flir photon

[johnelot]

i have a flir photon here and it works fine apart from a patch coming from the bottom left corner extending to cover about 5-10 % of the screen with blankness - calibrating does not help and on start up the display screen is perfect so i think it must be the core , the bad patch has a gradual edge rather than a defined one and and seems to be non functual rather of just a different sensitivity, just wondered if anyone had seen a core go like this , i have not pulled it apart yet as i hope there is an easy fix - thanks for any help -

[Fraser]

A picture of the image produced, even taken with a cell phone would help. But there are really two likely possibilities here.

1. Part of the camera structure has come away and is obscuring part of the microbolometer window it could also be the FFC flag not sitting  in the correct position at rest.

2. The microbolometer is damaged due to an electronic failure or a fall causing mechanical damage to the die.

Do you know the history of the camera ? Was it used at any time on an airborne vehicle ?

Sadly damage to the microbolometer is not repairable if the FFC cannot cope with it.

A quick check worth doing, as it is non invasive, is to undo the lens lock screw and remove the lens. If it is a screw fit, count the turns using a reference malt so you can refocus the lens easily. If it is a slide mount, just mark the lens position. You will then be able to see the microbolometer and FFC flag operating. Is the FFC flag incorrectly positions obscuring the microbolometer ? There should not be anything obscuring the microbolometer window.

A picture of what you see with the lens revised would be good for me to assess.

Fraser

[Bill W]

The key points are
Is the area blank (grey or mid range) and not black, but does have some noise.
With the lens capped, does the area now match the rest of the screen?
Can the area see very hot objects like a match?

Blank and no hot imaging very much suggests the flag is not going clear.

As these are not TEC stabilised (IIRC) then that is out as a cause.

Noiseless and or black suggests an area of pixels out of range so much less likely to be fixable.  One possible reason is if the FFC temperature is out, it may push some of the calculations over the edge.
A picture would help

Bill
www.fire-tics.co.uk

[johnelot]

thanks for the quick replies - i have taken some pics - the one without the splodge is after switch on and lens covered - then black hot and white hot pics of a blank wall to show the splodge in the bottom left corner , i think i will have to take it to bits next but any ideas are welcomed - thanks

[Fraser]

FFC flag not parking correctly at the rest position in my opinion.

Remove just the lens to find out for sure.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Any progress on this ?

Fraser

[johnelot]

sorry , no progress yet as its in a housing and i cant get the front lens off - i'm working on it --

[Fraser]

No worries.

From memory the lens mount can be either a screw thread with a locking screw or a sliding fit with a locking screw.

Can you advise what sort of housing it is in as I may have some knowledge of how to access the camera.

Fraser

[johnelot]

so after i had the blowtorch on it for a while , to see if i could unscrew the front lens and i checked it again to see if it still worked - it had got better !
i am pretty sure the shutter had been stuck as when i tried it after it was better the sound of it calibrating was the "click - click" of the shutter moving .si i never quite got to the bottom of it but at least its fixed , thanks for the replies and help etc.