IR Noncontact Thermometer for Electronics Troubleshooting - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Calabrese
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 06:42:49 pm
content: This topic has been covered here to some extent but not as far as I am looking for. I realize that an ir camera is the best to have but it is way out of my budget at the moment plus I'm saving for a Rigol oscilloscope. I can get a pretty decent deal on a used Fluke 62 Max + or a Fluke 561. My question is can I use one of these to somewhat narrow down the problem area on a board and then use my thermocouple to find the exact spot of trouble? If so is the Max or the 561 better for this purpose? I know the 561 has three emissivity settings. Thank you.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 06:44:47 pm
content: IMHO any (cheap) IR thermometer will do. I've got one from Tenma (Farnell's own brand) which was cheap but it works. This also has adjustable emissivity.

author: Bashstreet
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 06:50:05 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on November 25, 2017, 06:44:47 pmWell yes you can even use a finger what is almost the same.IR camera can be very useful but should not be over estimated as one can just use his or her senses to spot heating component.Do what ever works with your budget.IMO IR if you regularly need help finding heating component save for one otherwise thermal coupler/finger will serve you.It really depends what you work on/Your needs.

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 07:48:23 pm
content: Quote from: Bashstreet on November 25, 2017, 06:50:05 pmDon't forget to wet the finger so you can "hear" the upper limit (per AoE).A cheap Harbor Freight meter can save your finger if you have bad hearing. Surprisingly they work well.

author: Bashstreet
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 07:56:23 pm
content: Quote from: ez24 on November 25, 2017, 07:48:23 pmYou and your sensitive lady fingersYour not engineer before you burn your finger once or twice !

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 08:12:29 pm
content: You want a close focus IR. Here is one for $10https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VBK3YI

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 08:33:11 pm
content: I've had several IR contactless thermometers. One from Harbor Freight was cheap and only lasted a year. A no-name one off ebay didn't fair much better. I now have an Extech 42509 which works quite well. It has dual lasers that converge on the measuring point so you know what you are measuring. Decent battery life. I use it quite a lot. Not super cheap - iirc $60-70 - but worth it.

author: texaspyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 08:46:50 pm
content: Another option is the Melexis IR sensor modules. They come in various fields of view (the narrow ones are expensive). But you can get the sensor close to whatever you are measuring. They read out via IIC so you would need something like an Arduino to use them.The MLX90621 is a 16x4 array.

author: Calabrese
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2017, 01:18:54 am
content: Thank you all for all the info in your replies. It came up that I can actually now afford a thermal camera. Just need to figure out which one to get. My purpose for using thermal devices for diagnostics is I need to be able to quickly troubleshoot electronics issues. From what I understand thermal is a way to accomplish that. I work on pretty much every type of small to medium size electronics.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2017, 03:49:03 pm
content: If you can afford a thermal camera then you should get one. It opens a whole new world compared to a IR spot camera. I know there are some low end thermal cameras from Flir but these are basically IR spot cameras which show an uncalibrated thermal image. IMHO those are just a gimmick. The C2 is FLIR's lowest end real thermal imaging camera. If you can spend more then getting more resolution is better. In thermal only mode the C2 is suitable for electronics but sometimes you have to check what you are pointed at to make sense of the thermal image.

author: 6PTsocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2018, 02:58:43 am
content: Quote from: Bashstreet on November 25, 2017, 06:50:05 pmWe used to use them to check power panels and did turn up the occasional loose screw. You definitely don't want to use your finger there. I think it would be a crap shoot about what the emisivity setting should be on a mixed surface like a motherboard.Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

author: 6PTsocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2018, 03:01:36 am
content: Quote from: phil from seattle on November 25, 2017, 08:33:11 pmJust as important is the field to distance ratio 8:1, 12:1, etc. If it is low you have to get really close to just measure what you are concerned with.Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk