Uni-t UTi260B

[blurpy]

I got my camera today and so far I'm impressed by it. 

Cool! Do you have any sample images from circuits? I found the video reviews a bit lacking in practical examples, like looking for a short circuit.

[Brexei]

I ordered it yesterday from Aliexpress. There was an option to ship from Chech republic, so i will not mess with customs at all. It was a bit more expensive than ordering from China, but well worth the hassle. Price was about 340 usd, shipping included, so pretty nice.
It is supposed to arrive in 10 days...

[optotester]

Note that the manufacturer of the microbolometer is now selling a similar model on its own.

C200 for 267€ https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005002198790263.html?spm=a2g0w.12010612.8148356.4.5bc626a9BOht7h
C210 for 306€ https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005001994852160.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.528e6c37t3Dvrt

According to InfiRay, main difference is that C210 is normally for China market and is UVC compliant so it can be easily used as a camera when connected to PC (+ it is delivered with a storage pouch).

I went for C210, I hope I will not regret this choice.

[johnf30]

Does anyone know if this can be used as a webcam on Linux?

[logocar3]

Uuuu nice find!

But I only see C200 and C200 Pro on their product page... Is the C200 Pro the same product as C210? Even if I go to the Chinese page there is no C210...

[optotester]

According to the support team on Youtube, C200 and C210 only differ by the presence of UVC. But after asking by email, I was told C200 and C210 are identical now. So if I had to reorder, I would go for the cheapest option.

C200 Pro is not being sold on Aliexpress.

[logocar3]

So the C200 also supports UVC? This would be amazing, hoping that on Aliexpress is the updated version of c200

I sent 1 email and sent the same content via the form on their website and got no response yet... to which address did you send an email?

[optotester]

You can contact them at :
 InfiRay . CS (at) iraytek . com
(remove spaces and replace « at »)

[Brexei]

I ordered it yesterday from Aliexpress. There was an option to ship from Chech republic, so i will not mess with customs at all. It was a bit more expensive than ordering from China, but well worth the hassle. Price was about 340 usd, shipping included, so pretty nice.
It is supposed to arrive in 10 days...

Update:

It is more than 20 days now and it seems that the seller shipped it from China! I had chosen shipping from Czech Republic and paid more, but he sent it from China and it will now go through customs!
I have already started a dispute and wait till the shipping guarantee period ends...
It is strange because other people reported that they got it from Czech Republic in less than 10 days. So it seemed like a legit store with lots of positive feedback.
I do not know how this will end, so better be careful if somebody else needs to buy from within the EU.

[Brexei]

Which cheap ZnSe lens would you suggest for close ups? (small pcbs for example)?

I have found this seller on ebay (now that's a long link!):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/173879531148?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item287c07168c:g:xroAAOSwHqNcuAYy&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkSG%252BOFgrj2Yvbvmrj2TAdM%252F%252BtrrI8vuMjJtVOBHMV1yQWukltxSE2h9z7KuF6hkGSGxR4TwX71WgHclBuSzSgY4FkuVN390dErZgzJ1HT2sf2ggFzx3qkSaTb4i0vt4HXYK1NUb82P5mQuIGNdGakepZ7Ia1hRD%252F%252FpX4PhuQslpNIWWG7Wn3eDGH8pxb%252FOF%252BwX1ZgktDBjZ14eJslHyoPIeCzerD%252F7H59MOBKV7xjfONoc0xT1B3KwsrnBF6Ja39Fm2h4MYrqQFDglzEMHaeDxu2yj8Kzq3h0v9uGfZbVQ7gPPIAdydBZ0nb1ewDD%252BXxsblsCK7%252Bm39NDKdlE4pulKTkueHH5GVBHJaM7B%252FJqpnTKEGoBkRS4ToChCMsEX4VwInr5fPecK%252BjkE%252BF%252F1UDh1Z6fqLUDEYDtitw0VDZx4IpA0eEeOL2KC8mC%252BjhvpM9nm5YItD4VntXvnjH%252B7Qwus2ITb0ViADHpIT7syX%252BIvgZrkZG74zt5%252FkxjP6tmfZSied0qY%252BJbL5c9Os94vSAI4zYtQF%252BO6%252FNNpDWp2pOzU2FuzRE1yKh%252FaTTtXhylnQ%252F8F4OERmqAOvF31tcSUCB6EDuBYWrRAv2RjawI6ivDPmkHoBm8sEVkZfKtoP09T5Io3jCapLTkErk1J2aHU9T2BB707Pxp9wMLuj4imz54qj9UofIctks8x540zQQs5qXz35Bxm55CTtNWAlRJ9Al2S8tRlg3BV%252FcpNVnvQnHI2A7eL11%252FuKIrX24yW1zhz5oevzkdojsZ3wzx6vIckHBX3sisZNfKvpslCnYhVrQi2J4%253D%7Ccksum%3A173879531148bdc50592813f4ef398b9ce4c90bc3c3a%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524

It seems that all diameters are selling for similar price! Would getting a larger diameter lens improve quality, because light will be deflecting only at the center and not the edges, where most lenses are problematic? I remember that this holds true for optical lenses, but i am not sure for IR.

Also, what is the most suitable focal length for closeups of pcbs? 50mm or 76 mm?

[logocar3]

OK, I got to the technical department of the Infiray about different items, after quite some problems to reach them. The specs of differnet models are as following:

C200: 256*192, -20℃~550℃, FOV56°, battery life 11h.
C200 PRO: 256*192, -20℃~550℃, FOV56°, battery life 15h, Support automatic alarm snapshot. support realtime online data transfering to PC (UVC).
C210: same as C200 Pro, but C210 only selling in Internet shop.

@Brexei ask for refund, Aliexpress is usually nice and many times refund fuckups

[c1400700226]

Well I just bought an UTi220A Pro, it's an rebranded UTi260b with swapped color of the shell plastic and rubber. Price is about 273 USD. After some initial test I am shocked by how poor the design is.. It uses Type-C port, but doesn't work with Type-C to Type-C cable.. The captured image turned out to be just screenshot.. There is no way to manually set temp range, no way to get the raw sensor data, no way to record clean video, all I have is to see where is hotter or cooler on this TN display with awful viewing angle... And the software looks like a homework of an newbie programmer, it even contains some miscopied folders inside the installer.. And in order to review captured images the device must be connected, there is no way to open images saved on computer..
Overall I would say it's more like a child toy with a thermal camera, other than a professional thermal imaging tool... I am new to thermal imaging, ever read the manual of FLIR T1020 and was surprised by the functionality of a thermal camera, so I thought the UNI-T would have similar features but just worse image quality, however... I should've read the UNI-T manual before purchasing... And I broke the screw cap on the handle due to curiosity, so no way to return it now.. Anyway, the thermal resolution seems to be good, it's a pretty advantage isn't it😂 Well this isn't a very pleasing start like always, a lot more to learn haha

[Brexei]

@Brexei ask for refund, Aliexpress is usually nice and many times refund fuckups

Well, the 25 days guarantee delivery time has long passed and aliexpress gave me a full refund. I am going to wait some more time and see if it is totally lost or it arrives from China. Thankfully i got a refund so no worries.
It might not be as accurate and professional as a flir but keep in mind that a flir with a similar resolution costs more than 1000 euros! So non-professional users would never be able to buy such a tool.

[fr0zzen]

I have bought Infiray C200. And want to use it as video camera. From what I see on youtube it is the same as UTI260B - same firmware same button layout - maybe c200 has faster frame rate.
My version of C200 has option in settings USB video or USB disk. When i connect camera to my pc via usb C to usb A wich is provided by infiray - windows 10 recognizes USB device connected. Using zadig-2.5 program i find usb UVC camera and install usb drivers. Then I'm trying to use ThermoVision_JoeC_V1.10.0. But i'm lost there - need help. I found a post on ThermoVision_JoeC_V1.10.0 that UTI260B is supported camera, so c200 should be also supported.
I tried all functions but without any luck. 
Can anyone guide my how to use c200 with thermo vision app?
Can anyone give me link to infiray software for pictures analysis?
"Help Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're My Only Hope" 

[Santi-hr]

From what I have seen online, the C200 does save radiometric information, not like the UTi260b that only stores a grayscale image. So probably what Joe-c implemented does not work for this new camera. It seems that Infiray started from UNI-T firmware and updated it.

[c1400700226]

From what I have seen online, the C200 does save radiometric information, not like the UTi260b that only stores a grayscale image. So probably what Joe-c implemented does not work for this new camera. It seems that Infiray started from UNI-T firmware and updated it.

Hi, I just found your script may have a little bug, the images which have lable on the edge may show one line of residual, I opened an issue on github, could you please check? Thanks in advance.

[Brexei]

Finally, my UTi260B has arrived! (from China and not Europe, as i had ordered it from...). It has been a very long time since i received a full refund and i am lucky that i did so. I will explain.

The unit is a very nice piece of equipment for home users and it is value for money. The resolution is nice and you do not have to use the optical image at all (but is saves an optical image as well as the thermal when you press the trigger). It is precise, fast and does almost everything a home user would ask. The price is also fair for what you get. If you are a professional and would like more features and precise calibrated measurements you can get a Flir for three times the money. But for the average non-pro user it is perfect!

BUT: After a couple of days mine also developed a hot spot at the bottom!! I remember someone here mentioned that he had a hotspot too and people replied that it could be due to dust in the sensor. Well, maybe it is not... Mine is OK when it starts up cold, but develops the hotspot as it warms up!




It does not matter if i move it around or not. Hotspot always appears. Sometimes it might be a cold spot. So, i believe that it is a deficiency in some sensors, or improper factory testing, and it is the risk you take for such a low price.

However, i suggest that potential buyers test their meter for a few days before declaring it 'received' and miss the refund, if something like this appears.


Other than that it performs perfectly nice. Clicking (and pausing for half a second) for calibration is done frequently when it starts up, but gradually becomes rare when temperature inside the unit is stabilized. I am very happy with the overall performance and user experience. But i am happy i got a refund because now it is way too late to fill in any claim from the seller.

[Fraser]

The first thing I note on both your images is the temperature span. Anything near 1C temperature span will challenge any thermal camera when it comes to a low noise thermally flat image. I can see the area of temperature difference in the first image as well as the second. It may well be due to pixel drift or poor NUC but it could also be due to a localised temperature difference in the vicinity of the microbolometer. Such would normally cause a warmer area only. The FFC shutter event will normally reduce or remove small temperature deviations across the microbolometer. Does the area become less apparent after an FFC event ?

If you have a temperature span of 10C does the area still appear different to the rest of the display ? If not, your camera is behaving pretty well for it’s price point.

[Brexei]

Well, there might be an element (resistor?) near the bottom of the microbolometer that becomes hot and affects the image. I took a thermal image of my house inner wall to better illustrate this phenomenon, so the temperature span is really small.

It does not improve when FFC happens, unfortunately. The only way to remove this is by looking at an image with a span above 6-7 degrees. So, yes a span of 10 degrees will not have this effect any more (it is not visible). Apart from this the camera is an excellent performer for the money! And did i mention that the battery lasts for ever? You can play for 3-4 hours and still there is battery left over!

[Bill W]

Well, there might be an element (resistor?) near the bottom of the microbolometer that becomes hot and affects the image.

While there is an ADC somewhere that gets warm, as Fraser says the shutter NUC event should clear that.

I'd be more inclined to think that there is some kind of reflection or error in the flag design so it is not fully blanking or maybe not fully clearing from the sensor field of view.

Bill

[Fraser]

The IRay Tiny1 is a miniature imaging core and it could well be that the FFC shutter is operating in very confined conditions, leading to the shutter issues that you mention Bill Your explanation sounds highly plausible.

[Brexei]

I performed some more tests...

When completely cold the phenomenon does not appear at all! Even for a temperature span of 1 C. As it warms up it gets more and more evident.

Second, if you measure something that spans 5 degrees, but it is cooler than 30 C then it appears. If you have the same span but you measure something that is at 40 C then it does not appear! So i think it might be some hot spot near the microbolometer which is not properly compensated by the shutter event due to poor construction. Or, as you said, it could be that the shutter is not uniform and there is a cold spot at the bottom.

[Guessologist]

Hi all, just registered to say thanks for helping me make an informed decision around which thermal camera to purchase after reading this thread, and to add another data point. Had a FLIR One Pro that I had to return due to some crud under the front lens element showing up on the images, so decided to take a punt on a Chinese device if the QC is going to be iffy anyway with the name brands. Went with Ebay over AliExpress for a bit more buyer protection, but in AU the import charges kill the value of the 260B somewhat and choices are more limited. I ended up going with the Ziboo ST9450A+ which is as far as I can tell identical to the 260b / C200, for around AUD$400 delivered. Arrived from China this morning, in about 10 days. Came with a case, charging cable, 16gb micro sd card and a thumb drive with the PC software. Works perfectly by the looks so far, but does not have a PC video menu option.

As an aside the HTI website had the ST9450A+ listed for a while at about AUD$450 delivered on behalf of one of their partner companies, apparently to get the name out there quickly.

[JacquesBBB]

I have  received a InfiRay C200 which I bought after reading the posts on this thread.

The camera is fine, but there is no menu for setting the USB and I cannot connect to the computer by USB, contrary to what was stated  by fr0zzen in this thread. Maybe due to a different software release.  I have asked about it but had no answer yet.
It comes from https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001599665046.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dWFN8Wr
I see that now  they are no longer selling the C200 but the C210 and advertise for the USB connection and PC software. I am not very happy as my order was less than one month ago ( June 11).

I have also designed a small holder for a 20 mm ZnSe lens. This is great for PCB. The 3D files are here : https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4901923

The lens come from
https://cloudray.aliexpress.com/store/group/CO2-Lens-Mirror/1513187_508197391.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.pcShopHead_5999282.1_1

Below are the pictures
- without lens


- with 63.5 mm focal USA CVD lens


- with 50.8 mm focal China PVD lens

[JacquesBBB]

Here is the answer  from UNI-T

C200 has been discontinued. C210 is an upgraded version. C210 can communicate with PC now. C200 cannot be upgraded. Sorry