Used ISG Infrasys Elite XRHR Firefighting Thermal Camera on Ebay - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2022, 01:56:59 am
content: While I was looking for thermal cameras to repair/salvage, I came across thishttps://www.ebay.com/itm/324977590615ISG Infrasys Elite XR, which is a firefighting thermal camera apparently. After digging a bit deeper, I realized that the camera might have a 384 x 288 50Hz microbolometer at its heart.For less than $200, I decided to gamble. Fast forward to today: the unit that arrived was in remarkably good condition. Minor scuffing from use, but the lens was mostly scratch-free. No sign of corrosion on the battery terminals either, and the LCD appeared intact. Good start, but still need to power it on.After searching around for a bit, I found some battery refurbishing services claiming that the battery voltage was 12V. After disassembling the camera to figure out which terminal is the positive one, I hooked it up to a RDTech DPS5005, set output to 12V, and crossed my fingers. To my surprise the camera was actually functional! Shutter(s?) clicked periodically, LCD screen had no crack or burn-in, hot-spot tracking functioned, and no artifact was displayed. The feed was remarkably low-noise (compared to my HT-19's Seek Mosaic at least), and the responsiveness was almost real-time. While I can't take stills to verify the resolution, the camera came with a "100K Hi-res" sticker, so I do believe it indeed had a 384 x 288 50 Hz core inside.Good stuff.Album.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Edit 1 TL;DR:Did some research on what ISG was making. Found a bunch of manuals and brochures, but not for all recent products (i.e. couldn't find anything for XRHR). See the Google Drive link for a bunch of documents.Elite XR without 100K Hi-res stickers have 320 x 240 VOx sensor. Elite XRHR, E380, X380 definitely have 384 x 288 ASi sensor based on the X380's Operating Manual.Link to the documents.Edit 2:Added some more partial-disassembly pictures of the camera.SeeEdit 5.Edit 3:Bought 2 more. 2 Elite XR's arrived.Partial disassembly album.Edit 4:Consolidated all the high-resolution pictures I have taken + some other I saved for reference related to the Elite XRHR and Elite XRhere.Edit 5:Full disassembly.-----------------After some more digging around, I found a 2015 market survey report from the Department of Homeland Security that basically is a catalog of most of the emergency-response tailored thermal cameras available on the market at the time (see attached).This document listed the specifications of a lot of thermal cameras including the ISG Infrasys Elite XR, which supposedly had a 384 x 288 sensor.Now, going back to the original seller with all of the ISG Infrasys stuffs, they do have a bunch of Elite XR's up for sale. What's intriguing is that all of the XR models without "100K Hi-res" stickers all have their serial numbers ending in XR.The ones that do have the sticker, mine included, have their serial numbers ending in HR. Both variants are listed as Elite XR, so this led me to believe that the one in the DHS' report is actually the one with the Hi-res sticker.Here are some examples:XR no sticker:K1K-1138XRK1K-1002XRK1K-3698XR4994-XRXR with sticker:K1K-3032HRThe one I bought has serial number K1K-2279HR.-----------------Based on Wayback Machine's capture of ISG's website (bless this service), this is my estimate of ISG's product history:1992: Founding of ISG.~1999: Site created.Pre-2001: K-90 Talisman, K-90 Enforcer, Firefinder.2001-2002: K-80 Firecam introduced. Very similar chassis to the XR. First instance of this particular platform being used.2002-2003: K-90 Talisman XL, K-1000 Elite Firecam (Minicam?, same chassis as K-80), K6800 Spectra Scan, K-I Sentry introduced.2004: K-1000 Elite Lite introduced. Used FFB160 sensor (160x120). K-1000 probably used the FFB320 (320 x 240) based onthis, and the fact that ISG claimed the K-1000 Elite has 76800 pixels in the 04/28/2006 snapshot.~2005: K-1000 Elite rehash?.2008: Elite XR introduced. Looked exactly like the XR no sticker cameras from above. K-85ST came out with 160 x 120 sensor and wireless streaming.Elite XR's Operating Manual claimed it had a 320 x 240 VOx microbolometer.K-1000 Elite's Operating Manual from this time also claimed the same thing.Also, first mention of Infrasys. This was probably the year they merged or started partnering.2012: E380 introduced. First mention of 100K sensor. Operating manual claimed 384 x 288, but not what the sensor type is. E380N variant came out later, but was essentially identical.2013: X380 introduced. Probably the same core as the E380, but with cold spot tracker and wider temperature range (down to -40C).XRHR Introduced. Claimed to have 100K sensor as well. Suspect X380, E380, and XRHR to have 388 x 284 ASi sensors based on SD1000/K1000 manual.11/21/2014: Scott Safety acquired ISG Infrasys.~2014: SD1000/K1000 either were introduced, or rehashed with new sensors.2015: Site redirected to Scott Safety.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2022, 01:13:57 pm
content: Well doneIt sounds like you have yourself a decent camera at an excellent priceRetired Fire Fighting cameras have much to offer provided they have not been abused and totally wrecked. Your camera sounds like it has coped very well with the rigours of being a firefighting toolEnjoyFraser

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2022, 02:04:28 pm
content: Of wider interest, the seller has quite a few similar ISG / Bullard / MSA fire service cameras in the 'battery missing' condition. Cheap source of (probably) decent cores.As the ISG's are from US use they could well be set up as 320x240 60Hz NTSC rather than the PAL 384x288 50Hz UK/EUR region setup. Scope on the BNC video ?Some, but maybe not those branded '100K', could have the ITC VOx core like this:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/mystery-raytheon-camera/msg3534294/#msg3534294Bill

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2022, 02:31:01 pm
content: The E380 that they sold in December was a bargain ! The X380 was not a bad deal either.I no longer search for thermal cameras like I used to so as to avoid temptation ! There are some excellent deals to be had on eBay when a Fire Service refresh their thermal camera kits and the old cameras go to Government auctions, then end up on eBay for us to pick through. As I have said previously, the hermetically sealed nature of fire fighting cameras often means that the cores protected within their casings are in cosmetically pristine condition, just like when they left the factory many years ago.The missing battery situation is common as many disposal processes require that batteries be removed for recycling as hazardous waste. A pity as replacements can be rare and expensive fir some less common camera models.I must avoid returning to my old ways of scouring eBay for such great value cameras ! That said, the UTi260B has, IMHO, become the ‘darling’ of hobbyists as it is new, compact and very capable for the price being asked in China.I am still on the look-out for another Bullard Eclipse camera if anyone spots one of those please.Fraser

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 01:51:48 am
content: Quote from: Bill W on January 16, 2022, 02:04:28 pmYea. Seller has quite a lot of thermal cameras for sale. The IR window alone is of great interest to me since I wanted to film stuffs heating up from inside a vacuum chamber.As for the BNC output, I have no clue what I am looking at (see attached). Scope's input wasn't terminated with a 75 Ohm resistor, but I don't even think adding that would somehow make the camera's output look like NTSC or PAL. In the event that the output can't be digitalized, I guess I'll have to split the video out from the controller board onto an external RCA jack. Already drilled a hole on the chassis for an external power adapter, so it shouldn't be too hard to pass another cable through.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 02:08:31 am
content: Oh looks like a failure of the filter on the output, I had two that I refurb'd have that issue, I just directjacked off the feed to the screen. Still working on figuring out where the parallel video output is to get me a cleaner signal.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 03:16:49 am
content: Quote from: ArsenioDev on January 17, 2022, 02:08:31 amThat's interesting. Sounded like a common failure for this type of camera.I got 2 more units coming, so I'll probably do a tear-down and poke around to see if the core's output can be digitalized.

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 04:59:53 pm
content: As there is a 16.7 ms period there, it is indeed NTSC / 60Hz / 240 line output.It is possible ISG windowed down a 384x288 sensor to 320x240 (324 x 243 ?) , yet still claimed a 100k pixel sensor for 'marketing'reasons.Equally could be an odd mix as some variations on this camera model had native driven PAL video LCD's.You'd need to start checking the field of view (screen vs external video) and timings of LCD and external video to be sure.Bill

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 07:10:23 pm
content: Quote from: basecase on January 17, 2022, 03:16:49 amW/r/t digitalizing, On the backside of the FPGA board, I am PRETTY sure the FFC connector on there is for parallel outputs. Also, if you can figure out how to boot this thing without the bulky rear board that'd be great because one of mine is dead and it's depressing.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 07:36:17 pm
content: This ebay seller managed to do it. You could take a look and see how he's done it:https://www.ebay.com/itm/334290552851https://www.ebay.com/itm/334283192359The man's chopping up ISG X380's instead of the Elite XRHR, but it's pretty much the same core.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 08:30:20 pm
content: Nope, those are the NTSC output. I have 4 of those cores on my bench. That dual rank samtec at the back ALMOST CERTAINLY has the parallel out. Will do some investigation with the other crew when they're back in town.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 08:44:29 pm
content: Quote from: ArsenioDev on January 17, 2022, 08:30:20 pmMisunderstood your response. I thought you meant the display's controller board.I'll take a look once the cameras arrived.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2022, 08:46:17 pm
content: Quote from: Bill W on January 17, 2022, 04:59:53 pmThank you for the breakdown of the oscilloscope screen capture. I'll probably tap into the internal display's direct input some time later after I figured out how to make the camera portable again.Right now I'm trying to power the thing using a QC2-capable power bank tricked to output 12V using a DIY QC2 trigger solution (this, but with MSP430G2553). Sort of worked, but my implementation is a bit buggy.

author: StarrFluff
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 19, 2022, 11:11:25 am
content: Quote from: basecase on January 17, 2022, 07:36:17 pmWell hey im the one who bought that first ebay listing. Got an offer to grab it for $150, which seems like a ripping good deal for a thermal camera core of this capability. Powered it up today and it works fine.So is the board on the back of the camera housing hermetically sealed or is it just bolted on to the back? Trying to figure out how to take this thing apart without breaking anything. I will take some pics of the boards here soon so its easier to talk about specific things.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2022, 12:08:58 pm
content: The only down side to the ISG cameras is their use of an in-house designed and built core. I own a few ISG cameras and they work well. My favourite is the E380 that has an ‘organic’ shape, similar to the Bullard Eclipse format, but larger.The bespoke imaging core electronics package sadly means that the user/experimenter is very limited in terms of what can be reconfigured on the core. There is a hidden menu on the later models but, just as with the earlier ISG designed cores, an ISG factory utility software is needed to make more significant changes to the core. On the E380, the hidden menu just controls things like the temperature units, heat seeking mode, Zoom and Freeze frame functionality. From memory, a ‘clean display’ mode with no overlay graphics is not offered in that menu.There is little, to no information available on these ISG cores as ISG have not released such and are unlikely to do so. Fire fighting cameras that contain COTS imaging cores are a better choice for those wishing to reconfigure the camera, or imaging cores, behaviour as more technical information is likely to be available. My E380 is a lovely camera that I bought because I liked its design. It would not be my first choice if I wanted to repurpose it in a way that required a clear display with no overlay graphics or other deep reconfiguration of the core.My teardown of the E380 is to be found here…..https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/isg-e380-rugged-modern-qvga-lawfiresecurity-camera-a-look-inside-by-fraser/Fraser

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2022, 03:56:52 pm
content: Quote from: StarrFluff on January 19, 2022, 11:11:25 amThat's nice. I got the offer as well, but that was after buying the XRHR. At least you'll get the comfort knowing that the core worked instead of having to wait for the thing to arrive and hope that it does.I updated the Imgur album in the first post with more images.The display controller board is hot glued onto a frame that is then screwed onto the back of the camera.That back got an O-ring that goes around the frame. Removing that back is very easy since all the screws are there. Just take off the first 4 visible screws to peel back the strap holder, and the rest of the screw holes will be visible.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2022, 04:12:21 pm
content: Quote from: Fraser on January 19, 2022, 12:08:58 pmThanks for the information. That teardown will be a good point of comparison for when I'm doing the same thing with the XRHR.

author: Early
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 20, 2022, 08:32:04 pm
content: I picked up one of these to tinker with. With the lens on top what is the orientation of the battery power on the terminal below?12V right and negative left?Also, the unit I received has no HI-RES markings and the serial ends in XR. I can post some photos once I get it opened up.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2022, 10:56:30 pm
content: BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO REVERSE POLARITY, THERE IS NO INPUT PROTECTION. I'd recommend pulling off the screen, the terminals are marked internally with polarity.

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2022, 12:52:00 am
content: If the 'negative' is also camera 0V, that should be connected to BNC outer/GND (or at least a lot nearer a short than the positive).Might be worth a check that way.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2022, 03:41:29 am
content: Quote from: Early on January 20, 2022, 08:32:04 pmSeller probably had mixed lot of XRHR and regular XR without charger or battery. XR by itself is still pretty good for the price, but it's a shame the seller didn't bother to differentiate the models. Try to work out something with the seller if you feel slighted I guess. I'm happy with whatever they sent as long as the cameras worked (fingers crossed). Refer to the attached images for how I set up the camera.Quote from: Bill W on January 21, 2022, 12:52:00 amAlso, interesting development regarding video output. When I opened the camera back up to take picture of how I wired it, I noticed that the video output wasn't even wired the entire time!That BNC connector issomehowpicking up noise from the display controller board!

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 03:04:18 am
content: I haven't posted for a while but after seeing the first post in this thread and Fraser's response (THANKS!!),I ordered one (should have gotten 2 or 3). It arrived today.Was 100K sticker version with a S/N ending in HR.----->>>WARNING!!!<<<------- Don't try to power these up without opening them first!Mine had the 4 nuts that hold the two core boards together just rattling around in the housing,and the boards were only partially plugged together.If one of those nuts was sitting on the wrong place, Bad Things (tm) might have happened!Once reconnected, the camera operates very nicely, I'm quite happy. Only a couple of dings in the germanium window (lens is perfect, not even any dust)and the insides are spotless (except for the loose nuts) The BNC video output was missing a cable to somewherejust like the original post, gotta probe around and find out where it goes.Under 12V power it draws ~300ma.Lots of interesting stuff in this camera, many connectors (some very very tiny) with few or no connections.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 03:08:22 am
content: Drat...wrong picture...

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 05:25:23 am
content: Quote from: cynfab on January 22, 2022, 03:04:18 amI'm glad sharing the ebay find brought you some joy. It looked like you got lucky and were sent the XRHR.I'm guessing the nuts got loose due to a lot of vibration, but at least the camera worked fine for you.Regarding the connectors, I think most of those on the FPGA board are for internal testing/configuration while those on the expansion board are for display + different types of feature that the final product might have.The XRHR, E380, and X380 all shared the same core and controller boards, but they don't have the same level of connectivity.For example:The XRHR doesn't have anything plugged into the connector adjacent to the header pins (see attached). However,Fraser's E380has a connector plugged into it with a bunch of wires going to the DIN(?) connector on the side of the unit. The X380 has a USB port, so on that unit this connector probably goes there.Also, thanks tothis eBay seller, the wires going into the LCD panel are identified if you're interested in getting the component output but didn't want to probe the pins.Quote

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 02:10:26 pm
content: Thanks for the info on the display connections. It would be interesting to see the connections inside others from this camera series, I wonder how much of the core can be re-configured by jumpers. It would be nice to have a USB connection.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 02:37:37 pm
content: Sadly I understand that these cores are a software configuration based design. That is to say, no hardware jumpers for configuring functionality. Such configuration is done via a factory utility software that is not in the public domainMy E380 has most of the functionality enabled and you may find that the composite video output is just waiting to be connected. I do not recall the purpose of the USB connectivity but doubt that it will give you anything as a user. It is more likely the firmware upgrade port. The DVR functionality does not reside in the camera head. It was built into the optional handle fir the E380. As such, it may be that the USB port is for accessing the optional DVR ? I would need to check my notes on the E380. I will dig them out and post anything useful here.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 03:08:19 pm
content: I just checked my notes on the E380 and sadly I did not reverse engineer the pin outs of the multi-pole connector or the contacts for the DVR. I might have looked at these but did not find anything of interest so did not record them in my note books.I did find the hidden menu options and these are limited to what I previously stated….Degrees C or Degrees F selectionZoom (X2/X4) EnableHotseek EnableFreeze EnableNote that the Zoom and Freeze functions cannot both be enabled at the same time. My E380 is set for Degrees C, Zoom enabled and Hotseeking enabled.No other configuration is possible through the hidden menu as it was intended for dealers to control just the chargeable options.Sorry I cannot help moreFraser

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 03:40:50 pm
content: Thanks Fraser, you have helped a lot. I'll probe around the boards and see what I can find, and maybe whip up a 3D printed battery case.Knowing that there is a hidden menu on the E380, I'll poke at the buttons and see if I can find one on the XRHR.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 04:25:31 pm
content: The E380 needs all three of its buttons to be pressed at the same time but your cameras do not have three buttons so you may need to work out how your versions access the menu or even add the missing third button ?Fraser

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 05:43:55 pm
content: I'll review your E380 teardown & notes and see if I can figure anything out.I did some probing of the various connector pins and test points, the analog video appears on several pins and test points and there are a lot of "digital video" looking signals on the black connector. Also several signals at 50hz. I'll see if I can jumper one of the analog video signals onto an external monitor.TP20 (J1-3) and TP21 have analog video TP20 drives my analog monitor just fine.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 07:01:01 pm
content: The black samtec is ABSOLUTELY a parallel video output bus, I've poked it out and it makes sense for the DVR capturing functionality. I'll be running my logic analyzer in capture mode once I finish the breakout cable to cap the startup sequence, will upload it here.Another project of mine is to make a better FPA downlead cable, the default one is kinda meh and I'd rather it be straight on instead of doglegging slightly.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2022, 10:51:15 pm
content: Quote from: Fraser on January 22, 2022, 04:25:31 pmThat's interesting. The XRHR has the Power and Zoom functionality combined into 1 button. Hot spot tracker still has its own button.I managed to get the spot temperature overlay to glitch out by pressing the hot spot tracker button after the screen started displaying "RELEASE TO TURN OFF" (see attached).This could be undone by restarting the camera.Other than that, assuming the configuration menu existed on this model, I have tried the following and was unable to get to it:_Hold down both Power and Tracker buttons during start-up._Hold down Power, rapidly tap Tracker during start-up._Press Power once, rapidly tap Tracker during start-up._Press Power once, rapidly tap both Power and Tracker during start-up._After start-up, press both Power and Tracker once. Nothing happened, looked like the controller board can only handle 1 button press at a time._After start-up, rapidly tap both Power and Tracker in sync. Zoom and hot spot tracking engaged, but not simultaneously, thereby reinforcing the preceding point._After start-up, in X1 viewing mode, hold down Tracker button for about 10s then release. Hot spot tracking engaged after releasing button._After start-up, in X2 viewing mode, hold down Tracker button for about 10s then release. Same outcome as previous._After start-up, in X4 viewing mode, hold down Tracker button for about 10s then release. Same outcome as previous._After start-up, in X1 viewing mode, hold down Tracker button for about 30s then release. Same outcome as previous._After start-up, in X2 viewing mode, hold down Tracker button for about 30s then release. Same outcome as previous._After start-up, in X4 viewing mode, hold down Tracker button for about 30s then release. Same outcome as previous._After start-up, press and hold Power button until "TURN OFF ABORTED" is displayed, then quickly press Tracker button. Glitched the overlay.Things to be tested:_While camera is off, press and hold Power and/or Tracker button(s), then plug in the power source. I have gut feelings that this one wouldn't be safe to try._Hold down Power and/or Tracker button(s) in X1/X2/X4 viewing mode for longer than 30s.Based on Scott Safety's XRHR available options, in the event that we gained access to the configuration menu, it looked like the options available will be configuring the temperature scale and enable DVR/Transmit functionality minus the necessary hardware. This would be great since I'm guessing some pins of unused connectors will start outputting data.Quote from: ArsenioDev on January 22, 2022, 07:01:01 pmVery nice discovery (I finally understood that Samtec is the connector, not some sort of chip that does DVR). Please keep us updated.I think the DVR/Transmit-enabled XRHR and X380 models would have an extra circuit board mating with the Samtec connector and also be on the same stack as the FPGA board and the connector-laden board. This is pretty much the only way to stuff more into the already cramped case. From the SD1000/K1000's manual, any XRHR unit with DVR enabled would be pretty janky to use given that it only has 2 buttons (see attached SD1000 K1000 manual sections 5 and 6). Of note is that data output is handled by some sort of BNC to USB connector, and data transfer is handled by a separate miniUSB port that is only accessible when the battery is removed.This ISG Thermal Systems 320 K1000 Eliteis definitely a DVR-enabled model, but it's definitely pricy.Correction: the port may be there, but it might lack the storage hardware.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 12:40:46 am
content: I have a K series camera in my collection that contains the DVR module. From memory it was positioned behind the Display PCB. It was a modified COTs product. DVR’s in Fire Fighting thermal cameras that I have worked on take composite video, Ethernet or a digital data bus as their input. Many use a COTs Linux based module. The DVR facility is often used for training purposes, rather than on active deployments. The Transmitter option is the one that Fire Fighting Commanders may use to make decisions upon. The DVR can be used as a sort of ‘black box’ in case something goes wrong, but I am not aware of fire fighters using it as such. The DVR often offers still or moving image recording options in its setup.Fraser

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 10:53:59 am
content: Quote from: Fraser on January 23, 2022, 12:40:46 amThat is why it is not used. Ultimately fire fighting / rescue is done on a best efforts basis, heat of the moment etc.A DVR would simply be inviting ambulance chasing lawyer types to pick over things at leisure in a wholly unrealistic manner.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 01:46:50 am
content: Good news; I've got some time to do some capturing later this week. I am pretty sure I found the pixel clock, Hsync, vsync and data lines so far.As for the regular K series (Non-HR), there's some VERY interesting signals on the samtec on there, will also get a cap on those as well.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 03:49:19 am
content: Quote from: ArsenioDev on January 24, 2022, 01:46:50 amThat's indeed good news. Looked like the data output is there, just that only on the specialty DVR/Transmit variants would have the hardware to do something with it in the device.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 02:52:56 pm
content: For those playing along at home, here is a first rough interconnect diagram.for the XR & XRHR the 2 lower buttons with red wires are one.I tried separating them on my camera and didn't have much luck getting anything useful to happen.I did get into an interesting mode (after re-connecting the buttons) by pressing the Red & Yellow buttons simultaneously for 7 seconds.I also got a 3D printed battery box started.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 05:23:18 am
content: My 2nd order finally arrived. Both units were XR, so I guess the seller ran out of the XRHR model. This is a shame since I wanted another XRHR to tinker with, but the one I have will have to do.One of the cameras was made 2009, and the other was from 2016. S/N of the 2009 one was K80-266-XR, and I'm not sure if this meant the unit shared assembly-line with the K-80 at the time. The 2016 unit had S/N K1K-WP30XR.Despite being over a decade old, the 2009 unit was in OK cosmetic condition save for a small patch of charred Radel. The 2016 unit was as close to pristine as a moderately-used firefighting thermal could possibly get.Per cynfab's recommendation, I decided to open up both units to inspect the internal components before powering anything.Partial disassembly album.Interestingly enough, the 2009 unit had a bunch of desiccant packets in the slot that the insulation foam halves make when they are surrounding the core. Neither the 2013 XRHR nor the 2016 XR had any.I guess ISG at the time was concerned about condensation inside the unit, but then realized it was not an issue later on, or they started sealing up the cameras in a dedicated low-humidity room/container. Regardless I'll probably put in a few desiccant packets of my own once I'm done tinkering with these cameras and have them sealed up. Other than that, the core assemblylooked exactly like the one Fraser identified in 2019.Both units used the same core too, which made sense. The microcontrollers on the PCB with connectors were slightly different (2009: Winbond W78E058B40DL, 2016: Nuvoton W78E058D), but everything else appeared to be the same.Of note is that the PCB with the BNC connector had a cable running to the main board. I haven't probe the output quite yet, but I do hope something nice will show up.In terms of functionality, both cameras took 12V just fine (same polarity as the XRHR too) though "BATTERY LOW" would always be displayed. I guess the expected battery voltage would be closer to 15V-16V given the mention of alternative 10-Alkaline-AA-cells battery in the operating manual. 2009 XR had a lot of flickering pixels on the top right side of the sensor, but these went away shortly. The 2016 camera had this too, but only a few pixels were affected. The newer one had better image quality too (could also be due to the display being newer), so I'll definitely be keeping this one as intact as possible. When turned on, the shutters of both cameras rapidly engaged/disengaged for a good 10-20 seconds before stabilizing. Not sure if this is something particular to sensors with flickering pixels or not since my FastFrame Seek Compact Pro has this behavior too. Sometimes the shutters would do this out of nowhere, so if anyone knew the cause, I'd appreciate you sharing. Other than that, the cameras behaved normally. Intensity automatically adjusted when pointing at hot/cold objects, and that's pretty it for the Elite XR. Power button doesn't do anything other than turning on and off the unit. Long-pressing the TX button yielded a message saying the wireless transmitter module was not fitted. These cameras were not as fancy as the XRHR, but they are still very neat to own.More tinkering to come once I have time to poke at things with an oscilloscope.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 03:22:37 pm
content: Wow!, the core and display PCBs are very different from the XRHR models, shows what a little R&D can do.Here are a couple of higher res images of the NFPS Interface board and a rendering of the next evolution of my battery box 3D model.The earlier 3D printed version fits nicely in the battery compartment and the next will have latches and a door to put stuff inside. This is an iterative process for me as I am re-learning OpenSCAD as well as trying to reverse engineer the NFPA board. I have a partial schematic so far but it is a multi layer board and tracing signals is a PITA. I have identified all the chips and have datasheets.Fraser, do you have any more internal pictures of your similar ISG cameras? It would be interesting to see where the wires from J1 and J5 on the NFPA board go.Do you know who is the connector manufacturer for the white connectors J1-J5 on the NFPS Interface board.I was able to get into what Fraser called the hidden menu by pressing both the Red and Yellow buttons for 7 seconds, then pressing the yellow and red buttons will cycle through 5 different fields with various characters changing values. Not doing anything for several seconds makes the camera reboot or reset, the FFC clicks a lot and it finally goes back to normal mode.I'll try and record a video of all that when I get the camera back together after the reverse engineering effort.My XRHR does not have zoom (maybe it is just not enabled).

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 04:09:38 pm
content: Oh that looks exactly like the X380 units, mine have zoom on em via switch on J1, I'll be doing some captures with LA and posting images of the pin mapping later tonight.Got slammed with a bunch of stuff at work and it ate my time up, was too tired when i got home to do much.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 04:11:58 pm
content: The hidden menu is protected with a password that is entered via button presses. I do not recall how many characters were required but thought it was 4 but you have 5 to enter ?I may have more images of the E380. I will take a look later.Fraser

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 04:54:27 pm
content: Although superficially marketed as 'ISG Elite' there were two quite different cameras and production lines involved.ISG UK (Basildon) made the ULIS A-Si based cameras and used the full 384x288 with (partly) matching PAL-based display.Meanwhile ISG had been 'taken over' by a US based investor and started up a parallel facility in the US, with access to US controlled sensors. So there are Elites using ITC VOx 320x240 (?) sensors, I think the back end (micro etc) were kept common (ish).The UK build were sold into the US (kit built ?) until the ITC came on supply, so may explain some build changes. ISG never had a 'dry room', and ultimately all forms of dessicant are only postponing the inevitable as the plastics are slightly porous.Major repairs might also explain some hybridsRelations across the pond were fairly amicable I am told, certainly not how it panned out with Scott-ISG. 3M-Scott now only offer the V320 US build and Lepton 'Sight' - maybe cannot make in the UK X380 now ?Bill

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 06:06:47 pm
content: These images from my E380 may assist in identifying the use of J1 and J5From a brief look at my notes, the connectors feed the following on the E380J1Yellow : Yellow ButtonYellow : Yellow ButtonRed : Red ButtonRed : Red ButtonBlue : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)Yellow : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)Mauve : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)White : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)Black : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)Red : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)J2: To the I/O connector on side of camera (capabilities not known)WhiteBlackRedOrangeYellowBlackBlueGreenGreyBrownBlackMauveJ5Green: Green push buttonGreen: Green push buttonBlack: Battery Bay (0V)Black: Battery Bay (0V)NCNCRed : Battery bay (+7.4V Li-Ion)Red : Battery bay (+7.4V Li-Ion)In case anyone is wondering.....On the rear of the battery bay, the Orange, White, Yellow and Blue wires go down to the battery charging dock contacts on the bottom of the camera. These are used in the charging control process.On the E380 the button colours have the following functions in the hidden menu:Yellow : UPRed : DownGreen: SelectButton debouncing was virtually non existent !

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 06:38:08 pm
content: The user manual for the E380 states that the optional DVR handle offers the following:Red ButtonYellow ButtonBlue ButtonLED indicator for DVRLaser pointerUSB I/O portBuilt in DVRBlue button activates the laser as long as it is pressed (handle needs to be attached to camera)Red Button activated DVR electronics (on/off toggle) LED lights Orange when on.Yellow Button short press captures a still image and LED flashes Red Briefly to show capture has occurred.Yellow Button press for longer that 3 Seconds starts video recording. LED flashed alternately Red and YellowYellow Button press to stop video recordingDVR download is via the Mini USB connector on the handle.If the RF transmitter option is fitted (in the handle ?) the Red Button switched teh transmitter on and off.Fraser

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 06:45:17 pm
content: Thanks Fraser, your depth of knowledge and resources astound!After a bit of research, the white connectors are JST ZE series, and the contacts are SZE002T-P0.3Digikey has no stock, but does have jumpers:455-4204-ND‎‎ASZESZE26K254‎JUMPER SZE-002T-P0.3 X2 10"I just ordered 10, so 20 contacts with 5" leads.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 07:02:27 pm
content: To your pin list I can add numbers and some functions:J110 Yellow : Yellow Button --> GND9 Yellow : Yellow Button8 Red : Red Button __ GND7 Red : Red Button6 Blue : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)5 Yellow : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR) --> TP234 Mauve : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR) --> GND3 White : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR) --> analog video2 Black : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR)1 Red : Contact on bottom of camera (optional handle DVR) --> TP104 and a pin on J6J2 : To the I/O connector on side of camera (capabilities not known)U4 & U5 are dual analog switches with outputs (D1 & D2) going to J2, an inputs coming from J612 White --> U4-1, 5, U5-1, 9 Control11 Black --> U5-11 D210 Red --> U5-3 D19 Orange --> U4-6 D28 Yellow --> U4-10 D17 Black --> 3.3V6 Blue --> GND5 Green --> NC4 Grey --> NC3 Brown --> NC2 Black --> GND1 Mauve --> analog videoJ58 Green: Green push button --> GND7 Green: Green push button6 Black: Battery Bay (0V) --> GND5 Black: Battery Bay (0V) --> GND4 NC3 NC2 Red : Battery bay (+7.4V Li-Ion) ( +12V for XR/XRHR)1 Red : Battery bay (+7.4V Li-Ion) ( +12V for XR/XRHR)

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2022, 12:44:01 am
content: Beginnings... no guarantees of accuracy yet ;>))

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2022, 01:38:14 pm
content: A little more progress on the schematic. I'm pretty sure I have all the reference designators correct, and am 80% confident in the inter-connectivity so far. Still a bit to go and I'm not happy with the symbols for the analog switches so I'll probably have to build them myself. Values are not correct yet.Real life (tm) is also interfering with the efforts so won't get to do any more for a few days

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2022, 09:36:01 pm
content: This time the schematic might even be useful.Sheets 1 & 3 are pretty much done and verified, Sheet 2 still needs lots of work, TP's need to be added too.Enjoy......Oh yeah, the black Samtec connector as well

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2022, 04:18:34 pm
content: Pretty much done with the schematic for the interface board.Any corrections or comments welcome.I replaced the BNC on the front with a 4 pin Fischer connector and wired it up to the J1 video output and a small DC-DC to convert the +BATT to 5V for the external RunCam FPV DVR. Works OK on the bench. Produces .avi files. The DC-DC is necessary as its internal DC-DC can only take 5.5V max. and I didn't want to load the ISG's 3.3V. BTW the +5V test point goes to J2 and nowhere else.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2022, 07:59:30 pm
content: Thank you for your work on both the schematic and the DVR module. I hope the quality of the recorded footage is as good if not better than that on the display (might have some wear and tear due to usage).-------------------------------------------I wasn't able to spend much time working on the camera this week (Lunar New Year and all), but I managed to compile a list of symbols in the hidden menu (see attached).I tried combining #15 with #16 by themselves to form the full menu icon, but it didn't seem to work. I guessed there will be a lot of trials and errors involved.Edit:Corrected a mistake in the symbol list. Selecting the next slot automatically populate it with the symbol preceding the previous slot's symbol.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2022, 09:08:00 pm
content: You have done what I did when I got my E380. I was bemused by all the weird symbols !Now the good news…. Those symbols are just ASCII graphical characters and have no meaning beyond thatThe debouncing on the buttons is virtually non existent and this makes entering the password somewhat challenging !Fraser

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2022, 09:17:52 pm
content: The debouncing of the switches is done in hardware (see schematic sheet 1) I've looked at the waveforms as they go off th the FPGA and there is no trace of switch bounce. Can't figure out why the menu character selection is so flaky. Maybe it's an attempt to reduce password hacking attempts.Here are a couple of examples of images captured from the .avi data recorded by my RunCam recorder:

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 12:39:17 am
content: For information….ISG E380 Hidden Menu contents:In the Hidden Menu there are two numeric fields at the top of the screen.The numeric field on the top left is the menu feature number as listed below (1 to 9). This is navigated with the up/down buttons. The number field on the top right is the current setting for a particular menu feature. This number can be changed and confirmed with the up, down and select buttons.1. Found set to 0. Selects Degrees C or Degrees F. 0 = C, 1 = F2. Found set to 1. Enables Zoom X2, X4. 0 = Disabled, 1= Enabled.3. Found set to 1. Enables Heat Seek function 0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled4. Found set to 0. A factory engineering mode. Not Used (Pink display if set to 1)5. Found set to 0. Provides a précis of the camera build state.6. Found set to 00204. Range switching point. Not in any particular units. Factory set.7. Found set to 00121. Range switching point. Not in any particular units. Factory set.8. Found set to 1. Function not known.9. Found set to 0. Enables Freeze frame option. 0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled. (Causes display glitches if enabled at the same time as Zoom option).Menu feature 5 produces a précis of the camera build.My camera displayed the following………0005. 0000Prod PAL. 2000002Z. 170150SPARTAN 6 HRNFPA CK. RX1QYFraser

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 01:55:43 am
content: Quote from: Fraser on February 07, 2022, 12:39:17 amI think 8 might have something to do with transmitter/DVR mode since these options are mutually exclusive on the XRHR at least.For the XRHR, tinkering with the service menuWILLrequire you to split the (missing) green button's wires from the (physical) red button into its own button.Not strictly true. Doable with some car ignition hot-wiring jank. See the edit.I came to this conclusion after observing that pressing the red button will both change the option's value AND cycle to the next option, which didn't really make sense.Needing to press 3 buttons at the same time will be hard, but this is better than messing up the options.Also, remember to write down the default values for 00006 and 00007 in case you accidentally adjusted them.Lastly,while this still needs to be confirmed,I think the only way to have the settings stick is to cycle through the entire menu to option 9. Exiting from the menu early, be it through holding red+yellow buttons simultaneously or through removing the power, did not save the changes made in the current session for me. Cycling the menu back to 00001 at least once then exit did.Edit:After realizing that green button shorts to ground when the red switch is pressed (thanks cynfab!), I decided tocut the green wire going into the red switch and manually short it to ground myself.In this case, cutting the green wire at the middle was more preferable than desoldering the end for me since both terminals of the red switch were covered in hot glue and cumbersome to access. Also, one of the red switch's terminals went to ground, so check which one it is and then cut the green wire that is connected to the non-grounded one.Since both entering and exiting the service menu required all 3 buttons be pressed down simultaneously, the green wire had to remain connected to the red switch some of the time. This led to the use of an alligator clip test wire that maintained continuity when needed, and acted as a big contact point when some shorting was necessary. The overall procedure to access and set the service menu's options boiled down to this:1. While the camera is off, cut non-ground green wire in half. Strip the ends and connect them with whatever you have handy.2. Power on camera, punch in the password (contact me) and enter the service menu.3. Disconnect the green wire's ends. Briefly short the green wire's end that's connected to the main circuit board to the red button's ground terminal to cycle the options.Use red and yellow buttons to set the desired values.4. Reach 00009 then cycle the options to 00004. Connect the green wire's ends again.5. Press and hold red and yellow buttons simultaneously to exit the menu.Failure to time the press shouldn't affect 00004 and 00005's settings, so these are pretty much the only safe options to exit the menu from.6. Restart the camera.Album of the setup and the menu options.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 04:38:50 am
content: Confirmed for the most part, with separate s switches I can get through all but #9. I can enable zoom and change from C to F and back, Heat seek was already enabled and changing 4 to a 1 made the screen pink.On power cycle C/F stuck, as did zoom & heat seek.6 = 2047 = 1218 = 255Looks great, Thanks to Fraser & basecase!!

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 05:18:26 am
content: Thanks a bunch for reporting the default values of 6 7 and 8! I was really concerned that I messed up the values on mine.A note on 8: I think 255 was just a display bug since it initially showed that for me until I modified it. After that it just became either 00001 or 00000. Kept mine at 00001 in case this enables more pins on the connectors.Edit:8 is bugging me out a bit here. Enabling it caused a green cross in a square to appear at the bottom left corner of the screen. I have no idea what this meant.The K1000 and E380 operating manuals both have example images with this cross, but neither one explained what this was. I pointed the camera at a soldering iron, and it still showed pretty much the same thing as it did before the service menu was messed with. If anything, it felt like the camera took longer to load the zoom and hot spot tracking functions after 8 was enabled.

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 11:39:35 am
content: Quote from: basecase on February 07, 2022, 05:18:26 amThat is the NFPA 'Plus Mode' symbol. It means something is enabled that requires additional training to operate. As Fraser notes this is 'freeze frame' that would be a 'complicated' option as a fixed image is not basic level NFPA compliant.Some other camera functions may also appear strange to comply with NFPA 1801 - such as 'revert to basic mode' if you press the green button when running (for that power cycle).Bill

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 11:47:01 am
content: Quote from: basecase on February 07, 2022, 01:55:43 amOn a full 3 button camera all 3 buttons should save and exit, as should power remove.What gets you out without a save is no buttons for > 10 secondsBill

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 03:39:03 pm
content: Quote from: Bill W on February 07, 2022, 11:39:35 amThank you for the explanation. It explained why both the zoom and hot spot tracking features weren't available when that cross isn't there.It makes sense to keep camera operation as simple as possible so that untrained users won't have to fight their cameras during work.For the Elite XRHR, I found that after powering on the camera, holding the yellow button pressed for a few seconds will enable "Plus Mode." To get rid of the cross but still keep "Plus Mode," hold the red button pressed until "TURN OFF ABORTED" will do the job.Quote from: Bill W on February 07, 2022, 11:47:01 amDidn't work for me until I cycled the menu all the way to 00001 again. I wonder if this was due to my unit using older/different firmware or not. I'm aware that the service menu password was different on the 3 button camera.

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2022, 12:19:02 pm
content: Quote from: basecase on February 07, 2022, 03:39:03 pmCould be. While I was told the instructions by someoneVERYfamiliar with the firmware, it was a time when NFPA1801 was standardising camera behaviour yet local sales & distribution waned to customise standard products and ISG not wanting to let out the factory software (or write a cut down one).That may have gone through several iterations.The odd bit with your camera is that one NFPA requirement is that the power button MUST be green.Yours is notEqually, you'd only expect an NFPA plus symbol on NFPA camera suggesting some kind of hybrid build, or making users pay up a lot for making the red button green and an NFPA sticker.Bill

author: Bill W
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2022, 12:22:54 pm
content: Quote from: basecase on February 07, 2022, 03:39:03 pmTo clarify, are you saying the NFPA-plus symbol appears:Only when zoomedWhen zoom function is enabled, whether zoomed or notSeparately selected before you can enable the other functionsDoes a brief push of your red button disable the zoom / freeze and clear the NFPA-plus ?

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2022, 02:46:30 pm
content: I don't think ISG intended to sell the XRHR as officially NFPA-compliant though. The product listing'sarchivedidn't claim the thing to be, but ISG did advertised that theE380Nwas compliant. I think ISG just used the same/similar firmwares for E380/E380N/XRHR/X380.NFPA-plus symbol only appeared when it was activated/selected by long-pressing the yellow button then releasing it. Zoom/Hot spot tracking would not work until then.As far as I know once the plus symbol appeared, all the advanced functions would still work regardless of whether the symbol was there or not (i.e. couldn't disable the functions once unlocked).

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2022, 06:50:49 am
content: Full disassembly is done.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2022, 07:06:36 am
content: TheADV7179video encoder takes the FPGA's CCIR-656 4:2:2 8-bit parallel output and spits out analog video outputs. cynfab found 3 video channels in total which matched up with the datasheet. Now I guess what's left is figuring out which pin of the samtec connector is mapped to which line of the parallel output and then find a DVR solution that takes CCIR-656 directly if it existed.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2022, 12:06:45 am
content: Some screen grabs off video recorded by my RunCam.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2022, 04:33:56 pm
content: Well I took the weekend off to go to LA, Scoping stuff out later tonight and then starting work on the re-engineering of the FPA ribbon cable for custom units (mine doglegs a little and I want a longer straight through unit)

author: Logan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2022, 01:59:59 pm
content: Hi guys.Is the hidden service menu only exist on the 384x288 models? Or also available to the 320x240 XR(non-HR)?Thanks.

author: basecase
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2022, 03:10:52 pm
content: Maybe. Even if it existed, I don't think you can change much since the Elite XR didn't have any software-configurable feature like the XRHR. Based on the 2010 operating manual and thebrochure, the Elite XR only come with *F and NTSC video output. There's no *C/PAL variant as far as I concern.

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 04:48:36 pm
content: Just a reminder, if anyone wants to get the ISG XR (not with HR), save your money.I just got one for cheap and now I have to get rid of it.They show almost nothing when you point it to normal environment, only work when there's something really warm in FOV (like your hand).I don't think it's my unit faulty, look up some sample image on ebay and see what I mean.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 05:46:36 pm
content: We do have to bear in mind that ex fire service cameras may have been removed from service due to faults so buying used ones are a risk. I have not previously heard of the ISG XR being a poor performer, but then I do not know what you are trying to do with it. Fire Fighting cameras are normally fully automatic and provide the best available image settings for SAR tasks. It could well be that the XR is not best configured for your tasking. The HR may be an advance in both technology and configuration and so suits your needs better.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 05:53:12 pm
content: This battered old ISG Elite XR looks to still produce a decent image. Look at the background building detail, such as the fire door crash bar.(Image taken from here:https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/452077339167914/)

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 06:18:13 pm
content: cejoba,I just checked my archives and see that I own the ITC microbolometer based core from an ISG Elite XR cameraI do not recall being disappointed with its performance. There was another version of this core that used a different microbolometer brand and that may behave differently, but I would be surprised if the performance was much different.Take a look here :https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/mystery-imaging-core-fraser-has-been-buying-toys-again-)/msg2799504/#msg2799504Your camera does not have the high temperature diaphragm permanently engaged does it ? Such would severely reduce the camera sensitivity.Fraser

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 06:41:40 pm
content: Quote from: Fraser on November 05, 2022, 05:46:36 pmI wasn't comparing it to HR, even my BST S300 is much better.Quote from: Fraser on November 05, 2022, 06:18:13 pmMy core looks the same as yours.However, in your second post in that thread, that lens is different from the stock lens, the stock lens as shown in your post #21 is rather slow, definitely not f0.8.Quote from: Fraser on November 05, 2022, 06:18:13 pmNo, I cannot see any indicator shown for that.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 06:48:52 pm
content: Hi,The high temperature range diaphragm is shown n my post on the core. It is similar in appearance to the FFC flag but has a small hole in it to reduce the aperture, and so sensitivity. The FFC flag is still present. The two flags and solenoids are mounted on opposite sides of the lens mount area. I am just wondering of a fault has caused the reduced aperture flag to be permanently positioned in the optical path. There would not be an indication on the display as the ca,era would not be seeing a temperature that exceeds the high temperature range threshold. It would be worth checking if you have not already done so. With my cores high temperature range flag engaged the image is very flat indeed and responds as you describe.Fraser

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 07:10:05 pm
content: Thank you fraser.Oh you mean the physical thing.I indeed checked it, and no, it's not in front of the sensor.

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 07:20:18 pm
content: Quote from: Fraser on November 05, 2022, 07:17:02 pmDon't be sad, there's always hit and miss when hunting used market. I took the risk, I accept the loss.

author: ArsenioDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2022, 07:23:22 pm
content: Cejoba, Im interested in the power and primary input board, accidentally killed one of mine with a lithium inrush gone wrong (WHOOPS).Shoot me a PM and what you want for em, can resurrect a partial core on my bench

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 01:34:25 pm
content: I would be interested in the microbolometer, I have one of those cores, (non-working e-bay purchase) and all the timing and bias signals are ok, but no output from the microbolometer.Parting your core out looks like a good option to recover your costs.Pm me and we'll talk...

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 01:38:58 pm
content: Cancan,I would advise obtaining both the microbolometer and its associated image processing PCB as a matched pair so that you can transplant the flash memory that contains the microbolometers unique calibration and dead pixel map. This assumes that there is a fault on the Cejoba image processing PCB though. If not, then just swap the PCB and microbolometer.Fraser

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 03:06:15 pm
content: Sorry guys, that camera is already in my friends' hand who will help me sell it...

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2022, 04:20:26 pm
content: Fraser,Good point, but I can't find any programmable parts on the board that the microbolometer plugs into, See attached Pict.The FPGA board certainly has programmable parts, but all are soldered down. My guess is that data is stored in the big Winbond EPROM chip that is in a socket on the end board.That's only a guess though and as the core is no longer available the point for this case is moot.

author: S7V7N_SINS
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 19, 2022, 08:43:19 pm
content: Has anyone read the EEPROM on the board with the video converter? I was reading through the ADV7179 datasheet and there are a number of programmable options. Of particular interest is mode register 3 - when bit MR34 is set to high will allow an additional chrominance value on DAC output A. Maybe there is a way to output the radiometric data or adjust color filters directly.I just bought one of these to experiment with, so we shall see.

author: thecircuiteer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 13, 2025, 09:38:45 pm
content: I know this is some serious necromancy but I'm hoping someone still has their camera. I think mine was subjected to a power event of some type, and I'm trying to get a fuse rating. I've already had to replace the two logic chips on the NFPA board to get the buttons working again, and I'm still tracing out power. On the FPGA board the camera connects to, there's a small fuse that has gone bad, and I was hoping someone could check what rating it was supposed to have. Right now I'm bypassing it with some magnet wire and running through my multimeter, but I'd like to have a more permanent solution. When bypassed, it will boot up for a few seconds, then turn off again, which is at least some progress.Edit: Ended up going with 0467.750NRHF, a 750ma fuse in 0603 (1608 metric). I think its a size slightly too big, but works. after doing more current measurement, I probably should have gone with a 500mah fuse instead. After replacing the fuse, it's working. I think the wires going to the shutter actuator were shorting together, causing the shutdown.

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2025, 12:57:13 pm
content: For anyone interested, here is the OpenSCAD file for the battery box I designed for these cameras, as well as a derived .stl.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2025, 01:25:06 pm
content: Cynfab,Thank you for sharing your designFraser

author: thecircuiteer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 14, 2025, 01:49:23 pm
content: Thanks for posting this! It looks like your latching method was separate from the main box?

author: cynfab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2025, 11:42:41 pm
content: I abandoned the latching system, and just drove a screw into the side as shown below.With the OpenSCAD file it's easy to mod any part of the box to suit your needs. This is purely a functional design. I've never had to remove the box in three years of use, I use both cameras often.