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Fraser's latest acquisition - The FLIR A40 M - an impressive beast :)
Posted by Fraser on 26 Jun, 2017 21:11 -
Dear Reader
I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a FLIR A40 for sale recently. It was in unknown, untested condition and so I expected the worst. I saw an A20 some years back that had suffered water submersion damage .....It sold for silly high money considering it was likely scrap. These cameras can have a hard and hazardous life.
The A40 design dates back to around 2004 and is best classed as a professional use Industrial and scientific camera. Various models were available, some configured for security and observation duties and others fully loaded with features for research and development/science duties. The 'lite' version has a 'V' Suffix and the fully loaded version carries the 'M' suffix. Both versions provide 320 x 240 pixel resolution from a quality VOx microbolometer. The cameras video output is running at 60fps
Both cameras are autonomous in that they do not require a host computer to operate them. They provide 'on camera' control via a top mounted keypad and remote control via RS232 and Firewire. Video is output as composite NTSC/PAL or digital formats that differ between models. The 'M' version offers both 8 and 16 bit digital radiometric video via its Firewire port Local image storage is also provided and images may be downloaded via Firewire.
The 'M' version of the camera is designed to integrate fully into a PC Hosted system running FLIR's Researcher Software. I happen to have a licensed copy of that software
OK, back to my camera. Did I get the 'V' or 'M' version ? The seller did not know what he had so he could not help. I considered the risks and value of what was on offer. I bought it expecting a non working A40 V model.
When I unpacked the camera, there were no indicators of which version of the A40 I had in my hands.... thanks FLIR !
It was time to plug it in and see if the magic smoke had already been let out
Upon connecting my CCTV test monitor and a 12V power pack I was rewarded with the sound of the motorized focus servo checking its end points..... phew, that was a good sign. Then the camera emitted the re-assuring CLUNK! of the FFC solenoid operating the FFC flag..... more good news for me. These two sounds in such a camera are indicators of a completed boot sequence. The display then came to life with a splash screen and colour bars. These were followed with a beautiful thermal image.
She lives ! What did the Splash Screen show ? ........ I have myself a FLIR A40 'M' version .... to say I was chuffed to see the 'M' suffix is an understatement.
I activated the auto ranging and auto focus modes...... the A40 immediately produced a well balanced and focused image. A quick check of all menus followed by a factory reset proved the unit to be in fine condition. It was put into service in 2008 and has not been used very much. No wonder it is in great shape. I am only doing some initial testing as I have more important tasks drawing on my time at the moment. Initial impressions of the camera are very good. The keypad takes some getting used to but this camera is really designed to be controlled from the Researcher or similar software, so this is understandable.
I quickly set up the camera in the conservatory and aimed it at the open cat flap to image the wire mesh of the cat run that sits opposite as a very crude test target. The auto focus is pretty good but not infallible. I was able to obtain sharper focus at times using manual setting, but AF does work most of the time. The pictures I have captures are crude to say the least as I photographed my CCTV monitor. It is all I had time for tonight. My cat, billy made an appearance but he is fast moving so tends to blur a little even with 60fps imaging !
I attached the telephoto and wide angle lenses to the camera to show the differing fields of view offered by such. The information legend at the bottom of the screen shows the FOV as the lenses are automatically recognized by the cameras lens mount.
I will not go into the many menus and capabilities of the camera now as time is short. Suffice to say, the A40 'M' comes equipped with all manner of analogue and digital I/O ports, temperature Alarms and camera configuration options. I was pleased to see that the FFC period may be set and even switched to OFF
Great for video recording.
OK to the A40 M and V datasheets, then some pictures.........
Fraser
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Pictures.......
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Pictures.......
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Pictures.........
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Pictures........
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I will provide more on the FLIR A40, including a look under her clothes when time permits.
I hope to get it connected up to a Firewire equipped laptop running FLIR Researcher to obtain better images for this thread. The images that the camera produces appear every bit as good as my best PM695 autofocus camera.
Fraser -
Fraser - thank you for your wonderfull insights on this technology.
Also, it makes me feel comfortable that my hobby of collecting field meters is suddenly not that weird, when I see you collect thermal cameras!
Hopefully one day I will be able to afford one - for no particular reason, except for them being cool. Sure, I can use it to see my cats at night or to "measure" the thermal efficieny of my house, but truely the main reason would be the sheer coolness of just owning such a wonderfull device. For years we use to have a booth on an industrial exhibition and the booth next to us was a thermal camera distributor. However I recall their products to look like camcorders.
Regards,
Vitor -
Vitor,
I have always been interested in the conversion of the visible image into the electronic domain. As a youngster I was fascinated with CCTV cameras and monitors. My Thermal cameras and X-Ray imaging are just a progression of that fascination. Seeing the unseen and converting it into the electronic/digital domain
Thermal cameras are kinda 'cool' as you say
Fraser
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Some additional information about my specific camera......
The FLIR A series cameras do not have a specific Part Number on the brochures because the Part Number changes with differing configurations and options. That makes it challenging to work out exactly what you have in your hand when looking at an unpowered camera ! My cameras Part Number did not raise any hits on Google and I cannot find it on the FLIR documentation.
I may now know why..... my camera varies slightly from the 'standard' brochure spec. My A40 'M' is equipped with a 19 degree FOV lens instead of the normal 24 Degree FOV. The temperature ranges are not the 'standard' ones found in the user manual. My camera has the following ranges:
Range 1 -40C to +120C
Range 2 0C to +250C
Range 3 +150C to +500C
Range 2 is an undocumented addition and range 3 is also non standard.
The standard camera configuration is :
Range 1 -40C to +120C
Range 2 0C to +500C
Range 2 would likely suffer degradation in thermal resolution with such a broad thermal range. I suspect my camera was configured for optimum temperature coverage whilst maintaining the good thermal resolution.
Also note, on these industrial cameras, when they say capable of -40C bottom of range, they mean it
The Camera information page mentions an 'Option Board' is fitted. That may just be the analogue and digital I/O board though as not all cameras have this capability installed.
I also forgot to mention that the camera is capable of Firewire TCP/IP and contains a Web Server. The camera can be fully remote controlled by a Windows XP web browser via Firewire Sadly Firewire TCP/IP support was dropped after Win XP so I am not sure I can use a Win7 PC with it. Having speed read the user manual, I can see that this is a most versatile thermal imaging camera
I am feeling well chuffed with this purchase. It was a calculated risk that paid off. Today I got lucky
Fraser -
Get a dedicated Windows XP computer with FireWire. The camera is certainly worth it.
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How do you find them?! I thought I was pretty good on keeping my eye on the used camera market, but I'm an amateur compared to you!
Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk
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Chanc3,
I live and breath Thermal imaging ....... I just get lucky and also take some calculated risks now and then
This risk certainly paid off. It could have been a scrap camera or one that would take many weeks of work to resurrect from the grave. As luck would have it, this camera appears almost new apart from the odd scrape here and there. From the images that were stored on it, I would say that it has been used in some sort of research project but has had very little use if the number of images and dates are anything to go by.
She is sat on the floor in front of me at the moment quietly doing her 'thing' with the occasional clunk of the FFC shutter. The period between FFC events is quite long but may be adjusted as needed. The interval period is about 7 minutes at the moment.
This camera is obviously very different to the Ex and Exx series as they are intended to be hand held in use. The Axx series are most definitely intended for tripod or fixed mount use. It would be easy to convert one to hand held use but the top mounted keypad would not be best positioned for ease of use. It is a gorgeous little industrial camera though ..... can you tell I like it
Fraser -
Bicurico,
Yes, exactly what I will be doing. I have many Dell laptops awaiting tasking but only a few have a IEEE1394 port. I shall have to see whether they are suited to FLIR Researcher software or whether i will need to but a more powerful laptop that will run XP and that has the IEEE1394 port. PCMCIA IEEE1394 adapters are also an option if needed. I have previously been using my lovely Dell Latitude X300 laptops for most Firewire work but it may lack the processor power needed for FLIR Researcher. They are a great design but now showing their age in terms of speed etc.
My NEC AVIO cameras also use Firewire for their communications so I have plenty of justification for buying a decent used laptop to service them all
Fraser -
I just heard back from the seller of the camera. He knows nothing about these cameras and this was just found amongst a bulk lot of equipment that he purchased from a wholesale Broker. Looks like the result of a bulk equipment disposal from somewhere. There are 'diamonds' hiding out there
Fraser -
That camera looks in excellent condition - and, indeed, is an attractive piece of equipment.
Congratulations on such a find.Hopefully one day I will be able to afford one - for no particular reason, except for them being cool. Sure, I can use it to see my cats at night or to "measure" the thermal efficieny of my house, but truely the main reason would be the sheer coolness of just owning such a wonderfull device.
I know this feeling well, but the chances of finding something like this in Australia are remote.
Thank you Fraser for the opportunity to live this dream vicariously. -
Brumby,
I do understand. I lived in Darwin NT for three years. Australia is a vast and successful country, but in terms of nice specialist technology being available on the secondary market, it can be a bit of a technology desert !
Fraser -
Great deal!
But before fellow forum members get sad for having missed this opportunity: these deals come at a price, which is:
a) Self-education on ALL the products that have been produced, from ALL manufacturers
b) Reading all specs and manuals of all brands and models
c) Following the second hand market for months & years to know at what prices these devices sell
d) Knowing the common issues they have - what gets normally broken and how to repair it
e) Knowing why people sell these devices (for new models with better specs, for new technology, for new measurment directives, etc.)
f) Having spare money to take risks
All these points can be applied to any product one may want to collect.
I do this for TV/CATV/SAT field meters.
If/When I am ready to go for thermal imaging, I will make sure I am as literate on the subject as any salesman and first level support engineer.
If you don't, you will hardly find these great deals.
Cheers,
Vitor -
Thanks Bicurito.
I am not sure whether to reveal how much I paid for this camera. I fear it may come across as bragging which would not be my intention. It was a rare bargain and purely because the seller sold it as just a scientific camera of little interest to him. I paid £300 for it which rates as a bargain in my world but I know such a sum of money is very significant to many so do not wish to suggest it would be a bargain for all on the forum.
I too own a good selection of TV/CATV/SAT meters. But I do not collect them. I bought them to use and kept finding more interesting models I should list them for you as you may have an interest in some. The Acterna Wavetek SDA4000 series even contain a nice 50MHz to 1GHz spectrum analyser in their rugged and portable format. I also have Promax and UniOhm units
Fraser
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Thanks Bicurito.
I am not sure whether to reveal how much I paid for this camera. I fear it may come across as bragging which would not be my intention. It was a rare bargain and purely because the seller sold it as just a scientific camera of little interest to him. I paid £300 for it which rates as a bargain in my world but I know such a sum of money is very significant to many so do not wish to suggest it would be a bargain for all on the forum.
I too own a good selection of TV/CATV/SAT meters. But I do not collect them. I bought them to use and kept finding more interesting models I should list them for you as you may have an interest in some. The Acterna Wavetek SDA4000 series even contain a nice 50MHz to 1GHz spectrum analyser in their rugged and portable format. I also have Promax and UniOhm units
Fraser
Rates as a fantastic bargain to me. You are well repaid for the time and effort you spent looking and evaluating. A very nice piece of kit. While it is always easy to want more, that would satisfy a great many of us as all the camera we would ever need. -
CatalinaWow,
I agree. I am resigned to the fact that I have an addiction to thermal cameras, their use, repair and study of their design. You can only use so many thermal cameras and I have multiple examples of some that I really like. I will need to thin the herd a little as they take up a lot of space and do no one any good in their dry storage boxes in the spare room ! It is like selling my babies though.... not an easy thing to do.
I may just select my favourites, plus a spare or two, and rehome the rest.
Then I witness someone at the recent Dunstable Radio Rally/Car Boot sale trying to haggle Mike down from £100 to £80 on his fully working FireFLIR FF100 and I think....nah, I cannot be bothered to engage in the selling market if that is what I will face. The good news is that the potential buyer walked away from the FF100 for a moment, to consider his position, and I was then at liberty to buy it from Mike. He knew it was going to a good home that would cherish it as well. He refused to take my offer of the the full asking price, and for that I thanked him. I would not have dreamed to haggle that price down. Mike is a great chap, why insult him ?
Fraser -
I am not sure whether to reveal how much I paid for this camera. I fear it may come across as bragging which would not be my intention. It was a rare bargain and purely because the seller sold it as just a scientific camera of little interest to him. I paid £300 for it which rates as a bargain in my world but I know such a sum of money is very significant to many so do not wish to suggest it would be a bargain for all on the forum.
Don't feel bad for having scored a fantastic deal! You deserve it by all means and I enjoy reading about your happiness as I can relate to it. The same probably goes for many fellow forum users.I too own a good selection of TV/CATV/SAT meters. But I do not collect them. I bought them to use and kept finding more interesting models
I should list them for you as you may have an interest in some. The Acterna Wavetek SDA4000 series even contain a nice 50MHz to 1GHz spectrum analyser in their rugged and portable format. I also have Promax and UniOhm units
It's certainly an Unaohm...
I will PM you later on about TV field meter.I agree. I am resigned to the fact that I have an addiction to thermal cameras, their use, repair and study of their design. You can only use so many thermal cameras and I have multiple examples of some that I really like. I will need to thin the herd a little as they take up a lot of space and do no one any good in their dry storage boxes in the spare room ! It is like selling my babies though.... not an easy thing to do.
I may just select my favourites, plus a spare or two, and rehome the rest.
Then I witness someone at the recent Dunstable Radio Rally/Car Boot sale trying to haggle Mike down from £100 to £80 on his fully working FireFLIR FF100 and I think....nah, I cannot be bothered to engage in the selling market if that is what I will face. The good news is that the potential buyer walked away from the FF100 for a moment, to consider his position, and I was then at liberty to buy it from Mike. He knew it was going to a good home that would cherish it as well. He refused to take my offer of the the full asking price, and for that I thanked him. I would not have dreamed to haggle that price down. Mike is a great chap, why insult him ?
Take my opinion: just stick with them and don't bother to sell them! You won't make any significant money out of it, you certainly still have enough room left and each item brings memories.
I don't sell my meters. It's just not worth it. Plus this is not a bit crazier than collecting the equipment in the first place. If you went to sell a few, why not sell them all and buy the BEST thermal camera in the world? Because it wouldn't be the same.
I played this mind game: would I exchange all my field meters for the current best Rohde&Schwarz TV Analyzer with all options? I am not sure - probably not. Because my kick is to know all models and brands. What would be the point to only have one device, which almost nobody else has?
What you SHOULD do with your collection is to document each model, archive all relevant manuals, technical information, software, repair instructions, etc. Make pictures of the models, show the images they capture and make a website about it. It would be the N#1 thermal image resource!
I thought to do that with TV field meter, but I still have too few and too little time. One day, though!
Regards,
Vitor -
Thanks for the comments Victor.
Fraser -
I have just downloaded the complete A20/A40 command set for remote control. This camera is certainly versatile. I can control it via RS232 using a simp,e terminal program or can make a dedicated RS232 remote control keypad for it that mimics the top panel keypad
There is, of course the control via FireWire plus official software or via the web server terrace..
I am pleased that FLIR decided to make the full command set public. It provides all that I will need for serial remote control.
I think I shall program a custom Arduino based remote control keypad just as I intend to do for my FLIR PM series cameras (another project delayed by other commitments !)
Fraser -
Good purchase!
The most unique feature of this camera to me is the auto focus, I'd really like that but many "normal function" for visible camera are not present on most thermal cameras.
Maybe next get a optical zoom one and share with us
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For me, the true autofocus is very nice to have but the other features of the camera also appeal. The fact that it has on board programmable temperature alarm thresholds to detect out of range scene temperatures and provides hardware outputs for such. This is not a feature found on most conventional thermal cameras. The camera can also receive analogue and digital data from external physical sensors for iindustrial applications. There are also analogue level outputs available. Such I/O falls very much into the industrial process monitoring realm as well as fire detection etc. It is a very versatile platform.
This camera also fully integrates with the powerful and very capable FLIR Researcher software that can make the most of the data being captured by the camera. Real time analysis of streamed radiometric image data plus 'off line ' analysis of captured images. Such makes a very capable and powerful thermographic tool in the R&D plus scientific realms. None of my other cameras are quite so suited to that level of integration with FLIR Researcher. The Exx series does integrate with it pretty well though.
The A40 is a camera very much designed for industry and science. It is what I would commonly call a 'Box Camera'. It is compact, contains the auto focus lens, all required analysis systems and it is remote controllable. I suspect some amateur science lab techs would love to own such a camera.
On the optical zoom topic..... I have yet to find a true optical zoom lens at an affordable price. Many military thermal cameras used a twin FOV lens that inserts an extra pair of lenses in the optical path to provide a narrower FOV. A true variable zoom lens is a very expensive device due to the complexity of the design and number of Germanium lenses used within it.
The PM series cameras that I have offer variable Digital zoom but with an added feature....... they do not just zoom in on the centre of the microbolometer, they actively interpolate the image as well. This can sometimes make it hard to decide which image was taken with digital zoom and which was taken with a close-up lens ! The interpolation is very well engineered and copes well with the zoom within reasonable limits.
I suspect the A40 variable digital zoom will also interpolate the zoomed image to improve its appearance.
Fraser