SeekThermal Compact Pro

[efahrenholz]

I don't think the USB bandwidth is going to be the problem, it's only a 320x240 size image. The main issue is the processing of the data once it's on the phone. Since Seek has to do unspeakable things to the image to make it look usable, our phones are going to be running hot. However, the jump from the current sensor to this isn't much. I suspect anything from the last year or two should be able to run it without any issues.

Given Seeks history, I wouldn't get too excited. I feel burned by the first device, and spending money on them again will take great consideration.

[all_repair]

Maybe a bit unfair to Seek.  I bought a 1st version Seek too, it could have been much better.  But at that time, it was the best value Thermal Cam at that form-factor.  It did the jobs I had for the gear, and allowed me to skip Flir 1 and C2, and in a position to wait and to choose the next better one.

These Pro gears shall force the hands of FLIR hard.

[efahrenholz]

In what way is it unfair? It's honest. Yes, we paid for what we got. Yes, the image from the sensor is pretty bad. Yes, Seek does a lot of cosmetic work to the image output to beautify it (targeted at casual gadget addicts). It's like saying it's unfair to call people on welfare poor. It is what it is.

What is truly unfair is how Seek marketed the camera. They lied about performance and used images from a high end camera in their advertisements. They lied about the effective resolution of the sensor, and they came here and tried to argue that the enormous amount of dead/disabled pixels doesn't matter due to the wavelength:pixel size ratio! They still haven't released any serious data on the sensor (sensitivity? Hello?). It's industry standard to release the full specs on a thermal imager. Yes, it matters. Even FLIR's little Lepton sensor has full details, and that thing was made originally for isheeple. Oh, and don't get me started on the smartphone software. They gave us halfway working emissivity settings and instead of fixing it, they removed it. How about the uniformity issue that pagued brand new devices out the door.

Calling it unfair to Seek isn't justified. It was unfair to the consumers who were duped. I called them dishonest long ago and I still stand by it.

[simone.pignatti]

Hello we have several Compact PRO for iOS and Android to test.
It requires a new APP which is at the moment available only via Apple TestFlight.
We expect the first delivery of Compact PRO for beginning of July, the Reveal PRO will arrive maybe one month later.
The frame rate depends from the CPU speed of the Smartphone and in our beta app we can see the changing value of the frame rate.
As added features the PRO will add:
- full radiometric data
- emissivety regulation
- 32° FOV
- 320X240 PIXELS

Attached is an early taken picture from 10cm distance, the component is 1x1cm

Ciao!

[frenky]

Please share more images. And if you can a photo of this compactPro model. All currently published images are just 3d renderings.

[simone.pignatti]

Please share more images. And if you can a photo of this compactPro model. All currently published images are just 3d renderings.

Here you are
We will post more pictures when the next release of the APP will be available

[frenky]

Thank you. Would you say that lens are any bigger compared to regular model?

[efahrenholz]

I don't know what to say... "I told you so" is too cliché.

That looks pretty bad for a 320x240.

[in.Vitro]

That looks pretty bad for a 320x240.

absolutly

can you upload some Video footage from it?

[hikanio]

Well, that guy on the thermal picture must be dead already telling from the temp span....

[hikanio]

Beside that obvious bug with the temperature span, Seek still seems to have serious noise issues.

This is just not enough to challenge the modded Flir cameras with the 320x240 resolution. (attached picture is from modded E30)

[encryptededdy]

The images are basically exactly what the price would suggest.

Better (at least IMHO, we need more comparisons) than the $250 OG Seek / FLIR One, however noticeably worse than the ~$1000 Therm-App, ThermalExpert or hacked FLIR E4

[Fraser]

I just wish there was more information available about the new microbolometer. It would be interesting to see what improvements, if any, have been incorporated.

[mct75]

I suspect you'll need a pretty powerful phone, with good USB bandwidth  to get a decent framerate. High-speed data-in from USB isn't a common phone requirement so wouldn't be surprised if only a few phones can deliver decent performance

I question using a cellphone to do the "heavy lifting" as there's just too much variance in specs, software etc.  My phone has a 2.something GHz quad core and I still can't keep the UI from lagging.   Plus, while the USB port should be good for ~400 Mbps, I've never seen anything even close to that as far as transfer, and this is including using SD cards that can max out a desktop card reader.

[mikeselectricstuff]

I've just been promised one by Seek  in a couple of weeks' time

[encryptededdy]

I've just been promised one by Seek  in a couple of weeks' time

I think you might need a newer phone than that Moto G if you want to get anywhere near the rated frame rate.

[frenky]

I've just been promised one by Seek  in a couple of weeks' time

https://www.youtube.com/user/mikeselectricstuff

F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5... 

[mikeselectricstuff]

Just had a shipping notification.

[encryptededdy]

Just had a shipping notification.

Make sure you also get a phone that can handle processing 30fps. The Moto G probably won't do.

[frenky]

I believe this is the first review of the CompactPro:
http://blog.ivytools.com/2016/08/11/seek-compact-pro-ff-image-gallery/

[Fraser]

It looks promising. Far better than the original model.

Whether it is as good as the ThermApp and Thermal Expert will likely dictate whether it is value for money though. It still has a very small lens compared to the competition in that market segment. Small span images will reveal how much noise is present in the system.

Fraser

[mikeselectricstuff]

Just got it but no time to play.

first impressions :

Pretty noisy. Quite noticeable fixed pattern noise as well as dynamic
Manages about 6fps on my Samsung J5 2016 (1.2Ghz quadcore). I suspect things like USB performance on different phones may be at least as important as phone CPU power. Will try on others as & when I get the chance.
UI is horrible - very non-intuitive for even simple things like changing pallette
Has self-disconnected a couple of times in the 5 mins I've been using it.
Lens is bigger than the original unit, maybe 2x diameter

[encryptededdy]

Manages about 6fps on my Samsung J5 2016 (1.2Ghz quadcore). I suspect things like USB performance on different phones may be at least as important as phone CPU power. Will try on others as & when I get the chance.

It's also likely that when developing the software Seek only optimised/tested the software for the most popular flagship devices.

[frenky]

Some images and video of Pro model:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/467570_Seek_thermal_compact_Pro.html

[mikeselectricstuff]