Flir E40 Upgrade & Configuration

[Fraser]

Lens 3 - Inframetrics 60mm diameter 150mm FL Germanium

[Fraser]

Lens 4 - Agema/FLIR 55mm diameter 300mm FL Germanium

[Fraser]

Lens 5 - EEV Argus 2 rear Germanium lens

[Fraser]

Lens 6 - EEV Argus 2 front Germanium lens

[Chanc3]

@Fraser spotted your mention! Yes, when we sent a camera back to FLIR for full calibration (not a check), I turned an extra temperature range on (not an original one) , to see what they would do. When I got it back, they had turned it off again!

In a second instance of my playing around with a P620, I had left a higher, uncalibrated range on. It then went off for a calibration check, and low and behold, it failed spectacularly! Must have been out by 60° or so.

We now have two 6" fluke blackbody calibration sources at the office and I will be happy to check out the accuracy of a bx model and if possible, calibrate the higher range. If any one wants to send theirs in and pay return postage, I'll happily do this for free. Please bear in mind that we're UK based.

Fraser, when you updated the firmware, did you lose access to the service menu?

[Fraser]

Chanc3,

Thanks for the clarification on the ranges issue.

My upgrade to firmware 2.23 did not disable my service menu. All is well on that front 

Fraser

[Fraser]

A final thermal image that I took of the PCB using the E60 set at close focus without any auxiliary lens fitted.

[HighVoltage]

According to here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/flir-e40-upgrade-configuration/msg561542/#msg561542

it's the one without MSX, me and Fraser like these ones more then the MSX others.

FW can go up to 2.23.14 if I understood correctly.

The bx is not for me. I mean I have already a calibrated E4, a Exxbx would be a step back at the end.
Of course if you just need an rough idea where the temperatures are, then a bx with the high range selected can do the job, Pinkus is right.

Interesting!
Why do you think the Exxbx is a step back over the E4

So you would prefer the E4 to E8 mod over a E40bx to E60bx mod?
If so, why?

Thanks for a feedback

[Fraser]

Highvoltage,

I think Zucca is referring to the E4 250C max temp Vs the E60bx official 120C max temp.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Apologies, the IR pictures got a little mixed up in my previous posts for the Close-up test. Now all corrected. I re-took the Inframetrics and Agema lens pictures as I had them mixed up. Poor preparation and record keeping on my part 

Fraser

[Fraser]

OK, its time for a conclusion to the Close-up lens test.

The E40 is pretty god at PCB imaging using its manual focus lens. Not good enough for detailed analysis of small components though. The standard 100mm FL ZnSe lens was a bit of a surprise. I expected more vignetting but instead I found its focus distance to be a bit too close for everyday use. It starts getting into thermal microscope territory ! This is too much when just wanting to carry out a thermal survey of SMD components on a PCB. The Inframetrics and Agema dedicated close-up lenses provided the sort of field of view that is useful when surveying a PCB. Just enough to provide useful information on each component. The EEV Argus 2 lenses were also interesting. The rear lens has too shrt an FL and I found it hard to get close enough to the PCB in order to get any sort of acceptable focus. The front lens was excellent though. A good close-up lens for nice detail of small components. A very crisp image was produced as well. Sadly that EEV front lens is in very short supply as it is the one that gets corroded whilst in service on the ARGUS 2 fire fighting camera.

So interestingly, the 100mm FL ZnSe lens, when used on the Exx series 18mm standard lens, is really too close an FL and provides too narrow a field of view for optimum use. Sadly the 100mm FL is about the longest FL that can be bought cheaply.

Fraser

[Pinkus]

So interestingly, the 100mm FL ZnSe lens, when used on the Exx series 18mm standard lens, is really too close an FL and provides too narrow a field of view for optimum use. Sadly the 100mm FL is about the longest FL that can be bought cheaply.

There are ZnSe lenses available with e.g. 7.5" FL (~200mm) for not too much money (approx. 30-50 Euro), though only with 20 or 25mm diameter. Would you think these would work or would the diameter be too small?

[Zucca]

Highvoltage,

I think Zucca is referring to the E4 250C max temp Vs the E60bx official 120C max temp.

Fraser

Correct

[Fraser]

Pinkus,

I like using a 100mm FL lens with my E4 as I get the FOV that I am comfortable with for PCB surveys.
The Ex series have a 45 degree FOV. The Exx series standard 18mm lens has a 25 degree FOV.

Some simple maths suggests that for a close-up lens on the Exx camera to provide the same PCB coverage as the wider FOV E4 setup, It will need an FL of 1.8 times that used on the E4. Or to be more precise it will need a close-up lens of FL 180mm (7.2").

A 7 to 7.5" FL would be close enough really. Some users prefer the 63mm FL lens on the E4. They would want a 100mm (4") lens as tested here. I personally would use such only for investigation of single components. Too small a PCB coverage for my personal needs.

As to diameter. The lens on the Exx is around 25mm diameter. Not all of it is necessarily active however. The FOV is a relatively tight 25 Degrees so it should be possible to get away with a 20 to 25mm close-up lens positioned as close to the cameras objective as possible. My 20mm lens was some distance away and there were definitely losses towards the edges. The main area of interest tends to be central in the image so some vignetting is often permissible. Microscopes produce circular images after all 

Cost is the issue with increasing the lens diameter. The ZnSe lenses used for CO2 laser focus are now mass produced, so very inexpensive. Anything else is likely to be from a more specialist supplier for lab use and so more expensive. It comes down to what you need, what you can live with and what you can afford really. I am very lucky to have the large Inframetrics and Agema close-up lenses. They will not be the easiest to mount on an Exx camera though as they are quite heavy. I will likely work up with a ZnSe Close-up lens solution for my Exx camera. A 25mm diameter 7.5" FL lens would be a great start. 35mm diameter would be even better, but that gets expensive.

Hope this helps. Take a look at the two sets of images provided by the Inframetrics and Agema 150mm FL lenses. That is very close to what a 7.5" FL lens would provide. Such a lens us halving the minimum focus distance of the Exx camera so it is basically a X2 magnification factor at minimum focus.

I will post some quick and dirty vignetting pictures I took when using the 20mm diameter lens. That will have to wait until tomorrow though. Time for sleep now   

Fraser

[Bud]

An update on the upgrade of my E40 camera.

I have now enabled just about all of the extended features on this camera. It now has many features not normally found on the standard E60  The enablement of the features created no problems for the camera at all and it is working very well.

The two configuration files that I have been working with are attached for readers interest. They are simple to set up but not all the features appear to actually appear on the cameras menu's.

Has anyone managed to use the following features on their Exx camera please ?

GUI configuration file

1. Panorama mode. No menu option appears in the camera mode menu that contains Camera, Video and Program options.
2. Fastshoot mode  No idea what this mode can actually do.
3. PIP locked ? No idea what that actually is intended to do.
4. Presets - User presets for measurements (macro's if you prefer) I have the Preset menu option but no preset configuration entry in the setup menu.

Fraser

Not on E40 but this is User Presets from a doctored E4.



Here we have a Average Box and a Line measurements. Having a Line also produces a graph of the thermal profile (at the screen bottom) along that line as you point to objects.





Panorama did not work,
Video did not work.
Can't remember seeing Fastshoot or PIP locked features.

[Serpiph]

Hello to everyone!

I got my E40bx (ID: 645xxxxxxx, FW: 4.13.0) camera with some features activated by previous owner. I read E4 upgrade thread and this thread also. First of all I change config files to enable all potential features. During my tests with E40bx I found some interesting things.
1. I found blend mode which I don't see on FW4.11.0. It works fine.
2. Some features are hidden in menus by simply removing lines from xml files. For example multiple selection, sketching, PDF creation, preview mode, timelapse, screening, adding lines with histogram, circles during edit mode.
3. Some features I can't activate: panorama mode, five point preset, adding points, boxes, lines and so on during measurement, user preset mode.
4. Some presets are not visible even when I activate needed config parameters and rls shows them activated.
5. Unfortunatelly PDF creation and sketching don't work when I try to use them.

Panorama mode needs .caps.config.image.framegrab.panorama parameter but I can't understand how to create it. I try to enter line into conf.cfg and try to use rcreate/rset programs but get nothing. Also I try to create .caps.config.image.framegrab.panorama.enabled bool parameter and also fail.

Please help me with xml config files you have especially those from E60. As I think PDF and sketching don't work because of signal interaction absence.

[Serpiph]

An update on the upgrade of my E40 camera.

I have now enabled just about all of the extended features on this camera. It now has many features not normally found on the standard E60  The enablement of the features created no problems for the camera at all and it is working very well.

The two configuration files that I have been working with are attached for readers interest. They are simple to set up but not all the features appear to actually appear on the cameras menu's.

Has anyone managed to use the following features on their Exx camera please ?

GUI configuration file

1. Panorama mode. No menu option appears in the camera mode menu that contains Camera, Video and Program options.
2. Fastshoot mode  No idea what this mode can actually do.
3. PIP locked ? No idea what that actually is intended to do.
4. Presets - User presets for measurements (macro's if you prefer) I have the Preset menu option but no preset configuration entry in the setup menu.

Fraser

Hello!

1. I can't activate panorama mode also but I find parameters referred to it. I still searching info how to activate it.
2. Fastshoot mode I don't yet research. I think it means quickly save image without preview edit.
3. If you unlock PIP, you can move and resize PIP window. To test select PIP mode, touch PIP window as you touch spot or mbox measurement tool, then PIP options window opens and you can do what you need.
4. This is the strangest mode. I try but yet get nothing with it.

By the way my camera is HW1.1 (newer).

[Serpiph]

It becomes more interesting.
1. I add video type to menu (CSQ or MPEG) but receive video record error in CSQ mode. MPEG mode restores normal video mode. It seems to be codec absence in camera. 
2. Sketch menu is activated but not yet correctly filled with data. So I have to hard reset to exit the sketch mode 

[Bud]

Panorama may require compass/accelerometer hardware be present. If your camera does not have that hardware installed, panorama will not work. It makes sense, the camera should somehow know that you turn around and in which direction when taking a shot.

[Fraser]

Interesting stuff, keep it coming

I have enabled sketch mode and it is working fine on my MK1 camera. I just enabled it in the configuration. I am thinking that some of the features in the configuration menu also require the oresence or at least enablement of linked files elsewhere in the cameras firmware. I am no expert though. I need to talk to Bud as he is happily enabling all manner of functionality in the 2017 model E4 camera !

I did not think I would use sketch or text annotation modes but they are good for reminding me of am issue in an image when I later revisit the stored images.

From memory, Panorama mode just places a set of grid lines on the screen to help maintain horizontal panning of a scene. Nothing more clever than that. I was hoping for sequential capture and auto stitching

I will need to dive inside my cameras firmware again in order to help someone upgrade an E30. I shall revisit the additional functionality then.

Fraser

[Serpiph]

Panorama may require compass/accelerometer hardware be present. If your camera does not have that hardware installed, panorama will not work. It makes sense, the camera should somehow know that you turn around and in which direction when taking a shot.

I found interesting thing: parameter '.caps.config.ui.mode.panorama' exists, but program tries to find parameter '.caps.config.image.framegrab.panorama'. And I can't create the last one. Maybe an error in firmware? Compass existense is not required if firmware can compare shots to find intersections. Ordinal stiching programs does not need compass info, just give them the right image sequence.

[Serpiph]

Interesting stuff, keep it coming

I have enabled sketch mode and it is working fine on my MK1 camera. I just enabled it in the configuration. I am thinking that some of the features in the configuration menu also require the oresence or at least enablement of linked files elsewhere in the cameras firmware. I am no expert though. I need to talk to Bud as he is happily enabling all manner of functionality in the 2017 model E4 camera !

I did not think I would use sketch or text annotation modes but they are good for reminding me of am issue in an image when I later revisit the stored images.

From memory, Panorama mode just places a set of grid lines on the screen to help maintain horizontal panning of a scene. Nothing more clever than that. I was hoping for sequential capture and auto stitching

I will need to dive inside my cameras firmware again in order to help someone upgrade an E30. I shall revisit the additional functionality then.

Fraser

Could you send me your xml config files to compare with mine?

By the way, I look into update pack for Kx5 cameras and found full web access to service functions. Maybe it will be interesting to you. Unfortunately E75/85/95 cameras use debian on board and are useless to compare with previous series.

[Fraser]

I have a MK1 and it has full service menu access That Is why I purchased a MK1 rather than a Mk2. I have the full functionality including dead pixel map update.

Can you direct me to the XML config files you desire please ?

Fraser

[Serpiph]

I have a MK1 and it has full service menu access That Is why I purchased a MK1 rather than a Mk2. I have the full functionality including dead pixel map update.

Can you direct me to the XML config files you desire please ?

Fraser

My files are \FlashBFS\system\ui.d\design_ui_e2.xml and \FlashBFS\system\ui.d\toolbar-config_e2.xml. Your files may exist under \FlashFS.

[Serpiph]

Here my exercises are shown