Need recommendation for thermal camera - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: elcrni
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2023, 01:32:50 pm
content: hi all,I am aware this has been asked many time, i've been reading some 20+ threads but still need a bit of help.i like to buy decent/quality tools whenever able, rather than collect cheap junk. This is my first thermal camera and i am ok to spend 500-700 EUR.My hobbies are electronics, 3D printing, tinkering in general, so from time to time i need something to figure out what is overheating, is something actually cooling something, 3D printer bed heat distribution, wires heating... so nothing really professional but would still like to buy something more capable than really basic models.I was thinking about the following devices:- FLIR TG165-X (apparently not so good for smaller things like prototype PCB boards and smaller components)- FLIR TG267 (many complain about constant MSX calibration over IR image...)- PeakTech® P 5610 B (Not sure about the brand name, capabilities or quality of their devices, cant find much online)- PeakTech® P 5615 (Not sure about the brand name, capabilities or quality of their devices, cant find much online)- UNI-t - I see many people here are saying to avoid their thermal cameras...So, something of decent quality and capability, to be able to use it moderately on PCB prototype diagnostics, 3D printers diagnostics and general everyday use, IF this is not asking too much for the price range.many thanks,Alek

author: elcrni
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2023, 02:31:57 pm
content: Reading further, UNI-T uti260b seems like a decent choice for 500 EUR price tag

author: markb1980
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 12:04:29 am
content: Quote from: elcrni on January 18, 2023, 02:31:57 pmNot really - you get a UTi260B for 300 - 350 EUR also!The Flir TG-165x is not thermal camera. You get no analysis capabilities or radiometric data. It has also a very low resolution! The same apply for the TG297... The TG297 make just sence when you have to measure till 1000°C!Take a look at: Guide PC210 (sub 500 EUR), Hikmicro B10 / B20 / Pocket2 (600-650 EUR)The Peaktech 5615 looks like a Hikmicro E1L (also the emissivity-table in the manual looks like Hikmicros) and the 5610 B looks like a Guide PC210 but with a weaker sensor and without the laser (maybe a older model). Peaktech rebrand various tools and sell then under there name. They do not design their own cameras to my knowledge!

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 05:03:28 pm
content: Quote from: markb1980 on January 19, 2023, 12:04:29 amTG165x is a thermal camera, just not a very good one.An 80x60 that relies on MSX and simply saves pretty pictures with centre spot temperature is still 'a camera'. That FLIR promote it under 'Thermography cameras' rather than just 'infrared guided measurement' is stretching it a bit far thoughIt is better than the spot meter type of instrument

author: markb1980
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 06:50:08 pm
content: My understanding is:radiometric images = thermal camerano radiometric images = visual thermometer / pyrometerWhat do you do with that "pretty image" when you can't change, measure and finetune it afterwards. You can't use it in Flir Tools or Flirs Thermal Studio.

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 09:34:44 pm
content: So a digital SLR is not a camera because you cannot obyain luminous flux measurements from it ?NoA thermal camera is a camera that sees heat. Recorded, imaged, displayed, saved or not, whatever.Camera sensitive between 3 and 20µm.A thermographic / radiometric camera is a camera that can also MEASURE heat flux and attempt to convert to temperature given enough other variablesThis is the subset of cameras where you are at.A visual thermometer is a visual aiming device for a secondary spot temperature device (eg Raytek / QHi origin) now part of Flukehttps://www.flukeprocessinstruments.com/en-us/products/infrared-temperature-solutions/spot-pyrometersA visual pyrometer is a purely optical device that measures furnace temperatures by balancing colour temperatureshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearing-filament_pyrometer

author: markb1980
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2023, 07:51:15 am
content: The TG165 has non-radiometric BMP files. The TG165-X seems to record "JEPG data with spot temp. meta-tag". That sounds to some shops like radiometric data but Flir confirm me that the files are not radiometric! Seems like Flir-Tools can read the measured temp. from the center spot from that tag but that's all. The TG267 don't save radiometric data eighter.I would be pretty surprised if they did that because that would make a lot of E4 or E5 clients buy a cheaper TG-series imager.Even the 80x60 Resolution of a TG165-X is quite bad and not "state of the art" anymore! So I would not suggest that device even for that.My understandig is that a visual thermometer shows a visual representation of temp. a thermal imaging camera records all these temperature measurements into a radiometric image. I am pretty sure that was in my ITC training material. When I have time I can go over it again. I know also a lot is marketing and everyone knows thermal cameras so they call things a thermal camera even if it's not useful as such.Fluke also called there VT-series a visual thermometer. This was done on purpose to differentiate them from there thermal cameras.Many spezialized shops call the TG-series camera a visual IR-pyrometer or imaging IR-thermometer.Basically radiometric data makes it a useful device. Non radiometric data is a very limiting factor because you need all kinds of things to do when analysing images. You may want to see temp. differences between spots, etc.