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You can get a FLIR Lepton 3 thermal sensor for about $150-180 used, typically in the form of an older FLIR One 2nd Gen iOS/Android dongle (eBay). 160x120 resol
by mrsteveman1 8y ago
You can get a FLIR Lepton 3 thermal sensor for about $150-180 used, typically in the form of an older FLIR One 2nd Gen iOS/Android dongle (eBay).
160x120 resolution isn't great (320x240 is generally the "good enough for casual night imaging" resolution), but those are the best you can do before stepping up to a minimum of $500+ per image sensor (seek compact pro).
Here's an image set of a cat walking around a fenced-in deck next to a tree: https://imgur.com/a/WmuQ1lA https://imgur.com/a/WmuQ1lA
If you look carefully in one image, you can see the heat from the paw prints remaining visible as a line in the grass. You can't see the actual prints at that resolution, but the sensor is absolutely good enough to see trails like that, especially indoors with footprints.
And in terms of intensifier tubes, you can do reasonably well picking up one of the Gen 1 monoculars sold all over the place, somewhere around $150-200 per eye, though you have to be careful as some of them are better than others.
- IshKebab 8y agoYeah if you've ever used proper thermal cameras, "not great" is an understatement. Plus I assume they are limited to 9 FPS which sucks. Someone really needs to challenge FLIR's monopoly.
- mrsteveman1 8y agoThe Lepton modules you can buy are limited to 9fps, yes. They do seem to make some that are higher frame rate, but they aren't advertised anywhere. FLIR and other companies like Seek[1] are selling 15/30fps imagers that are not much more expensive, though not in modules for DIY use. The Seek Compact Pro[2][3] does a pretty good job for the ~$500 price tag [1] https://support.thermal.com/hc/en-us/articles/208377803-What-is-FastFrame- https://support.thermal.com/hc/en-us/articles/208377803-What... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgyr-4u06FU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgyr-4u06FU [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybDpuFecruM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybDpuFecruM