Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[bobins]

This was gifted to me by the family.



A thermal camera has been a tool I've really wanted to add to the lineup for a few years now after getting to play with...sorry, I mean test...the Flir one my other half had access to through work. This is far more basic, but it's still plenty functional enough to be really useful both on the cars and for electronic faultfinding.

I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the TC004. Is it the Lite or full-fat one ? I'd been pondering over getting one of the Android phone plug in versions - they all seem to hover around the £200 - £250 mark

[Zelandeth]

Haven't really had a chance to use it much yet as we've still got guests with us.

It's tiring work!

[CitroJim]

Love it! One very chilled dog

[Zelandeth]

This was gifted to me by the family.



A thermal camera has been a tool I've really wanted to add to the lineup for a few years now after getting to play with...sorry, I mean test...the Flir one my other half had access to through work. This is far more basic, but it's still plenty functional enough to be really useful both on the cars and for electronic faultfinding.

I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the TC004. Is it the Lite or full-fat one ? I'd been pondering over getting one of the Android phone plug in versions - they all seem to hover around the £200 - £250 mark

This is the Lite version, and as you'd expect is pretty basic. It seems to do what it says on the tin though. Starts up near enough instantly (Flir, take note...the E8 I had a shot.of a couple of years ago ran an embedded version of Windows behind the scenes and it took a downright ridiculously long time to start up) and has a decent enough frame rate.

Resolution is pretty low, but it's perfectly adequate for the sort of thing you're likely to use one of these for practically.

The forum software insists on turning these images sideways, sorry about that.

Something I hadn't expected was the fact that the dogs leave thermal paw.prints.

On a more practical perspective, I'd always kind of wondered where the central heating pipework running upstairs actually ran. Hey look, I can see now. They follow the hallway from the landing pretty much, aside from crossing over by the bathroom (which I would have expected as the towel rail in there is used as the balancing radiator).

That's much more the sort of thing this would be expected to be used for.

I'll have to take it outside to see how it fares when looking for things on the cars tomorrow if I get a chance.

It's a bit of a shame that you don't have the mixed image that Flir offer through their MSX tech - but equally I don't think it's worth more than double the price when we're talking about a practical tool rather than something to make nice glossy reports with.

[MattBLancs]

Oh that's great, I'd have fun playing with that
Thermal dog paw prints, how strange! Makes perfect sense when you think about it, but I wouldn't have guessed they'd be so defined as they appear

[CitroJim]

The dog was clearly hot footing it

[mickthemaverick]

Have you been reading Des O'Connor's book of jokes Jim?

[CitroJim]

Have you been reading Des O'Connor's book of jokes Jim?

Why? Are his even worse then mine?

[bobins]

I'm desperately trying to resist buying one of those thermal imaging cameras....... I don't need one.......... but........

[Zelandeth]

I'm desperately trying to resist buying one of those thermal imaging cameras....... I don't need one.......... but........

Oh, it is absolutely one of those things which is 50% genuinely useful tool in the right situation, 50% very fun toy. I'd never claim otherwise!

For instance, do I really need to know how the heating elements are laid out in the Volvo's seats?

No, but it's interesting to see.

On a more practical note - here's a better example of it being useful - looking at the heater hoses you can see pretty clearly that there's a temperature difference between the flow and the return.

Or here you can clearly see the coolant flowing through the head and recirculating before the thermostat opens on the Rover shortly after starting.

The thermostat housing is just to the left of centre frame.

Similarly here's a look at the tank on the radiator where that balancing/bleed/insert the name you use for it here pipe from the head goes, showing that there is a flow of steadily warming coolant flowing.

Only other thing I could immediately think of to point it at at the time was my compressor shortly after I started it up.

The false colour palette does help with contrast, but I think actually makes the image sometimes harder to understand with the limited resolution you have to work with - which is why I've pretty much switched to black/white now as I think it's just clearer.

I was somewhat surprised to see that if it's hot enough you can indeed see air - as demonstrated by the Rover's exhaust.

One thing you do need to be aware of though is that the temperature you're reading sometimes is going to be nonsensical - simply because some things which to use are visually very dull can actually be near enough optically perfect mirrors at these wavelengths and end up reflecting things like the sky...which is really cold! So if you're outside you will need to keep that in mind - and that's one of the many reasons why it's a tool rather than a miraculous invention which will tell you everything.

[MattBLancs]

I was somewhat surprised to see that if it's hot enough you can indeed see air - as demonstrated by the Rover's exhaust.

I'd like to apologise for lowering the tone

Spoiler: show

And, disappointingly:

Spoiler: show

it's fake seemingly, they were not really visible on a FLIR Thermal imaging camera, so have been "digitally added afterwards"

Not quite sure how I came across this video in the first place (likely Facebook as that seems to throw all manner of odd videos on my direction!!

[CitroJim]

Matt:

And Zel, yes, I could see I could have hours of fun with that - and find good uses for it too!

[Zelandeth]

Ten points to anyone who's enough of a computer nerd to recognise what system I was working on this afternoon from this!

[mickthemaverick]

Acorn/BBC A3000?

[Zelandeth]

Acorn/BBC A3000?

Got it in one!

Not that you can tell this is an ex-educational machine at all.

It's been partly revived and has resumed a position in the queue. I really do need to organise this lot a bit better.

For all that looks terrifying those shelves are bolted into the beam holding the ceiling up, so they're probably the strongest thing in the room.