jaken23•3mo agoMost Upvoted

Dropped $150 on a thermal camera for my phone and it's been a total waste

I got it to find shorts on boards faster, thinking it would save me a ton of time. The thing is, the resolution is so bad on the cheap model that a hot spot just looks like a fuzzy blob. I can't tell a bad cap from a bad IC unless the part is already on fire. It worked okay one time on a swollen laptop battery, but my $20 thermal probe from the hardware store does the same job. I feel like I got tricked by the ads showing perfect rainbow pictures. What's a good thermal tool that actually shows clear details without costing a grand?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.cole3mo ago

Totally feel that, the cheap ones are basically just expensive hot spot detectors. You might have better luck with a used FLIR E4 if you can find one, people hack them for better resolution. What kind of boards are you usually working on?

campbell.evan3mo ago

My own cheap thermal cam mostly finds my warm coffee mugs, so I feel you and @allen.cole.

calebm461mo ago

A $150 phone cam is basically an oven mitt with a screen.