Having fun with my Topdon IR camera.

  • wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    15 hours ago

    Anyone have any reccomendations for a decently priced IR camera that isn’t dependent on a phone app? Don’t want something that will just stop working because the manufacturer can’t be bothered to keep updating the app later on.

    • perestroika@slrpnk.net
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      2 hours ago

      If you don’t mind buying from Guangdong and being hit with import and customs fees, then on Linux, this gadget presents a standard V4L (Video4Linux) USB camera.

      https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007938478574.html

      The cable is delicate, you’d have to find a way to secure it against damage (e.g. tape). For the 256 x 192 pixel sensor, focal length 4 mm will get you an ordinary field of view (e.g. 45 degrees), while 9 mm will get you a very narrow field of view (e.g. 20 degrees). Grayscale image, very fast frame rates, automatic calibration against a shutter (occasional sub-second stops in video).

      Note: never ever point at the Sun. It has poor solar protection, I almost ruined it when my code erred and scanned across the Sun, leaving a massive black track which took several hours to fade. The shutter closes when it sees the Sun, but not fast enough.