Flir E4 Thermal imaging camera teardown

[Isaac-1]

Hi, I have been considering buying an E4 for the last 6-8 months, and finally broke down and bought a used one,  It seems the previous owner did a software update on it, as the menu shows it as model E4 1.2L with Software 2.3.13  Can anyone tell me the state of hacking for this version, as while I have been reading through this thread and others, I am a bit unclear on updated units, and have seen no mention of 2.3.13 software, just 2.3.0.

thanks

p.s. the Calibration sticker is dated April 7, 2014

[Bud]

I am a bit unclear on updated units, and have seen no mention of 2.3.13 software, just 2.3.0.

I guess if you have not seen it  then there is no information on this version.

[yogort1]

Ok, right now I'm confused (to say the least). Is there finally a way to hack 2.3 firmware like the older versions? Resolution + menu options? I thought only resolution hack is possible 

[GH05TMS]

Ok, right now I'm confused (to say the least). Is there finally a way to hack 2.3 firmware like the older versions? Resolution + menu options? I thought only resolution hack is possible 

I don't even know where to start for doing the hack for the resolution, let alone for the menu hack too (if it can be done). any guides would be great (guides for complete noobs)

[Bud]

@yogort1
No menu , beside additional palettes

@GH05TMS
Browse this thread backwards until you see a long post with instructions, different people reposted them several times.

[yf025]

hi mike,many thanks for your hacking on e4 v2.3. I don't quite understand some part of your guide like"Save the file as flashfs\system\appcore.d\config.d\e8.cfg ".That means I need to creat some folders in these names and then put the modified e8.cfg into config.d ? Some guides in this thread mentioned RNDIS and PYTHON while only flir tools you mentioned in your guide.Is it the new method to hack e4 in your way which only use flir tools and camera.cmd? Please give me some advice .Thanks and sorry for my poor english

[yogort1]

Ok, right now I'm confused (to say the least). Is there finally a way to hack 2.3 firmware like the older versions? Resolution + menu options? I thought only resolution hack is possible 

I don't even know where to start for doing the hack for the resolution, let alone for the menu hack too (if it can be done). any guides would be great (guides for complete noobs)

Page 377, Reply #5645

[gemrough]

Yes you can unlock the full resolution on E4's with 2.3.0. I am re posting this with a few edits to the original:

(originally posted by compet17)

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS for Flir E4 (Firmware 2.3.0) for beginners (How I did it... and it worked)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(If somebody finds an error in this procedure, please tell me immediately and I will correct it)

- Get FlirTools from Flir website (free download) PC version recommended (Note: V5 does not work on Win XP...)
- Install FlirTools on your PC
- Get the files "Set_RNDIS_temporary.fif" and "Set_RNDIS_permanent.fif" from this forum (zipped downloads somewhere in this thread)
- If you want to use the "permanent" file, you also need "remove_RNDIS_Permanent.fif"
   (Temporary.fif sets the USB of your cam to RNDIS mode UNTIL A REBOOT. Permanent does the same but it stays in RNDIS until YOU RUN   
     REMOVE.fif)
- Get E4 hack "v04.zip" for Version 2.3.0
- I assume that the installation of FlirTools does also install the camera driver. If not install it manually. Links are found in this thread
- Get PYTHON version 2.x (not version 3.x!) from the Python website and install it. This is needed to run the hack script. It's a programming language.

- Connect your E4 via USB to your PC and turn it on
- Go to "Programs(x86)/Flir systems/Flir Tools/bin and execute FLIRInstallNet.exe (this is part of the FlirTools software installed in step 2)
- Select the Set_RNDIS_xxxxxxx.fif (permanent or temporary) and click RUN FIF button.
  (A timeout error is normal after the command has succeeded because USB is now set to RNDIS mode)
(On mine I had to disconnect and hard reboot for the change to show up.... which meant I had to use the permanent file.  I had to use a win 8 PC.  After the Hard reboot I moved to a win XP PC)
- Wait a moment and open a CMD window, then enter IPCONFIG
- An additional network connection should be listed with IP Address 192.168.0.1 and gateway 192.168.0.2
- Enter "FTP", then "open 192.168.0.2" and a connection to your cam should be established
- Login with user "flir" and password "3vlig"
- Issue a "dir" command and the files and directories of your cam are listed.
- If all that works, type "quit" to exit and close ftp connection.

- copy the hack files from the v04.zip into the PYTHON folder.
- open CMD, use the command cd and go into python folder and enter "python apply.py apply 192.168.0.2"
- it will read two files from your cam and stores them in a backup folder, then it will do some magic with the files.
- you will find newly created conf.cfc and common_dll.dll in that folder and upload them back to the camera.

- In case you get an error 500 at the upload, you have to upload the files manually by FTP:

*** Only in case of error 500 ***
- Open CMD and FTP again and connect to your camera as before
- go to the indicated folders (cd /foldername/foldername/foldername)
- check the folder with "pwd" to make sure you're in the right one
- Use the lcd command to change to your local directory where the conf and common files are.
- put the files to the correct folders (put filename)

MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE RIGHT FILES INTO THE RIGHT FOLDER!!!
***------***

- Reboot your cam by removing/inserting the battery
- Be happy!!!

- It is possible that the measuring spot is off center after reboot. Turn the spot off/on in the setup menu of the cam and it should be centered.

[JerryTN]

I recently purchased the flir e4b. It has the latest 2.3 sw and wanted to know if the above hack for the standard e4 will work on the e4b.  From what I can find out its the same unit as an e4 except with limited temperature range. Thanks for any help. Jerry

[ITman496]

Proud to say that it worked!  Dunno about any of the menu stuff on 2.3 but the resolution is amazing now! And that blasted noise is gone.  Thank you everyone for your hard work! Now I can enjoy looking at my cat in glorious 320x240.

Interesting notes for anyone new attempting this:

The IP isn't always 192.168.0.2, in my case it was 192.168.1.2   Make sure to check ipconfig and figure out what yours comes out to be.

The files for the RNDIS were a bit annoying to find but if you google the file name in the guide you can find it.  I assume they are hard to locate for a reason.

When I did said RNDIS procedure, windows complained about disabling an unsigned driver, but it didn't seem to affect anything.  Maybe its why the cmd ftp didn't work.

doing ftp in cmd didn't work.  I'd hit dir and it would say 150 status okay fetching data or something like that, but never actually do anything.  Instead I just went to windows explorer and typed in the top (on a win7 x64 machine) ftp://192.168.1.2  and I was able to browse through the files normally and find/verify that the one file was 6608 or something in length.  At least I assume that's what they want checked.

Other then that, it worked great.  Went smoothly, following the directions, immediately made the image on the camera 1000x better.

Hope this helps anyone!

[lwi004]

Can someone explain what I will be losing if I cannot update the menus? I am about to order a camera, which will no doubt have 2.3 SW.

Maybe I shoudl buy an E5 instead and upgrade that if the functionality is important.

Also does the Resolution hack also increase the Sensitivity? as E4 is quoted at <0.15C, E5 <0.10C and E6 and E8 at <0.06C

Thanks

[ITman496]

I'm interested in that answer as well, I don't know what I'm missing, and probably want it!

[yf025]

I can confirm that the "resolution improvement" v0.1 works for an newly bought E4 (V2.3.0) camera. I also tried v0.2 and it has a problem finding the files to send back to the camera. Maybe only a file-path naming problem... So I did it manually with Windows-CMD/FTP

Great job!!! 

BTW: I got the information that FLIR did not only reduce the resolution but also installed a noise generator to further impair the picture... I think this is a bad move, only that they can say "see, how much better our E8 model is!"
Fortunately the upgrade eliminates also the noise, which is very good visible.

Such manufacturers deserve to be hacked! 

"filr also installed a noise generator" it that ture?
what the **** flir is!!!!!

[ITman496]

It does indeed.  I saw it with my own eyes before I did the mod.  Why FLIR, whyyyyyy.

[kuna]

Does this 2.3 hack also shut off the noise generator?

[janekivi]

Noise is 0 now. In E8 conf nr is 5. In E4 2.3.0 cfc it was 135 , changed it to 335 - that was cool (999 not tested) : )
Changed here reso too - lower than 40x30 and higher than 320x240 it won't go and 640x480 have no visual effect (40x30 had : )).

Edit: That noise is added by conf, if you delete conf file or mess those rows in conf - noise is 0

[janekivi]

If you need manual temp scale it is possible that way:
download this - 2.3.0_Menu_4.zip
and add in - preset_centerspot.rsc
line - .ui.userSettings.scaleInteractive bool true
after or before - .ui.userSettings.hideGraphics bool false
then you can set scale to "lock" and after changing "measurement" from "no" to "center spot"
up down left right moving temperatures

[KK]

Well I have been pissed at Zoro as my order was pending until for 10 days!!! Well it finally shipped.

What came in.... a dead as crap camera.... I was hoping that was a good sign. Hooked up a charger and BAM sw v 1.22!!

I couldn't have been happier!!! All that for $700!!!

My camera from Zorro only took a few days from order, but it was also dead and needed a charge before it could be turned on. It also turned out to be a version 1.22.

Once you register the SN# with FLIR they upgrade your 1 year warranty to 2 years.

The hack went smoothly, and was very simple. I backed up the original config file and the system folder to return it to stock if needed.

[Bud]

Writing stock files back will change their timestamp, you cannot fool Flir that way unless thereis a way to overwrite the timestamp.

[lwi004]

@KK

How long ago did you buy it?

[KK]

@KK

How long ago did you buy it?

Cyber-Monday 12/1/14.

[reifill]

Hi, the whole day I tried to upgrade my E4 to resolution E8...now I am becoming crazy...

E4 was bought 12/2013, in 10/2014 FW-Update from 1.19 FW to FW 2.3, "conf.cfg" size 6.297kb not 6.608kb, this may be the reason why v0.3/0.4.zip dosen´t work. V0.3/.04 generates backup folder with "common_dll.dll", no file "conf.cfg", in the python27 folder the "common_dll.dll" was created (same size as the original, perhaps it is not changed) and the "conf.cfg", size 0kb(?)


Access via FTP(192.168.0.2) seams to be easy via pressing the right side of central button (menue camerainformation) for 12 sec to enter usb-menue, changing selection to RNDIS. I have access to folders FlashBFS and FlashFS, I am able to copy, rename and erase files on E4...

python 2.7 stops running with error 550 (see attachment). I tried, I believe, nearly everthing discribed in threads, start reading page 350-407...using older tools/versions, entring CRC01 checksum and and and...

Now I have no more Ideas.

Has somebody additional ideas/hints?

Thanks i.a. reifill

[yf025]

Hi, the whole day I tried to upgrade my E4 to resolution E8...now I am becoming crazy...

E4 was bought 12/2013, in 10/2014 FW-Update from 1.19 FW to FW 2.3, "conf.cfg" size 6.297kb not 6.608kb, this may be the reason why v0.3/0.4.zip dosen´t work. V0.3/.04 generates backup folder with "common_dll.dll", no file "conf.cfg", in the python27 folder the "common_dll.dll" was created (same size as the original, perhaps it is not changed) and the "conf.cfg", size 0kb(?)


Access via FTP(192.168.0.2) seams to be easy via pressing the right side of central button (menue camerainformation) for 12 sec to enter usb-menue, changing selection to RNDIS. I have access to folders FlashBFS and FlashFS, I am able to copy, rename and erase files on E4...

python 2.7 stops running with error 550 (see attachment). I tried, I believe, nearly everthing discribed in threads, start reading page 350-407...using older tools/versions, entring CRC01 checksum and and and...

Now I have no more Ideas.

Has somebody additional ideas/hints?

Thanks i.a. reifill

waiting answers with U…………

[ixfd64]

I've got a question for people who own additional FLIR cameras besides an E4 (or any other Ex camera). Are the screens of other FLIR cameras scratched as easily as on the Ex ones, or is this issue specific to the Ex series?

[Isaac-1]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but where do I find v0.4 for the 2.3 hack?  I have been looking for 2 hours and no luck, if this should not be posted in public please PM me.

thanks

p.s. just found it

I can now report that the v.04 resolution hack worked with my version 1.2L original, 2.3.13 updated software E4   YAY what a way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Also hidden USB menu to set RNDIS worked