Inside a poorly Bullard Eclipse LD 320 and its L3 Thermal Eye NanoCore by Fraser - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 12:50:42 am
content: I recently wrote about locating and buying a Bullard Eclipse 80 fire fighting camera. I detailed that purchase here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/frasers-latest-camera-purchase-the-cute-bullard-eclipse/I have also disassembled that Eclipse 80 camera here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/inside-a-bullard-eclipse-80-fire-fighting-camera-by-fraser/Soon after receiving the eclipse 80 I was gifted an Eclipse LD 320 ! This is a later model of Eclipse camera with the larger 3.5" LCD display and it provides a resolution of 320 x 240 Pixels at 60fpsThere was some bad news however .... the Eclipse LD 320 was a scrapped unit as it was deemed uneconomic to repair. I was not at all worried about the camera being faulty as I could still enjoy investigating its design and possibly even repair the fault(s).At this point I feel that I should point out that the failure of this Bullard Eclipse camera is not a reflection on its quality. The failure was due to unusual abuse. It would appear to have been submerged to a depth beyond which the seals could prevent water ingress ! The spray pattern of water at specific locations on the internal EMC screening copper paint tell me that water forced its way into the casing past the seals under pressure and I am not talking about hitting it with a hose pipe. Such a failure is hard to prevent as these cameras are watertight to a certain depth but they are not divers cameras ! We will see the damage caused to the cameras internals but please remember, this was abuse of an exotic and unusual nature and not a design flaw by Bullard.The Bullard Eclipse arrived and looked very clean for a fire fighting camera. Possibly due to its swim ? There was no evidence of water ingress in the LCD display area which was promising. The case screws were all present and the screws security seals were intact so this camera had not been opened since its watery accident. I love working on a virgin faulty camera as you can be confident that all parts are present and no one has caused more problems by a poor attempt at repair. I carefully dismantled the camera and you can see the whole process for another Eclipse LD that I serviced in the thread referenced above.(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/inside-a-bullard-eclipse-80-fire-fighting-camera-by-fraser/)I disassembled the camera and noted all evidence of damage at each stage. It was clear that water had manged to push past the usually excellent sealing of the case at certain small areas. There was evidence of ingress at the battery bay contacts and side seal between the two case halves. Such ingress would only occur when water was driven into the seals at high pressure. The poor camera appears to have coped well with the water in that the amount that entered the casing was quite limited in terms of volume. Sadly the water that penetrated the seals in the battery bay was in immediate contact with the bottom of the control PCB to which the contacts are attached. The water spread under the control PCB and started the electrolytic action that killed the camera. Whilst there is evidence of dampness on, or near the thermal imaging core, I could find no water damage on any of the core's PCB's. It looks likely that the core has survived the water ingress thanks to being encapsulated in its foam shell. The control PCB was not so lucky as we shall see ! I have a lot of work to do on that PCB but I am looking forwards to seeing whether I can breath life into it againThere is a corroded power Mosfet and lots of corroded feed-throughs but the PCB cleaned up well with the application of some IPA after I had carefully photographed the location of the corrosion for future reference.The Germanium lens was coated in soot, as is common on fire fighting cameras. I carefully cleaned it with IPA and cotton wool and it was shiny again in no time at allThese cameras use lenses that are hard carbon coated so very hard to scratch when cleaned carefully.The core is quite a rarity..... it is the L3 Thermal Eye "NanoCore" that is likely a replacement for the older Thermal Eye 4500AS.It provides 320 x 240 pixels images at a high frame rate and in a compact format. I will attach the data sheet to this thread for those interested in the core.I will add further comment on this poorly camera as and when I work on it.To the pictures then ......Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 12:53:23 am
content: Continued.....

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 12:56:12 am
content: Continued......

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:00:43 am
content: Continued.....

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:04:23 am
content: Continued.....

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:06:18 am
content: Lens cleaning

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:08:44 am
content: Core reassembled ......

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:12:33 am
content: Control PCB corrosion and cleaning with IPA......

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:14:47 am
content: This Eclipse LD is equipped with the DVR module

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:16:34 am
content: The camera now awaits my further investigation and TLC to see if it can be restored to operation or if the core at least is recoverable.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 01:17:41 am
content: The L3 Thermal Eye "NanoCore" Datasheet ......

author: Ultrapurple
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 08:29:52 am
content: Thanks FraserYour teardowns are always a joy to behold - step by step and recorded with well-lit photographs taken from all necessary angles.AND ON A CLEAR BENCH, TOO!I work in a technical publishing arena where we often get abysmal photos: out of focus, camera shake, dim & noisy, badly lit and frequently on such a crud-filled background it's hard to identify the subject of the photo. So hats off to you, as you clearly know what you're doing.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 07:16:50 pm
content: Nice teardown photos as ever Fraser,I'm surprised to see such large nuts in such close proximity to small SMD parts on the control board - one slip with a spanner during assembly and ...Once mounted, the control board is obviously held very rigidly, but I would be wary of tightening compression stressing nearby components.It obviously worked fine in practice but if they had allowed asmall amounta couple of mm of stand-off of the PCB, it would probably have prevented the capillary action and spread.Chris

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2020, 07:43:35 pm
content: I agree. I was surprised to see the control PCB bolted down in the way that it was. I would have preferred the controller board to have been held in place via its own dedicated fixing screws and connections to the various contacts via ring terminals wires and connectors. The designer clearly thought their approach was technically OK, but I think they over simplified that element of the construction. The original Eclipse PCB was very simple and this may be why the method of fixing it in place was chosen. The later Eclipse LD had to keep the same contact arrangement but they also replicated the PCB fixing method which was ‘brave’ but not optimal in my opinion.Fraser

author: Ultrapurple
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2020, 09:03:05 am
content: I wonder if I detect a whiff of cost engineering in the design?Also, not that I'm necessarily suggesting it happened in this case but I am aware of other instances where you really need the right tool to assemble or disassemble an item. Using this as an example, a screwdriver-style nut spinner would assemble / disassemble the nuts without collateral damage. But a 'non-approved service centre' might not have the right size to hand, try using a spanner and ... Oops! Collateral damage. This is a trivial and slightly contrived example but I'm sure it rings bells with everyone. (I well remember hearing about the early 1970s Jaguar V12 car engines where changing the spark plugs either required the correct wiggly tool or an extra six hours or so completely stripping out the fuel injection system plus the inlet and outlet manifolds. Try bodging it with the wrong tool and you'd snap the plugs off).

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2020, 01:01:15 pm
content: Quote from: Ultrapurple on January 14, 2020, 09:03:05 amI suspect a nut spinner for those nuts would be quite large. Best of luck getting a 3D/PCB CAD jockey to allow space for tools. One reason screw hole pads on EEV cameras were so big - I made them so to keep out components for a normal RS nut spinner.Still a few turned down nut spinners around elsewhere though.Bill

author: Ultrapurple
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2020, 02:26:47 pm
content: Quote from: Bill W on January 14, 2020, 01:01:15 pmThere speaks the voice of experience.It shows in the way the gear you designed is not only still working admirably many years after its commercial lifetime, but also for the odd one that does malfunction where it's clear that you thought through how best to make the things repairable without needing screwdrivers for fingertips or a way of removing hot melt glue. And as for including the odd extra pin here and there (Argus 3 pin V, I'm looking at you) - well, the second- and third-user community is forever in your debt./end fanboi statement

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2020, 09:44:13 pm
content: Quote from: Ultrapurple on January 14, 2020, 02:26:47 pmThanksNot to mention that any ground down nut spinners tended be production area only.As for the 'V' pin, yes added for my own ease of diagnostics to get at the core video, but also for export control purposes.It turned a 'Sensor PCB' into a 'Video Camera' which changed the export category and thereby (then, not now) the onward sale restrictions applied.regardsBill