Fun w/FLIR HS-324 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: manic515
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2025, 02:24:25 pm
content: Hi all,Got a great deal on an inoperable FLIR HS-324 Command/Pro that wasn't a dummy unit (thanks forthatthread, Fraser!) and decided I was going to get it operable. Nothing more exciting than putting a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears into a broken thermal (recently a FLIR Apollo PRO MR that is fully functional with a new TAU 2 core installed -- about to fit it with a RageCam so I have field monitor/recording capability) and learning absolutely nothing about leaving broken thermals alone. So here we go again!My first step was reading every thread I could search on the H-Series and I wasn't disappointed. I'll catalog the links to make searching for info easier:Software/firmware/drivers/etc. You'll need an old Windows PC or a virtual machine running older versions of Windows (XP thru 7). Link downloaded successfully for me. Great troubleshooting info, too!https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/dumb-question-about-flir-hs324-commander/msg5722215/#msg5722215Complete teardown/analysis of the HS-324 by Fraser. Love that the featured unit is missing the flip cap just like mine! I plan to modify a rifle scope flip cap as a replacement. Parts are unobtainable as Fraser observes.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/flir-hs324-commander-thermal-camera-teardown-by-fraser/msg996152/#msg996152I saw the HS-324 unit was listed online as not displaying an image. That's a potential red flag for dummy units/sales displays, of course, but this listing included practically all the accessories. Everything it didn't have, I've managed to source (like the doubling lens). My FLIR Apollo PRO MR was listed in a similar fashion, but was actually a body kit. All the internals were there, but it wasn't displaying an image because it needed a core. Well, that was easy to diagnose from the gigantic void behind the objective lens where a core should have been and the disconnected ribbon cables flapping in the breeze. But I digress...The HS-324 was dead on arrival as I expected. No boot, no nothing. The thing is built like a rubberized tank (I have since learned it was marketed specifically to law enforcement) and decided to start troubleshooting the battery compartment/charging board. Just 4 regular AA alkaline batteries in there that I replaced. Started hearing the shutter click when I installed the last new battery. I'm very new to thermals, but I've already learned that where there's a shutter clicking, there's hope. So I looked through the rubberized eye-guard and saw...garbage. Complete garbage. The best way I can describe it is how an old television screen looked back in the days of antennas when you couldn't get a signal to come in properly. Static, horizontal lines, image inversion, wild colors, ghost images, etc. But okay, at least it's doing something. Shut it off, pulled the batteries, and very carefully and thoroughly cleaned all contacts, terminals, springs, etc., with deoxIT liquid. That's amazing stuff and helped me a lot with restoring PVS 7 and PVS 14 electrical components back in the day. It's important to be patient with deoxIT and give it time to work.When I eventually reinstalled batteries and powered up the HS-324, the image was still extremely garbled and noise-filled but considerably better. I could actuallyseedetails. Figured I'd run it for a while (it's built to be run for long periods) to see if the image continued to improve. Had NiMh batteries by this point (Energizer 2300 mAh) so I wouldn't overwhelm a landfill with disposables. Four batteries in the unit and four in the charger. The extremely intriguing hot shoe accessory was included, but at this point the HS-324 was reacting violently to it like I was frying the core or something -- image interference increased drastically when I'd attach it and boot up. That's no longer a problem and I'm fairly confident the hot shoe is behaving itself now, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.Over the course of a couple days of casual use and following the ESD reset cycle in the manual a few times, the thermal image stabilized and cleared itself of static. The HS-324 would boot clear sometimes and sometimes with noise. The noise became less frequent until it disappeared entirely and I got a normal boot every time. No issues going into or coming out of standby, either. Okay, so let's move on to the legacy software!I had the best results with a Windows 7 virtual machine. I'm on a MacBook Pro so I had to adapt all the USB connections to USB-C but did so without incident. A lot of HS-324 owners complain about not being able to set the time and date. The only way is through the software. You have to start by connecting the unit to the computer and installing USB drivers. That can be a little tricky with the workarounds you have to do in the instructions, but the procedure is sound and it works eventually. Once the software is running you can make adjustments to the unit and turn various features on and off. I'm assuming there's a clock battery for the time stamp in mine that's dying a slow death. I can set and sync all that but it loses accuracy when I power off the unit. I've replaced plenty of similar style batteries, but I'm not going too deep into this unit after studying the teardown. Not a big deal. Already had the latest version of the software/firmware and saw no need to try the reset feature. Everything was working far better than expected and I learned the hard way that messing with a TAU core can get you in trouble. Wouldn't have any help from FLIR on this unit, either!I'm testing the hot shoe today and so far so good. I plug it into the wall, attach it to the camera, and boot (in that specific order). No standby issues and the image remains clear and steady. The batteries appear to be in a normal charging sequence and there's no excessive warmth. I should also mention that the video and photo capture works flawlessly. I just pull the files off the SD card via card reader rather than hassle with the (Avalon) software viewer, though.So that's where I'm at with the FLIR HS-324 Pro/Command. There's stuff with more impressive specs out there, of course, but the engineering of this thing is rock-solid and I got it on the cheap. I'd never pay a lot for a non-functioning thermal device. I bought it primarily as a teaching tool for people unfamiliar with how to use thermal monoculars. Doesn't get any easier than this thing. No onboard menus and one button operation for whatever you need to do. "Stupid simple" puts it best although the miniaturization/encapsulation of this thing is a marvel for its time from what little I understood of the teardown.I realize there are already comprehensive threads on this topic, but I was hoping to add some additional info based on my recent experience as well as compile the links that helped me get this thing working to help any others looking for answers. I'd welcome any additional observations, insights, or advice on this particular unit. All in all, it was worth the effort to get running. The HS-324 is very car-friendly and pretty unbeatable as a heavily ruggedized thermal you can simply grab and go when you need it outdoors.It's a good day when we're able to resurrect one of these things.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2025, 05:09:13 pm
content: Well done for saving this unit from the scrap heapSadly these units have a well know weakness in the form of the Tantalum capacitors that are located on the PCB above the battery bay. These tantalum capacitors often fail spectacularly and burn well ! I would strongly suggest fitting all new tantalum capacitors to this PCB. They are nice large SMD components and not that expensive. Make sure that you buy the more robust version of Tantalum capacitor designed for power rails.I read your repair story with interest as, unlike a disused chainsaw with dried up rubber membranes in the carburetor, a thermal camera does not normally 'fix itself' through running it for some hours. Sadly such an event is more commonly associated with a degraded component that either self heals in use or improves in performance as it warms up. This can be a sign of a failed capacitor at the output of a DC-DC converter, as found in your thermal camera. A failed or degraded DC-DC converter output capacitor will cause excess ripple/noise on the associated power rail that it feeds and this can cause the sorts of symptoms that you describe. Sadly a tantalum capacitor that has been brought back from the dead or improved through use will fail again and sometimes it results in a nasty capacitor 'burn-up' that damages the pcb. One of the centre two Tantalum capacitors are the ones most likely to fail in my experience.Time to break out the soldering iron and change out all those nasty tantalum capacitors me thinks ! There is no need to disassemble the TAU core or the processor module that sits on its rear unless symptoms suggest a problem in that area. The PCB containing the tantalum capacitors is good old fashioned low density SMD technology and quite easy to work onFraser

author: manic515
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2025, 11:49:29 pm
content: Capacitor issues on a battery-adjacent PCB certainly correlate with what I've observed so far. Thank you, Fraser. The unit is operating just like it left the factory right now, but it's a safe bet the issues will return in time. I'll assemble materials from DigiKey for the necessary capacitor repairs (I've replaced capacitors on night vision boards -- shouldn't be too different) and evaluate that particular PCB at the first sign of trouble. Hopefully, I just get more image interference to alert me and not the Hindenburg. Wouldn't be the first board that lit up on me, but that's never convenient. The burnt electrical smoke is the worst -- if failure had a specific aroma it would probably be that.I'll be sure to take your excellent advice and go for power rail specific replacements. If only thermals were more like small engines and I could simply quarter-turn a screwdriver to smooth out a rough image like a rough idle. Ah well, where's the fun in that?I'll post some pics and updates. I'll also revisit the FLIR Apollo thread once I get the RageCam set up on it.*UPDATE*A couple pictures of the HS-324. Unit is in great shape except for the missing flip cap -- I imagine that particular component was prone to snapping off randomly. Doesn't affect operation. It came with all the major accessories and I've sourced what it didn't include. Eager to try out the doubler lens when it arrives (I have the 19mm lens model). Oddly enough, it's running to spec now. I can even attach/remove the hot shoe without any image disturbance while the unit is active. Batteries charge perfectly while installed with no excessive heat. I'm keeping a close eye on the power situation, though. As Fraser observed, those capacitors will likely start misbehaving again and need replacement.*SECOND UPDATE*The doubling lens arrived and is a great addition to the HS-324. Basically a 2x analog zoom (can't really call it optical) rather than digital. Very high quality component and I imagine the original cost was quite high. I'm still new to FLIR, but it doesn't seem like the spotting scopes have the bayonet lens change feature any longer. Digital zoom has improved with higher resolution cores, I guess.I installed 2700 mAh Powerex Pro batteries (was using Energizer 2100 mAh just because they're easy to obtain) and the battery life has drastically improved. The hot shoe charges the new batteries without any image interference or glitches. Composite video through the hot shoe works great with or without the power cable.The software has been interesting. Couldn't install drivers on a 64-bit Windows XP virtual machine, but everything installed fine on a Windows 7 virtual machine. No issues with the Avalon GUI. All features work and update accordingly. I can sync via USB port with the HS-324 to change settings, display unit info, etc. Can't get the SD card software update to boot (the tarball) but the unit already has the latest software version. Wonder if it's a formatting issue with the SD card. Can't reset the TAU core, either. Don't need the feature -- was just curious about the process. I can start the reset software, but it won't connect to the core. Strange since the Avalon GUI does without issue. Wonder if there has to be a direct connection to the TAU (like with a VPC module) although that runs contrary to the instructions.Anyway, having a great time with this under-appreciated classic FLIR model. I use it to make sure the backyard is free of any hiding neighborhood cats or nocturnal wildlife before I let the dog out.