FLIR Prism DS Charger - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 08:18:56 pm
content: Hey guys -So I have a beautiful FLIR Prism DS that was fully functioning up until late last week. After some quick troubleshooting, I realized the hot wire stripped off inside the charger. I handed it off to a buddy to solder it back and he royally made it, putting it nicely, likely unable to be able to fix (I'll post pictures later). I've been scouring the web everywhere to try to find a charger for it and have had zero luck. Anyone have any ideas how to get this baby running again? It far and well outperforms my A40M and A655sc's even though it was made in 1996!

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 08:50:56 pm
content: Hi,Not enough information provided to help you at the moment as I do not own an FSI Prism camera. I do know the model though.From memory the Prism cameras power supply is nothing particularly special but terminates ina LEMO (?) plug. Any replacement power supply will need to have that LEMO Plug transferred to it. Your post seems to indicate that a wire on the utility mains side of the power supply failed in some way ? Such should be repairable. I await your pictures of the current state of the power supply.The power supply will likely be something like a 12V unit rated for 4A to cope with the initial current draw of the Stirling Cooler. The voltage and current rating should be detailed on the power supply ID plate. If the power supply is scrap, you will just need to buy a similarly rated good quality power supply made for generic use and have someone fit the LEMO output connector.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 08:54:37 pm
content: Just to clarify, are we talking about a charger for that battery pack here, or the power supply for the camera itself ?A picture of the ID plate on the charger/power supply would help.Fraser

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:07:25 pm
content: Pic 1 - Camera Power Port

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:07:57 pm
content: Pic 2 - Battery Pack

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:08:39 pm
content: Pic 3 - Battery Pack Continued

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:09:38 pm
content: Tri-link piece (1)

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:10:15 pm
content: Tri-link Piece (2)

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:11:26 pm
content: Side going into the DS

author: Jmenture425
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:15:52 pm
content: View of the setup when working

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 09:45:33 pm
content: Ahhhh all is clear now !The Power Supply is fine. It is the breakout box where the problem lies. The connector on the camera, and presumably on the camera side of the breakout box, is a specialist model with a central coaxial connector for the video feed. I think the connector is a Fischer type and not LEMO as I first thought. I would need to look at a Fischer catalogue to identify the model number.The good news is that the breakout box is repairable by anyone proficient in electronics soldering. The bad news is that sourcing a replacement connector for the breakout box could be challenging and expensive. Fischer connectors tend to be expensive as they are professional grade connectors. Please post pictures of what is left of the original connector, but I can guess that it is not a pretty sight!Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 10:04:51 pm
content: It is a connector from the Fischer “Core” range. It is classed as a mixed contact connector with coaxial connection.Your camera connectors appear to be the Fischer Core 105A095 model with 9 pins plus single coaxial connector.See page B7-15 of the Fischer catalogue found here……https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2057941.pdfAnd Page 10-8 of this Fischer catalogue……https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1780534.pdfHope this helps but expect that connector to be pretty expensive and it needs to be fitted by someone who is used to building such connectors if you wish to avoid damaging it.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 10:15:04 pm
content: If originality is not important to you, you could save yourself around $100 that the original connector may cost and use a different, more common connector, ignoring the use of a coaxial connection as that is not essential to the function of the breakout box. Just wire the video coaxial cable to 2 pinsYou will need to change the plug on the camera cable as well of course. Alternatively, fit a cable gland to the breakout box, remove the connector from the camera cable and hard wire the cable into the breakout box.If you cannot do the soldering, find someone with the required skills or even resort to using car butt joint crimps or bullet crimp connectors inside the breakout box ! Very worst case scenario, use a simple connector block strip to join the required wires.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 20, 2022, 10:24:34 pm
content: Just in case you are wondering, the breakout box is used to gain access to the composite video signal for a monitor and this uses 2 wires (blue=video signal & green = 0V) The other red and black wires in the box are just positive 12V and 0V respectively. More than one wire is used per supply rail to spread the current load and reducing voltage drop across the camera cables length.Fraser

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2022, 08:15:37 am
content: Hi OP, does your Prism DS offers histogram equalization mode? Or does it only have linear AGC?

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 11, 2022, 09:43:14 am
content: OP has not logged into the forum since 21 September. No comment on my responses to their question. OP Disappeared ?

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2022, 02:59:12 pm
content: At least the document doesn't mention it.https://support.flir.com/DocDownload/Assets/dl/t559516$a.pdf

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2022, 12:10:06 pm
content: I just found something interesting with it, the camera use PtSi sensor, which is wideband (SWIR+MWIR), and limited to MWIR by internal filter.I wonder if the filter can be removed and make this lind of camera see much more. The SWIR sensitivity for this sensor seems even higher than MWIR region.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2022, 12:34:08 pm
content: The filter is usually internal to the Vacuum Dewar so cannot be removed. The reason for this is to maintain a stable temperature for the filter. My FLIR SC4000 science camera is a special SWIR-MWIR broadband version but that has to be ordered from the factory as the filtering inside the Stirling Cooled FPA Vacuum Dewar is different to the MWIR version. That special version was much more expensive as it is a “special order” item and a broadband Janos lens is needed.I have never seen inside the FSI Prism cameras so they may differ in design to those MWIR cameras that I have worked on. If you take pictures of the intervals I may be able to provide more comment.Fraser

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2022, 01:33:29 pm
content: Quote from: Fraser on October 13, 2022, 12:34:08 pmThank you a lot.I don't have it, was thinking of getting one, but I may gave up.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2022, 02:02:26 pm
content: The location of the “Cold filter” is shown in the attached images of cooled FPA’s. The filter is positioned within the cold shield and is maintained at a low temperature. It cannot be removed without destroying the vacuum of the Dewar.Fraser

author: cejoba
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2022, 12:44:20 pm
content: Thanks a lot Fraser! I was always wondering what's inside them.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 06:29:22 pm
content: Bringing back the topic for a related thing because it's helpful to have in one place.I've got a Prism SP that was not supplied with a power cable, same connector, same housing, likely the same equipment. I opened it up and oddly, the power from the connector appears to have three power pins that go to the board. Center ground, from my buzzing out, but when 12V is applied to either of the other pins, the power supply just reads fully open, and the two other pins are not directly connected to each other either.It's an early phase of buzzing things out, so I haven't yet checked conductivity to the input pins on the DC to DC converters yet, but any idea why neither configuration would draw a paltry milliamp? No fusing visible, so I would have expected at least some amount of something turning on.