Our world in IR (infrared)

Irrespective of it being a sponsored video, this would have to be fifteen minutes worth of anybody’s time.

Engineer, Matthias Wandel, explores his (home-in-winter) surroundings with a thermal imaging camera.

He calls it - 'Exploring the world in infrared with a thermal camera'.

**LINK**

Have fun,

Sam

Sam,

That was very interesting. I haven't seen such a well presented video of the Normal -v- IR view before .... quite enlightening

Looks like the IR is available for our friends at AliExpress (assuming this isn't a copy?) for about £280, which seems to be about the going rate for these things these days.

TOPDON TC004 Infrared Thermal Imager -
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005167477439.html?pdp_npi=2%40dis%21GBP%21%EF%BF%A1402.04%21%EF%BF%A1277.41%21%21%21%21%21%402101d1af16781800743016612ee49d%2112000031946460525%21btf&_t=pvid:a924bf0d-9654-4e85-aa04-0b39f4a70c09&afTraceInfo=1005005167477439__pc__pcBridgePPC__xxxxxx__1678180074&spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.mainProduct

The TC004 is a handheld thermal camera that measures a wide range of temperatures, from -20°C to 350°C (-4°F to +662°F), and offers a 12-hour runtime. The high-resolution 256*192 pixel infrared camera allows you to say goodbye to blurry images. The tool is ready for analysis with the standalone and the PC modes, enabling users to project and upload images from the TC to their PC.

Ches

Hi, it's quite an easy and interesting project to convert an old digital camera to infra red. I've done it on a couple of old cameras. It involves removing the infra red stop filter that covers the sensor and adding a visible light stop filter over the lens using the filter thread. The last one I did cost me £15 on ebay.

Now that is interesting.

I have been looking at IR cameras, but they don't have very good resolution, unless you spend getting on for £2k.

However, converting a digital camera might be the answer - if it is basically removing an IR filter and putting another filter over the lens.

I will watch the video above, but could you tell us more or refer to a good source of explanation?

Whilst converting a digital camera or indeed using a film camera and IR sensitive film will get you IR images they are nothing like what you get from a camera like the one in the video..just like this

This is my heat seeking camera (for want of a better description)

I use this a fair amount in my day job looking in electrical cabinets circuit boards and motors and pumps and bearings on large machinery

this ones about £900 or so as you can see it has 2 cameras one for visible and one for ir which are overlaid to make the heat image

Hi, there are a number of videos on Youtube about converting specific cameras. I bought a Samsung one and it was very easy to do. The filter fitted on a 52mm thread which I epoxied onto the front of the lens. The pictures come out with a reddish tinge so you need to do a bit of fiddling around with the colours - I used Iphoto but you can also use GiMP. I'll post a picture if I can figure out how to do it.

This is an IR image taken with my Samsung WB500 converted to Infra Red.

Themal imaging (TI) and Infrared (IR) imaging are differerent things. The wavelength for infrared starts at around 800 nm where thermal imaging cameras typically use 8-14um ( a difference of 100,000 times longer). The entire visual range is only 380-760nm a ratio of two to one.
The other difference is IR uses a external source of radiation (light) either natual or man-made whle TI uses the energy emitted but the object itself. IR won't se a person in a cave without a light, TI will.
TI imagers vary considerably in performance, particuarly resolution and frame rate. Units with frame rates higher than about 10 Hz can have export restrictions. A lot of cheap TI cameras merge a low resolution TI image with a visual image to make it look like high resolution.

Robert.

Hi

I'd like to know how to do the conversion as well. What do we look for with the visible light blocker?

George

As George would be interested in how to do as I have a redundant Digi 2 begging for work.

To convert a camera you disassemble it …remove a filter from the front of the sensor reassemble and then use a 720nm filter on the lens

lots of tutorials on YouTube for various cameras

i have done a few dslr’s but compacts are easier

For the original posting (thermal) application the Seek Thermal Camera (for phones, tablets etc) is reasonably affordable. Amazon carries them. (AliExpress has some really low prices too but they seem to be of the "you can't be sure what you're really buying" kind).

I have one which I got just before life got really complicated at a personal level so I haven't used it much. I did go around the shop and it told me what gets hot on the machines. What I want to do while it's still around freezing (in Ontario) is to look at the house from outside and see where the major heat leaks are.

Ah, I see the confusion. Yes, I was thinking of thermal imaging, not infra red photography.

I want something to look at the heat, (or cold), of machines, circuits and house walls and doors etc. There are some available but the cheaper ones have very low resolution - I need more detail than just a vague splodge. The good ones are very expensive, so am on the look out for a reasonable compromise.

Edited By John Doe 2 on 12/03/2023 11:41:16

.

Then the one in the opening post looks just the job

Thirty-odd years ago, that sort of performance was real cutting-edge stuff … I remember we hired a KODAK one for a couple of days, at considerable expense, for a job in our climatic chamber.

People came from all over the site, just to see the wonder of it !!

MichaelG.

This was one of our Lab bee hives last year. The bees look nice and snug.

regards Martin

In the early '70's working on satellites we use to test large solar arrays by reverse-biasing them and viewing with a liquid nitrogen cooled camera. Individual dead cells would show up quite nicely.

Expensive as all-get-out to rent the camera but there was plenty of money around in the space business at that time. For hardware at least.

It does indeed, as do the Topdon company, who seem to be very switched-on cookies, but who make reasonably priced goods; hundreds of pounds rather than thousands.

Just deciding whether to go for their iPhone plug-in thermal imaging camera or their stand-alone one.

The following may prove useful...

On 3 Mar 2023, during one of his many videos, Big Clive described

Fixing a faulty tachometer

**LINK**

At 2:30 into the video, he begins to use a thermal camera module. He says in his notes…

This is the first task for my new Infiray thermal camera module. It performed flawlessly. By request, here's a link to the AliExpress listing I bought the thermal imaging camera from. The price should be around £200, so shop about if they increase the price too much. **LINK**

Hope that helps.

Sam

Edited By Sam Stones on 13/03/2023 19:39:47

Very impressive demonstration, Sam

MichaelG.