I am currently working with a Micro Epsilon TIM640 VGA (640x480 pixel 32fps & 125fps) thermal camera and have decided to create this post as a source of information for any other owners of these neat little Industrial cameras or anyone interested in such.
The Micro Epsilon TIM series of cameras are intended to be used in Industrial environments and their RRP reflects this ! These are expensive little beasts. The camera is of "all metal" construction but requires protection against dust and fluids. The TIM series are USB cameras, similar in principle to many Mobile Phone Dongle type thermal cameras in that they are Software defined in terms of their functionality. The camera "head" contains all of the required hardware to capture a thermal scene but the software running on a "Host" computer uses the head units USB data stream to create whatever display is desired by the OEM and/or end user. To this end, both OEM software and an SDK is made available to those using these cameras. In Industry, versatility is important, so this camera is designed to meet that requirement in both hardware and software. And yes, the SDK supports LINUX !
When the camera is first connected to a Host computer and the required software run, a camera specific Calibration file set is downloaded from the OEM and stored on the Host. This file may be saved for future off-line use if desired and the software supports importing the calibration data from a file instead of the OEM. This Calibration file download process reminds me of the Therm-App USB dongle cameras that did the same. Such is not an issue, provided you can get the Calibration file from the OEM at least once, so that it can be saved somewhere safe.
The specifications for the TIM640 camera that I am using are honest and provide the true sensitivity for the complete "system" including its lens. This is stated as 75mK and is more than good enough for most tasks in Industry. There are a range of lenses available to fit the TIM series cameras so the end user may select the one that provides the desired FOV for a particular application. Thankfully my TIM640 is equipped with the very useful 33 Degrees HFOV lens. This does not squander the 640 x 480 pixels of the microbolometer in order to provide a wide FOV. This is important if image detail is a priority. I attach a screen capture of the TIM640 specifications.
I was doing some research on the Micro Epsilon TIM series of cameras and quickly established that it is the same as the OPTRIS PI series of Industrial thermal cameras. I believe that Optris are the true OEM of this hardware. The Optris web-site contains a wealth of information about these cameras. There is the Optris version of the PC software and even an APP for a USB connected (OTG) mobile phone.
On the software front, Micro Epsilon provide "TIMconnect" and the SDK for their camera. The Software is the same as that provided by Optris. The TIMconnect software used to be a chargeable item but it has now been made available free of charge (which is good to see).
On the Hardware front, there is not really a lot to say. The camera head is a neat little metal box with a nice large manual focus lens at the front and a couple of connectors at the rear. There is a standard tripod 1/4" screw mount on the bottom of the camera, along with two metric screw holes for attachment of the optional OEM camera mounting bracket. The two connectors provide USB and process connectivity. Camera power comes direct from the USB connection and is compliant with the USB 500mA current limit. The process connector is used with a separate interface to permit interaction of processes with the camera in an Industrial environment. Processes can be controlled by the camera, in line with its configuration, or the camera can receive data from processes for end user use.
Connector identity......
My TIM640 Micro Epsilon came without any cables or connectors. This can be a challenge with Industrial thermal cameras if the connector is not of an obvious make or type. Such was the case with the TIM640. Micro Epsilon sell complete USB cable assemblies at significant cost (~$200) and they were not forthcoming about the identity of the connectors used. Optris also withheld the identity of the connectors. This was interesting as they detail the identity of the connectors used on Optris IR thermometers..... Binder M8. Thankfully that information gave me somewhere to start when searching for the connectors. Optris use Binder brand connector on some of their sensor assemblies. searching through the various Binder connectors in their catalogue revealed that I needed connectors from the M9 711 or 712 series. That was not the end of the story though. The TIM / PI series of cameras have a 4 pin connector for the USB and a 5 pin connector for the process I/O port. I sourced a Binder 4 pin female connector in order to make my own USB cable. I should have paid more attention to the pin spacing though (I ordered the connector before I actually had the camera in my hands). The Binder 711/712 4 pin connector uses 4 pins equal spaced in a square format. The TIM / PI 4 pin connector non equal spaced pins in a trapezoidal format. This was an expensive mistake as the connector cost £16 (and that was a good price for these !) Once the camera arrived and I was able to carefully inspect the connectors, I realised that the 4 pin Binder connector is actually a 5 pin format connector with the top pin (pin 3) deleted. Why did the OEM do this ? It means that a standard Binder 5 pin connector will for both the USB and the Process connector as the free connector is female. Had a normal Binder M9 4 711/712 4 contact connector been used for the USB connection, the possibility of plugging the USB into the process connector, or vice versa, would have been avoided. So if you need to make cables for these cameras you just need to buy the Binder 711 or 712 series female 5 contact connectors. I attach the pinout pictures. The USB connection is standard with no additional interface required. I made a Binder 711 to USB type B socket short cable to permit use of standard USB type A to B cables.
Once the TIM series camera is connected to a PC and the Micro Epsilon TIMconnect software is installed, the software searches for the camera on its USB port. The process is automatic and the software searches for a valid calibration file for the cameras serial number. If no calibration file is found, it is downloaded from the OEM and stored in a user accessible folder for easy backup.
I attach some screen captures from the TIMconnect software showing what it offers. The layout of the various display and measurement functions may be set up as desired by the user. There are several useful layouts included with the standard installation but custom layouts may easily be created. This software "desktop" layout flexibility provides the user with the option to have very simple layouts with limited data shown, or more complex layouts that provide comprehensive data for easy visibility. The software offers multiple spot temperature points, regions of interest and other measurement features normally found in R&D software. The TIM series cameras are well suited to PCB inspection thanks to the high resolution and close focus capability. An unusual feature included in the software is the ability to operate the camera in a “line scanner” mode. It can be mounted on a production line, monitoring targets passing through its field of view. The shape of the “observation slot” may be configured by the end user. The software can monitor temperatures within the observation area and create outputs on the camera head process interface if required.
Well that is enough for now. I attach the specifications of the camera plus the captured images for those interested.
Additional comment: The TIM640 can capture still Radiometric images plus Radiometric VIDEO at 640x480 pixels with 32fps, which can be useful if monitoring a target over time and requiring temperature measurements from the recorded video.
Fraser
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