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As some readers are already aware, I used to use thermography professionally and now collect and repair the technology in my retirement.
Over many years I have collected and repaired all manner of thermal imaging equipment. I love the technology and what it can achieve. it is a rare event that I sell any of my cameras so I now have quite a collection of different models. I own several examples of many of the models as I either bought a bulk lot or have a particular liking for the model, so like to have more than one. For example, I own four PM695 cameras.
I have been asked in the past if I will list the cameras that I own in order to assist others who may need my help with their own camera, its operation or repair. I am an experienced component level repair tech so working on this technology does not phase me at all. One of my early thermal camera purchases was a FLIR PM570, as new in its case and it looked unused. It had a boot fault that proved very tricky to track down. I ended up completely reverse engineering the PCB's in the camera over a period of 3 months. My evenings were occupied studying the PCB's under magnification and continuity testing using various equipment. At the time I did not have a high resolution X-Ray machine so I could not use that to help trace buried tracks within the multi layer PCB's. It was a hard task but a labour of love. As far as I know, I am the only person outside FLIR's design team with the full schematics of the PM570. Even their repair agents do not have full schematics as board changing is the repair protocol. Fortunately FLIR used the basic camera design for all the cameras that followed the PM570 in the series. I can therefore find my way around the later models with relative ease. I love the PM series series camera and so have many of them and multiple examples of each model.
I also took advantage of the brief availability of some superb NEC AVIO thermal cameras that were sold by the UK Agents liquidator when they folded. For such nice cameras, they were sold at prices I could not resist. Quite a rare make to find in the UK and they use Boeing microbolometers.
The ISG Talisman cameras were being sold off as scrap by a fire brigade recycling company and were so cheap that I bought several !
The EEV ARGUS cameras were also some of my early purchases. Again, these were ex Fire Brigade and so in varying condition. Some of mine are almost as new and others are 'well used'. These use either a Pyro-Electric Vidicon tube (Argus 1) or a very nice Raytheon BST core (Argus 2). I have a soft spot for these well made cameras so own several examples. I recently re-homed my two P4428 cameras and a P4430 as they were needed for a museum project.
I am listing all of the cameras that i have owned and noted which have been re-homed as I may still be able to assist other owners of these cameras.
I hope this list will be of interest to others and please be assured that it is not a bragging list, just details of my collection that has been requested on several occasions.
Update: three additional cameras that I forgot added to V1.01 list
Fraser
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Recent changes to the collection...
1. I now own two E2V ARGUS 4 firefighter thermal cameras, An ARGUS HR320 and an ARGUS 160. Both are capable of cabled IP and Wi-Fi communications modes 🙂
2. The EEV P4428's have gone to a museum.
3. I have purchased a SATIR MinIR 80 camera for investigation and possible upgrade to the 160 model spec.
4. My two Bosch MIC412 dual tech cameras have gone to a new home
5. I received a DRS Ultra 6000 Pan Tilt dome camera in exchange for the MIC412's. The Ultra 6000 is a 640x480 IP security camera.
6. I have purchased an Agema Thermovision 510 Peltier cooled Shortwave camera. It is a single Axis scanner unit with 160 pixel PbSe linear cooled array resolution is 320x160. Very sensitive for long range work such as security etc. Lens FOV is 18 Degrees with telescope mounting option.
7. Snoop IR kit added to collection. A camera kit designed for law enforcement. It contains an Indigo/FLIR Omega/A10 160x120 VOx camera in a 'bullet cam' head. The output is displayed and recorded on an Archos AV700 DVR.
Fraser
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And another update !
I have just bought back one of the Bosch MIC412 cameras, so once again I have one of those in my collection 🙂
I could not see it sell for a song, so I bid on it. It has travelled from Milton Keynes to Falmouth and will now be making the return journey 😄
The seller is a friend so he is likely laughing about all this. For some reason these amazing and expensive MIC cameras do not sell for what they are truly worth. I think the market wants hand held cameras more than fixed Pan Tilt units as used for Secuirty etc. A new MIC will cost you £15K even in today's lower cost market. They are built like tanks and use superb components within them. Also fully submersible with waterproof gasket seals throughout.
Fraser
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And another new acquisition.....
FLIR i5 Original Blue/Grey type added to collection.
This camera will be upgraded to the full 120 x 120 resolution, plus added menus of the i7. It may be the subject of further experimentation as well.
Fraser -
AVON ARGUS Mi-Tic 320 added to the collection.
A superb compact 320 x 240 pixel 30fps fire fighting, SAR and surveillance camera
http://www.santiam.net/argus-mi-tic.html
Fraser
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Another fire fighting camera added to the collection. This time an........
Avon ISI nVISION XT 160 x 120 pixel 30fps A-Si microbolometer compact fire fighting camera. AKA ISI 3500 camera.
Believed to contain the Raytheon/L3 3500AS A-Si core.
Fraser
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Crazy Purchase time.......
I have just added 53 IRISYS thermal people counting cameras to my collection. That's right......53 of them !
I believe I will be taking delivery of 50 IRC1004/1014 camera sensors and 3 of the latest higher resolution Gazelle Sensors, along with 3 of the computers that collect data from them all.
These are a form of low resolution thermal camera. They use a Germanium lens to focus the thermal scene onto the IRISYS manufactured 16x16 pixel pyroelectric detector FPA. This is the same array as used in the IRC1001' 1002 and 1011 thermal cameras. The camera can detect the presence, location and movement of people. The intelligence gathered is used for till line management and retail related customer profiling. They make great intruder sensors as well. Each sensor may be individually programmed with boundariy lines that trigger a count event or alarm. Kind of an invisible 'barrier' that the targets cross to cause an event. Several barriers may be set up and the sensors individually track multiple targets within their FOV before handing off to the next monitoring sensor, if appropriate. Clever stuff as the front end processing takes place in a compact unit the size of a smoke detector. Programming is via a plug in RS232 interface and some software that IRISYS sent me some time ago. The software permits viewing of the live thermal scene
The Gazelle sensor is a slightly higher resolution. I suspect it uses either a Redeye 6A 31x31 pixel array, or the later 47x47 pixel array.
Now to decide what to do with them all. That is a lot of dinky little Germanium lenses and thermal detector FPA's.
I just happen to own 50 Dewalt (IRISYS) visual thermometers (similar to Fluke VT02). They are without their detector array and lens. Hmmm a possible transplant project maybe ? We shall see
Fraser -
That's amazing...
Could you tell us why you bought so many same model TICs at once?
I think maybe you can make them to an array and make a higher resolution TIC? -
They were a bulk lot on eBay.
The price was right and no one bid against me
The sensor heads usually retail at £700 each ! I paid somewhat less for them
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I almost bid against you on this! But then I had the rational thought "what would I do with all of the cameras..."
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk -
New additions to the collection.....
E2V ARGUS 3 fire fighters camera
FLIR M324L maritime surveillance camera with Remote control.
Keysight (Agilent) U5855A handheld Camera. (OEM is NEC AVIO)
Fraser -
FLIR M324L maritime surveillance camera with Remote control.
Nice! Where did you get that one from? Expensive? -
Chanc3
A fellow forum member did a deal with me for it.
Depends what you call expensive. It was a mere fraction of its new price. The deal was part thermal camera hardware and part cash for the M324L. We were both happy with the deal as we got what each of us needed
I have wanted a 324L for ages as I like its design and the full remote control via the joystick control unit or a PC using Ethernet and a web server in the camera.
Fraser
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FLIR E40 MK1 v2 model added to the daily use camera inventory. It will be upgraded to E60 spec soon.
Fraser -
Today's additions after the visit to Dunstable Radio Rally.....
Another Ex Military long range thermal camera
A FLIR Autoliv Audi thermal camera system inc controller
Fire FLIR FF110 head mounted thermal camera
Not bad for a days 'shopping' me thinks
Fraser -
Today's additions after the visit to Dunstable Radio Rally.....
Another Ex Military long range thermal camera
A FLIR Autoliv Audi thermal camera system inc controller
FIre FLIR head mounted thermal camera
Not bad for a days 'shopping' me thinks
Fraser
That's a fantastic haul! Didn't think you'd be able to find those sorts of cameras at an event like that. -
They all came from Mike
Fraser -
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Amber (Raytheon) Radiance 1 (256 x 256 Stirling cooled InSb FPA)
Ideal (IRISYS) 61-848 HeatSeeker 320 (320 x 240 A-Si FPA) -
Could you check how the IRSYS people counters are built compared to my friend's design:
http://electrooptical.net/www/footprints/fpphotos.html
http://electrooptical.net/www/footprints/fpspie11.pdf
http://electrooptical.net/www/footprints/fpwaropn.pdf
I'm curious how they do the multiplexing.
Steve -
Sensor array contains a ROIC that does the pixel bias and reading matrix.
Communications between the slave sensor heads, the master sensor head and the computer is via CAN BUS or ethernet, depending upon model. One version has two relay outputs only. Configuration is via RS232 direct into sensor head. No idea about any other "multiplexing".
Fraser -
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FLIR A40
FLIR i7 -
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Nice! What's the resolution of the A40?
FLIR A40
FLIR i7
(Ah, looks like it's 320, nice score!) -
FLIR A40 uses a 320 x 240 VOx microbolometer.
The camera has an integrated 24 Degree FOV lens and motorised manual and autofocus. It is a very neat camera with physical temperature alarm outputs, external thermal sensors and all manner of clever functions. That combined with Composite output, Firewire and RS232 comms made it of great interest to me.
Fraser -
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SPi RazIR 160 x 120 pixel/60fps mini TIC.