Thermal Camera Purchase Advice

[eerocketman]

Hey everyone I am currently in the process of buying a thermal camera for work. I am a test engineer so the camera will be used for debugging PCB thermally and large machines. I do not have a lot of experience with these cameras my soft budget is about 1500 USD but if I can justify it can stretch up 2500 USD.

Any advice on where I can start and or some recommendations?!

Thanks!!

[nidlaX]

There is a forum member named homestea who is currently selling a FLIR A65 with broken sync port for $2000 (or less if you haggle a little). It is a 640x512 resolution camera with GigE Vision output. If you're talking bang for your buck, you probably will not find a better deal for a high resolution camera with decent close focus capability and a plethora of built-in color palettes and measurements.

If you must buy new, then you will probably be limited to QVGA resolution cameras only, and you will have a lot of options for $1500 - $2500 USD. You should first decide whether or not you need a portable unit as that will narrow down your options significantly.

[eerocketman]

Thank you for your response. It does have to be a portable solution. Currently my top consideration is the Flir EX series. Could you recommend a better solution in the 1500 to 2500 price range?

[simingx]

Keysight still has a bunch of U5855A's for sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Keysight-Used-U5855A-TrueIR-Thermal-Camera-Imager-350-degree-Celsius-Agilent-/172816210431?epid=1474647678&hash=item283ca619ff:g:B14AAOSwooRZixIZ

You'll need to get your own power adaptor, but they're good value for money if you don't want to faff around with hacking cameras...

[Fraser]

+1

The U5855A offers excellent value for money and its image analysis software is free of charge so no problems on that front. It has a decent manual focus lens and is capable of very respectable thermography. It is a little limited by its 160 x 120 pixel resolution but in many thermography applications that is still acceptable.

The cameras were originally offered without a battery but now a Keysight include one in the deal. The power adapter is a standard design with a 2.5mm power plug connector.

The U5855A normal retail price is quite high but these Keysight factory demo units are being sold at a very reasonable price. I now own three of them (one is a repair project though). The OEM is the venerable NEC AVIO who went into partnership with Keysight.

The Keysight factory outlet also has complete kits with all accessories but these cost more. I did not need the hard case or accessories though.

It is important to be aware that some cheaper thermal imaging options are not the most accurate where temperature measurement is concerned. Phone dongle types would not be my first choice for real thermography.

On the secondary market, I recommend the FLIR Exx series for serious applications. The E40 may be upgraded to E60 spec in the same way as the E4 can be upgraded to E8 spec. That is to say you get 320 x 240 pixel resolution and all menus active. Upgrading is not always something that a professional thermographer would wish to do but it is the companies decision really. An upgraded. Amera can still receive a valid calibration check certificate. FLIR support does become an issue though.

Given the choice of what is currently available and excluding upgrading cameras, the U5855A offers exceptional value from a much respected company, both Keysight and the OEM, NEC AVIO. $620 delivered would take some beating IMHO. An upgraded E40 is superior though. But then that will cost around $1500 to $2000 on eBay.

NOTE: If you decide to buy an E4 for upgrade to E8+ spec, be aware that the latest (2017) release cameras cannot, at this point in time, be upgraded. You will be stuck with a very limiting 80 x 60 pixel resolution.

Fraser

[simingx]

My U5855 paid for itself the first time I used it to track down some intermittent components in a power amplifier... When everything is at +/-50V you really don't want to be poking around with your fingers. These files are straight out of the camera.

[JanHenrik]

+1 for the U5855A

The Camera is realy great, the features like the focus and the software are realy usefull. Also their service is awesome.

Images:
1. A resistor as close as possible
2. A sauna
3. Mercury lamp

[eerocketman]

Thank you all for your advice. I went with the U5855A.