Flir One Android compatibility list (for example on a low cost tablet)

[valere]

Hi, thanks to everyone Flir One posts on Eevblog forum helped me much in my choice to purchase one.

I had, however, much doubt on which Android device would be suitable, so I want to share my feedback and hope that other user will do the same to help people thinking about using such a tool.

I do not have any interest related to Amazon, but I want to share this feedback with people searching for a low cost Android device which is suitable for the Flir One Android. I got it for 50€ / 16Go and well, I wasn't ready to pay a lot more for a device to use another device...

Flir One Android version can work easily on the Amazon Fire 7 (2015) low-cost tablet, and that's a nice thing since it's such a low cost tablet (not a good tablet, but well, good bang for buck [correct me if I misspelled that]).

I suggest everyone could use the following titles

Android device characteristic :
- Name : Amazon Fire 7 (2015) 16 Gb
- OS : Fire OS 5.xx (Android modified by Amazon)
- Screen : 7 inches 1024*600
- Native OTG : yes (pre-install app offers camera picture transfer
- Approximate costs : from 40$ (8Gb + ads version), I got it for 50€ (16 Gb+ads)

Pro :
- Micro USB is the right orientation
- Flir one app works like a charm
- Thermal Picture AND Movies work perfectly

Cons :
- Need to do a small hack (install Play Store on Amazon custom Android : Fire OS)
- No panoramic due to the lack of advance sensors such as Gyro and Accelerometer
- On/off button from the tablet is hidden by the Flir One

Intended use (optional) :
- House thermal diagnostic (multiple iterations)
- Electronic diagnostic (autonomous robot custom boards check or debug)

How to make it work with (if anything special is required) :
- 1 : install Google play app on Fire OS (tutorials available on google, basically download a file explorer on amazon app store, then manually install stuff such as service, play app, ... Warning : it's up to you to assess the risk).
- 2 : install Flir One Ap from Google Play Store
- 3 : connect you Flire One and it's working like a charm (just the on/off button of the tablet is not accessible when Flire one is plugged, but it's more than usable)
- 4 : configure Flire One App (settings) to do a 180° rotation of your image

[Fraser]

Good result.

I recommend you also download the better FLIR One App called "Thermal Camera" that has been developed by a member of this forum (George (aka Gansgar)). It is, IMHO a better application and it provides the cameras uncropped full 160 x 120 resolution. I upgraded to the paid-for version and that provides a super resolution mode as well.

This software also appears to have a wider compatibility with various cheap tablets as well. The official FLIR software would not run on my TESCO HUDLE that contains a quad core Intel processor. The app by George runs perfectly.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/flir-one-android-app-with-full-lepton-sensor-resolution/

Fraser

[valere]

Thanks Fraser,

Well, I installed "Thermal Camera App." by George soon after starting to play with the FLIR One G2, I was already thinking about buying it... because having the temperature scale on the view screen is a really nice. About locking the temperature scale, it's also possible in the stock "Flir One App", despite being clearly difficult to get what the "icon" is for.

After reading your post yesterday, I did it, and well... I was almost ready to cancel my purchase, since it's not working so well. However, since I appreciate the work done by George and hope few improvements may be made one day I decided that it is worth helping such a good initiative. This app is prone to "camera disconnection" in my configuration (I'll not bet how much time I'll wait before getting ride of Fire Os to put a stock Android or something similar, probably not much if I find enough time...).

Flir Tools (Flir free reporting software on Android / Mac OS / Windows) / Works to take FLIR Picture with Flir One G2 on Android :
By the way before I read your post, I discovered something interesting, I managed to get Flir Tools working on the tablet. After installing it on my Nexus 4 (not rooted, stock android), taking away the Apk with Airdroid, installing the Apk on the Amazon tablet (the Play Store said that Flir tools couldn't install on my tablet, I've no idea what was required .... really not any meaning). Flir tools is working well and is recognizing the Flir One perfectly, meaning it's capable of taking thermal images directly, amazing !

I also discovered the Flir Tools PC application (on Mac well, no one is perfect, where is my Linux, on the other computer...), it's really nice to work on Flir One Image, actually it fixes a lot of "missing" features for the Flir One.

Examples, attached : a custom IO board (10x10cm), which I designed myself, on a Beaglebone Black (context : autonomous robots for Eurobot / French Robotic Cup, http://sikula-robotik.desbwa.org/)
- 1 directly edited on the tablet
- 2 edited on PC.
- 3 "resolution and size" as seen by Flir tools ( )
- 4 "thermal image only" exported out using Flir Tools to disable MSX (interesting resolution) by the way

Thermal Camera + App :

Pro :
- I really like the parallax correction by putting fingers on the image, it's well more efficient than standard Flir App.
- I really like the temperature scale in °C
- A lot of nice functionality

Cons :
- I would be more than happy if rotation could be applied on "SDK output image", it's a real pain when getting back to image with Flir Tool, well I know every functionality equals time required to code a well-done code, so maybe one day ;-)
- There is a form of instability in the connection (if I go to the menu and get back I often lost connection) , probably more related to Fire OS / or my tablet hardware
- Not super easy to move spot measurement, in MSX mode

Pro/Cons ? :
- I've yet to see the value of the super-res mode, I'm not really impressed by the result, but, on the other hand, I've to test it more carefully

Note : If I find time I may connect the android debugger to try to understand what's going on, but I've yet to make it work over Wi-Fi (USB Port used by FLIR one obviously)

[tomas123]

Cons :
- I would be more than happy if rotation could be applied on "SDK output image", it's a real pain when getting back to image with Flir Tool, well I know every functionality equals time required to code a well-done code, so maybe one day ;-)

Unfortunately the Flir SDK contains no feature for rotating the thermal radiometric jpgs.  Therefore Georg can't fix this "bug".
Furthermore we can't rotate this special jpgs with a photo editor (post processing) 
Only Flir Tools can rotate this images 

I get the best user experience with Thermal Camera+ if I disable the rotation on my phone, because the camera orientation is identical to shown image 

[valere]

Thanks Tomas123, well damned SDK... Sorry George  , on the other hand, I ordered a fix for this problem a Micro USB fem to Micro USB male extension cord. Well, hardware fix, always win (or not)...

I can't just lock the orientation on my tablet, it's literally reverse, the camera is attached "top".... and worse there is no top or left or right it's fully rotating which is a good choice except for... Flir One. I can really fix that by installing a stock Android and well tuning it a bit I think so.

I've to apologize, I read only a part of the Flir One multiple Thread previously, I really appreciate your pointers (Fraser & Tomas123) on the right information.

By the way I discovered after buying everything, that I could have been sure of Flir One G2 comp ability with Amazon Fire One 7 (2015) by reading long thread, and google didn't helped me much when I was searching Flir One + Fire 7 (amazon selling the Flir One G2 is a lot of research noise).