Sunday, September 2, 2012

Thermal Imaging Phone Camera


http://www.instructables.com/id/Thermal-Imaging-Phone-Camera/




Thermal Imaging Phone Camera
I have a 100 year old house that can be drafty and hard to heat in the winter. I have been wanting a thermal imaging camera to help find leaks ever since we bought this house. So I finally just made my own.The temperature readings are overlaid onto the phone's camera display. The display is adjustable for different temperature ranges and can show the numeric reading for every zone or just 1.

No, it is not as nice as the $2000 - $10,000 cameras but it is good enough for most things you need a thermal imaging camera for and it is also rather fun to play with too.

I would like to make and sell these so others like me can save money and energy. I should be able to manufacture and sell them for around $150. The software for iPhones is ready, the Android software will be available soon. This is also going to be an Open Source Hardware project so if you want to make your own that is fine too.

Please watch my video entry to the Jack Daniel's Independence Project Contest and let me know if you like it.

28 comments:

  1. Hi Andy,
    Your thermal imaging camera looks great, it's something that I'd be interested in if you can get it to manufacture. Have you thought about kickstarter?
    Jared

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  2. +1 kickstarter!!!

    iphone and ipad

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  3. This low-cost thermal cam could find a great following in the "smart home" community.

    IR motion detectors are the current solution ... but the ability to thermally detect people in a room could be used for some more intelligent control schemes. Hope this gets some movement!

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  4. i would back this on kickstarter.....

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  5. I have been looking for this very tool for a year. In fact, I asked FLIR in Germany when they would have one. Every kid needs one so that they can show their parents where the house leaks and costs money. If those leaks were fixed and insulation and proper ventilation added, we could all live in healthy, comfortable and energy efficient homes.

    When can I get mine.

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  6. this looks awesome- waiting to see if you release the open source hardware!

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  7. Would love to have one and understand how to up the zones from 64 to 128, 256, etc. Count me in.

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  8. Thanks everyone, it was a bit of a rush job to get it done in time for the Instructables & Jack Daniel's contest. I need to document and clean up the code a bit then I can get a post with everything together at once. Anyone that wants to make their own at that point can. I hope to have it up within a week.
    As for a Kickstarter I have a bit more work to do for it to be ready for that. The Jack Daniel's prize would really help with that. :-)
    Thanks again for all the support.

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    Replies
    1. I'm Yousef from Pushfunder, we'd love to help you raise funds. Please get in touch - yousef@pushfunder.com

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  9. wonderful project. i have so many uses for this in my line of work. i will gladly paypal you some funds to buy more parts once you get the android code finished.

    or when you publish a parts list and some android code i will happily donate a twenty dollar bill.

    speaking of that. get a donate button up somewhere. peeps will probably help you now. and maybe an email addy.

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  10. Info for Paypal donation button:
    https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_donate-intro-outside

    On what part is the sensor based on?
    Maybe the resolution could be improved by oversampling the sensor (reducing random noise).

    I think many people would contribute to this project.

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  11. Nice work. I would support a kickstarter

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  12. This is awesome and I'd love to have one.

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  13. nice stuff, I would be happy to contribute to an open source development.

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  14. Kickstarter link, please! This is very important project, do not let it down, people will help.

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  15. I'd be interested in this project as well. I would be interested in an Android version.

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  16. Would definitely buy this with an Android version

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  17. woot. votes for kickstarter and android. Perhaps make a mailing list for fans and/or to post a list of areas people can help you?

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  18. Another Android and Kickstarter request. Engadget led me here, your about to get swamped.

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  19. This is great. Let me know where to get the code and hardware for the this kit. It might be fun to build. Great project.

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  20. And yet another Android and Kickstarter request.

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  21. I've posted some more info here if anyone is interested. http://www.rhworkshop.com/

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  22. Hello, I saw that Melexis 16X4 IR sensor array recently. Nice to see it put to good use so soon. Here is the datasheet for it http://www.melexis.com/Assets/Datasheet-IR-thermometer-16X4-sensor-array-MLX90620-6099.aspx for those that are curious...

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  23. brilliant...... hotcam

    when you have the drawings and instructions...i am in, perfect project for kids to make and understand the world via heat and not light

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  24. Want want want! Need! Just bought a house, not 100 years old but poorly insulated nonetheless. Will buy on kickstarter as soon as it's available...

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  25. I would pledge $200 for a unit that worked with my android device. Seriously sweet device. I think you would get the same if not more that the Ubertooth project if you ran a kickstarter.
    I could also see every DIY 3d printer person out there buying one.

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  26. There's another sensor option available

    Panasonic grid-eye, it's an 8x8 thermal array and is under $40 (and is actually in stock at digikey)

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