Uni-t UTi260B

[aydd]

I saw vertical screen pictures interference on the screen 2 times. It's not a permanent situation. it may be normal to see this on a comprehensive thermal camera for the first time Unknown.. no photo sorry. I'll take it again

https://www.veed.io/view/8c477bae-a2be-44bc-b181-4f4959ff6890?sharingWidget=true&panel=share

this video please check.

but i got this. more parasites occurred than that. is this normal?

[katzenhai2]

https://www.veed.io/view/8c477bae-a2be-44bc-b181-4f4959ff6890?sharingWidget=true&

Good question. I don't own a Uni-T device. Maybe one of the other owners can compare it with their device.
This doesn't happen with my devices (from HIKMICRO). But could theoretically be normal and related to the used screen in the devices. 

[teddychn]

Picked up one of these from the Nov11 sales, so far it has been excellent the first few times I've used it. Only trouble is that it doesn't charge on a USB-C charger. I've had to use the included USB-C to USB-A cable to charge it at fixed 5V

This one has a Firmware v1.2.10

After a full charge, I did hit a bug with all temperatures reading 0'C and center spot -275'C. All other general operations seemed normal. A reboot didn't fix. Then did factory reset from the menus with no change. Restarted and it froze up at EN/CN language selection on boot. Rebooted yet again and it now seems to have returned to normal operation.

I can't charge my UTi-260A with type-C charger as well. And it's firmware version was 1.0.20 too.

The manual claims turning on/off continuously can damage the device. I'm curious about the science in it. So we can only take it carefully for now.

[aydd]

Picked up one of these from the Nov11 sales, so far it has been excellent the first few times I've used it. Only trouble is that it doesn't charge on a USB-C charger. I've had to use the included USB-C to USB-A cable to charge it at fixed 5V

This one has a Firmware v1.2.10

After a full charge, I did hit a bug with all temperatures reading 0'C and center spot -275'C. All other general operations seemed normal. A reboot didn't fix. Then did factory reset from the menus with no change. Restarted and it froze up at EN/CN language selection on boot. Rebooted yet again and it now seems to have returned to normal operation.

I can't charge my UTi-260A with type-C charger as well. And it's firmware version was 1.0.20 too.

The manual claims turning on/off continuously can damage the device. I'm curious about the science in it. So we can only take it carefully for now.

lcd screen problem

I noticed that it is affected by cell phone signals. If the device is nearby when the phone rings, these interferences exist

[teddychn]

lcd screen problem

I noticed that it is affected by cell phone signals. If the device is nearby when the phone rings, these interferences exist

I set my cell phone and UTI260A side by side. Then made a call to my  phone. Seemed nothing happened.

[Algoma]

Cellular providers usually operate on different frequencies, it's likely very specific and narrow range that has the greatest effect ( multiple of screen refresh rate)..transmit power also varies based on distance from your nearest tower.

[teddychn]

Cellular providers usually operate on different frequencies, it's likely very specific and narrow range that has the greatest effect ( multiple of screen refresh rate)..transmit power also varies based on distance from your nearest tower.

Make sense, Algoma. I thought I was lucky.

[raquenaengineering]

Hello, I've managed to connect the UTI690 to get video streaming to a computer and collect it via openCV.
Here the code I've wrote:

https://github.com/raquenaengineering/soft_lib_uti690B

I'm planning to use your code to improve the software.
Would you like to share some knowledge and maybe merge both codes?

Cheers!

[Silicium81]

Hello, I've managed to connect the UTI690 to get video streaming to a computer and collect it via openCV.
Here the code I've wrote:

https://github.com/raquenaengineering/soft_lib_uti690B

I'm planning to use your code to improve the software.
Would you like to share some knowledge and maybe merge both codes?

Cheers!

the link is dead 

[raquenaengineering]

The link is fixed now.
Thanks!

[Tim Foo]

The idea of connecting a phone to my UTi260B (V1.1.6) is really attractive.  So far I have tried your list of apps with no success from Google Play:  USB Camera (Brown icon), nExt Camera, CameraFi Live, OTG View (which after installation  turns out to be OTG View2)... Will like to find out of anone out there have success and with what App together with the settings.  IMHO this UTi260B do not have the same frame size as the other (standard?) USB camera, hence the X and Y pixels don't align and this may be the root (and hopefully not the tip of the iceberg) cause of the problematic interface.

[jeroenvtec]

Hi all

I also opened my uti690b and has the same board as in the picture below.
I destroyed my unit by a usb a to micro-usb > usb -c  and/or a quick charge charger. (some how)
I saw on the display 9v 4a! when unplugged it was already done. Not comming on. So be aware off that !
After opening / smelling and seeing with the a flir one cam, the mosfet was gone, next to d5 on the picture of keenox.
It was a 01ah replaced it with a 01A (7 something) and it is working again.
When sensor is disconnected I also get loading 100% and then nothing. after all connected up and running ( so far )
so maybe this can help people.
battery is a pnas 26650 3.6v 5000mah

br
Jeroen

I also opened the UTi260B. Tip: use a small suction cap (like the ones used to remove phone screens) to remove the screen shield in order to avoid scratches instead of using tweezers. Also, don't pull hard on the face because there is a small ribbon cable that connects the buttons to the main PCB. I almost ripped mine.
I also attached a script that will enable the USB console. (thanks optotester for the initial script)
Just unzip to the SD card root, press right for 3 seconds, hold and press left.
You will see a new COM in the device manager. Connect using putty (or your preferred terminal client) with baud rate 115200.

Use ftpadmin/ftpadmin (no write rigths, safer to just look around) or root/uti160e (careful! you can mess stuff up if you don't know what you're doing.

Full dump of the 1.2.6 firmware: https://mega.nz/file/2EZXAKJC#L_ROicWxl96tmm10NZP_TM9PELJHTVqmL0C8l_ZAYGQ

[Ranayna]

I just got a Uni-T UTI260A
As far as i know it is essentially the same as the B, except it has no normal camera, right?

It was a somewhat strange offer on Amazon. It was listed as "Karlak UTi260A" camera:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BM9HQRQ6?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

But pictures and reviews show it as Uni-T, and the camera i got is clearly branded as Uni-T. 
I bought it for around 230 Euro, and honestly did not not expect to actually get it

Well, it arrived and a very quick check shows it working 

[TERRA Operative]

I just picked up a UTi260K-J (Japanese model, no Fahrenheit option is the only difference that I can see, oh and Japanese printed manual in the box) for 11000yen, or about US$85.
Saw it in a store while purchasing some multimeter leads yesterday, then realised how cheap it was so went back today to buy it.

It seems to work well besides only showing measurements in the 30-45 degree C range (because it is the K model), but as long as I can see what's hot and what's not on my PCB's, I'm happy, and for the price, even more so.

I'll be sourcing a macro lens for it next, and pointing it at anything interesting I can find.

[mzzj]

I just got a Uni-T UTI260A
As far as i know it is essentially the same as the B, except it has no normal camera, right?

It was a somewhat strange offer on Amazon. It was listed as "Karlak UTi260A" camera:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BM9HQRQ6?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

But pictures and reviews show it as Uni-T, and the camera i got is clearly branded as Uni-T. 
I bought it for around 230 Euro, and honestly did not not expect to actually get it

Well, it arrived and a very quick check shows it working 

Had to order one as the price was very tempting.

Some notes based on quick 1h playing with the camera:
-no manual range settings is definite minus in many cases
-uniformity correction is less than stellar showing about 2 degree temperature gradient accross the field. On the other hand NUC seems very stable compared for example to many Fluke models.
Kind of shame that the calibration is quite bit off, on the other hand 10-20 times more expensive Fluke thermal cameras often drift similar amount in 10 minutes and on this the error seems more or less "fixed". 

[Honusnap]

Hello,

Did some of you upgraded their firmware on the 260B... ? Or have a link to something about firmware/flash tool fort this device or A-BF 680/C200SE/C200/C200 Pro/Topdon TC005 ?

[JDW]

I recently purchased a UTi260B from Banggood, which marked my first order ever from Banggood.  Thankfully it ships in a nice padded box because that box was shipped in a thin plastic bag with zero padding, and it arrived with small holes and rips, and the box corners were slightly smashed. 

I ordered the official Macro lens for it too, also from Banggood. Why they foolishly shipped the camera and the lens separately is anyone's guess, but they didn't charge me extra for shipping two separate packages.  The UT-Z002 macro lens ships in a plastic blister pack, and silly Banggood only puts that inside the same, unpadded plastic bag when shipping.  It arrived in one piece thankfully, and works great to allow my 260B to get very close to a PCB. 

Sadly, the official UT-Z002 macro lens covers the digital camera and only allows the thermal camera to view the device under test.  I am also finding the temperature readings to be hotter when using the Macro lens, as compared to when not using it.  And when I attach my 121GW's Type-K thermal probe to a hotspot, I see that the temperatures on the 260B without the macro lens attached are the most accurate.  In other words, my 121GW with Type-K thermocouple's temperature measurements largely match the 260B WITHOUT the Macro lens attached.  Yes, Emissivity settings matter, but that is not at the heart of the problem.  The Macro lens just makes the readings about 10°C hotter, for reasons I don't understand.  Other than that, the benefits of the Macro lens are great because you can finally get up close and see hotspots on even SMD components.

The cost of the official UT-Z002 Macro lens is much cheaper than other compatible Macro lenses that merely tape onto the 260B, such as those sold by NorthridgeFix here.  Prior to purchasing the official lens, I tried to ask NorthridgeFix what the functional differences are between theirs and the official one, but after waiting a week, they never gave me a reply, which is quite odd.  My post to their form is still awaiting approval too, which is also odd.

The good news is my 260B is working fine so far. Seems very well made and is built to be rugged.  It firmware ver. 2.0.20 and the unit included a 32GB uSD card.  While searching for firmware updates in vain today, I came across this thread and is why I decided to post this.  It seems that if indeed there is newer firmware, it's not online, nor is it clear how one would update it.

I must say the official PC software for the 260B stinks.  It doesn't do much at all, and while I was able to get it to work by downloading the latest Parallels trial to run Windows on ARM on my M1 Max MacBook Pro, the official software won't run at all under WINE. Quite sad because WINE is free. 

When running the official software, it's nice that there's a video feed to the computer when you link the included USB-C cable between the 260B and the computer, but the only way I see to save the video is to make a screen recording.  And that's it.  The software doesn't allow you to do any of the important things it should, like saving a clean thermal image with no data overlay, changing the color palettes on the fly, etc.  Why?  Seriously...  Why skip that? Ack!

I did find this Github page with a Python script to extract clean images.  I'm not well versed in Python usage though, so I'm not sure the best way to go about it.  For those of you who have tried that Python script or who otherwise are Python experts, what's the step by step approach to doing it on a Mac?  Or could it be done online by moving the saved images to the computer and then uploading them?

Thanks.

[TobyG]

Well.  Here we are.

Bought a 690B (seems to be the banggood version of the 260b, internals and functionality are identical) in 2021, only used it maybe a dozen times, mostly to find shorts on PCBs that were not immediately obvious, of course with an extra Macro lens attached to it.

Either way, went to use it yesterday aaaaand it doesn't boot.
Gets stuck at 100% and I keep hearing what sounds like a lens focussing, pretty sure that's coming from the thermal camera, not from the normal one.

I can still turn it off as usual, it charges just fine and I can turn the LED lights on and off, but that's it.
Already checked the hardware, at least the supply voltages are all there, with the exception of that little coin cell, that is pretty much dead, but just putting a 3V supply there didn't change anything, either.


Emailed Banggood and Uni-T in hopes they would offer a (paid) repair, maybe, but no luck.




So yeah, that's a bit of a bummer.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'm not a software guy, so,
unless someone has a magic solution that even I could try:

Free to a good home if someone in Europe wants to give it a shot.
It's appreciated if shipping gets paid, but if you're a broke student or something, don't worry.

[Fraser]

TobyG,

I have sent you an offer to look at repairing your camera for no cost to you except postage if I repair it.

Fraser

[Fraser]

The patient arrived today from TobyG.

I installed some Dupont test pins in the Serial engineering port location and connected a Prolific PL2303 USB-UART bridge. The boot log has revealed where the camera is failing its boot sequence. It is too early to say whether the camera may be resurrected.
 
Fraser

[Fraser]

The PCB's out of their shell for ease of access. The visible and thermal core assembly is quite something with its layers of thermally conductive pad sandwich. The designer was trying really hard to transmit the thermal energy produced by the cores away from the microbolometer. Maybe they had problems with locally produced thermal contamination of the image ? Such efforts may also assist in the short term stability of radiometric measurements due to the core effectively sitting on a large thermal mass.

Fraser

[Fraser]

I attach the boot logs from the poorly UTi690B that I am working on as it is an interesting fault. From background reading it would appear that UTi260B and UTi690B cameras can, without warning, fail to complete the boot process. The symptoms are that the camera responds to the "power on" input and begins to boot. The progress bar appears late on in the boot log and reaches 100% before the camera appears to HALT the boot.

The truth of the matter is that camera has not entered a complete HALT state. The system continues to try to complete a command but because there is no timeout on that command, it tries forever until either the "power-off" command is issued or the battery disconnected. The System remains operational and other functions are still operational. The firmware is not allowing the camera to enter the operator menu state because it is not completing a boot task. No error is issued to the user but the error is clear in the boot log that comes out of the Serial Engineering port.

The error - "GC0308 camera: VIDIOC_DQBUF failed (-1)"

The GC0308 is the visible light camera and VIDIOC_DQBUF relates to the exchange process of the buffer with the driver.

The issue that the firmware is detecting relates to the data coming from the visible light and infrared cameras. To better understand the issue and to determine whether one of the camera cores was faulty, I tested the camera with one and then both imaging cores disconnected. The camera 'complained' that it could not see the imaging cores so there is communication taking place with both of them. Sadly any issue with the two imaging cores creates the same result of a 100% progress bar on the display and then the firmware stops the boot process awaiting correction of a imaging core related command failure. The boot log can only tell us the command that has failed and not the cause of that failure. This is where I am at the moment, trying to determine whether i am seeing a failure in silicon or firmware that impedes completion of the command. It is interesting that this fault symptom appears relatively common on these cameras, almost as though there is a weakness in the hardware or firmware that can occur without provocation by the user.

For information, the small cell that retains the RTC data is a RECHARGEABLE lithium cell that is charged from the system board during use. If the camera is left unused for a long period of time, this cell can become discharged. replacement cells, if required are very cheap so no worries there.

So my investigation into this cameras fault continues. I am attaching the various boot logs that were created during my testing of the camera.
These logs contain a lot of useful information and this is why I recommend that collection of the boot log from a camera is a good start to an investigation into boot faults and some hardware failures. The log can give you somewhere to start looking for the cause.

Fraser

[Fraser]

A little voice in my head is telling me to investigate the RTC circuit and it’s backup battery. I have already ordered a replacement MS621FE in case it has degraded. Under £4 delivered and cheaper still from Farnell. I am thinking about parts of the camera that age and can cause data corruption in the circuits that they serve. There are time stamps used in the firmware 

Fraser

[Slartibartfast123]

So one possible cause of failure could be a faulty camera module or a badly seated cable.

I think the camera module reads „HDF0308-A50“ on backside of the cable. The GC0308 visible light camera is dirt cheap. The modules with 50mm flex cable are sold out everywhere but there are some available with 75mm. 35mm seems to be too short. Maybe a good try to interchange this module with a working one.

[Fraser]

We think alike  My first thoughts were a fault in the Visible light core but I could not prove it and I do not have a 0308 VL core to install for a substitution test. I have been looking at replacement 0308 visible camera cores but most see. To be in the USA or China. The RTC battery and Visible light core are so cheap that it makes sense to replace them in case they are causing the problem. I think the term used is “quick wins” 

I have yet to order the HDF0308-A50 as I was hoping to find a UK/European supplier rather than China due to the shipping times. I shall spend some time searching for one tomorrow.

Many thanks for your suggestion. I am happy to take advice on these Linux based cameras as I am not a Linux Guru and just an Apprentice in the art of Linux system wrangling 

Fraser