Poll

Has the hackabiliy of the E4 made you buy one :  

Yes, I was already looking at the competition at a similar price, but the hack swung it to E4
275 (28%)
Yes, I'd not considered buying a TIC before, but 320x240 resolution at this price justifies it (as either tool or toy!)
444 (45.2%)
Yes, I was going to buy an E5/6/8 class of unit but will now get the E4
49 (5%)
No, but am looking out for a cheap i3 to hack
51 (5.2%)
Not yet, but probably will if now that a closed-box hack becomes is possible
164 (16.7%)

Total Members Voted: 805

Author Topic: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown  (Read 4052286 times)

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Offline Chanc3

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7700 on: February 17, 2016, 10:34:09 am »
I accidentally sent one of our work IR cameras off for a calibration "check" with an extra range I enabled and it failed due to how much it was out. I enabled the 300-1500°C range and at 450°C  the camera was a whopping 32°C out (356% of tolerance), which is massive considering at the 0-500°C range, at 450°C it was out by 4°C.

In the service menu, I believe it is possible to calibrate your device, however I'm not sure as to the correct procedure.

 

Offline encryptededdy

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7701 on: February 17, 2016, 12:00:51 pm »
I accidentally sent one of our work IR cameras off for a calibration "check" with an extra range I enabled and it failed due to how much it was out. I enabled the 300-1500°C range and at 450°C  the camera was a whopping 32°C out (356% of tolerance), which is massive considering at the 0-500°C range, at 450°C it was out by 4°C.

In the service menu, I believe it is possible to calibrate your device, however I'm not sure as to the correct procedure.
But for whatever they charge for a normal calibration... did they calibrate the higher ranges for you too? :P
 

Online Fraser

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7702 on: February 17, 2016, 03:55:09 pm »
There are two forms of 'calibration' service.

1. Calibration confirmation aka Confidence check.

The service provider owns a number of Calibrated Black Body thermal sources. The camera is checked against the sources and an accuracy report produced. No actual calibration is carried out so the camera remains unchanged.

This is what I carry out on my cameras using my own Black Body thermal sources.

2. Full Calibration including repair and certification.

The service provider runs calibration software, specific to a camera, and a set of Calibrated Black Body thermal sources to calibrate the camera. Such full calibration checks and adjusts the cameras calibration tables against known accurate sources. It will also often include updating of the dead pixel maps and NUC tables. After such full calibration, the camera performance is certified as meeting the OEM original specification for that model of camera.

The full calibration is time consuming and so expensive. Many users opt for the simpler and so cheaper confidence check and associated report.

As a side note, the FLIR and NEC industrial thermal cameras that were available in the late 1990's have an excellent reputation for meeting OEM specified calibration accuracy over many years, and even decades. This may be due to the quality of components used and temperature stabilisation employed on the microbolometer. More recent offerings in the thermal camera market are apparently less stable in terms of calibration and an annual calibration check is recommended.

I have a TESTO thermal camera that has developed three dead microbolometer pixels. Having spoken to several calibration houses it is apparent that the only way to get the dead pixels updated in the dead pixel map is to have a full and expensive calibration by a TESTO service agent. Most generic calibration houses do not have access to the required calibration and dead pixel map editing software

The full calibration routine for an NEC AVIO industrial thermal camera is quite tedious. The calibration software forces the technician to go through a set routine with appropriate thermal sources and only then can the NUC and dead pixel map be updated. Updating the maps is done manually using pixel co-ordinates. A long winded and time consuming task. Hence it is expensive and why confidence checks are normally carried out rather than a full calibration.

Fraser
« Last Edit: February 17, 2016, 04:00:51 pm by Fraser »
If I have helped you please consider a donation : https://gofund.me/c86b0a2c
 

Offline Chanc3

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7703 on: February 17, 2016, 04:49:38 pm »
I accidentally sent one of our work IR cameras off for a calibration "check" with an extra range I enabled and it failed due to how much it was out. I enabled the 300-1500°C range and at 450°C  the camera was a whopping 32°C out (356% of tolerance), which is massive considering at the 0-500°C range, at 450°C it was out by 4°C.

In the service menu, I believe it is possible to calibrate your device, however I'm not sure as to the correct procedure.
But for whatever they charge for a normal calibration... did they calibrate the higher ranges for you too? :P

Haha alas not, as this was only a "confidence check" (see what Fraser wrote above).

Interestingly, I activated a new range on a camera that went back to FLIR for a full recalibration, with the hopes that they would calibrate it, but alas they must have good records somewhere, as they just turned it off again!
 

Offline DaveWB

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7704 on: February 19, 2016, 08:45:07 pm »
 


Offline sharpharp

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7706 on: February 21, 2016, 09:00:30 pm »
Thanks for the info guys, got my E4 done today, super resolution and menu hack.
All works great.

Is there anything missing features that still need to be hacked?
 

Offline gunny

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7707 on: February 22, 2016, 01:32:41 am »
hey guys, looking to get the e4 and hack it (higher resolution). from what i understand, you need a certain version (2.3?) in order to do the hack, and if its a higher version like 2.8, youd have to use a downgrade program. im just not totally sure what the newest version is and if its hackable or not. is there a certain place to order this camera to insure its software is compatible with the hack? where would you recommend i buy this thing?

thanks  :)
« Last Edit: February 22, 2016, 01:35:11 am by gunny »
 

Online Bud

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7708 on: February 22, 2016, 04:51:27 am »
Thanks for the info guys, got my E4 done today, super resolution and menu hack.

And the original firmware version was ...?
Facebook-free life and Rigol-free shack.
 

Offline sharpharp

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7709 on: February 22, 2016, 11:23:19 am »
Thanks for the info guys, got my E4 done today, super resolution and menu hack.

And the original firmware version was ...?

v2.3.0.

So is there any mods that the E4 is missing which are in the E8?
 

Offline DaveWB

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7710 on: February 23, 2016, 09:40:50 pm »
Thanks for the info guys, got my E4 done today, super resolution and menu hack.

And the original firmware version was ...?

v2.3.0.

So is there any mods that the E4 is missing which are in the E8?
The real question is "So is there any mods that the E8 is missing which are in the E4 Upgraded?
 

Online Bud

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7711 on: February 24, 2016, 12:13:46 am »
+1
Facebook-free life and Rigol-free shack.
 

Offline Sofia

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7712 on: February 24, 2016, 02:36:55 pm »
Hey guys you can get 2.3.0 firmware into EPROM for changing E4 / E8 or could somehow change the flirtools?
 

Offline birkhgoff

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7713 on: February 25, 2016, 07:17:44 am »
Hi friends! I have Flir E4 full hacked. Flir Tools suggests to update a firmware to version 2.11.0. Somebody knows an updating essence?
 

Offline tomas123

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7714 on: February 25, 2016, 02:08:43 pm »
The real question is "So is there any mods that the E8 is missing which are in the E4 Upgraded?

- less noise (better NETD)
- some minor menu hacks

Offline DaveWB

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7715 on: February 26, 2016, 09:05:20 pm »
Hi friends! I have Flir E4 full hacked. Flir Tools suggests to update a firmware to version 2.11.0. Somebody knows an updating essence?
You already have a camera that is better than any eX model so there is never a purpose to update unless it is an official free e8 plus upgrade which will happen never haha
 

Offline ixfd64

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7716 on: March 01, 2016, 01:18:55 am »
I accidentally sent one of our work IR cameras off for a calibration "check" with an extra range I enabled and it failed due to how much it was out. I enabled the 300-1500°C range and at 450°C  the camera was a whopping 32°C out (356% of tolerance), which is massive considering at the 0-500°C range, at 450°C it was out by 4°C.

In the service menu, I believe it is possible to calibrate your device, however I'm not sure as to the correct procedure.

What camera model did you use?

As far as I could tell, not all FLIR cameras don't measure temperatures that high, and I don't think anyone has managed to increase the range of their E4.

Offline encryptededdy

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7717 on: March 01, 2016, 04:27:03 am »
I accidentally sent one of our work IR cameras off for a calibration "check" with an extra range I enabled and it failed due to how much it was out. I enabled the 300-1500°C range and at 450°C  the camera was a whopping 32°C out (356% of tolerance), which is massive considering at the 0-500°C range, at 450°C it was out by 4°C.

In the service menu, I believe it is possible to calibrate your device, however I'm not sure as to the correct procedure.

What camera model did you use?

As far as I could tell, not all FLIR cameras don't measure temperatures that high, and I don't think anyone has managed to increase the range of their E4.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the higher end FLIR Cameras use a ND filter to achieve the higher temp ranges, so I don't think it's possible on the E4 without hardware mods.
 

Offline Chanc3

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7718 on: March 01, 2016, 07:25:17 am »
In this instance it was an A655sc and P620. They both can go that high, but need the calibration.

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

 

Offline bookaboo

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7719 on: March 01, 2016, 08:58:44 am »
I accidentally sent one of our work IR cameras off for a calibration "check" with an extra range I enabled and it failed due to how much it was out. I enabled the 300-1500°C range and at 450°C  the camera was a whopping 32°C out (356% of tolerance), which is massive considering at the 0-500°C range, at 450°C it was out by 4°C.

In the service menu, I believe it is possible to calibrate your device, however I'm not sure as to the correct procedure.

What camera model did you use?

As far as I could tell, not all FLIR cameras don't measure temperatures that high, and I don't think anyone has managed to increase the range of their E4.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the higher end FLIR Cameras use a ND filter to achieve the higher temp ranges, so I don't think it's possible on the E4 without hardware mods.

In my experience even the Exx range has difficulty once exposed to temperatures >650°C. Strange things happen with the auto range, i.e it starts to detect negative temperatures at the bottom of the range that just are not there. Not a real issue for me (or most people into electrical/building apps) but I noticed it while taking some pictures for  neighbouring firm of their impressive new industrial gas burner just out of curiosity.
 

Offline kuschelg

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7720 on: March 02, 2016, 06:41:38 pm »
Hi,

I got a E4 with firmware 2.8 and tried to downgrade using tmushy's package (http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00983732806372988148) but my Windows 7 complains about it not being a Win32 application.

Any success or recommendations for my situation?

Thanks,
Sascha
 

Offline DaveWB

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7721 on: March 03, 2016, 05:46:41 pm »
Hi,

I got a E4 with firmware 2.8 and tried to downgrade using tmushy's package (http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00983732806372988148) but my Windows 7 complains about it not being a Win32 application.

Any success or recommendations for my situation?

Thanks,
Sascha
Did you run as administrator?
 

Offline dlp

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7722 on: March 04, 2016, 11:20:51 pm »
Hello
I just boguht a new unit that has firmware V2.11.0.

Can this be downgraded to perform the hack?

TIA
 

Offline Chanc3

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7723 on: March 04, 2016, 11:22:52 pm »
Read previous posts, yes I believe it is possible.

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

 

Offline bmwnomad

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Re: Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown
« Reply #7724 on: March 05, 2016, 12:12:01 am »
Hello
I just boguht a new unit that has firmware V2.11.0.

Can this be downgraded to perform the hack?

TIA
Yes, I just purchased a Flir E4, came with 2.11.00, downgraded to 2.3 and performed the hack with no problems.
 


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