FLIR (Infrared) Camera Testing

[toolo4sno]

This is a FLIR Duo Rainbow IR video of the Pittsburgh International Race Complex Full track during Qualifying. The camera is mounted in my LH side pod aimed right at the front left tire.

I've wanted to do an infrared overlay since I started running my FE. It took several years for used FLIR Duos to get below $700, but mine only lasted 5 sessions max. I only have two full sessions of video, but I don't make qualifying videos so I put this on it's own. I did learn that I was under filling my tires by about 2 psi. Hence the cold strip down the middle. This session I started adding more, but was still maybe 1psi short.

You can see when the brake calipers come into view or when hot exhaust from a car ahead is shown because my tire temps show a dramatic drop in temperature. Essentially, that is the camera recalibrating the color code for the much hotter temps. When those hot items disappear the normal tire temps show up again.

There is a false hot spot towards the middle of the image. I believe it is the heat of the camera reflecting off of the outer Germanium lens. Once the tire gets hot that tends to show up more than the hot spot.

[Rick Kirchner]

do you know what sensor technology FLIR uses?

Back in the 80s a friend patented a low cost IR sensor for a Walleye weapon upgrade program - the Pyrolectric Vidicon. Worked great, was cheap, but it was also microphonic - all the vibration it was exposed to showed up in the video and the problem had no fix at the time. The DoD killed the upgrade as a result and actually allowed Marc to pursue products using his patent. Companies built hand-held devices that did essentially what your FLIR device is doing - they used to to see stuff like bearings failing on assembly lines, etc.

You don't have anything to lose now - take it apart and look for broken stuff.

Incidentally recently purchased a cheap Chinese camera similar to my old ReplayXD. it lasted 9 minutes.

[toolo4sno]

The data sheet is below. It says the thermal imager is an "Uncooled VOx Microbolometer". I don't know what that means.

I am in contact with a FLIR engineering sales rep, but it's not the right department. I am looking in the $200-500 range for product his line is more the $3-10k range.

https://www.flir.com/globalassets/im...-datasheet.pdf

Update: I have likely fixed the FLIR Duo, but some features may not be there. I also added a heatsink to the back of the case. There might be more videos or overlays in the future.

This unit is designed for drone use and definitely not for race car use. None of the components are automotive grade.

Here is a teardown some one did that was quite helpful for me. He used Xray to find the bolts.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/therma...own-by-fraser/

[Rick Kirchner]

Your device is probably an uncooled focal plane array - unless it has a thermoelectric cooler attached. Cooled arrays are more sensitive but they take a while to cool down, and every power cycle stresses the silicon until it eventually fails. Each pixel is a bolometer, a device that absorbs heat and the resistance within the device changes as a result.

There's a custom IC that reds each pixel, converts the reading to digital, and sends that to the next stage in the instrument.

[DanW]

FLIR has been marketing their equipment to industrial maintenance users for years. I started out with a backpack processing unit and portable VCR on my shoulder with a hand or tripod held camera. The entire kit weighed 60lbs in 1989.

Now I have a FLIR One Pro for IOS that attaches to my iPhone. It comes in a case the size of the earbud package. They are now on FLIR 3.

https://www.flir.com/products/flir-one-gen-3/