. The micro-bolometer will drift all over the place with delta temperature so without such compensation it will be virtually unusable. Note, the E4 micro-bolometer is NOT fitted with a physical temperature stabilisation circuit (TEC). The effect of an error in the compensation software will be more acute with smaller temperature spans and less so with large spans. The compensation software uses data from the chassis mounted temperature sensor that is shown in Mikes teardown of the E4. I doubt the sensor is faulty though as the measured temperatures would be wildly incorrect.
 
Aurora 

[jumbo]

Was the camera thoroughly tested before the hack ?

The symptoms you describe could be caused by loss of the micro-bolometer drift compensation table or non operation of the associated algorithm that is applied to images. The micro-bolometer will drift all over the place with delta temperature so without such compensation it will be virtually unusable. Note, the E4 micro-bolometer is NOT fitted with a physical temperature stabilisation circuit (TEC). The effect of an error in the compensation software will be more acute with smaller temperature spans and less so with large spans. The compensation software uses data from the chassis mounted temperature sensor that is shown in Mikes teardown of the E4. I doubt the sensor is faulty though as the measured temperatures would be wildly incorrect.
 
Aurora

I checked camera before hack but not enough carefully;/ and before there was option to lock the temperatures but without handmade temperatures border.

So I had to send camera for warranty before hack;/
The warranty is lost? even if I will make downgrade?

What I should to do? Is it possibile to fix camera?

[georges80]

Just received a Flir email...

Guess they are trying to motivate folk to purchase the E6/E8 over the much better E4+

cheers,
george.

[ixfd64]

It looks like some home inspection students have access to an even lower price: https://www.nachi.org/forum/f58/flir-e8-sale-wow-91086

But it probably still doesn't beat a hacked E4.

[godfrey]

Just received a Flir email...

Guess they are trying to motivate folk to purchase the E6/E8 over the much better E4+

cheers,
george.

I was just about to post that as well (got their e-mail too).  I'd consider their $2,000 savings if I was never aware of the E4 hack.

The two I ordered from TEquipment last Friday will arrive today.  I bought one for a friend who's in the construction business.  He couldn't pass it up.

[godfrey]

(2) FLIR E4's received.

Model E4 1.1L
Software 1.22.0

[Iphone_hack]

Oh man!
I ordered mine from my local retailer, I am in Vancouver Canada. The camera is coming from the East - Ontario I think.
Need 2 weeks, can't wait!

Most of you guys are using TIConfig Thermal Imager Configuration Tool to perform the hack?
Or which one is better?
Also I saw that TIConfig can perform full backup, can anyone tell me how to restore to factory in case of screwup or in case need warranty?

And transfer pic to PC, which way is better
I think I read that flir tool can update the camera firmware automatically ?
I don't think I want that after the hack.
Thanks

[godfrey]

So far I can't get TIConfig to work with the imager.  It just sits there saying "Trying to connect to device…"

RNDIS is enabled.
Ethernet adapter on the PC is disabled. (Windows 7 -- fresh build)
FLIR E4 (192.168.0.2) is the same IP as my Cisco switch…but with ethernet disabled, this shouldn't be a problem.

Message pops up "Could not configure ThermaCAM. Please try to reconnect"

Am I missing something?

I also can't get FileZilla to connect.  Even with a default IP addy -- Connection attempt failed with "ECONNREFUSED - Connection refused by server"

[scientist]

Install the FLIR drivers. That should fix the ThermaCAM connect problem.

[Tinkerer]

I performed the hack on mine. If the IP you are putting into filezilla does not work, you need to go to network connections and check the IP assigned. In fact, just do that first. I tried using a specified IP and of course that didnt work for me. Finally I decided to check directly what ip it had been assigned and walla, it worked.
Another thing which wasnt apparent at first, you need to pop the battery in and out after you are done to get the hack to work.

[godfrey]

Thank you everyone who contributed to making this possible.

I installed everything on another computer and followed this video.

Everything worked flawlessly.  It has more options than my E60!  Resolution is significantly improved (obviously) and the menu hacks are phenomenal.


Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Cheers guys!


Phil

[Iphone_hack]

Thank you everyone who contributed to making this possible.

I installed everything on another computer and followed this video.

Everything worked flawlessly.  It has more options than my E60!  Resolution is significantly improved (obviously) and the menu hacks are phenomenal.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Cheers guys!


Phil

Hi guys
surprise i got my E4 today from my supply store, it took only 1 week!
my new E4 came with 1.22 and 1.1L

so i tried using the TIConfig tool but did not work. could not connect to the device.
so i use the same video that  godfrey use.
but i counter problem after i replace the hacked conf.cfc file my MXS was not working.
put the original file back the mxs came back
so i tried again from scratch, same thing mxs was not working.
then reading the youtube video comments, i had to use with the cfc_generator
after creating the file so much easier with the generator - first try
bingo!!!!! it was so much easier than typing the command prompt

i had to use filezilla to back up
can anyone tell me if i copy the FlashBFS and FlashFS folders to my computer is all i need for back up original files?
i only hack the resolution - i havent done the menu yet,
as i think it is easy to go back to original resolution in case i need to send for warranty (copy 1 file only).
Regarding menu hack, if after doing the hack is possible to go back to original?
is it just copy the original folder back - FlashBFS ?

also here i attached the before and after - big difference i love it
but can anyone tell me if it is my machine that have this problem?
hand pictures before and after same thing, thermal image fingers do not match the MSX fingers, seems higher location.
it was like that before the hack looking at the before picture.

thanks

PS: for anyone having problem connecting with filezilla try using 192.168.1.2
i connected mine with that number

[Tinkerer]

as i think it is easy to go back to original resolution in case i need to send for warranty

Does this actually void the warranty? You are changing a file, not opening it up.

[Iphone_hack]

as i think it is easy to go back to original resolution in case i need to send for warranty

Does this actually void the warranty? You are changing a file, not opening it up.

well changing the resolution (resolution hack) i dont think it will void the warranty
i am just changing 1 file
and if i need to get the warranty
i think can always put the original file back! so it will go back to the original resolution
as for the menu hack, that is what i am worry, i dont know who many files is changed and how to get it back to original. that is why i havent done it yet waiting for anyone having this information

[godfrey]

hand pictures before and after same thing, thermal image fingers do not match the MSX fingers, seems higher location.
it was like that before the hack looking at the before picture.

I'm not sure if the settings were changed through the hack, but you might be able to compensate it's overlay through the distance menu?  Not sure, honestly.  I never really even used that feature on my E60 and the parallax is even more out on that one due to the distance between the two imagers.

[scientist]

Absolute beginners should not be attempting to hack expensive military technology. If you're incapable of using a terminal you don't need a thermal camera.   

[godfrey]

Absolute beginners should not be attempting to heck expensive military technology. If you're incapable of using a terminal you don't need a thermal camera.

I can agree with that -- but I'm one of those types that assumes everyone else understands it just as easily as I do…and then get frustrated when I have to explain it over 9000 times.

I'm really impressed with the hack on the E4.  It saddens me that I spent what I did on my E60 before the hack was discovered.

[Iphone_hack]

hand pictures before and after same thing, thermal image fingers do not match the MSX fingers, seems higher location.
it was like that before the hack looking at the before picture.

I'm not sure if the settings were changed through the hack, but you might be able to compensate it's overlay through the distance menu?  Not sure, honestly.  I never really even used that feature on my E60 and the parallax is even more out on that one due to the distance between the two imagers.

Correct!

Thanks for the tip
But I found the setting after playing around with it for a while

[scientist]

it's really up to you.

[Fraser]

Posting removed at the request of a forum member 

[Bruiz668]

I need help. where do I get the tools1 and the addmenu-beta3 files in the video? thanks brian

[godfrey]

I need help. where do I get the tools1 and the addmenu-beta3 files in the video? thanks brian

I've uploaded the copy of tools1 and the beta3 that I have…you should find it below.

[DaveWB]

I need help. where do I get the tools1 and the addmenu-beta3 files in the video? thanks brian

All the links are in the description of the video

[Iphone_hack]

Does anyone know if I order another E4 tomorrow is going to be 1.22?
Worry if they upgraded the fw

[KMIN]

IPhone_hack, I was I was just chatting with Tequipment and they were confirming me twice that all their E4 have the newest firmware 1.22 which cannot be hacked!
Did you ask your seller about that?
I was going to place an order but got confused.

[Fraser]

There does seem to be some odd information coming from Tequipment, such as the FW 1.22.2 that they said was coming in, yet never appeared. Personally I would order from a company that confirms FW 1.22.0

[KMIN]

So, I was chatting with another person in Tequipment, who confirmed me the fw is 1.22.0.
No changes in past weeks.
Maybe the first guy didn't  argee hacking...

[joe-c]

Maybe the first guy didn't  argee hacking...

Maybe the first guy with some E8's in stock, which sold to late and with too much price drop.

[Iphone_hack]

IPhone_hack, I was I was just chatting with Tequipment and they were confirming me twice that all their E4 have the newest firmware 1.22 which cannot be hacked!
Did you ask your seller about that?
I was going to place an order but got confused.

I ordered another one today, my local store don't stock them, they are coming from Ontario.
So he can't tell what firmware.
But I order my first E4 on May 1st, got it in 1 week. Calibration date for the E4 was April 28 1.1L 1.22 and I was able to upgrade the resolution. I didn't upgrade the menu as I thought it is only 1 file that was replace so in case that I need warranty I just replace the original file back.
If doing the menu upgrade, it seems in order to go back to original condition is more complicated.
I am a little worry on what firmware it will be for the new E4.

[Iphone_hack]

Hi
when I connect my E4 to my laptop using flir tools, I see the live streaming is grey out.
I searched on the net that the flir tools+ can live stream the E4 with laptop.
is there any other way to live stream to laptop? or only flir tools+ (need to pay for that version right?)

thanks

[PLUMMER]

Thanks in a huge way, from a plumber that's always wanted a TIC.  I've read quite a bit if the original 336 page thread , so I apologize if I missed it.

Currently reading every post and thread on the E4, can I do the mods with a Mac?

Possibly someone in MI that's doing these for members? I'm willing to cover professional services. I just don't like online purchases of this type and price range. In person kinda old schooler.
Flir doesn't seem to have a dealer locator. Been searching for days and calling supply houses. Even my graingers are out.

Again a huge thanks for the knowledge sharing here.

Editing post as I go so as to not ask the all repetitive ?'s if possible.

[Iphone_hack]

Hi guys
How often does E4 needs to be calibrated by flir?
If hacked, can it still be calibrated?

Thanks

[Fraser]

The E4 is entry level kit. To be honest its calibration is not that important to my usage, but I would not be thinking of calibrating it anyway. It is not temperature stabilised and aging is not normally a big issue for the modern microbolometer's. If exact calibration is a concern to an owner, they really should be looking at a more up market camera.

With regard to FLIR's view of an upgraded camera...... they are unlikely to want anything to do with it. I have no proof, but I suspect they will refuse to calibrate such a camera as it is working outside of their original specification,n and you would be 'rubbing their nose in it' somewhat by sending such a camera to them ! If you were unlucky they would install new firmware which is a normal element of FLIR calibration.

In short.... the E4 is spec'd at +-2% or +-2 Degreec C (whichever is greater). That is a spec at 30 Degrees C. It has been proven to produce errors greater than this at other scene temperatures. Super accurate it is not. Suggest you forget calibration on an upgraded camera unless you want to do it yourself as some have done to improve the units accuracy Ex Factory.

Aurora

[Iphone_hack]

The E4 is entry level kit. To be honest its calibration is not that important to my usage, but I would not be thinking of calibrating it anyway. It is not temperature stabilised and aging is not normally a big issue for the modern microbolometer's. If exact calibration is a concern to an owner, they really should be looking at a more up market camera.

With regard to FLIR's view of an upgraded camera...... they are unlikely to want anything to do with it. I have no proof, but I suspect they will refuse to calibrate such a camera as it is working outside of their original specification,n and you would be 'rubbing their nose in it' somewhat by sending such a camera to them ! If you were unlucky they would install new firmware which is a normal element of FLIR calibration.

In short.... the E4 is spec'd at +-2% or +-2 Degreec C (whichever is greater). That is a spec at 30 Degrees C. It has been proven to produce errors greater than this at other scene temperatures. Super accurate it is not. Suggest you forget calibration on an upgraded camera unless you want to do it yourself as some have done to improve the units accuracy Ex Factory.

Aurora

Thanks for a very informed reply
I was thinking the same way
But just of curiosity
How many guys here decided to buy an E4 for work because of the hack
Example building inspector, heating/cooling contractor, or maintainance contractor ?
I guess it is common sense To double check or confirm any problem findings with another tool
But will you be worry if end up in court, even the device is ok but it is hacked

[Fraser]

Anyone who charges for a service that relies upon calibrated equipment would need to think carefully before using any equipment that has been 'hacked' or used outside of the OEM specification for the unit. If the E4 were used to just track down faults, leaks etc. it is being used as a source of data for the operator to interpret and calibration is not such an issue. Quite simply, if a plumber or insulation engineer uses it to find leaks, it will be fine. Conversely, if a an engineer is auditing motor bearing temperatures for a formal report using a hacked E4, he had better be sure that the measured figures can be substantiated using some form of calibrated reference.

In case some readers are not aware, not all thermal measurements require a calibrated camera, some utilise a calibrated thermal black body reference that is set at the acceptable threshold temperature. The camera views the black bod and the target and any differential is immediately obvious. These days it is more common to use the cameras built in temperature measurement capability though. During the Bird Flu outbreak I travelled to Tokyo and the airport had thermal cameras set up with a black body reference in the field of view to provide the operators with a visual comparison of the reference against the crowds of people moving through the check-point. The reference was presumably set at a humans nominal face temperature and anyone glowing hotter than that source got stopped for fever checks.

Legality only comes into a thermal cameras usage if you commit fraud or negligence. If your thermal survey proves to be inaccurate the least you can exec t is a demand for a refund from the customer and no further work with them. The right tool for the job applies in such a case. In commercial work, a thermal camera should pay for itself anyway....it is only hobbyists who have to bear the full outlay with little chance of recovering the money through casual usage.

Aurora

[Iphone_hack]

Thanks
It is much clear
The reason I asked regarding legal issues
because I have home inspectors asking if they can do this in their E4s
Of course I didn't tell them yes or not
But in that industry, you don't need a perfect accurate temp
Just need the general difference in temp so they can see air leakage or moisture
Or even if the floor radiant heat is working or not

By the way
Do you know if the E4 needs calibration once a year ? Once every 2 or 3 years maybe?
Or it is one of those type that don't need it?
Thanks

[Fraser]

FLIR will advise that annual calibration is recommended. Their calibration service also includes performance testing and upgrading to the latest firmware.

[DJ]

Thermal imagery for disease screening is looking for people with fevers. As only a few degrees difference is important, resolution,  as well as absolute accuracy, the known reference is required.

[Baya73]

I own an E6 (E6 1.1 - 1.19.... I've got the menu hack and resolution hack working for 3 months now, but can reliably use 192.168.250.2 only. Also, The camera only works with RNDIS, not RNDIS + UVC. I'm looking for a way to make it work on RNDIS + UVC so I can use Joe-c's excelent remote control app.

As of right now RNDIS + UVC gives a picture signal to the software but disables all commands to the camera. If I use RNDIS only. I get no image but the remote commands work.

hoping someone knows what else I could try.

Thanks !

[Baya73]

I fixed my problem with using RNDIS+UVC. Running TIConfig (even if already upgraded somehow fixed the issue). But now when I try to use the Internet... no Internet. If I disable the camera.. Internet connection backup and working. I tried moving all the adresses to a different segment (192.168.102.x) but that doesn't work.   

[AintBigAintClever]

Try assigning a static address to the USB NIC associated with the camera, but with no gateway. Use IPCONFIG /ALL from a command prompt to get the address you were doled out, you need to use the same IP address and subnet mask. Nothing else.

[Baya73]

I'm doing the tests on two different computers running windows 8.1, so far I get the same results.

My network is running DHCP at 192.168.102.1, all computers and devices are getting adresses from the DHCP (192.168.102.range 150-250)

Ok, so I assigned the FLIR NIC at 192.168.0.1 subnet 255.255.255.0... nothing else. When I plug the camera in, the window at the lower right reports "camera at IP address 192.168.0.2"

If I open FlirInstallNet it reports 192.168.0.2 / Flir USB Video

using ipconfig /all:

Computer IP: 192.168.102.181 subnet 255.255.255.0   (autoconfig: yes DHCP: yes)
Flir IP: 192.168.0.1 subnet 255.255.255.0  (autoconfig: yes  DHCP: no)

Results: using Joc-C's program I get "telnet failed" but UVC (video) works + Internet connection works
deactivating computer NIC.... program works in every mode !! I seems the computer's NIC blocks the RNDIS path somehow.

Thank-you for helping me out, I greatly appreciate it.

I will continue trying different configs. I hate windows networking. 

These computers are laptops using Wifi. I will try a Ethernet wired connection on another computer today...

Thanks again !

[Baya73]

... Tested using a wired Ethernet connection and same results ...

I tried to reinstall the Flir device drivers, but it says drivers already installed.

[joe-c]

I have a E45 used in the past. Because that I have installed a "thermal connect 3" or something that sounds like this.

I could remind on connection problems with the E4, so I uninstalled the program.

Do you have a running connection program from FLIR like this? I ask because the notation you told. My PC says nothing while connecting to the E4... but in the past he told the connected E45 with IP. Both cameras use USB.

When I plug the camera in, the window at the lower right reports "camera at IP address 192.168.0.2"

[Baya73]

No, this is my first product from flir. The only other products I use all connect via a RS232 emulator (USB)

 

[joe-c]

Hmm, ok... but why you have this window that says the IP? Or looks it like a windows balloon notation?

I have a screenshot from my device manager for RNDIS_UVC and my camera works well. How this is shown by yours?

[Baya73]

Yes, it's a small windows that rises up from the bottom of the screen.

[Sofia]

Hy again,

with my E4 is something wrong.
When I lock the temperature the colors start changing even if I hold camera in the same place (more and offen then they should - every second).
The screen is going darknes and whiter like when is kalibration but there is no kalibration at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU86l0FLdI&feature=youtu.be

What happend and how I can fix the problem?

What if I will make factory reset by settings? It will be like before upgrade?

Make the menu hack again (without factory reset!). Verify the files you had copied to the camera. I think any one file was copied incorrectly.
Factory reset does not change the hack. The configuration is reset to default values (language, USB mode, color mode, everything can be changed in the configuration).

I made like you say but nothing happens.

Such a fault has not been reported yet. And all other functions are running as well? I have no idea! 
Battery removed? Which firmware? Resolution hack OK? Do you have a backup of the original files? Which way you got the hack done?
While the error persists, can you change other settings in the menu? (manual temp scale, color mode) What are the actual settings (msx, color, measurement...), can you made and show a photo (photo and lcd screen same or different)?
I want to reproduce the situation.

Frimware 1.21.0
MSX and Resolution Hack - ok
I have only original config file, I don't have menu file before upgrade.
I made hack by Fillezilla and cfc-generator and after there wasn't fail message. While I was making hack the camera was in standby.
While error presist I can work normaly.
I work on MSX, Rainbow, lock temperatures but in other option it is harder to find problem but there is also something wrong.

This is the movie when camera work incorrectly. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU86l0FLdI&feature=youtu.be

Hi, Please advice.
I have the same problem as jumbo. Is there a solution?

[jumbo]

Hy again,

with my E4 is something wrong.
When I lock the temperature the colors start changing even if I hold camera in the same place (more and offen then they should - every second).
The screen is going darknes and whiter like when is kalibration but there is no kalibration at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU86l0FLdI&feature=youtu.be

What happend and how I can fix the problem?

What if I will make factory reset by settings? It will be like before upgrade?

Make the menu hack again (without factory reset!). Verify the files you had copied to the camera. I think any one file was copied incorrectly.
Factory reset does not change the hack. The configuration is reset to default values (language, USB mode, color mode, everything can be changed in the configuration).

I made like you say but nothing happens.

Such a fault has not been reported yet. And all other functions are running as well? I have no idea! 
Battery removed? Which firmware? Resolution hack OK? Do you have a backup of the original files? Which way you got the hack done?
While the error persists, can you change other settings in the menu? (manual temp scale, color mode) What are the actual settings (msx, color, measurement...), can you made and show a photo (photo and lcd screen same or different)?
I want to reproduce the situation.

Frimware 1.21.0
MSX and Resolution Hack - ok
I have only original config file, I don't have menu file before upgrade.
I made hack by Fillezilla and cfc-generator and after there wasn't fail message. While I was making hack the camera was in standby.
While error presist I can work normaly.
I work on MSX, Rainbow, lock temperatures but in other option it is harder to find problem but there is also something wrong.

This is the movie when camera work incorrectly. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYU86l0FLdI&feature=youtu.be

Hi, Please advice.
I have the same problem as jumbo. Is there a solution?

Did you check camera before upgrade?
I dont have solution for this jet.

[Fraser]

That is a really strange fault that is being shown in the you tube video. Sorry to say I have no cause to propose as it does not look like a compensation table related issue.

I do have to wonder though if we are seeing the occasional micro-bolometer that has 'issues' but is adequate for use in the low resolution E4 as that operates a 4x4 pixel averaging algorithm to lower the resolution to 80x60. It may well be that some cameras exhibit unfortunate image issues when the full resolution is released and pixel averaging is removed. Regret this is pure conjecture as I have no inside line of why some cameras are not working well after the 'upgrade' There was previous discussion regarding whether FLIR use 'binning' to select which micro-bolometers are fit for use in certain models of Ex series cameras. It was never proven one way or the other and it would certainly be interesting to see the dead pixel map of an E8 camera. Dave has an E8 

On e test would be to revert the cameras that are misbehaving to standard E4 state and seeing whether the issue disappears. If it does, the resolution hack ONLY should be applied. If the issue returns, I believe those cameras have limitations in the hardware that make them poor candidates for the upgrade. Return them for an exchange or refund if possible. Sadly I understand that FLIR are inspecting some cameras before refunds are issued, so some owners could be in for a rough ride 

[Sofia]

That is a really strange fault that is being shown in the you tube video. Sorry to say I have no cause to propose as it does not look like a compensation table related issue.

I do have to wonder though if we are seeing the occasional micro-bolometer that has 'issues' but is adequate for use in the low resolution E4 as that operates a 4x4 pixel averaging algorithm to lower the resolution to 80x60. It may well be that some cameras exhibit unfortunate image issues when the full resolution is released and pixel averaging is removed. Regret this is pure conjecture as I have no inside line of why some cameras are not working well after the 'upgrade' There was previous discussion regarding whether FLIR use 'binning' to select which micro-bolometers are fit for use in certain models of E4. It was never proven one way or the other and it would certainly be interesting to see the dead pixel map of an E8 camera. Dave has an E8 

On e test would be to revert the cameras that are misbehaving to standard E4 state and seeing whether the issue disappears. If it does, the resolution hack ONLY should be applied. If the issue returns, I believe those cameras have limitations in the hardware that make them poor candidates for the upgrade. Return them for an exchange or refund if possible. Sadly I understand that FLIR are inspecting some cameras before refunds are issued, so some owners could be in for a rough ride 

Thank you for the quick reply.
Do I want to ask whether I could to taste factory set to "E8 +" and what the consequences.

Thank you.

[JFA]

For the fluctuation problem...
I suggest you test your cam freshly turned on, vs turned on for quite a while.

Reason is, I observed that there is fast thermal drift if the cam was cold and I use it in my warm hands in a warmer environment, enough to produce significant variation (at least on the color high contrast palette).  Images taken before and after show that the temperature readings are OK, that it is simply the color space that is being re-adjusted very quickly.   This virtually does not happen with the regular palettes, but the high contrast color changes color space so fast with such a small delta-T that it is sensitive to it.  After the cam has been on for a while, it sorts of stabilises.  I've used two E4 up until now and they both do that, but it causes no problem as far as measuring temperatures (with Tools and/or with the in-camera cursors (H, L, Spot) is concerned.

I suspect the effect (perception) is is a conflation of eye sensitivity to colors, camera temperature drift, and possibly some minor software adjustment hunting for a set-point. 

[JFA]

Yup, look at the max temp value on the scale. You'll see that it drifts down while the image is darkening, then it fast climbs back up when the image is made paler (sawtooth pattern). 

Did you store your cam in a significantly colder or warmer place than where you ran the test?

Maybe it's the thermal adjustment loop (software) that is not updated often enough?  Maybe there is a software variable for the update speed...

(I haven't looked at the config files yet)

[Sofia]

Yup, look at the max temp value on the scale. You'll see that it drifts down while the image is darkening, then it fast climbs back up when the image is made paler (sawtooth pattern). 

Did you store your cam in a significantly colder or warmer place than where you ran the test?

Maybe it's the thermal adjustment loop (software) that is not updated often enough?  Maybe there is a software variable for the update speed...

(I haven't looked at the config files yet)

Thanks for the advice.
It is a fact that in yesterday's first test was in the hall very hot 38c. I will try to get her to a cooler environment and test.
I know. :-)

[JFA]

It's not a matter of cooler or warmer, it's a matter of having a camera more or less thermalised (equalised in temperature) with the environment.
Note that your hand influences it too, makes it warmer.  If you stored the cam in your basement at 19C, brought it at +38 and ran some tests, expect major drift.

It seemed like the speed of the drift exceeded the software temperature compensation interval.

[joe-c]

In the Video the thermal Scale was locked so it was easy to see, that the whole image was drifted fast.

I don't think this comes from the detector. Maybe the internal temperature sensor has a defect.
The internal calculation I don't know. But I know, that the viewed image was a result of a detector pixel value and the thermal reference (and the image from closed shutter additional). If this reference not work correctly, the result (whole thermal Image) will also not correctly shown.

Maybe just a setting problem... I will take a look into the resource tree.

Edit:
Interesting... there exist a "antiRamp" node.
I tried some changes but could see a result...
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODLA                           8
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODLB                           7
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODRS                           7
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODSTART                        0
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.RBA                           28
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.RPA                           46

You could try to deactivate the TSens usage:
rset .image.flow.TSens.partOfImgFlow false
the TSens seems to be frequently used (.image.flow.TSens.updateInterval  500).
Is see no changes on my Camera... but have you after turning off the same problem?

If I make: rset .image.flow.baffle.partOfImgFlow false
The thermal image looks like a view through a small plastic sheet.
After NUC and turn on again I have the normal Thermal image but the Temperature seem to be shifted by +46°C...additional NUC and it was normal again.

In the Image node also a "antiramp" exist.
Here I could see changes:
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODLA                           8
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODLB                           7
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODRS                           7
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODSTART                        0
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.RBA                           28
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.RPA                           46
Maybe the Values above was for Restart or factory reset.
however, what are your values?

[Sofia]

In the Video the thermal Scale was locked so it was easy to see, that the whole image was drifted fast.

I don't think this comes from the detector. Maybe the internal temperature sensor has a defect.
The internal calculation I don't know. But I know, that the viewed image was a result of a detector pixel value and the thermal reference (and the image from closed shutter additional). If this reference not work correctly, the result (whole thermal Image) will also not correctly shown.

Maybe just a setting problem... I will take a look into the resource tree.

Edit:
Interesting... there exist a "antiRamp" node.
I tried some changes but could see a result...
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODLA                           8
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODLB                           7
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODRS                           7
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.ODSTART                        0
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.RBA                           28
.calib.detector.data.ds250C_we.settings.antiRamp.RPA                           46

You could try to deactivate the TSens usage:
rset .image.flow.TSens.partOfImgFlow false
the TSens seems to be frequently used (.image.flow.TSens.updateInterval  500).
Is see no changes on my Camera... but have you after turning off the same problem?

If I make: rset .image.flow.baffle.partOfImgFlow false
The thermal image looks like a view through a small plastic sheet.
After NUC and turn on again I have the normal Thermal image but the Temperature seem to be shifted by +46°C...additional NUC and it was normal again.

In the Image node also a "antiramp" exist.
Here I could see changes:
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODLA                           8
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODLB                           7
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODRS                           7
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.ODSTART                        0
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.RBA                           28
.image.flow.detector.antiRamp.RPA                           46
Maybe the Values above was for Restart or factory reset.
however, what are your values?

Hello
I do not know if I'm in the right way "Google Translate"
The picture's how I came to the data. Data are from backup TICconfig.
Factory settings I've not made. The camera in my work and I'll get to it tomorrow.
Otherwise, the camera is 1.22. # Generated 05/15/2014 at 9:54:00

[Sofia]

In today's test at 25c after 10min still the same :-(

[joe-c]

In today's test at 25c after 10min still the same :-(

have you changed some of the settings (over Telnet with RNDIS mode)?

[Sofia]

In today's test at 25c after 10min still the same :-(

have you changed some of the settings (over Telnet with RNDIS mode)?

No, I did not change anything. I had to change something?

[peo007]

If you open a photo in Flir Tools, from an unhacked E4, what will the IR resolution box say?    80x60  or  320x240.

[MarkIR]

What's the best way to restart the hack after an unsuccessful attempt?  my cmd shell looked just like David's. 

I have already updated the FlashBFS system directory and have the new menus, but the MSX option is gone, so that means the resolution hack was done incorrectly.  I saved my original cfc file and the original "system" directory.  I did notice that the file size of the new file and the old file differed which made me think I had done it incorrectly.

Using a 1.22 firmware.  My original conf.cfc file was 6336 bytes.  My new one was 6320.  Might not matter, but does indicate I may have done something wrong.

I assume I just go through the same steps on the command line that are shown in the 1.22 video and then copy the conf.cfc file back to the same spot.  Any changes to FlashBFS shouldn't have an effect on the conf.cfc.  To test, remove the battery, reinsert the battery, and power on the device.

Do I have that right?

Thanks,
Mark

NOTE : Second try is a charm.  Worked.  I may have had an extra line (2 instead of 1) at the end of the .cfg.  My new file that worked was still 6320 in size and the original was 6336 (confirmed this during the "do-over").

[rivee]

I posted this in the beginners forum before I found this thread. Sorry mods:

"I recently purchased a Flir E4 thermal imaging camera with the 1.22 software installed. I applied the E4 to E8 mods with great success.

I bought the E4 in hopes of finding lost or injured cattle on the open range. The landscape is dry rolling hills with tall dry grass and other foliage on it. The summer temps can reach 100F with the rest of the year at around 70-85 F. At times I have searched over the 3,500+ acre area with very little success in finding lost or injured cattle. I'm hoping this TI will help

I have tried it on cows that I can visually see in the open but with the daytime temps hovering around 95-100F it's hard to distinguish their IR image from tree trunks and rocks etc.

The question I have is what settings I should use with the new software to maximize my success in differentiating between the two?

I know it would be better at night or during colder periods, but don't always have the luxury to do so.

Any help would be greatly appreciated."

[fortex]

Hello.  I have an E4 1.2L with the 2.1.0 firmware and cannot get it into RNDIS mode.  I've gone into the secret menu and the setting refuses to stick.  I have read and searched through many of the 350+ pages of the other thread but I cannot find the answer.  I found things such as using something made by ge_freak but then 2 pages later, it says he has removed all of his postings and information.

I'm hoping that once I get this into RDNIS mode, I can easily update it with TIConfig.  Some direction here would be great.

[tjb1]

Hello.  I have an E4 1.2L with the 2.1.0 firmware and cannot get it into RNDIS mode.  I've gone into the secret menu and the setting refuses to stick.  I have read and searched through many of the 350+ pages of the other thread but I cannot find the answer.  I found things such as using something made by ge_freak but then 2 pages later, it says he has removed all of his postings and information.

I'm hoping that once I get this into RDNIS mode, I can easily update it with TIConfig.  Some direction here would be great.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg515462/#msg515462

[fortex]

Thanks for the reply.  That was another confusing portion of the thread that I had ran across.  I have no context at all for this statement for instance:

"If you search through Mikes original hack you can enter RNDIS mode using flirinstallnet and the FIF files from Mikes earlier hacks."

Unfortunately I don't know who Mike is or where to find his "earlier hack".  Sorry for my ignorance and newbieism but that thread is massive and appears to have been drastically tampered with at multiple points in time.  Any additional direction would be much appreciated.

[b_force]

Guys, I have a question, maybe you can help me out.
I have successfully upgraded the firmware and the menu with the E4
Now I want to install Flir Tools, but if I want to do that, I get an error message.
Does this something has to do with the drivers/upgrade, or is that completely something else?

BTW, would it be possible to reprogram the four cursors for setting the distance?

[fortex]

Thanks for the reply.  That was another confusing portion of the thread that I had ran across.  I have no context at all for this statement for instance:

"If you search through Mikes original hack you can enter RNDIS mode using flirinstallnet and the FIF files from Mikes earlier hacks."

Unfortunately I don't know who Mike is or where to find his "earlier hack".  Sorry for my ignorance and newbieism but that thread is massive and appears to have been drastically tampered with at multiple points in time.  Any additional direction would be much appreciated.

Can anyone provide more direction on this?  Where to get Mike's original hack, what to run to enable RNDIS mode, etc?  I'm feeling pretty lost here.

[Roger H]

Hi all, am new to thermal cam hacking, I just got an E40 early version with no msx, early firmware, in an ideal world I'd like this to have msx but think this may need extra hardware? Also, I've looked at E4 images before and after and can't see a massive difference, my questions therefore are:
1, can I get msx on E40
2, What is the easiest method to attempt hack
3, What are the chances of bricking the device?
4, If I attempt the hack and fail, can I roll back the firmware
I did see someones post on here that had hacked an early E40, and would appreciate any help from those that have tried and tested.
Thanks, Roger H

[Fraser]

@Roger

Did you recently win the E40 on e*ay.co.uk ? If so, well done for winning it.

To answer your questions:

1. No, MSX is not possible within the early E40 but can be created with the images on a PC after capture.
2. There is only one method for the E40 that I have seen and it is manual rather than running a program so you need to read up on the steps. The information you require is in this thread and you can contact the chaps who discuss the E40 upgrade for help.
3. It is always a risky process to 'hack' a FLIR camera as if you delete or over write an essential file the camera will stop operating. You need to always be VERY methodical when doing such changes as recovery may prove challenging. You have the benefit of E40 owners here though  who may be able to assist with copies of the files if lost. No.1 rule...ALWAYS back up all the cameras files before attempting any changes to the files.
4. You are not changing the firmware on your camera, You are changing the contents of some files and some checksums. The files may be changed back to factory if required. You do not do any damage to the cameras firmware during the changes.
5. Its a royal pain as this thread is huge but I strongly suggest you look at the links provided by Mike in his Post on the first page. Then do a search on this thread looking for references to 'E40'. You should find the postings of people who upgraded their cameras.

Hope this helps

Aurora

[Roger H]

Thanks for the info, yes I did "win" the item, and while the E4 res hack is tempting, I don't want to loose the higher end temp scale up to 650c. strangely, in the flir ftp menu, there is an option to enable 200-1200, and while this does show on the camera I don't think there has been any calibration for this, but wonder why it is available. Ideally I would just like the res hack, my files report 160x160 which is really weird, and the info from flir to upgrade their firmware via SD card shows a button in camera to install this, but my camera has no such button, all in all it's a strange device, and I have taken your good idea to back up the system, I've trawled the e40 threads but see only one person who has done the hack on E40, but no real info on results in detail. Many thanks for your input, the learning curve is like a cliff face for me on this new kit, but fortunately I have worked with other electronics requiring fw updates so am learning fast.
I would like your opinion on the higher temp range, it doesn't seem likely this cam could operate at 1200c but I still wonder why it's in the menu.
regards, Roger H

[leoibb]

Does anyone do the hack over the pc for a fee or I can travel I really don't understand files and such please help

[jfields]

Hi, I am new to Thermal Imaging and I'm about to purchase an E4B. I have been reading trying to find out if the E4b can be hacked the same ways as the E4. Can anyone confirm?

[Sofia]

Greetings
I want to ask whether, after a complaint camera, I can upload files back ("hack E8" common_dll.dll a conf.cfc).
Or should I create a new one?
Firmware 2.3.
About faulty thermo sensor:-(
Thanks for the info.

[Whizbang]

Hey I have an E4 that I bought last Feb and moded. My main question is what happens if you remove the hack? Does it just source the original config file? Maybe I missed someone else asking this in previous pages. Should the serial number change or does it stay the same? I remember using hte CRC files and putting my serial number in there and then executing the exe file, however I never did get the menu hack working because I was afraid to use RDNIS. However I just saw a YouTube video where the individual just dragged and dropped using filezilla. This leads to my question, do I need to completely uninstall everything? Or can someone walk me through backing up my original menu in case for safety, and then install the beta 3 menu only. Note: I would like to do this using filezilla, except previously when doing the resolution mod I used terminal, will this cause an issue? Do both modifications have to be done using terminal or RDNIS

I have read through and tried to search my question, but I may not have used the right key words so i apologize if this a repetitive question. I really don't want to break my camera.

I posted this on another thread several days back and haven't heard anything so I am trying to post here and see if I can get some feedback.

Thanks

[rue]

Hi there,

I´m quite new to these topics and want to apply Mike´s old resolution hack only (reply#483 in his thread) to my E4 with the firmware 1.19.8.
As FLIR updated Flir Tools from v4.0, v4.1 to v5.0 I now wonder if there might be any problem using the newest version (the only one I have) that I already installed on my PC (FlirInstallNet.exe is dated Oct, 2nd, 2014). I fear that Flir changed something in there that causes any problem or makes the camera stuck when applying the fif file. Does anyone know something about?

Are there any other news on the old resolution "update" that might help?

Thanks a lot!

[JFA]

Because I never trusted FLIR to not fuck with the software, I never hook-up the camera to FLIR Tools. I always transfer the pics from the cam to a folder in the computer, and then open the files in FLIR Tools.
AND I put a condom on the USB cable when I do the transfer to my computer.  Better be safe than sorry...

OK, 'was just jokin' about the condom. 

Hi there,

I´m quite new to these topics and want to apply Mike´s old resolution hack only (reply#483 in his thread) to my E4 with the firmware 1.19.8.
As FLIR updated Flir Tools from v4.0, v4.1 to v5.0 I now wonder if there might be any problem using the newest version (the only one I have) that I already installed on my PC (FlirInstallNet.exe is dated Oct, 2nd, 2014). I fear that Flir changed something in there that causes any problem or makes the camera stuck when applying the fif file. Does anyone know something about?

Are there any other news on the old resolution "update" that might help?

Thanks a lot!

[adaviel]

I found this forum by accident looking up the E4 resolution  with Google. Worth it just for finding the hidden menu with USB webcam mode; thanks guys.
I have to say, though, that multipage threads in a forum make for terrible documentation, compared to a a wiki or a CMS or just about anything, except maybe a mailing list that no-one's archived.

I have an E4 model E4 1.1L part no 63901-0101 software 1.22.0
Hidden menu shows Appcore 22.0.0.1, confkit E4 1.1L, appkit 1.0.17
I thought I would try the resolution hack.

I normally use Linux; I was able to build the cfc_generator easily after fixing the md5.h filename case. But USB NDIS won't work, or I'm not persistant enough. It works nicely with my Beagleboard, but with the E4 the eth4 interface comes up but then the E4 does not respond to DHCP requests. I tried setting the address manually but get no response.

Not that NDIS is much better on Windows; I borrowed a Windows 8.1 laptop and loaded the FLIR drivers. Considering that the E4 also runs a Microsoft OS (Windows CE), the quality of this procedure is appalling. I refuse on principle to reboot computers just to install something and at least that was not necessary (apart from the E4, which I'll forgive). The NDIS interface almost always appeared in the Windows control panel when I entered NDIS mode, or connected the USB cable, but then most of the time the process hung saying "identifying..". I suspect it hangs at the same point as in Linux, waiting for a DHCP response. I had some success using the Windows troubleshooter, clicking the interface icon and using "diagnose", which does some magic including "resetting" the interface. It didn't always work first time, or second. I also as per the forum notes disabled the other network interfaces. When it worked, it seemed to stay working with ipconfig showing the interface address as 192.168.0.1 and the gateway address as 192.168.0.2 (the E4). On occasions when it did not work, I saw e.g. interface address 192.168.1.1 but
gateway address 192.168.0.2. Frankly, this is ridiculous. It should work first time, every time, without having to disable anything, same as the Beagleboard does on Linux. However, I doubt that complaining to FLIR about an undocumented feature is likely to prove rewarding.
Once the NDIS interface was up and working, I was able to access the E4 filesystem with command-line ftp or with winscp in ftp mode, and, I think, re-enable the other network interfaces.

So, the hack. I was able to retrieve conf.cfc, decrypt it, edit, run the CFC generator, re-encrypt it. That all seemed to work fine, as per examples I've seen on the forum. I checked the text file with "od -a" in Linux and see "cr lf" between all the lines and at the end of the file. The ID in the original matches the serial number printed on my E4.
I tried using conf_template.cfg (the E8 file), and modified versions of my original E4 config with just the resolution changed. When I upload them as conf.cfc and reboot (removing the battery) the E4 works in IR mode but if I switch image mode to "Digital camera" and take a picture, I get "application appcore.exe encountered a serious error" and the camera hangs until powered off. "Thermal MSX" is also missing in the menu. When taking a picture in thermal mode, the visible light thumbnail is blank and there is no image saved to SD. The thermal image seems completely normal - same apparent resolution as usual, with the same EXIF data still showing E4 and resolution 320x240.

Seems like I'm missing a step or doing something wrong. Any ideas ?

I'm a bit nervous about making random changes in case I brick my camera. Can that happen ?

What are the symptoms of a missing conf.cfc, wrong SSID, wrong ID, or corrupted text (extra comments, changed date, nonsense values for resolution, zoom etc.) ?
What do all the changed config entries actually do, like alarms, irMarkers, measureFuncs ? Should they work, or do they require hardware features that are only in the E80 ?
I would try to be a bit more systematic in recording and reporting things, but the randomness of getting the NDIS link to work is time-consuming and frustrating, and I'm not very good with Windows.

=====================
Later:
I got NDIS to work solidly and reliably on Linux - DHCP didn't work, but I set NetworkManager to recognize the apparent MAC address and use address 192.168.250.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 gw 0.0.0.0. So when I plug the camera in or select USB mode NDIS it comes online strraight away.
After that, the webpage http://192.168.250.1showed a number of camera parameters such as serial number, number of times the shutter had been triggered, etc.
I could access the camera with ftp both with flir/3vlig and as anonymous.
The crc03 program compiled and ran normally on Linux. ftool compiled OK and decrypts conf.crc OK, but on encryption messes up the 16-byte MD5 section. I suspect an endian issue but it's beyond my skill to fix in reasonable time. Meanwhile ftool.exe runs properly in Wine.
I found I had to set binmode in ftp else the new conf.cfc got uploaded in ascii mode with spurious linefeeds. Now I have I think improved resolution, and the visible light image is getting saved properly again. I uploaded a custom splash screen ("this camera belongs to me") for fun.
In UVC mode I can get a picture with webcam software such as "cheese". Video capture did not work for me in cheese, probably I'm missing some streaming libraries, but I could use e.g. "mencoder  -tv device=/dev/video1 -ovc copy -o try.avi tv://1" (from mplayer)

http://andrew.daviel.org/E4-blog.html

Andrew

[rue]

Thanks JFA, you might be right but actually it seems to be necessary to use FlirInstallNet.exe to appy the fif file (referring to Mike´s update steps). I just wondered if FILR might have put some "stuff" into the newer FLIR Tools version that causes problems with the resolution hack for the 1.19.8 version??? I´m not an expert in all these console/RNDIS stuff so I just wanted to apply the resolution hack and that´s it (menue hack would be fine, but I rather refrain from it to not damage my cam if sth. goes wrong).

Does anyone know about a safe download link for version 4 of Flir Tools? I think this is the version that was used when Mike published his "update" process for the 1.19.8 firmware.

Rue

Because I never trusted FLIR to not fuck with the software, I never hook-up the camera to FLIR Tools. I always transfer the pics from the cam to a folder in the computer, and then open the files in FLIR Tools.
AND I put a condom on the USB cable when I do the transfer to my computer.  Better be safe than sorry...

OK, 'was just jokin' about the condom. 

Hi there,

I´m quite new to these topics and want to apply Mike´s old resolution hack only (reply#483 in his thread) to my E4 with the firmware 1.19.8.
As FLIR updated Flir Tools from v4.0, v4.1 to v5.0 I now wonder if there might be any problem using the newest version (the only one I have) that I already installed on my PC (FlirInstallNet.exe is dated Oct, 2nd, 2014). I fear that Flir changed something in there that causes any problem or makes the camera stuck when applying the fif file. Does anyone know something about?

Are there any other news on the old resolution "update" that might help?

Thanks a lot!

[murcielago]

A little info on my background.

I live near the equator and the average day temp is around 25-32degC with humidity easily 50-90% or more.

I've upgraded the e4 to e8 with beta 3 menus and I am completely loss as to how the functions work

reflected temperature?
ambient relative humidity
condensation: rel amb humidity
condensation: humidity marking level.

I have no idea how "detect condensation" under graph colours works. I've opened my fridge door and it doesn't detect condensation forming on the cold surface.

I take it as the temperature cutoff in "detect insulation deficiencies" cannot be changed? Given I live in a tropical climate with rather high humidity, so 18degC is not going to be too useful?

Taking into account my ambient temperature, how should I adjust the the above mentioned settings? It's telling me my ordinary home freezer is running at -20degC



Also, whenever the menu is shown, there are 2 symbols at the top, a wifi symbol and a memory card symbol and they go away once I exit the menu.

[hangman992]

I've posted this already in the E4 teardown thread and get no answers, now i know why, sorry.

Hey, i´m the new one :-)

I hope you can help me.
I want to buy a Flir E4, but i´m not shure.
Is it possible to unlock the high resulution and the menue with the 2.3 Firmware or is only the resulution hack possible?
Can i undo the hack if i need to give the Cam to Flir for repair.

Sorry about my bad english.
Greetings from Germany
Philipp

[Chanc3]

A little info on my background.

I live near the equator and the average day temp is around 25-32degC with humidity easily 50-90% or more.

I've upgraded the e4 to e8 with beta 3 menus and I am completely loss as to how the functions work

reflected temperature?
ambient relative humidity
condensation: rel amb humidity
condensation: humidity marking level.

I have no idea how "detect condensation" under graph colours works. I've opened my fridge door and it doesn't detect condensation forming on the cold surface.

I take it as the temperature cutoff in "detect insulation deficiencies" cannot be changed? Given I live in a tropical climate with rather high humidity, so 18degC is not going to be too useful?

Taking into account my ambient temperature, how should I adjust the the above mentioned settings? It's telling me my ordinary home freezer is running at -20degC



Also, whenever the menu is shown, there are 2 symbols at the top, a wifi symbol and a memory card symbol and they go away once I exit the menu.

Might be worth following up your purchase with a bit of training if anyone is near you - even if just a one day course.

Everything gives off infrared radiation so this radiation can effect other objects giving you false readings. To counter this, the cameras have "Tref" or Reflected apparent temperature", which you must define: a good example to demonstrate how this works and how to counter it is to point your camera at a wall, take an image. Now get a piece of tin foil, scrunch it up lots, flatten it out and hold it in front of the wall, take another image.

Now using software or the inbuilt measurement functions, position an area box over the foil and take an average, this is now your reflected temperature. Now go back to the first image and input this new figure into the reflected temperature variable and notice how much the image changes!

As for condensation settings, again you need to define this yourself, which I believe there are many calculators online or even phone apps. When the figure has been  entered, and temperatures that fall below this will appear as a different colour on the thermogram.

Hope this helps a bit - late at night and on my phone!

[Jim1960]

Hi all, I sure have learned a lot reading the hundreds of posts on the EEVblog regarding E4 camera modifications. However, I have reached a point where I am stuck at with my E4 camera, and would like to please reach out for a mentor that could give me some advice. I have gotten as far as being able to read and access my E4's internal files with Filezilla, but am afraid to go any further as I don't want to end up bricking my E4.

My E4 is one of the newer ones, so I'm looking for help from someone who has successfully performed the resolution and menu hacks. The info on my E4 is: Model = E4 1.2L, Part# 63901-0101, Software = 2.3.0

Thanks, Jim1960

[leoibb]

Hello all . The distance is fairly poor from my use I would have thought picking people up 100 metre away wouldn't be a problem but it is. So is there a clip on lenses of some description I could use to magnify further ? I'm not a file or tech guy so simple answers if possible . Thanks

[intern]

Hi, there's a version of the Flir E4 called "E4-B", it sells for about $150 less than the normal E4.

It says in the description "Limited temperature Range"
"This E4 model will produce the same high quality image available on Standard Release cameras under normal operating conditions but the operating temperature range is not the same as the Standard Release E-Series specification detailed in the user manual"

Does anyone know if the available hacks can be applied to the E4-B ?

Thanks.

[MYU]

Thank you everyone who contributed to making this possible.
I installed everything on another computer and followed this video.
Everything worked flawlessly.  It has more options than my E60!  Resolution is significantly improved (obviously) and the menu hacks are phenomenal.
Phil

Hi
I have E4 1.1L fw 1.21.0 and succesfully hacked camera with same instruction.
But in a few video about hacked E4 I saw there is also blending option in picture mode. I dont''t have this one, but have 2x picture in picture: first biger, second smaller.
How to gest blending option?

[OrBy]

Hi
I have E4 1.1L fw 1.21.0 and succesfully hacked camera with same instruction.
But in a few video about hacked E4 I saw there is also blending option in picture mode. I dont''t have this one, but have 2x picture in picture: first biger, second smaller.
How to gest blending option?

I believe that is a new addition to the 2.3.0 firmware.

[MYU]

Is it possible to temporarily (while video streaming) disable calibration message on the top screen?

[OrBy]

Is it possible to temporarily (while video streaming) disable calibration message on the top screen?

Disabling of the NUC was discussed in the thread. It required telnet'ing into the camera and issuing commands.

(ripped from earlier in thread)

# turn off auto-nuc
rset .tcomp.services.autoNuc.active false

# turn on auto-nuc
rset .tcomp.services.autoNuc.active true

# trigger nuc
rset .image.services.nuc.commit true

You can also leave the camera on for a long time (20-30min) and the NUC'ing slows down to almost never since the camera reaches stable temp.

[mct75]

Can the newest version still be hacked to 320x240 60fps?

[Fraser]

The E4 has never been publicly upgradable to 60fps.

The E4 teardown three will answer your question in more detail but yes, the 2.11 firmware camera (current release) can be upgraded to 320 X 240 but it takes some effort.

Fraser

[mct75]

Thanks!  I don't know where I was thinking it was 60fps.

I guess a better question would be "do the newer ones have any limitation/encumbrances that older revisions don't?" 

I just ordered this one, there was a used one that was on sale for $450 so I jumped on it.  Is it the right one?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FKD9DSW

[Chanc3]

Yup! Hopefully you have older firmware also


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mct75]

Can't the firmware be downgraded?   I kinda jumped on that deal without doing all the research ahead of time.

[Chanc3]

Think it depends which version you have, but regardless, they can be hacked


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mct75]

As long as they are all hackable!  I hate the idea of owning crippled hardware.

[Fraser]

Great price. Well done

Fraser

[DoricLoon]

Hi,

Does anyone know if the current E5 which is the same price now as E4 is easily upgraded.
ie Does 2lps 2.11 hack also support the E5. The e5 files are in the downloaded ZIP but have they been used on a E5 2.11?

Thanks

James

[Simon]

is it still feseable to hack the E4 ?

[peperoca]

Hi everyone,

This a great thread and knoweldge base for flir, much better than the own flir. However I'm in deep trouble and could not find a solution yet.

I have a E5 (not hacked) with firmware 2.3 and tried to upgrade to 2.11 with flir tools for MAC. When disconnecting the USB as required by flir tools, an OS error popped "Disk Not Ejected Properly"… The camera never booted up again 

The flir logo shows up after starting the camera but then dissolves to a black screen forever. I can connect to the memory through USB but can't really do anything to try and re install the firmware.

Can a firmware be pushed with flirinstallnet or filezilla?

The support people from flir recommended me retry to update from flir tools and later to try removing the battery, that it's… I did not work.

Does anyone gone through this?

I will appreciate any response.

[mct75]

Personally I would get FLIR to fix it before you void the warranty.

[peperoca]

Personally I would get FLIR to fix it before you void the warranty.

Is there any place to check if the warranty is still valid? I believe it might just be void for about a couple of months now.

Besides there is no official FLIR in my country, there might be in Brazil but don't know if they can fix it. I have already emailed them but still no reply.

Thanks for the tip mct75

[jms]

I have an E6 with firmware 2.11
How can I check the current IR sensor settings before the hack? Can this be done with the FLIRInstallNet/Get resource?

In his description of the 2.11 hack, 2lps said:

I am attaching the modified script package (removed e6 files, as they seem to work slightly differently at first glance)

( https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/flir-e4-thermal-imaging-camera-teardown/msg921880/#msg921880 )

Since I have an E6, I wonder what he meant when sayin "removed e6 files"?

[sof1980]

Good day to All
Where I can see firmware version in Flir E4 and this "1.2L"?
Thanks

[Zapro]

Hey peeps. I've been reading a bit here on the forums after seeing the video years ago with Mike hacking the E4 

Today, i managed to get my hands on a secondhand E4 at a good price.

It's running the 1.22.0 firmware.

I've been reading up and down on the forums, but one question i cannot find a usable answer to:

Should i upgrade to newest firmware (in writing: 2.11 or 2.3) before applying the hack (is there anything to win by doing this) or should i keep it with the old 1.22.0 firmware and apply the hack?

Thanks in advance

[userfriendly]

Hello. Looking to upgrade the resolution and menus on my E4 1.22. Does anyone happen to have a copy of Marphy's TIConfig utility for the one-click upgrade?