Can FLIR One be used with PC only?

[jpanhalt]

That question has been posed on the FLIR forum by others and FLIR chat.  The official answer is no (at least not yet). 

Does anyone know of a link to non-FLIR software that will allow use with only a PC running Windows 7?

Thanks, John

[Spirit532]

No, not at the moment.
Best you can do right now is use the FOne Ultimate app(posted here) and stream video over WiFi to JoeC's software, which supports it.

[Fraser]

I have long been suspicious of why FLIR did not provide a PC connectivity option for the F1G2 Android cameras. The dongle is a bit like Software Defined Radio hardware in some ways..... the 'sensor head' passes data to a host that processes it into the required format for the user. There is NO reason why the F1G2 cannot operate with a PC as the host....... except....... marketing !

FLIR produce the A series Industrial cameras for workspace observation. The A series cameras range in resolution from 80 x 60 to 640 x 480 pixels. FLIR had meetings to discuss what capabilities the F1G2 would incorporate into its diminutive shell. One direct result of those meetings was MSX was set up as 'always on' to compete with the SEEK camera images that were slightly higher resolution and useful features were deliberately not provided in order to protect FLIR camera sales in the pro-sumer segment. The F1G2 was always intended to be a limited thermal imaging solution with just enough performance and features to sell well, without harming sales of the Ex series and A series cameras. This was just standard marketing procedure at FLIR and it can be seen throughout their camera ranges.

If the F1G2 was provided with PC connectivity or even video output capability, it would have impinged upon the FLIR A series networked cameras and the FLIR VUE and DUO drone camera ranges. One of the A series cameras, called the AX8, is basically a FLIR One Lepton based design mated with a network interface and placed into an Industrial casing. It costs far more than the F1G2 though. The DUO drone camera is similar in this respect.

It would be great if FLIR released a driver to allow use of the F1Gx dongles on a PC, but sadly I do not see such happening. It would be down to the user community to craft such a driver.

Fraser

[IwuzBornanerd]

Didn't a team from this forum develop a "driver" that used v4l2loopback to stream the images to display software on Linux?  Take a look at the first half dozen pages of https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/question-about-flir-one-for-android/ and see if there is usable code there.  I don't recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with Linux, though.  This would be all on a pc, though. 

[jpanhalt]

Yes, I have seen several similar threads.   I was hoping for a link to an actual Windows app.   I do not have Linux installed.

Right now, I am torn between buying a FLIR One and harvesting its microbolimeter, buying a breakout board w/ microbolimeter, getting a Seek, or waiting for the new generation of non-microbolimeter based optical detectors (e.g. those based on a change of RI with LWIR).

I really just want to play with using an MCU to get close-up images of my PCB's and other stuff and may go for the time being with a simple stand-alone camera and ZnSe lens.

I am anxious for any suggestions.  It's a hobby, so price is important.

[james_s]

For what you're trying to do, is there any reason not to just use a cheap Android tablet? Surely you could set up something simple to send the captured images to a PC. Certainly seems easier than taking it apart for the sensor.

[jpanhalt]

I don't have a smart phone or tablet.  I have had a couple of laptops, but I keep going back to my desktop. My cell phone is a prepaid and for emergencies only.  I rarely use it.  Old fashioned?  Yes.   But I am hoping for an alternative.

[Spirit532]

Seek cameras are easy to interface to, there's plenty of PC-specific software written for them. See JoeC's app, for one.
I'd say go for that instead.

[james_s]

I don't have a smart phone or tablet.  I have had a couple of laptops, but I keep going back to my desktop. My cell phone is a prepaid and for emergencies only.  I rarely use it.  Old fashioned?  Yes.   But I am hoping for an alternative.

Fair enough, but you can buy a basic tablet for peanuts and dedicate it just for that task, you can probably get a used Android phone for free and not even activate the phone part. Just consider it an integral part of the thermal camera, you don't have to switch all your other tasks over to it.

[IwuzBornanerd]

But will a basic peanuts tablet actually support the camera and manufacturer's app; "USB on the go" & probably multi-core 1GHz processor?

For looking close at pwb's, I'm with @Spirit532; a Seek Compact non-XR should be good for that.  If it doesn't focus close enough for you as it comes it's not hard to pop the focusing ring off & trim the limiting peg off to remove the focus restriction.  I have been informed that they focus down to 2" with no modification, though.  You can't focus a FLIROne so it would not be any good up close. 

I don't use Windows anymore so I have not tried any of the Windows thermal camera programs, but they seem to be quite capable & popular.  And I also do not have a smartphone.

[james_s]

I don't know, I'm not a tablet guy, but you can get a quad core 1.3GHz tablet brand new for under $50, I'm sure the FLIR has a list of hardware requirements.

[jpanhalt]

Thanks all for the great suggestions.   I had thought about getting an old android phone, but was worried about how far back compatibility would go.

Didn't realize Seek could be adjusted so easily.  That certainly raises its stock in my opinion.

Regards, John