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Thermal camera teardown - I bought fifty Dewalt DCT-416 cameras !

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Fraser:
The opportunity arose to purchase fifty incomplete Dewalt DCT-416 thermal cameras. I jumped
at the chance and bought them for £56 (about £1 each !). They are worth that to me in cases and parts.

The cameras are ex FLUKE, Germany and are believed to be new and unused. Some are dusty and
look to have been in storage for a while.

The cameras have been stripped of their front panel, Visible light camera, Chalcogenide
lens, chopper wheel, CR3032 lithium cell and sadly the REDEYE-6A detector array. The
detector and lens are relatively high value items so I am not surprised that FLUKE
recovered them from the cameras before bulk disposal. They will likely use them in the
higher specification cameras such as the FLUKE VT04 as they are the same parts.

The DCT-416 is actually a FLUKE(IRISYS) VT02 thermal camera in a different case with a
slightly different PCB layout. The core design remains the same however. The camera has a
resolution of 16x16 pixels courtesy of the IRISYS Redeye-6A thermopile detector array.
Clever interpolation is used to create a higher resolution image on the LCD screen.The
Redeye-6A is in fact a 31x31 pixel array but only 16x16 are used in this model. There may
be potential to release the extra pixels to upgrade the camera to the FLUKE VT04
specification. A worthwhile improvement if achievable.

I already own a pair of complete IRISYS prototypes for the FLUKE VT02, so I am familiar
with the design. The missing parts can be transplanted into the DCT-416 units for testing
purposes as the VT02 parts are the same.

What are my plans for these units ?

Well I have more than I need so some will go to new homes to recover some of my investment.
Others will likely become cases for handheld projects. one will form a neat handle assembly
form my mobile phone and FLIR F1G2 thermal camera. The rubberised hand grip is very
comfortable and will convert the F1G2 into a format similar to my E4's. For approx £1 each,
these units were good value for money. They can be restored to operation with the addition
of a REDEYE-6A, visible light camera, a simple metal chopper wheel and a simple lens. A
cheap ZnSe lens assembly may even be possible. I may experiment with the DCT-416 to
establish whether it provides a better image than my VT04 prototypes and whether upgrade to
31x31 pixels is possible. For now I am just happy to have these in stock for future use.

The chipset is listed below. I will update it with the full ID of the chips as and when I can.


DCT-416 Chipset


Redeye-6A  31x31 pixel pyro electric detector array with integral ASIC readout chip

STM32F207 ARM based MCU - 32 bit CORTEX M3 CPU 120 MHz

24LC641 Microchip 64K EEPROM
9801M    Microchip MCP 9801-M High accuracy 2-wire temperature sensor. -55C to +125C

AAT242  Maxim
AAY236  Maxim
AFR239  Maxim

D3W   
F2PHM
HSUQ
HW4T
L4P
L8CVC
LTGF      Linear Tech LT1761ES5-3.3V LDO regulator
OAVQ    TI OA365 Op-Amp
P8W
1A
360 T

Pictures follow........


Fraser

Fraser:
Internal pictures........ Several posts worth !

Fraser:
More internal pictures.........

Fraser:
Pictorial comparison between DCT-416 and the FLUKE VT-02 on which it is based.

The first picture shows a disassembled FLUKE VT02 in its storage box.

Fraser:
One possible use for the case.... a quality handle for the FLIR F1G2 and my Motorola MOTO G phone.

My 3D printer can make the required panels and brackets to hold the F1G2 camera and the phone.

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