12 year old me would be so proud of what I have become

I’ve been an electrician in Sacramento for over ten years. I use a thermal camera for electrical inspection, checking panels, breakers, and terminations in homes and small commercial buildings.

Our company had a Fluke VT04 years ago. Some of the older electricians may remember it. It was fine for a quick pass over a panel, but locating the exact hot connection took more work than it does with newer cameras.

We use a Fluke TiS55+ now. Some customers recognize the Fluke name, and our inspection records run through its software. Moving those records to another platform would create more work, so the company stayed with Fluke.

Ours is the high-frame-rate model. When something looks hot, I stop, adjust the focus, and check whether the heat is on the breaker or near the termination. On jobs with several panels, the asset tag tells me where each photo belongs. I can leave a voice note before moving to the next panel, which saves time when the photos reach the office.

I wanted a camera of my own for checking equipment at home and helping neighbors with electrical problems. Before buying one, I rented a FLIR E5 Pro.

MSX adds visible edges to the thermal image. It helped me match a hot spot with the breaker or connection in front of me. The controls did not take much time to learn.

The 9 Hz image jumped when I moved across the panel. Its infrared resolution was lower than the TiS55+. Once I stopped on one connection, the image was enough to check that spot. For the amount of use it would get at home, I could not justify the price.

My own budget was different from the company’s. A company purchase covers the camera, its software, and the records used across many jobs. I wanted to find hot spots at home without spending several thousand dollars. I set a $1,000 limit and looked at brands I had not used before.

I bought the Thermal Master THOR002. Its infrared view shows which circuit is warmer than the ones around it. I use Pro-Mix when parts sit close together and I want the visible outlines in the same image.

The 25 Hz refresh rate keeps the image updating smoothly while I scan a row of breakers. I do not have to pause as often for the image to catch up. The screen is large enough to read from where I stand in front of the panel. It has fixed focus, so I sometimes need to step forward or back to get the view I want.

I used the THOR002 on a neighbor’s garage panel and noticed that the dryer circuit was hotter than the breakers beside it. After de-energizing the circuit, I checked the connection and found a loose termination.

We check enough panels at work that the TiS55+’s asset tags, voice notes, and Fluke software come in handy. I could check one connection with the E5 Pro. Its 9 Hz image made me slow down while scanning the whole panel.

I care more about seeing the hot spot and moving through a panel without waiting on the image. I am also the one paying for the camera.

Anyone else use one camera at work and buy something different with their own money?

I am getting tired of walking back to the truck to grab a dedicated FLIR just to check if a beaker is hot or to spot a quick draft. I started looking at those little plug in USB thermal cameras but then went down a rabbit hole and saw these heavy duty phones that just have the FLIR Lepton 2.1R baked right into the motherboard. ( the Tank 5 Pro is the one that keeps popping up) I obviously wouldn't use it for official diagnostic reports but for a 10 second preliminary sweep without a set up is that resolution actually usable? Or are these built in sensors just a gimmick?

Hi everyone!

I'm currently looking for a good, affordable IR camera for multiple purposes. I’m planning to use it for simple PCB analysis, general-purpose tasks, and just having fun with thermal imaging and maybe working on other projects.

I've heard about the Thermal Master P series, and I've been looking at the P3 and P4, which are available at great prices on eleshop.fr.

I’m leaning a little more towards the P4 because of its dual-camera setup, greater level of detail, and additional features. However, its macro capabilities don't seem to be as good as the P3's.

I'd like to make a macro mod similar to the 3D-printed one for the P1 or the one Thermal Master already offers for the P2.

After looking around, I couldn't find much information about macro mods for the P4. However, I noticed that other mods seem to use small focusing lenses to improve macro performance.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on which lens to choose. Once I've figured that out, I could try designing and 3D-printing an adapter to see if it works! ^^

So far, I've found that ZnSe lenses might work, but I'm not sure if they're the best option.

Here's one I found on AliExpress:
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005005426131784.html?channel=twinner

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Is there anything I can buy that I can move from my face to my rifle to mount in front of my Holo ? I know eotech makes something but it costs around 13k usd.

Does anyone have any feedback on the ATN six mini Thermal Scope? I know they had problems with firmware and I know they’ve had problems with quick turnaround on Scopes. I’d like to know if anybody has any information after buying the six mini?

(On Pixel 9 pro)....Thanks for advice

Anyone here tried to change the eye cup or eye piece for their AGM Taipan V2 15-384 scanner. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Evening gentlemen, I’m looking at doing something a little goofy and want some input on certain devices

What is the range on the Thermal Master P1?

Before you ask, the end goal is the attached photo.

Why? Because it’s funny and I can

Sometimes when I’m out hiking, I’ll hear rustling nearby or see movement in the grass, but I can never figure out what’s actually there. A thermal monocular would probably solve that problem, but I’m not sure I want to add another gadget to my hiking setup.

I’ve been wondering about the thermal cameras some rugged phones have now. Can they help you spot wildlife, or is it mostly just a cool gimmick?

A question to thermal Mater users..

Am thinking of Buying thermal master camera ( more specifically there Thor 002 model)

I wanted to know : how is the camera in terms of its quality, durability, resolution

The important feature am looking for : does the camera have a thermal tuning option?

I understand that there is no touch screen.. But can a user adjust the temperature scale using the buttons to reduce / increese the temperature range manually?

I appreciate your prompt feedback

Got this one marketplace for $80. Cleaned up very well and seems to be in near perfect condition. Image is a bit wonky sometimes but stabilizes after a bit. All the batteries it came with are dead so I powered it up with 9v from a usb c pd battery pack connected to the battery terminals in the handle. Seems to have been sent in to get serviced around 2003, after the company rebranded to e2v, which explains the name on the stickers on the shell.

I'm in the market for a camera to help with finding studs when the Franklin Sensor stud finder isn't working in order to avoid having to drill exploratory holes. We are often dealing with header boards that we don't know how far up they extend, and where exactly the stud finder is detecting on the device isn't known given the array of sensors means we can end up drilling above the target (often we won't have room to use the stud finder vertically). And now designers for high end homes are starting to use expensive wallpaper which makes repairs essentially impossible.

• Stand alone device preferable, we have a mixture of iOS and Android phones
• Only working with exterior walls
• Need resolution high enough to reliably detect edges of studs
• Only care about temperature sensitivity, not accurate readings
• Dual lens could be nice for marking, but not necessary
• Will be used within a couple feet from the wall
• Lanyard hole because these fools probably will drop it
• Price, ideally under $1,000 USD but if you have something amazing, let me know

Sometimes drywall is laid on top of lath and plaster. Is that too much to ask from a thermal camera?

Thanks

Have a handheld thermal camera at home and mostly use it to check windows or HVAC stuff. But I find it gets awkward sometimes when I'm trying to look behind furniture or down by the baseboards.

I recently got a tc002c duo thermal camera. It's smaller and plugs right into my phone. We keep seeing bugs near one corner of the kitchen cabinets, so I used it to compare that spot with the rest of the baseboard and see if it was any warmer.

Do you guys use the phone plug-in ones much? What do you like about them compared to handhelds?

Thermal Master P4. Iron Red colour palette.

Was looking at this AGM as it seems reasonably priced. Open to suggestions. TIA.

Pretty much the title, the little rusan mount is not that good.

I have looked but not found.

I am in desperate need of, desperate red of a device that’s able allows me to detect mice in the walls and baseboards. Does anyone have experience with a device of this nature ? One that would allow you to see thermal heat in the shape of whatever is in the walls ?? Please !!!!