New Thermal Camera related web site and forum

[Fraser]

There is a new Web site and associated forum that will hopefully be of interest to members of the EEVBlog who have in interest in such technology.

http://www.fire-tics.co.uk/

The web site and associated forum has been set up by fellow EEVBlog forum member Bill W. A gentleman I know, and for whom I have the greatest of respect.

The web site has much information on the E2V (formerly EEV) thermal cameras used for fire fighting. These cameras are now appearing on the secondary marketplace and can be more affordable than new cameras. They can also offer faster frame rates than the ITAR limited 9fps cameras that are common in Europe.

The sites forum, whilst focussed on Fire fighting cameras, is also a great place to discuss thermal cameras and associated technology in general. It is a place for thermal imaging hobbyists to meet and discuss projects, or ask questions about the technology. If you are thinking of building or restoring a thermal camera, this will hopefully be a great place to come and get comment and advice on such.

The web site links to the forum but the direct URL is here....

http://www.fire-tics.co.uk/forum/

I will be visiting the site and forum often in order to read the discussions and assist others where able. In case others have not read Bill's posts on this forum to date. He is a very knowledgeable and friendly person. I thank him for setting up this valuable new information resource and meeting place for like minded enthusiasts.

Thermal cameras, spares and project parts may also be available but it is best to ask in the appropriate area of the forum.

Please support Bill's efforts and join the forum.

Fraser

[Chanc3]

Always game for TIC talk. Signed up! Website is a little... dated, but contains all the information required. Any breakdowns of the cameras going to be present?

[frenky]

If he made his forum 3 months ago when EEVblog did not have "Thermal Imaging" subforum I would really happy about it.
But now that we (thermal camera owners) have our own space on EEVblog I see absolutely no need to participate on another forum.

Even here where there is many thousands of users only a few of them is actively participating. Everybody else just reads...
So I would be much happier if users were more active here then on some other forum...

But I do wish him all the best with his forum and I will read it for sure.

[Chanc3]

If he made his forum 3 months ago when EEVblog did not have "Thermal Imaging" subforum I would really happy about it.
But now that we (thermal camera owners) have our own space on EEVblog I see absolutely no need to participate on another forum.

Even here where there is many thousands of users only a few of them is actively participating. Everybody else just reads...
So I would be much happier if users were more active here then on some other forum...

But I do wish him all the best with his forum and I will read it for sure.

I think these forums are more aimed at fire-fighters TICs, so I guess if you have one, it would be the best place for support.

[Bill W]

Thanks for the comments, yes  Chanc3 the site is content over appearance, one step up from being hand crafted in NotePad ! The camera page content will increase over time as I get all the datasheets and manuals scanned and uploaded / linked and record some videos.  I'll also admit that it is not far off being my C.V. 

I decided to run a forum in the site rather than include here to aim it at the second users with a deep folder structure  while 'new stuff' like phone / app cores that are around today do belong here.

I would hope that the sub-forums by camera type those should slowly build into reference documents for each camera as questions of 'how can I fix this' are dealt with.  If there's enough people with the information for some of the other cameras then more forums can appear, I simply started the ones I feel would be readily supported.  By 'readily supported' I mean enough supply of cameras (via eBay etc) for a reasonable number to participate, a float of parts and sub-assemblies as people fix up one from two dead uns, and enough data that can be made available to allow project and repair discussions while also being free of commercial concerns over current products.
The most obvious 'other cameras' are the other Raytheon BST cameras from ISI, ISG, Bullard etc as the cores were the same.  Not sure who could support a Cairns Viper, and not seen many for sale either !

Bill

[Fraser]

With regard to additional forums that discuss thermal cameras........ In my opinion, the more, the better. Not all thermal camera enthusiasts are members of this forum, yet they may join the Fire Fighting camera related forum that Bill has created. Technical information and expertise in thermal imaging camera design is a very rare commodity on the Internet and you need to grab it where and when you can   

As Bill has stated, the ARGUS camera web page could be considered part of his CV. Just think about that statement for a while 

If someone buys an ARGUS camera on an auction site and wishes to know more about it, Bill's site will help. If the camera needs parts, Bill's forum may provide a means to obtain such. If someone cannot afford to buy a new thermal camera and wants to construct one using the parts commonly found in many older Fire Fighting cameras, Bill's forum will hopefully provide somewhere to discuss the challenges and issues involved. Parts may also be available from other members, such as myself, to aid the project.

Whilst it is very true that this EEVBlog sub forum is an excellent place to discuss the technology, Bill's site and forum will hopefully be an organised repository of information on specific camera models, spare parts for such, and knowledgeable advice from people who know rather than having to surmise or guess, as I have sometimes had to do 

Anyway, I am very grateful to Bill for taking the time to document the E2V thermal camera camera range. E2V Argus manufacturing has been bought by AVON. When such 'absorptions' occur, it is not unusual for much knowledge and information to be lost or destroyed. Such is a great loss to those of us trying to research or maintain older equipment covered by that documentation.

I should also state that there are other discussion forums for thermal cameras, one that comes to mind is the ITC forum. It is wise to keep an eye on such forums as some gems of information sometimes appear 😀 Fire House is another forum where I have read with interest, historic posts from competing thermal camera company reps extolling the virtues of their camera technology Vs the oppositions product. BST Vs Microbolometer ........ It got quite heated at times....pun intended  the Bullard and ISG reps certainly did not get on with each-other, or play nicely 😆 why is that interesting you may wonder... Well during their many sparring matches they released technical detail about the insides of their respective cameras that would otherwise not have been public...... Like the exact running temperature of the BST array that is controlled by a Peltier stabiliser. 🙂 Also the effects of environmental conditions on the camera technology. Battery technology defects, and all manner of other dirty laundry 

Fraser