My Scott Eagle Imager 320 Pak Tracker and its Thermal Eye 4500AS core - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 03:19:37 pm
content: I procured one of these Imagers on eBay a while ago, and thought it would be nice to share my first image core adventure.I plan to turn it into a thermal monocular alike device

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 03:40:30 pm
content: The imager came without a battery,For anyone wondering about the polarity or wanting to do a quick test; pay attention:Black wire; Ground is at the inner (close to center) pinDisconnected middle pinRed wire; Power at outer (close to edge) pinAnd even more interesting, the red/black power cable actually is hooked up straight to the 4500AS thermal core(via a small divider like pcb)

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 08:12:51 pm
content: The device opens up relatively easy, it does have some barbaric hex bolts that eventually succumbed to a lot of metric force and a torx15.Inside I found a Raytheon Thermal Eye 4500AS in a sort of cage, suspended between rubber mounting.

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 09:04:27 pm
content: Once open, all parts can be taken out tool-less,The core is connected to a distribution board with a 20 pin connector, it just unplugs.Removing the core from the metal cage requires a Philips head screwdriver.There is an L shape ribbon extension that can be taken off and discarded.

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 09:14:07 pm
content: To my untrained eye the distribution board seems a relatively simple pcb that connects:the core,the display,2pin power,4 buttons,and "pak tracker" locatorA little flashlight show's us what's hidden underneath the laminate

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 10:09:18 pm
content: And that brings me to the current state of this little project.I hooked up everything except the tracker parts.and added a nice little 1 amp lipo for powerMust say I am very impressed with the image, I have a E4+ for comparison, but the thermal eye is sharper, with more contrast.

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2022, 11:00:44 pm
content: Upcoming,I found some great resources here through the forum:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/thermal-eye-4500-3600as/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/4500as-development-kit-software/msg1419211/#msg1419211Very interesting is the pinout on the port that is not used in mine:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/4500as-development-kit-software/msg2723696/#msg2723696I wonder if there is a good reason Scott uses the 40pin port, and if it provides functionalities that are not present on the 20PPerhaps a different video output?The imager also has a button that has 2 functionalities, on a short press it will toggle through 2x zoom, 4x zoom, back to normal, etc., etc...On a long press it will cycle through 3 color schemes, white hot, orange/red hot, and some rainbow alike variation.Though probably this is the same as Pin#16 for E-Zoom and Pin#12 for polarity on the 20PThe 70pin expansion port referred in the documentation is nowhere to be found on this 4500AS

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2022, 10:47:27 am
content: The similar generation AS3500 (160x120) had the option to intercept the digital data and insert some of your own.Also interesting that the core can run only on the 40 way, so the 20 way is just a subset of connections.So a few thoughts :Likely that data bus access is most of the extra pins on the 40 way.Scott might have used this bus to insert the Pac-Traker screen display ?The easiest way for Scott to access the DSP for the Pak-Tracker display was another signal set on that connector (? SPI or I2C to the back end DSP ?)Bill

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2022, 11:52:44 am
content: Quote from: Bill W on October 21, 2022, 10:47:27 amYes! that should be it, thanks for you insight.I haven't managed to find a different display mode on the EI320 before I pulled the core, I tried all buttons, but I might have been a bit to excited and eager about pulling the core out.I will reconnect the tracker part and investigate / mash the buttons some more :)Tracker parts with pcb antenna:

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2022, 03:34:55 pm
content: Getting the Pak-Tracker to display me something has been unsuccessful.I searched the Wayback machine for a manual for the EI320 Pak-Tracker user manual but haven't come up with anything, and I tried every button combo I could think of.Nothing changed on the display, the attached beeper beeps 1x on startup and keeps silent then.A red led lights up on the Scott Pak-Tracker PCB, but I have no reason to believe it indicates any type of malfunction.The tracker board pulls about 120 milliamps, which might be a bit low, but I honestly don't know what it should do, and if it might be on standby waiting for a activation signalThe core alone takes 389, and after a software shut down with the Pak-Tracker PCB attached it keeps pulling 60 mA.The core with unattached tracker shuts down completely. (Core only 0mAmp)I think I'll leave it at this as the Pak-Tracker functionality is of little interest to me, but obviously any advice and insight is appreciated.

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2022, 04:05:43 pm
content: The Pak-Tracker may well be fully automated, at least until it goes to alarm.https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1573458O/pak-tracker-firefighter-locator.pdfhttps://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1876334O/3m-scott-pak-tracker-firefighter-locator-system-brochure.pdfIt allows finding of the camera (and by implication incapacitated firefighter) using another tool - the PakTracker receiver.Reads as ytou should have a 2.4GHz output from it.Bill

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2022, 10:37:42 pm
content: Could be, yet the center two buttons on the EI320 have absolutely no function right now, which seems odd.There's 4 buttons total,modeshort press: zoomlong press: polarityscrollunknownenterunknownpowershort press: shutterlong press: on/offThe pdf I attached at the opening post (#1) suggest digital readout and highlight colors are used.You might be right about it being fully automated, but somehow it would make more sense to me for it to have a "search" mode.Like avalanche beacons, standard on transmit, but manually switched to search, when the user deems it necessary.

author: sephalix
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 03, 2022, 09:39:07 pm
content: Quote from: RO on October 20, 2022, 11:00:44 pmCould this possibly be it?BTW I have two similar Scott TICs, one fully torn down, so if you want something to compare yours to I'm happy to provide more pics. I have pretty much the same goal as you, getting video out of them and putting them into smaller, more portable(but probably less durable) monocular type devices.

author: RO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2022, 10:46:53 am
content: Thanks for your reply!And that looks like the 70pin port for sure.I have not torn down my core completely, and am not willing to either.It looks to be a stack of at least 3 PCB board's. So I might have a similar port in between somewhere.It would be great if you could post your pictures here, especially if you have the whole as4500 stack separated.

author: sephalix
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 10, 2022, 04:02:05 am
content: Sorry for the delay! Here are pics of the boards in the core package. I will post some more shots either tomorrow or Friday. My bench is overflowing at the moment so I need to clear some projects out, but I didn't want to leave you hanging!