Guide MobIR Air Android - is it good for electronics repair? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: caprider
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 01:49:39 pm
content: Hello,Do you think this thermal camera is any good to detect hot components during electronics repairs:Guide MobIR Air Android thermal camera 120x90 USB-C- resolution of 120x90 pixels- range of -20 to 120 degrees C- viewing angle of 50 degrees- refresh rate of 25 Hzhttps://eleshop.eu/mobir-air-android-thermal-camera-120x90.htmlI’m especially concerned about only showing up to 120 Celsius.Is anyone using Guide MobIR Air?Is Flir One Pro a better options? Or some other suggestions?Thanks

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 03:54:48 pm
content: Not noticed it being mentioned.From the spec though:Plus pointsNo batteryNo visual overlay to mess things upTemperature measuringCheap for newVastly better than nothingMinus pointsFixed focus *Low pixel countIs 'available in several colours' a red flag on allegedly 'professional' kit?As for temperature, not as much of a concern as you'd think. In fault finding you would not let the faulty part get to 120°C. A quick blip of power is often enough to see overheating parts 'light up', before magic smoke time.For hotter things it may be more of a problem, much depends on what happens to the picture over 120°C, even if the readout caps.* You would need a secondary lens, or you'd be dealing with 'spot the hot fuzzy blob'. Plenty on those here, mainly to fit on handheld cameras though.Might be able to take it apart and refocus it to suit 'PCB only'To note50° field is pretty wide - that is fire camera spec. OK for PCB but not ideal for the other uses they suggest. Consider how big each pixel becomes at a given distance.You of course need the phone attached. Remoteing the head is not always easy - several threads on that here.What other options depends on whether you want a 'phone attach', whether you want 'normal' as well as PCB use, is EUR140 the budget, do you want a project or 'open box & go'.Bill

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 04:39:42 pm
content: The Uni-T UTi690A / UTi120S use the same resolution, and very likely the same ‘TIMO’ imaging core from Guide Sensmart.It would be worth looking at the UTi690A/UTi120S review on this forum as that provides images from the camera that give you a feel for it’s PCB imaging capabilities.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/uni-t-uti690a-(120x90-entrybudget)/I agree that a 120C maximum temperature capability is not a show stopper in most PCB analysis situations. High temperature measurement becomes more of a requirement when monitoring reflow soldering if PCB and similar scenarios.It is worth noting that the UTi690A/UTi120S is very competitively priced from China at the moment and you get a complete camera system that is not dependant upon a phone as a host.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 04:51:31 pm
content: I just checked and there is a UTi120B model that measures up to 400C. It costs almost double the price of the UTi120S though and it is only a software configuration difference !The UTI 120S, 120B and 260B are shown in this link…..https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002509428930.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2esp&_randl_currency=GBP&_randl_shipto=GB&src=google&memo1=freelisting&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=12555209680&albag=122168291729&trgt=1284054470089&crea=en1005002509428930&netw=u&device=t&albpg=1284054470089&albpd=en1005002509428930&gclid=Cj0KCQiAosmPBhCPARIsAHOen-O4XbgYy1aro8-7LiaeBkfZ_9RQ_NiECIixlj7aufEXZPXbUynsY1UaArLZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=7bef957faee64d5eab49e7fb26125f86-1643302117364-09652-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=7bef957faee64d5eab49e7fb26125f86-1643302117364-09652-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=c54044baaf2d43fd8c4445400d11a3fcGiven the choice, I would go for the UTi260B if the budget permitted.Fraser

author: caprider
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 07:01:52 am
content: Quote from: Bill W on January 27, 2022, 03:54:48 pmI thought it would be easier to be phone-attached, but I guess it is also inconvenient and hard to hold the phone with camera attached. So, I’m open to stand-alone cameras as well.The main use would be PCB repair, but since I have it, it will be useful for other things.Price for MobIR on that site is actually 190€ + VAT. I can extend the budget a bit for the right camera.Thanks.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 11:33:56 pm
content: QuoteShould be possible to fix the dongle in a clamp (or otherwise fixed in space) and have a USB cable to the phone which you place where you want to see it. Then it is either completely hands-free, or one hand to control where the dongle is pointing.One big issue I have with the all-in-one approach is that a good viewing angle and distance rarely coincides with the best positioning of the business end.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2022, 04:15:29 pm
content: Dunkemhigh,As you say, an ‘all in one’ format of camera often does not lend itself well to PCB inspection on a bench stand. This is why DYT designed their CA10 PCB analysis camera to be a camera head that connects to the host computer via USB cable. Such a design provides great versatilityDongle type thermal cameras are relatively simple to adapt to a bench stand of some sort. People often create 3D printed camera holders with integrated tripod mount thread. The host software quality is an important element of the system though and buyers need to make sure that the software does what they need of it. Worthy of note is that a USB dongle camera can often be connected to a tablet computer so a large viewing screen is available.Fraser

author: caprider
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2022, 10:52:44 pm
content: How about Guide IR PC210?Compared to UNI-T UTi260B:- quicker boot time: 1s vs 30s- lighter: 365g vs 910g- quicker charge time: 2.5h vs 5h- longer battery time: 6h vs 16h- screen is slightly smaller: 2.4 vs 2.8 inch- about the same temperature range: -20 to 550 C- same resolution: 256 x 192And the price is just 10% higher:https://eleshop.eu/guide-ir-pc210-thermal-imaging-camera.htmlAnyone using PC210?

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2022, 11:32:47 pm
content: From 210 spec..."combined with the information obtained from its visible light camera, "Not helpful when using on a PCB, looks like you can choose 'unoptimised' mode though to get rid of itSuspect the weights are not like for like (365g = camera no battery, 910g = boxed shipping weight) , a fair chance it is the same basic product.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2022, 12:19:35 am
content: QuoteI think I quite like that aspect (but only if it works properly). Sometimes one is reduced to using a hot pointer (perhaps a finger) to position over the object of interest - IR signature isn't necessarily the same or even similar to the visible view. So long as you can turn it off, I think this is a plus.What is a minus, in my book, is the trend for auto-ranging which you can't turn off, and that product appears to follow the herd on that.

author: thermalengineer
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2022, 01:39:29 am
content: Definitely yes!